War Bunny – Book Tour – The Review Booth

Christopher St. John

War Bunny Chronicles #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publication date: March 1st, 2023

SYNOPSIS:

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BUNNY FIGHTS BACK?

In a post-apocalyptic world where humans are extinct and animals thrive, a young rabbit starts to wonder why rabbits must accept their status as prey animals. She asks pointed questions of the warren elders, and gets exiled for it.

Without a warren, she’s enormously vulnerable, but she reaches out to others in desperate straits. Soon, she’s locked in a ferocious battle for survival—and maybe even freedom.

Part naturalistic adventure, part modern-day fable, War Bunny is a fast-paced story about friendship, honor, standing up for yourself, and coming of age.

REVIEW:

War Bunny was reminiscent of reading a blend of Warriors by Erin Hunter & Redwall by Brian Jacques. Both of these series captured my love in my earlier reading years but I still dabble in Warriors to this day – especially if I am looking for a palate cleanser between books. Rabbits are often looked upon as weak but I’ve seen the devastating wounds that they can inflict to predators if given the opportunity. Anastasia’s story of not entirely on purpose starting a revolution was a fun read. Watching warren Sans Gloire grow from bunnies she showed kindness to into what it was at the end was a feat.

This book has POVs that seemingly multiply like… well, rabbits. All the different ones made it feel a little choppy and while I believe some of them could have been left out they may become important in the other books in the series. I do have my favorites, one of them being the bunny that started it all – Anastasia. I took a shine to a sassy little mouse though and her name was utterly perfect – Death Rage. Yep! A little mouse with that name, sporting a bottle cap helmet and a needle rapier was my ultimate favorite. Most of the other bunnies were fairly easy to visualize but not Wendy – I pictured her in my minds eye as a Jack or possibly a Flemish Giant. Now that I know her history I’d put my bets on some kind of French lop- which I’ve never seen in person (I had a Holland lop when I was a kid).

There was a mighty whoop as hundreds of little hearts felt big for the very first time, and they let the world know it.

It’s difficult to pinpoint where exactly this book is supposed to take place. There’s mention of saguaro cactus, plum trees, mango trees and many other types of plants mentioned. I think it’s the weird mesh of French words interlaced with the flora that makes it weird for me and hard to picture how these things would intersect. Specifically Saguaro cactus are native to a fairly small area of California, Arizona & Mexico. This is such a strange hang up to snag on but it’s definitely a “me” thing.

Overall, I enjoyed my journey with Anastasia and the home she built with all the creatures in warren Sans Gloire. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment Summerday. I would like to thank Love Book Tours for adding me to the tour roster and Christopher St. John for the extremely cute stickers, bookmarks & signing my copy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Christopher St. John is an award-winning writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His plays have appeared at the Blue Bear Theatre in San Francisco, the York Theatre in New York, and Marigny Opera House in New Orleans. Christopher volunteers for several San Francisco Bay Area animal rescue organizations. And he’s proud to be part of the group that helped get the California Fur Ban signed into law in 2019.He and his partner live with rescue bunnies running freely in their well-nibbled home. War Bunny is Christopher’s debut novel. It won the 2022 International Book Awards for Fantasy. Kirkus Reviews calls it “An entertaining, imaginative post-apocalyptic scenario with special appeal for animal lovers. “You can find it on your favorite online bookstore. The second book in the series, Summerday, was published in April 2023. The third book, City of Oom, is currently in development.