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Lab Rat
Cato's worst nightmares are real.
He's a prisoner again, forced to relive his grueling transformation from the hero Phantom to Subject A7-5292.
Outside his cell, a desperate rescue attempt will involve breaking into the Prison in the heart of the Ghost Realm. Azar is gathering his dark forces while Agent Kovak scrambles to create the weapon that will save humankind. Phantom Heights is in the warpath.
Seven to bring the Seventh, but Eight are the key . . .
. . . They must decide what the fate of the Realms shall be.
He's a prisoner again, forced to relive his grueling transformation from the hero Phantom to Subject A7-5292.
Outside his cell, a desperate rescue attempt will involve breaking into the Prison in the heart of the Ghost Realm. Azar is gathering his dark forces while Agent Kovak scrambles to create the weapon that will save humankind. Phantom Heights is in the warpath.
Seven to bring the Seventh, but Eight are the key . . .
. . . They must decide what the fate of the Realms shall be.
456 pages, Hardcover
Published December 5, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 10, 2025
5/5 book right here I have read this book about 5.4 times now and its always enjoyable 10/10 on reread ability. Lab Rat was different then the previous books it had more puzzle type things the reader had to piece together which was very fun for a note taker like myself 10/10 for note taking. Throughout the novel we learned many new things about the AGC and of course the ghost realm 10/10 on world building. All together great book i highly recommend.
January 2, 2026
Lab Rat was very exciting to read. I loved the dark depths of character development in this book. I loved diving more into Axel's history (he has quickly become my favorite character), and the lab family as a whole. This book was suspenseful throughout and I can't wait for the next book in the series. It keeps getting better with each book.
December 14, 2025
Amazing read, it added a whole new level to the story, I can’t wait for the next book.
February 9, 2026
In Lab Rat, author Sara A. Noë drops readers into Cato’s head the way the story drops Cato into captivity: abruptly, violently, with the taste of metal already in my mouth. He wakes bound inside a closed truck bed, is delivered to the underground Agency of Ghost Control, and gets reclassified as “Subject A7,” a “half-breed” anomaly whose powers can be forced on like switches. The book’s early movement is a gauntlet, chemical “Detox,” electrical testing, and surgically implanted ports, before Cato lands in Project Alpha’s cages beside other young prisoners (Ash, Jay, RC, Finn, Reese) and the feral, feared A6, while a larger prophecy thread hums in the background: seven and eight, roles and fates, pieces being placed whether anyone consents or not.
My first reaction was physical. Not “oh wow” physical, more like clenching-my-teeth, shoulders-up-by-my-ears physical. The prose leans into sensation with a kind of unblinking stamina: the “Detox” sequence reads like a ritual of dehumanization dressed up as procedure, and I kept noticing how often Cato’s dignity is treated as an inconvenience to be managed. When the story escalates to the port implantation, drills, the cold ring, the doctor who refuses the comfort-lie of “you won’t feel a thing,” I found myself admiring the author’s nerve even as I wanted to look away. It’s body-horror with a bureaucratic clipboard hovering nearby, which somehow makes it worse.
Alpha isn’t just a scary room; it’s a system that tries to “unname” people, sanding them down to numbers and compliance. That idea, identity as contraband, is what gave the brutality a point beyond shock. And then there’s Ash: her quiet endurance, the way the others speak around her pain because naming it out loud would re-open the wound, and the night-raid scene that is written to disgust rather than to titillate. The book’s tenderness arrives in odd places, like a stolen conversation with the holographic system ECANI, or Cato insisting on names instead of serials, and those small mercies felt hard-won.
Lab Rat is for readers of dark fantasy, paranormal fantasy, dystopian science-fantasy, and YA-adjacent captivity/escape thrillers, especially anyone who wants a morally ugly villain structure and a stubborn ember of found-family refusing to go out. The premise gave me flashes of The Institute by Stephen King, kids turned into “subjects,” cruelty rationalized as research, but Noë twists it through ghost physiology, Divinities, and prophecy math until it feels like its own bruised mythology. Lab Rat explores the cost of being remade by force and how a name, spoken, claimed, and defended, can be a kind of escape.
My first reaction was physical. Not “oh wow” physical, more like clenching-my-teeth, shoulders-up-by-my-ears physical. The prose leans into sensation with a kind of unblinking stamina: the “Detox” sequence reads like a ritual of dehumanization dressed up as procedure, and I kept noticing how often Cato’s dignity is treated as an inconvenience to be managed. When the story escalates to the port implantation, drills, the cold ring, the doctor who refuses the comfort-lie of “you won’t feel a thing,” I found myself admiring the author’s nerve even as I wanted to look away. It’s body-horror with a bureaucratic clipboard hovering nearby, which somehow makes it worse.
Alpha isn’t just a scary room; it’s a system that tries to “unname” people, sanding them down to numbers and compliance. That idea, identity as contraband, is what gave the brutality a point beyond shock. And then there’s Ash: her quiet endurance, the way the others speak around her pain because naming it out loud would re-open the wound, and the night-raid scene that is written to disgust rather than to titillate. The book’s tenderness arrives in odd places, like a stolen conversation with the holographic system ECANI, or Cato insisting on names instead of serials, and those small mercies felt hard-won.
Lab Rat is for readers of dark fantasy, paranormal fantasy, dystopian science-fantasy, and YA-adjacent captivity/escape thrillers, especially anyone who wants a morally ugly villain structure and a stubborn ember of found-family refusing to go out. The premise gave me flashes of The Institute by Stephen King, kids turned into “subjects,” cruelty rationalized as research, but Noë twists it through ghost physiology, Divinities, and prophecy math until it feels like its own bruised mythology. Lab Rat explores the cost of being remade by force and how a name, spoken, claimed, and defended, can be a kind of escape.
December 14, 2025
Lab Rat is a suspense building story that expands on the world that we have learned to love so far. It both brings us back in time to see what managed to get our characters so far, while still being able to move the story forward. It manages to captivate the attention of the reader and make them truly feel connected to these characters. Cato's story manages to get more complex and slowly leads you into a darker place, making you question where this path will lead. The world building in Lab Rat really is something else, while it still holds onto the plot of where the characters up end up. Its the perfect story to cozy up with a blanket, while drinking tea that takes you to Avilesor itself and light the candle of the ghost realm. It makes you wonder what war there will truly be between the realms.
March 6, 2026
The way this story is created had me having all the feels. Sara A. Noë has a way of writing that makes you have a personal connection with all the characters. I thought I knew what would happened to be totally heartbroken and then enlightened by the end. Not only does this book have you on the edge of your seat, it also shows you the meaning of family, friendship, and overcoming things that where meant to break you. The book is filled with beautiful maps, artistic personal touches, and a detailed glossary. So in awe of this author!!
December 5, 2025
Dark, immersive, and profoundly raw. Lab Rat unravels the pasts of Cato and his lab-family while weaving together the pieces of what's to come. We've never gotten a glimpse into the AGC like this to understand what REALLY happened when Cato was taken. This eye-opening installment will change the way you see the traumatic bond these characters share forever.
January 10, 2026
Characters that are amazing and deep. A story that is intense at times and deeply emotional at others! Amazing read and a great addition to the Chronicles of Avilésor!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews