Summerday: Book 2 of the War Bunny Chronicles

War Bunny Chronicles #2

by Christopher St. John

Who will win the battle for the Million Acre Wood?

Summerday continues the adventure begun in the award-winning post-apocalyptic fantasy, War Bunny. In the first book, set 400 years in the future when humans are extinct but animals thrive, readers met Anastasia, a young rabbit with too many questions.

She asked why rabbits must accept their status as prey animals, and was exiled from her warren for having dangerous thoughts. Then she fought back against a fox, and little by little, gathered other outcasts and launched a tiny revolution against the natural order.

In Summerday, Anastasia and her friends discover that they have come to the attention of the Landlords of the Million Acre Wood: the golden wolves of the Summerday Clan. Now Anastasia must race to gather her bunny troops and scrappy allies for a desperate fight, while the Summerday wolves call the woodland hunters to war.

Part adventure story, part modern-day fable, Summerday is a fun read for teens and adults! (Fantasy, 13+)

War Bunny Chronicles

Available Now

• War Bunny - Book 1 – FREE eBOOK on many online booksellers
• Summerday - Book 2
• City of Oom – Book 3

2025 Release Planned

• War Bunny Audio Book
• Book 4 in the War Bunny Chronicles

Join the email list at the author site to get the latest news!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Dystopia

425 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2023

About the author

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.

Christopher started working on the War Bunny Chronicles in 2012. War Bunny was published in 2021. The second book in the series, Summerday, launched in March 2023. The third book, City of Oom, is currently in development.

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and Scribd.

Please sign up for the War Bunny email list at https://christopherstjohn.com/join-em... to get the latest news, deals and freebies!

Reviews

[Jim C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating is 3.5 stars.

This is the second book of a series and the they should be read in order. The prey have fought back in the first book and the predators are not pleased. It is time to teach them a lesson and show them who is the boss. Basically war is on between the two parties.

I really enjoyed the first book as I loved how the author gave life to the different kind of animals and made me care about them. I did think this one was a just a tiny bit of a step down from the first one. The plot makes sense for this one. The stronger cannot let the weaker fight back without due course of action and they need to send a message. Essentially this is the escalation of an arms race we see with humans. That is where these books excel. The author takes human themes and uses them in the animal kingdom. He tackles everything from religion, defending one's self, and the concept of rent control. While I love this I did think this is where this book suffered a little too. It was too much concentration on these themes and the characterization of characters was minimal compared to the first book. I believe there needed to be a little more of a balance as I thought the book was too much about the upcoming war. I will say when the war begins the writing and action was phenomenal and I loved every second of it. The third act was the chef's kiss.

I discovered this series because I won the first book in a giveaway on this site. I am grateful for that as I have enjoyed the first two books of the series so much and I look forward to the third book. If you are a fan of Watership Down I strongly recommend you spend time with these bunnies as the look to be free and live the life they deserve.

[✨️ Jessica's Bookshelf ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will invoke every emotion inside of you. This isn't my typical read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't wait to read the other books. This book can be for teens, YA, and adults.

[HippieWitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute read. I’d say it’s for young pre teens. Won it so I took a chance and glad I did. Cute fun little read

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really am enjoying this series. The growth and change in Anastasia from book 1 to book 2 is impressive. She's really grown up and stepped up as a leader.

The raccoon names are probably one of my favorite things ever, I love them even more than the rabbits' names. A lot of the names made me giggle. But giggling was far from the only emotion this book drew from me. Much like in the first book, this book actually had me in tears... again!

This really is a fantastic little series, I adore all the animals honestly. I appreciated being able to see a bit more from the Predator perspective in book 2. It makes me a bit torn, though. Both sides are only doing what they are created to do. After all, we all just want to live and strive. The furry characters are no different.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Amber's Book Cave · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Summerday" is the continuation after "War Bunny". This one took a little longer for me to get into, I didn't care too much for the parts that focused on the predator animals (wolves and coyotes). But things really picked up once the rabbits came back into the spotlight. I really enjoyed reading about the rabbits and how they worked together to overcome any issue and showing off their creativity again. This series is such an imaginative take on your typical fantasy/dystopian story and I love how each animal species has such distinct personalities.

The action in the final chapters was great and I love the way the animals work with what they find around them is always fascinating. I really enjoy the little snippets of normal everyday objects from our world that make it into the story and how the rabbits react to them

I felt like this was an enjoyable continuation to the series and I would still recommend this to anyone who likes dystopian and cute animals!

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The coziest rebellion story I’ve ever read!

Five glorious stars to this outstanding sequel. Christopher St. John’s second novel is intentional in a way that I love so much. It’s so fun putting together the puzzle pieces of the world I was introduced to and first fell in love with reading War Bunny.

The plot is original and riveting, the characters are endearing beyond belief. I could not get enough of Love Bug, Dingus, Wendy, Death Rage, and really all of them!!

If you are a lover of animals, if you love to root for the little guy, if you love encapsulating world-building, if you love dystopian books or revolution or science fiction or reading at all, do yourself a favor and purchase War Bunny and Summerday.

This series is criminally under appreciated in my humble opinion and I’m hoping that it gets the big hype it deserves one of these days.

Thank you Christopher!

[Down2Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another incredible page turner from Christopher St. John. The continuation of the War Bunny story includes everything you could hope for from a book; triumph, romance, and tragedy - this book has it all. The battle for The Million Acre Wood is in full force as we follow the various factions of the war trying their best to win and survive. This book really made me grapple with the morality of survival and the value of a life. The concepts of good and bad become blurred as we realize that each group just wants to survive and carve out a life for their loved ones. This series has such a special place in my heart and I hope everyone will give War Bunny a chance to find a way into their hearts as well.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Book 2 of the Bunny War Chronicles.

The story jumps straight back in our favourite Wood with the fiesty and loyal Anastasia who is trying to change the lives of pray!

The one thing that I love about this book is Christopher's formatting and the lovely synopsis of Book 1, which helpfully reminds you of any of the key points before you dive into Book 2!

The story is incredibly unique and is described as part story, part fable, which is absolutely correct

Once again Christopher mingles human elements with the animal world, and if I'm totally honest, at times, the line blurs, and I forget these are animals of forest, which isn't a bad thing!

In Book 2, the bunnies battle the Summerday Wolves which (as always with action scenes in these books) is action-packed and intense!

It's a fantastic book that continues the story, and I can't wait to see what happens next in Anastasia and the other animals story!

Brilliant book, which looks gorgeous too - highly recommend!

[Jill Lombardozzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll start by saying I won the first book from GoodReads and it was my surprise 5 star read of the year. I generally read thrillers, but figured I’d give it a chance anyway. I’m glad I did, because I really love this series so far. Second books are always little tough, and I’ll say this one had a bit of a slow start. But I love the character development of prey and predator (I even had a hard time being 100% team bunny on this one, my heartstrings got pulled both ways!). I enjoyed the ending, it was definitely climactic as a revolution should be!

Very much looking forward to the third book. Hopefully my husband hasn’t tired of me saying “guess what just happened in my bunny cult book?!”

[Bookish Coffee UK · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is carrying straight on from book 2 so I love that.. I also absolutely love how all the animals worked together, to reach a common goal..

This is definitely such a powerful storyline! Hits you in the emotional spots quite a few times! So make sure you have a hanky / tissues near by.

I do have to say that I preferred to read the physical book as the random words of French was not translated till the end of the chapter in the ebook version so you'd either forget where it was or and what it related too. But in the physical the translations was at the end of that page. So definitely the physical book wins there.

I'm so excited for book 3 City of Oom!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summerday is a thrilling continuation of Anastasia's story, filled with action, adventure, and heart. Christopher St John's world-building is rich and vivid, drawing readers into a post-apocalyptic world where animals reign supreme. Anastasia's determination and bravery make her a lovable protagonist, and her band of misfits adds humor and heart to the story.

The conflict between the rabbits and the Summerday wolves is intense and exciting, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as the battle unfolds. With themes of friendship, loyalty, and standing up for what's right, Summerday is a heartwarming and inspiring read for readers of all ages.

Overall, Summerday is a delightful continuation of the War Bunny series, and I can't wait to see where Anastasia's journey takes her next. Highly recommended for fans of animal fantasy and adventure stories.

[Chiara Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again this author surprises me and sends my emotions tumbling all over the place! You always think a sequel to a book you loved can’t live up to it, but this one is one of those.
It was gripping, I was often at the edge of my seat, I laughed, I swallowed tears and I swelled with pride and joy! All with one book!

Summerday has everything and more of what I love in a book, very well defined and credible characters (yes animals in books need to be credible too!), especially how their mannerisms are described is so on point that I could clearly envision them.
The plot as well is beautiful and so meaningful, my heart was sobbing and I felt so invested, in a way that rarely happens to me. There are so many deep moments throughout the book, where I felt I was witnessing something truly special and in those times I was in the Million Acre Wood and all of it was real (I know it’s fiction, but someone can dream right?).
I fell in love with all the animals in the book, even the villains, because they too are not all bad and like in real life not everything is defined, but there are nuances.

You know when a book has stolen your heart and mind because you can’t stop thinking about it and continue imagining their lives even after reaching the end. For me, this is one of them, but it’s even more special because this story is all about the animals and their desire to live and be free! I think this message should make everyone think. It’s not just humans that want to be able to live their life to the fullest and be free, animals should have that right too!

I am can't wait to meet Anastasia and all the other animals again and be once again one of the Free Peoples!

Thanks to the author, Harvest Oak Press and Love Books Tours for a copy and this is my honest opinion.

[Emma Minazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher really has a way with story telling! You like the animals straight away, they are determined and this book follows on from War Bunny, Book one. I like the idea of when the usual hierarchy of things gets turned on its head and the food chain gets knocked out of kilter. The rabbits are the ones to watch out for!

The lower the animal on the food chain not only fights for themselves but for their families to become more powerful than the coyotes, wolves and raptors. I love how the rabbits, mice, rats, squirrels and weasels all work together to create weapons from bottle caps, wood, flints and other bits they find around their homes.

Anastasia has a bigger part in this book which is nice, her presence is known and I like learning about the other animals in the wood. I'm grateful for the glossary at the back as it's nice to get a visual of each animal and their breed incase you forget!

Dingus, Death Rage and Love Bug still have a place in my heart, they are so courageous and worthwhile in any army! Looking forward to book three!

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked War Bunny (the first in the series) so I was very excited to have won the sequel in a Goodreads Giveaway. Summerday didn't hold my attention at the beginning like War Bunny did. I think this was because I didn't care as much about the predators (wolves, coyotes, foxes) as I did about the prey (rabbits, mice, squirrels). The first part of the book was building/explaining more about the predators and their thoughts/community. It did pick up for me once the rabbits started to innovate again and I couldn't put it down for the last couple of chapters. The imagination the author has to create this world is amazing. I love the characteristics of all the animal species and how they often tie in with their names (especially the racoons). There was an indication that there will be a third book in the series. I will certainly look forward to that!

[Claire Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t wait to get into this book as I had read, and loved, War Bunny. It did not disappoint! I was delighted to welcome back the old characters and see how their story developed further. This book is so cleverly written and it keeps giving different explanations as to how life ended up this way. The wolves being more involved bought a new dimension to the tale too. I’m so delighted that there is another instalment to go and I cannot wait to read it!

[Teryl L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Christopher St. John. This series is so fun to read. The animals are often hilarious even though they are engaging in battles. All the different species come at life from different angles, which is really fun. I highly recommend the entire series!

[Lauren Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

What another beautiful instalment to the War Bunny Chronicles!

After finishing a loving book one of this series I couldn’t wait to get started on book two! I loved that this book dived straight back into where book one left us and continued the story seamlessly. The descriptions and world building throughout are immense and I could really visualise the whole story playing out as I read.

I loved how the animals all came together in this one and it’s really emphasises on subjects such as found family, friendships and teamwork. Also how, not everyone is friendly!

Such a unique, emotional and thought provoking story. I still haven’t had enough of it and can’t wait to get my hands on book 3!

[Jane Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series. I hope we get another book that tells us what's going on in the City of Oom. And now I want a Death Rage tattoo. Viva Le Mouse!!

[Chantal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! A great follow up to War Bunny, this is one you won’t want to miss from Christopher St. John. All the characters including Anastasia, Bricabrac, Wellbutrin and Lorazepam are back, plus many more, as the Warren Sans Gloire and the Summerday Clan collide in an epic battle in the Million Acre Wood, tenants versus landlords. Who will live, who will die? With twists and turns in nearly every chapter, you won’t want to put this book down.

Thank you to the author, Christopher St. John, for allowing me to beta read this second book in the War Bunny Chronicles via BetaBooks. It was a lot of fun, and Christopher has such a genius talent for writing. Can’t wait for Book 3!

[Cee]

A breathtaking continuation of the War Bunny story - raw, vivid, poetic and absolutely brilliant! Full of a deep wisdom that left me pondering and ruminating, as well as witty & comedic characters that were full of heart that kept me invested all the way through. The ingenuity of the world, characters and plot is one that keeps on giving, and I will continue to eagerly follow these amazing characters and the journeys they go on!

[Teri Kratz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoorah!

So happy to have found these books. I have enjoyed both books in the WarBunny Chronicles . I have a difficult time describing this book. I laughed out loud, I teared up, I cheered. Let there be more!

[Amelia Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...pacing, muttering, chewing her nails, and trying to come up with the words that would help give birth to a new world. The word creates. Everything else follows."
That's how I feel everytime I write a review for a book I loved, it's always hard to find the right words to describe everything I felt during this whole adventure or journey: it's serious and important, and has tiny bits of funny remarks that cracked me up amd made me giggle, and the next moment it got all serious again. I loved how all the animals got even more depth and their religion was even more fleshed out and despite most of the animals believing in it and in their god blindly, I appreciated the doubt and new information with the twisty details. Anastasia, my heart, still my favourite, kept being so strong and clever and caring, I couldn't get enough of her goodness.
I loved how extinct humans are called old gods and our garbage is being repurposed to achieve peace between the species, even though I hate the idea of war, in this fictional case it was something else, not just death and murder, but the kinder future for everyone.
"I don't want to be the kind of person who ends lives because it's convenient..."
I felt this deeply and teared up with a proud smile on my face, these animals, these individuals are trying to live and not be someone else's meal, I know I'm boiling down to more simple terms, and in reality the book, this story is so much more than that. It's beautiful, sad, inspiring and at times funny, who would have thought raccoons would have such witty humour.
"If it's not dirty, is it even an apple, bruh?" This traditional raccoon toast was one of the unexpected joys, they are ridiculous, all of them, the way they used overripe apples as booze, I knew that birds did that, got drunk on fruits, but I didn't expect it to make into the book and brighten the situation.
"May all beings everywhere be happy and free."
Oh how I wish that to be so, in the book and in our reality as well, but third book looks like it won't be as easy as it seems, and our reality keeps getting more inhumane every day, so I keep thinking that a world without humans might not be such a bad thing, especially for the animals.
The human extinction backstory seems to be tied into a real fact and I honestly didn't know much about that, but I know I wan to know even more now, it's fascinating and terrifying.
"It takes time for people's eyes to open. And more time for them to change."
I kept saving my favourite quotes and thought I wouldn't have anything else to say, because I was overwhelmed with emotions, but apparently I'm getting better at writing down my thoughts.
"...every death is cause for sadness."
I don't know how else to finish this review, this quote seemed like a perfect ending, but I want to end on a more hopeful note, so maybe I should mention someone who made me laugh while I was reading: Lorazepam! Didn't expect that name and was giggling everytime she was mentioned or said something cute.
I hope more people will read and fall in love with all the animals all over again, they are on Earth with us, and fiction is what makes us think and feel more, so this trilogy is a perfect connection between all the living creatures.

[Lizz Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this book carries on straight from book1 (war bunny) and we continue to follow Anastasia - our fearless bunny as she continues to change the lives of her fellow bunnies and friends. In this book she finally catches the attention of the Summerday clan, wolves who are the landlords of million acre wood! Will everything Anastasia built comes crashing down and end!!

Once again Christopher st John has performed magic with his words, he has written such a beautiful, heartfelt story of love, friendships and betrayal and once again I found myself tearing up in emotional situations and rooting for those characters. I didn't think I would relate to the animals, but I did, life isn't black and white, there is a lot of grey. Yes the rabbits and prey animals deserve to live but I couldn't help but feel for the wolves aswel! It's such a poignant story, with a lot of heavy issues being brought forward but this has made for such a fantastic read!
The climax was nail biting and also heartbreaking, but amongst all the darkness of the book, there was so much love.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, book 1 had me hooked and book 2 has made me fall in love with this series!

[Sonja Charters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the War Bunny Chronicles series and you may have seen my review for the first book, War Bunny, back kn May.

Once again, I have to point out this gorgeous front cover! I love that it's a fairly simple image, but r ally stands out - and once you've read, you'll see how fitting the images are.yhey look amazing together on the bookshelf and I'm already looking forward to seeing the next cover reveals coming....

This is definitely a series that you need to read as a whole and in order.
Summerday follows on directly from where we left Anastasia in the first book and this exciting story builds in pace and excitement as we finally meet the summerday wolves.

Although we're dealing with a cast of animal characters, I really have come to bond with some of them and they feel realistic and believable (within the context of the genre etc)
I love how they develop over the course of this book and found myself becoming quite emotional during certain scenes!

The storyline is unique and moving and I like that there are some real day issues explored within the context of the book.
It does feel quite dark in places - but I think that this is fitting at the time.

I was completely immersed in this world (again) and it was great to be back.
I raced through this in only a couple of sittings and am already eager to get my hands on the next book to see what might be lurking there for us all.

[Gemma Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book two in the War Bunny Chronicles and you should really read the series in order to enjoy it the most. I loved ‘War Bunny’ and I also love ‘Summerday’. Anastasia is a bunny who no longer wants to be chased and glorified by the predators. She wants to live in a world where rabbits aren’t just lunchmeat for foxes and wolves. In book One she starts a revolution and in this book the predators start to fight back.

What I really love about ‘Summerday’ is that the story is told from lots of different viewpoints - the rabbits, the wolves, the rats - they all have distinctive voices and characters. By the end of this book I found it hard to know who I was rooting for because I loved Anastasia but I also love Aliyah. I can’t wait to read book three in this series.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about book 2? This book had everything. It pulled at the heartstrings. There was action, betrayal, politics, relationships, family. Honestly, I can't wait to see what is to come in book 3. I loved that we saw a little bit more evidence of what happened to humans in this futuristic world. Animals are the rulers and they are the food. What happens though when the food realizes that they are more than that? That the prey deserves everything that the predators have. A life, a right to live that life without fear, security, family, community, love. You very quickly become invested in the back and forth of prey and predator. Trust me, you do not want to sleep on this one.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good story and most of it was fast paced. My only issue was that it is a very high reading level compared to the previous book. I consider myself fairly "well read", i read about 100 books a year. About every 3rd page or so i was having to look up the definition of a word (not the french ones that have the definition as a foot note). On an ebook that isn't a big deal just a little annoying to stop mid story to figure out the meaning, if it were a physical book it would have been a pretty big deal. This was a goodreads giveaway

[Tina Van Eick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summerday: Book 2 of the War Bunny Chronicles

I loved this series of books. They were delightfully different. They were sweet and captivating. You will easily fall in love with all the characters and empathize with their struggles. Do yourself a favor and read the War Bunny Chronicles.

[Edna Caluza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this... Bravo

[Anne Whitaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This was an awesome book. I can't wait until City of Oom comes out later this year. You won't regret reading this.