Rabbits

Woah.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Woah. I went into this book completely blind. I have not listened to the podcast or consumed any other media related to this story. I'm kind of glad I didn't. The best way I could tell someone about this story is that it's like if “Ready Player One” was set in real life, and scarier, and slightly magical.

This book follows K, whose life obsession has been playing a game called Rabbits, where the goal and instructions for the game are covered in mystery, and you're not supposed to talk about it. He follows patterns and connections in everyday life, trying to find out information about the game. When he is confronted by an unexpected visitor about the game, his entire life is flipped on its head. Between missing chunks of memory and weird things existing where they won't before, K has to confront the concept of reality and what is and isn't real in his world.

This book was honestly terrifying. I don't know if it would be classified as fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, or horror. I guess all of the above! I really enjoyed this story and the characters. I found myself slack jawed multiple times, and confused more than once. My heart rate accelerated as the characters encountered more and more obstacles in the game, and experienced increasing amounts of life threatening events. The plot was captivating, the characters funny and relatable, and the pacing incredible.

This book is incredibly well thought out and crafted. I recommend this to anyone looking for a thrilling, thought provoking book.

TW: alcohol, anxiety, assault, Attempted murder, blood, bones, death, drugs, gore, gun, gun violence, hallucinations, murder, violence