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The Unity Experiment
When seventeen-year-old Anna is thrown into the Unity Experiment—an ongoing team building exercise to promote unity between warring species—she begins to unwittingly retrace the fatal steps her father took a decade ago. But she quickly discovers she is the only one within the experiment able to communicate with the spirit world.
This revelation ignites her curiosity and her focus shifts from surviving the experiment to finding out the truth behind her father’s death. But this power comes at a cost, and she becomes the prime target of the other teams who covet this link wanting answers from their dead.
If Anna can master this unusual skill, she’ll be able to bring together species who currently have nothing but contempt for each other. Of course, she’ll have to avoid being killed by everything and everyone around her. If she can’t, she’ll never have the chance to unveil the secrets the human government never wanted unearthed in the first place. Too bad they didn’t count on a 17-year-old who can hear the dead to shake things up.
This revelation ignites her curiosity and her focus shifts from surviving the experiment to finding out the truth behind her father’s death. But this power comes at a cost, and she becomes the prime target of the other teams who covet this link wanting answers from their dead.
If Anna can master this unusual skill, she’ll be able to bring together species who currently have nothing but contempt for each other. Of course, she’ll have to avoid being killed by everything and everyone around her. If she can’t, she’ll never have the chance to unveil the secrets the human government never wanted unearthed in the first place. Too bad they didn’t count on a 17-year-old who can hear the dead to shake things up.
248 pages, Paperback
Published January 14, 2025
4319 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 28, 2025
3.5 rounded to 4
“The Unity Experiment” by NK Brown is an unstoppable, action-packed novel full of supernatural beings, corrupt governments, and a bit of spice. This book is perfect for those who love high-stake fantasy, fated mates with a slow-burn romance, and a quiet uprising against the borders keeping supernatural beings divided.
The beginning is gripping, making it easy to dive into the story and become invested in Anna and her fate. We get to know a lot about her too in the first few pages. Some of it told, but a lot is seen in her actions. Despite her fear, it’s clear she’s a natural-born leader, even if the other beings she’s been teamed up with don’t seem to think so. She’s observant, open-minded, headstrong, and determined to do what they’ve all been set up to do—work together as a team to make it out of the experiment alive. Not to mention, her ability to connect with the spirit world proves a big bonus in aiding their chances of winning.
Each supernatural being has their motivations in mind during the experiment, which adds to the rising tension in the book. Everyone is on edge and no one can get along because their people have all been at war with one another for years, and the secrets they’re all keeping from one another don’t help. These secrets add depth to the characters, making them more complex than they seem on the surface. It also adds more suspense to the story because the reader can never be sure if they are all fighting for the same goal.
The world-building is quite promising and the trials the characters must jump through are highly imaginative, extremely complex, and designed to be nearly impossible to accomplish—add on the rival groups all fighting to make it through the experiment and the chances of survival continue to drop. Some areas needed more development. For example, the secondary characters varied as far as supernatural beings went, but they were no more than their tropes and that filtered through in their dialogue, too. There’s so much more to these characters, evident in their motivations for making it through the trials, but it doesn’t shine through enough in the story itself. Developing a connection with these characters would be possible with a solid understanding of what their lives are like and the kinds of struggles they had. It was mentioned that some beings live worse than the humans, and revealing what their situations were like back home would’ve given them depth and complexity.
While there are places that may need further development, the storyline itself is intriguing, and the nonstop action moves the plot along quite quickly. Readers who enjoy the themes of The Hunger Games will be interested in this one. The Unity Experiment by NK Brown is out now and available to purchase and read!
Thank you to BookSirens, Evernight Teen, and the author for providing me with an e-arc and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.
“The Unity Experiment” by NK Brown is an unstoppable, action-packed novel full of supernatural beings, corrupt governments, and a bit of spice. This book is perfect for those who love high-stake fantasy, fated mates with a slow-burn romance, and a quiet uprising against the borders keeping supernatural beings divided.
The beginning is gripping, making it easy to dive into the story and become invested in Anna and her fate. We get to know a lot about her too in the first few pages. Some of it told, but a lot is seen in her actions. Despite her fear, it’s clear she’s a natural-born leader, even if the other beings she’s been teamed up with don’t seem to think so. She’s observant, open-minded, headstrong, and determined to do what they’ve all been set up to do—work together as a team to make it out of the experiment alive. Not to mention, her ability to connect with the spirit world proves a big bonus in aiding their chances of winning.
Each supernatural being has their motivations in mind during the experiment, which adds to the rising tension in the book. Everyone is on edge and no one can get along because their people have all been at war with one another for years, and the secrets they’re all keeping from one another don’t help. These secrets add depth to the characters, making them more complex than they seem on the surface. It also adds more suspense to the story because the reader can never be sure if they are all fighting for the same goal.
The world-building is quite promising and the trials the characters must jump through are highly imaginative, extremely complex, and designed to be nearly impossible to accomplish—add on the rival groups all fighting to make it through the experiment and the chances of survival continue to drop. Some areas needed more development. For example, the secondary characters varied as far as supernatural beings went, but they were no more than their tropes and that filtered through in their dialogue, too. There’s so much more to these characters, evident in their motivations for making it through the trials, but it doesn’t shine through enough in the story itself. Developing a connection with these characters would be possible with a solid understanding of what their lives are like and the kinds of struggles they had. It was mentioned that some beings live worse than the humans, and revealing what their situations were like back home would’ve given them depth and complexity.
While there are places that may need further development, the storyline itself is intriguing, and the nonstop action moves the plot along quite quickly. Readers who enjoy the themes of The Hunger Games will be interested in this one. The Unity Experiment by NK Brown is out now and available to purchase and read!
Thank you to BookSirens, Evernight Teen, and the author for providing me with an e-arc and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.
February 26, 2025
The Unity Experiment by NK Brown is the kind of book that grabs you from the first page and never lets go. With its intriguing premise—an experimental team-building exercise between warring species, a curious heroine, and a haunting connection to the spirit world—it was impossible for me to put down.
Anna is such a compelling protagonist. A seemingly ordinary 17-year-old who’s been thrown into a dangerous, life-or-death experiment, she discovers an extraordinary and frightening ability to communicate with the dead. But what really pulled me in was how Anna wasn’t just trying to survive; she was driven by a deep need to uncover the truth about her father’s mysterious death. As she digs deeper into the dark secrets of the Unity Experiment, her connection to the spirit world and the enemies lurking around her become more dangerous and complex.
NK Brown does a brilliant job of blending suspense, mystery, and a touch of the supernatural. The way Anna balances her new, powerful skill while being hunted by everyone around her is both thrilling and heart-pounding. I couldn’t help but root for her as she navigates this deadly experiment, fighting not just for her life but to reveal the truths the government desperately wants to keep hidden.
The dynamics between the warring species, the political intrigue, and Anna’s evolving powers kept me on the edge of my seat. The stakes are high, and Anna’s journey toward mastering her skills—and uncovering the secrets of the Unity Experiment—feels like the start of something truly epic.
If you enjoy suspenseful, fast-paced thrillers with a touch of paranormal, The Unity Experiment is a must-read. It’s full of twists, tension, and mystery, and Anna’s strength and determination will have you rooting for her every step of the way. NK Brown has crafted an unforgettable story that’s sure to keep you hooked from beginning to end.
Anna is such a compelling protagonist. A seemingly ordinary 17-year-old who’s been thrown into a dangerous, life-or-death experiment, she discovers an extraordinary and frightening ability to communicate with the dead. But what really pulled me in was how Anna wasn’t just trying to survive; she was driven by a deep need to uncover the truth about her father’s mysterious death. As she digs deeper into the dark secrets of the Unity Experiment, her connection to the spirit world and the enemies lurking around her become more dangerous and complex.
NK Brown does a brilliant job of blending suspense, mystery, and a touch of the supernatural. The way Anna balances her new, powerful skill while being hunted by everyone around her is both thrilling and heart-pounding. I couldn’t help but root for her as she navigates this deadly experiment, fighting not just for her life but to reveal the truths the government desperately wants to keep hidden.
The dynamics between the warring species, the political intrigue, and Anna’s evolving powers kept me on the edge of my seat. The stakes are high, and Anna’s journey toward mastering her skills—and uncovering the secrets of the Unity Experiment—feels like the start of something truly epic.
If you enjoy suspenseful, fast-paced thrillers with a touch of paranormal, The Unity Experiment is a must-read. It’s full of twists, tension, and mystery, and Anna’s strength and determination will have you rooting for her every step of the way. NK Brown has crafted an unforgettable story that’s sure to keep you hooked from beginning to end.
January 28, 2025
The Unity Experiment had elements that were reminiscent of other books I’ve read like The Divergent Series and The Hunger Games, but with a fantasy twist, introducing multitudes of species whose interactions are rife with secrets, distrust, and violence. Anna has lived a pretty mundane human life in comparison with her other teammates, with the exception of her childhood when her father performed experiments on her in their basement, and then again when she became of age and became eligible for the Unity Experiment lottery. I say mundane, but the world she lives in is much darker than our own world yet the humans live and work in “regular” jobs in between lottery picks. When Anna gets dropped into the experiment and lands in the jungle full of violence and subterfuge she relies on those instincts that her father helped her develop. As her character moves forward in the experiment you can see a light bulb turn on and her drive to know what happened to her father when he entered the experiment becomes her driving force- besides surviving, of course.
On her team, everyone has an ulterior motive, but she is drawn the most to Dylan, the werewolf who has sworn to protect her and keep her alive. There are elements of an attraction that makes this novel feel at times somewhat romantasy, but the author seems to have more interest in other aspects of the plot and leaves the readers emotions hanging a bit, which if there’s another novel is totally ok by me. There was enough action, and subterfuge to engage my mind and keep me reading. In fact, I blew through this novel in about four hours I enjoyed the writing so much.
As with any new world that I enter as a reader, there were moments of confusion. At times, Amura who could shapeshift, would turn into quite a few different insects, birds, etc. that a couple of times it took me a moment to catch on to who and what was going on. Despite a little confusion with that character, I loved how the author made each team member a different species (with the exception of Chris who was human) and gave the reader a new world to explore with each characters back story. So interesting!
Needless to say, I really enjoyed this novel! There were only a couple of moments where something happened from Anna’s viewpoint that took me out of the story and I said “what just happened?”. It was a new novel by a new to me author and I thought it was practically perfect in every way. Unless there isn’t going to be a second book. If that’s the case I may need to re-think my feelings for that ending!
On her team, everyone has an ulterior motive, but she is drawn the most to Dylan, the werewolf who has sworn to protect her and keep her alive. There are elements of an attraction that makes this novel feel at times somewhat romantasy, but the author seems to have more interest in other aspects of the plot and leaves the readers emotions hanging a bit, which if there’s another novel is totally ok by me. There was enough action, and subterfuge to engage my mind and keep me reading. In fact, I blew through this novel in about four hours I enjoyed the writing so much.
As with any new world that I enter as a reader, there were moments of confusion. At times, Amura who could shapeshift, would turn into quite a few different insects, birds, etc. that a couple of times it took me a moment to catch on to who and what was going on. Despite a little confusion with that character, I loved how the author made each team member a different species (with the exception of Chris who was human) and gave the reader a new world to explore with each characters back story. So interesting!
Needless to say, I really enjoyed this novel! There were only a couple of moments where something happened from Anna’s viewpoint that took me out of the story and I said “what just happened?”. It was a new novel by a new to me author and I thought it was practically perfect in every way. Unless there isn’t going to be a second book. If that’s the case I may need to re-think my feelings for that ending!
January 24, 2025
Off the bat, it's The Hunger Games meets Maze Runner but with all the mythical creatures you didn't know were missing from those titles. I was immediately drawn into Anna's story as she fought her way through not only the overwhelming external struggles she battles against to survive but her growing inner conflicts as well. There's heart, action, and a hefty dose of intrigue that will keep you turning the page long past your bedtime. Plus, as with all my favorite stories, there's a budding love story and the beginning of an unlikely friendship between characters you can't help but root for.
Throw in that cliffhanger of an ending?? I'm already frothing at the mouth for the next installation.
Throw in that cliffhanger of an ending?? I'm already frothing at the mouth for the next installation.
February 18, 2025
Brown’s writing captivates you from the very beginning of THE UNITY EXPERIMENT. I was so intrigued and wanted to read more. Fans of supernatural elements or THE HUNGER GAMES will surely want to pick this up. Brown’s characters are relatable and well thought out to the point you feel as if you are in the story with them and experiencing the same emotions and trials they are, particularly Anna and her younger brother, Drew. Brown’s ability to craft the fantastical world found in THE UNITY EXPERIMENT is admirable and was reminiscent of dystopian stories mixed with supernatural elements that really brought me back to the amazing stories of my childhood. I can’t wait to read more of Brown’s writing!
- Caroline J Trussell, literary agent and author of upcoming ENHANCED series
- Caroline J Trussell, literary agent and author of upcoming ENHANCED series
February 22, 2025
Review: The Unity Experiment by N.K. Brown
I absolutely loved this book! Anna is chosen to enter The Unity Experiment, a high-stakes game where warring species must work together to survive. But she has a secret weapon—she’s the only one who can communicate with the spirit world. With her father’s past failure looming over her, she must navigate alliances, uncover hidden secrets, and fight to reach Zone 1.
Who can she trust? Who is keeping dangerous secrets? And will she survive?
This book kept me hooked, and I cannot wait for Book 2! If you love fantasy, competition, and a touch of the supernatural, definitely check this one out.
I absolutely loved this book! Anna is chosen to enter The Unity Experiment, a high-stakes game where warring species must work together to survive. But she has a secret weapon—she’s the only one who can communicate with the spirit world. With her father’s past failure looming over her, she must navigate alliances, uncover hidden secrets, and fight to reach Zone 1.
Who can she trust? Who is keeping dangerous secrets? And will she survive?
This book kept me hooked, and I cannot wait for Book 2! If you love fantasy, competition, and a touch of the supernatural, definitely check this one out.
January 16, 2025
3 Stars
Thanks to BookSirens for this arc. This is a fast paced action packed story about 17 year old Anna who enters something called The Unity Experiment and she has to survive on her team with other species who are at odds with each other and the goal is to create unity between them and she finds out she’s the only one who can communicate with what they call the Spirit World. This really gives Hunger Games vibes if you like that you’ll enjoy this too!
Thanks to BookSirens for this arc. This is a fast paced action packed story about 17 year old Anna who enters something called The Unity Experiment and she has to survive on her team with other species who are at odds with each other and the goal is to create unity between them and she finds out she’s the only one who can communicate with what they call the Spirit World. This really gives Hunger Games vibes if you like that you’ll enjoy this too!
January 20, 2025
What a fun book! 📕 There was so much imagination in these pages and I never knew what was going to happen next. This is like the Hunger Games but with ALL the mythical creatures. There’s even a sarcastic spirit and I appreciated the humor peppered throughout. I read it pretty fast (like in 2 days) and I’m looking forward to a sequel. The ending was a perfect cliffhanger for another book.
Also, it was nice having a werewolf that smelled like cinnamon instead of wet dog. 🙌🏼
Also, it was nice having a werewolf that smelled like cinnamon instead of wet dog. 🙌🏼
October 27, 2025
This book is amazingly fast paced and overflowing with action that keeps you on the edge of your seat! I sped through this book in just two days and I need book two immediately! The author did such an amazing job at making you feel like you’re expiriencing the story with the characters and it just fully sucks you in. If you enjoyed The Hunger games or Divergent then this is right up your alley!
February 26, 2025
I devoured this book in one sitting! It’s fast paced from page one. I especially enjoyed learning about Anna’s abilities. The writing was immersive and played like a vibrant movie in my head. There’s a dash of romance added in where he falls first which is a favorite trope of mine 😏 I loved all of the creatures like pixies, vampires, werewolves, and mermen. If you grew up loving fast-paced trial-like events like Hunger Games and Maze Runner, check this one out. can’t wait to read more from this author!!
June 9, 2025
I enjoyed reading the ARC of this YA debut by N K Brown, which I think is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent and Red Queen. It follows Anna, who is selected as the human in a team of supernatural beings, who are natural enemies, for a government experiment. No humans have ever survived before and it doesn’t look good for her. Moving through a series of challenges, Anna has to use her wits to stay alive and stop her fellow teammates from killing each other, or her, so they can be the first in history to succeed. Meanwhile, she fights her strange attraction for werewolf Dylan, and mourns the loss of her father, who was a previous victim/human candidate many years before.
It was a quick, engaging read for me, with very exciting action scenes and I loved the twists and turns of the plot. Anna is a great character and I hope there will be more books in the future!
It was a quick, engaging read for me, with very exciting action scenes and I loved the twists and turns of the plot. Anna is a great character and I hope there will be more books in the future!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews