'The Quiet Room', the follow-up to 'Rabbits', plunges deeper into the mystery of an underground game that stitches the multiverse together with a tapestry of astounding clues and coincidences.

This sequel races forward at breakneck speed, darting into a compelling narrative. The shifting perspectives between Emily and Rowan add a layer of complexity, each character adeptly competing for the reader's attention, providing an immersive, if somewhat dizzying, reading experience.

The narrative, however, moves perhaps a bit too quickly at times. The relentless pace of events, while exhilarating, scarcely allows moments of respite for the tension to breathe. Consequently, the story can feel like an unending chase from one predicament to the next.

Moreover, the continual introduction of new concepts and characters appears to change the game's rules mid-play, which risks invalidating prior understanding and may leave some readers disoriented.

In spite of not reaching the compelling heights of 'Rabbits', 'The Quiet Room' manages to hold its ground, thanks to the sheer urgency of the narrative and an ending that teases an exciting continuation.

Despite its share of shortcomings, I found 'The Quiet Room' to be an intriguing sequel. Although it may prove slightly bewildering at times, it still promises a unique adventure that fans of 'Rabbits' shouldn't miss.

I really enjoyed Rabbits, and was very eager to start this sequel. Unfortunately, I couldn't even finish it. In general, the storyline was good and faithful to the Rabbits universe, but the insane frequency of F-bombs put me off so much that I got disgusted trying to get past it and stay interested in the story. So unnecessary, and it caused me to just give up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ms. Shen from Del Rey/Penguin Random House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

While there are a lot of stories I enjoy that I get as ARCs or eARCs from various companies, there are not many that I go on to purchase finalized copies off, mostly because my to read list is so staggering that I don't anticipate re-reading a lot of them, regardless of how much I loved the stories.

Rabbits was one of the few that I not only went on to purchase for myself, but also for bought a few copies for friends.

So when I received an e-mail thanking me for reviewing Rabbits and advising that there was a follow-up book, The Quiet Room, I dropped everything else I was reading and put in my request for it, which was approved more quickly than I could have hoped.

I foresee my second iteration (reading of Rabbits) will occur earlier than anticipated. I feel as though there are things I either forgot or missed in Rabbits, but also, there are a lot of answers to questions I was left with in regards to the science-y aspect of the story.

In The Quiet Room, we follow Emily, who I only barely remember from Rabbits, as she drifts into another dimension, only to find that this particular dimension of the multiverse has been severed from the whole of the multiverse body, the result of the last existence of an entity called The Engineer, being in this dimension, and ultimately trapped here.

Emily is having a hard time finding Rabbits, however, and a new character, Rowan Chess, is distressed after having "lost" his date at a restaurant when she went to the bathroom, and never came back. There were no exits on the way to the bathroom, there were no windows in the bathroom, and for the first time in a very, very long time, Rowan had felt not only a true connection to another human being, but also like he was not a strange outsider to his own life, so he had been watching the hallway, waiting for her to come back.

But she never does.

Emily can feel the reverberations of Rabbits, and knows that it must exist in this dimension, but has an ominous feeling, stemming from being kidnapped an interrogated, and fueled by friends also finding themselves in unkind predicaments and unable to find anything related to Rabbits.

When they are finally able to track down the list of players, one single name appears: Rowan Chess. But the architect has his own problems - namely, an architectural building of his design that existed only in his head, that he had never spoken of to anybody, and the plans for which were in a safety deposit box that the bank can confirm neither he nor anyone else has opened for more than two years, suddenly starts popping up in interrogations and conversations. But who could possibly have known?

There are a lot of nods to movies, music, architectural designers, artists, and more, but the nod that had me most excited (which I have no proof of connection) was the apparent nod to Mark Danielewski's 5 1/2 minute hallway in The House of Leaves.

In Rowan Chess' building design, there are 12 hallways which give an experience of liminal spaces (the in-between places on the way from one destination to another: hallways, airport terminals, streets) in a way that is supposed to be a unique experience to each person who travels through it.

Emily, who has picked up some old friends and some new ones, starts finding reference to a place called The Quiet Room - a place where many of Meechum's Radiants meet, which exists outside of time and space, but could quiet possibly be their ticket out of this dimension, which appears to be a sacrifice by the game to rid itself of The Engineer.

A whirlwind ride that did not disappoint, The Quiet Room will answer questions about the game and the design, but also leave you with new ones. There is a clear set-up for another installment, which is what brought down the rating for me a little. Rabbits, I felt, was a stand-alone novel, and the follow-up was a pleasant surprise, but it did not feel like a standalone. Still, the rating adjustment for this was so minimal I decided not to even bother changing it from a 5 to whatever 4.9x it amounted to.

I will definitely be purchasing this as well, along with any subsequent installments of the Rabbits stories.

I really enjoyed the first book but this sequel moves even faster so it really hooked me. Since the reader understands the world there’s much less time explaining anything, and very little refresher, as it moves very quickly. The POV jumps between Emily, who I only vaguely remembered from the first book, and Rowan who will intersect with her and of course Rabbits. I was worried my not really remembering Emily would be a problem but it’s not so if you’re like me and remember the world of Rabbits but forgot some of the characters go ahead and dive in because you know enough to get into it as it goes in it’s own direction. I normally complain about shifting POV and inevitably prefer one character but they both hold their own and the reader’s attention with their different stories. There’s an urgency to the story that really pushes the story forward in a way that’s very different from the first book. I loved the ending and can’t wait to read what must be start of the next book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Where's K? Guess we will have to wait for book 3 to find out?? We learn A LOT more about Rabbits and radiants and dimensional displacement, etc., in The Quiet Room. An LGBTQ thread appears which I could do without. But, it was a fun, fast paced, read with interesting twists which I thoroughly enjoyed.

A terrific mind trip! 4.5.

A sequel to the mind-bending Rabbits, this book takes place right after K saves the universe... well, to be fair, HIS universe. In a nutshell, Rabbits is a game that is being played on a global scale... a game that is actually a check-and-balance to ensure the health of the universe... and at times, a connection to parallel worlds.

But the game has taken an odd trip, and players have been shunted to yet another parallel universe. One where it doesn't seem like the Game is being played at all. But is that good news, or the mark of something even more sinister and strange?

Old friends are reunited, and new enemies are forged in a desperate attempt to... not save the universe this time... but escape it.

While probably not for everyone, if you love puzzles, scavenger hunts and things that go bump in the dark, The Quiet Room is a great continuation... and expansion... to the world of Rabbits.

As usual, a brilliant story well executed by Miles. He has the great gift of making everything seem, well, real... though slightly otherworldly. So read on, and answer the question...

R U Playing?

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Emily Connors is connected to Rabbits, this much she knows. Where she is in the multiverse is another story. In The Quiet Room, Emily is in a dimensional stream that is familiar but not her own. In this stream Rabbits is missing, or perhaps just hidden, but if Rabbits doesn't exist then why does she keep getting pursued by the Rabbits Police?
The Quiet Room is the second novel in the Rabbits series and possibly the 12th iteration of the game, if it exists. The story hooked me from the first page. The plot moves in multiple directions, like it is a multiverse of its own, but it easy to understand what is happening when. It is a crazy ride but that is what sets it apart from other stories. It keeps you wanting more and makes your head spin but is so satisfying.
I loved this book. I thought it was a little repetitive with all the Rabbits explanations because I read the first book but I could see that if you started with book two, the explanations would help you understand this book without reading the first one. I love the real world tie ins and the pop culture references. The Quiet Room is a puzzle to solve, a mystery to explore, and an adventure to experience. It set my brain on fire but I still want more.
Rabbits is real. R U playing?
Thanks to Netgalley and Del Ray Publishing for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

Another perfect jump into the PNW stories podcasts/world of Rabbits. My only concern would be recommending this to anyone new to Rabbits, as there's no real jumping on point, but for fans it's brilliant.

I went to this book even though I didn't enjoy the first book that much just because the whole idea I felt has promise. I'm happy that I didn't.
The plot, what I can give away that is: People are still hunting and playing the elusive game Rabbits. The twist in this book is that there is no Rabbits or is there?
The Quiet Room picks up the pace and the thrills compared to the first novel and it's a refreshing change. The few twists at the end are nice(I called the one about half way through but I do read a lot).
If you're a fan of the first book or the podcast(which I still haven't gotten through) you should definitely pick up this book.

Rabbits, like Fight Club, is a secret underground game. It consists of clues and coincidences that are astounding. And, it’s how the multiverse is connected. The game has been around for centuries and it’s now in its eleventh or twelfth iteration in the modern phase. First, there were a series of podcasts. Then, the first book, Rabbits. Now, the sequel, continuing the story. Prepare for little to make sense, but a vast sea of coincidences and scrambled memories. This second iteration of the book, however, suffers from sophomore jinx and us simply not as compelling as the first book. Read the first book first and the second book second to make sense of what’s going on.

Rabbits is lost or Rabbits is hiding. Once again we’re thrown into a maelstrom of dimensional hopping craziness trying to get to the bottom of the latest iteration of Rabbits before time runs out. I couldn’t stop reading this one until I finished.