An animal-centered dystopian novel with a thrilling adventure narrative and quirky anthropomorphic additions.
In St. John’s fantasy sequel set in the far future, prey animals prepare to take on predators in order to take control of the land.
Young rabbit Anastasia, known to her followers as Loving Auntie, has been told the wolves are coming for her people. In the previous novel, War Bunny (2021), she and two of her friends managed to kill a coyote—a vassal of the wolves—which was something completely unheard of among rabbit-kind, and this has sparked a rebellion among the rabbits, mice, and squirrels. With courage, strength in numbers, and weapons, they fight against the predator animals that act as Landlords of the warrens. However, not all rabbits feel as Anastasia and her followers do—her own mother, Olympia, wishes to maintain the status quo to keep the peace, even going so far to try and poison her own daughter and hide spies in the camp. It would be tough enough for the prey animals to fight against the wolves alone, but in order to reclaim their power and show their might, the wolves of the Summerday clan have gathered parties of foxes, coyotes, and weasels to join their cause and hunt down those that would seek to upend the balance of power. There is a long, hard road to freedom ahead, but there’s a chance the rabbits and their Free Army may find a safe haven and further hope of holding out against what’s coming in a bunker left by long-dead humankind. More types of animals are flocking to the prey-animal rebellion, and they may be small in stature, but they’re mighty in spirit—but do they truly stand a chance? This second book in the Warbunny chronicles is a direct sequel, and it’s recommended that interested readers should read the inaugural installment first. In this dystopian future, animals have not only taken over the world, but are even able to speak and make weaponry. The characters have an intriguing mix of animal characteristics, such as nuzzling and nipping, and humanlike ones—including Landlords and Tenants, their own religion, and, in Anastasia’s case, appears to be a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Although the use of animal characters might make this seem like a juvenile novel to the uninitiated, it includes material that seems aimed at a slightly older audience, including a coyote group known as “Clan Bastard,” as well as a mix of French- and Latin-language terms, defined in footnotes. Although the animals’ fight against those in power makes for a compelling read on its own, those that read more closely will find remarkable highlights of how the animals have adapted human interests and terms; one squirrel, for instance, teaches “Oga for Young Goats,” which he learned from a ripped-up old human book that was titled Yoga for Kids. This mix of elements may not appeal to all, but those that get into the spirit of the tale will find themselves enjoying the ride.
An animal-centered dystopian novel with a thrilling adventure narrative and quirky anthropomorphic additions.Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781736885727
Page Count: 393
Publisher: Harvest Oak Press
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
A clever and inspiring reimagining of a little-remembered time and place.
Medieval history and Celtic mythology merge in an enchanting tale.
Arden, best known for her Winternight Trilogy, here turns from medieval Russia to Europe during the same period. Anne of Brittany—a real person—is 19 when the novel begins in the late 15th century, a sovereign duchess whose father, the duke, has been dead since she was a child. Described as “small and glossy as a cat in a dairy,” she’s desperately trying to avoid marrying Charles VIII, the king of France, which would mean the dissolution of her country. She conceives a plan to conduct a unicorn hunt in the ancient, haunted forest of Broceliande, thinking she will be able to secretly arrange a proxy wedding to Maximilien of Austria, heir to the Holy Roman Empire. While there, she encounters not only an actual unicorn but an evil enchanter who has designs on her kingdom. With the unlikely aid of the chivalrous (and undeniably attractive) Louis of Orleans, who has been sent by Charles’ sister Marguerite to betray Anne, as well as Anne’s spunky younger sister, Isabeau; a clever peasant girl, Elesbed; and a cat named Butter, Anne works feverishly to protect her people from sinister forces both political and supernatural. Arden takes her time immersing the reader in this thoroughly and intricately imagined world, where historical figures bump up against an enigmatic korriganed queen, at least one monstrous sea-dragon, a herd of undead “anaon,” and a whole Breton city that has been trapped in time. This is an alternate history in which the admirable Anne, freed from the confines of textbooks, gets to ask the question, “Shall we not write our own story?” Here, love and duty reach an understanding, and courtly romance makes friends with a steamier variety of physical contact. Fans of jousts, spells, dark magic, and brave women will find plenty of each here.
A clever and inspiring reimagining of a little-remembered time and place.Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9780593128282
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Del Rey
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
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