Welcome to the year of the Rabbit! More specifically, the year of the Water Rabbit. Honestly, from the quick research I’ve done, not the best kind of rabbit, but it’s supposed to be a luck year for my sign, so I’ll take it. It’s also the perfect year to pick up one of the many books with rabbits on the cover. I’ve posted before about the rabbit book cover trend. And with the recent release of Leigh Bardugo’s Hell Bent, it looks like we’re still in the rabbit cover era.

So I thought it might be fun to put together a list of books with rabbits on the cover that I think would make great picks for the year of the rabbit. Most of these I have read and loved, but I also included a few from my own reading list. Hopefully this will give me an excuse to pick them up this year.

Bunny by Mona Awad

I read a lot of weird books. I enjoy weird books. But this book is easily one of the most bizarre things I have ever read. It’s about a clique of twee rich girls in an MFA program who all call each other “Bunny.” Which is a little creepy by itself. But then this book gets even weirder. Our main character, Samantha, gets invited to the Bunnies’ “Smut Salon” and ends up in a really, really weird and dark little sugar-coated fantasy.

Seriously, when I tell you this book is super weird, I mean reading it felt how I imagine a crazy drug trip would be like. But with bunnies. I don’t think this book is for everyone, but if you like dark, disturbing, and bizarre stories, you need to check this one out.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

I haven’t read this one (yet), but T. Kingfisher is high up on my list of authors I need to read asap. This book is a retelling of the famous Edgar Allen Poe classic The Fall of the House of Usher. And I’m always down for a good retelling. Especially if it’s creepy. Which definitely seems to be a trend among the rabbit cover books. The rabbit on this book cover is appropriately unsettling, and I don’t really enjoy looking at it, to be honest.

This book follows Alex Easton, a retired soldier, who receives word that that childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying. Alex arrives at the ancestral home of the Ushers to find nightmarish fungal growths everywhere, possessed wildlife, and a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline and her brother both have mysterious (and creepy) illnesses. Alex tries to unravel the mysteries of the House of Usher, so it doesn’t kill them all.

I’m guessing the rabbit on the cover is one of the possessed animals. I’m kind of hoping that’s a minor part of this book (I can’t handle animals getting hurt). But this one is under two-hundred pages, so it should be quick. Either way, if you’re looking for a dark and quick rabbit cover read, this looks like a good choice.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

This is another novella with a rabbit on the cover, but this one is very far from horror. In this fantasy story, we follow a young royal who is sent off for a political marriage and Rabbit, her handmaiden. I haven’t read this one yet, but it is definitely on my list (maybe this will be my rabbit book for the year). I’ve heard really great things about this series, the fourth of which is being published later this year. Even though this is labeled as a series, each of these novellas works as a standalone novel, and can be read in any order.

I am very intrigued by this book since it is just over a hundred pages and contains a whole fantasy story complete with politics and feminism and a lot of different representation, which is amazing. I keep seeing this one everywhere, and I think I need to get around to reading it asap.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

It’s hard to see, but there is, in fact, a rabbit on the cover of Hamnet (at least on the US version). This book is a historical fiction novel centered around Shakespeare’s family. The Bard himself is never mentioned by name, he is always “the husband” or “the father.” He is a peripheral character in the lives of his parents, wife, and children. It’s a great historical novel. And, as a huge Shakespeare fan, I loved it. I don’t remember any actually rabbits in this book, but it fits the whole cottage core aesthetic. If that’s the kind of rabbit-y book you’re in the mood for.

Mrs. Death Misses Death by Salena Godden

This book follows Mrs. Death, who is burnt out with her job. Being Death isn’t the most uplifting job. And she’s looking for someone to unburden herself to. Enter Wolf Willeford, a young writer who picks up a rather strange antique desk. Through the desk, he connects with Death, she tells him her stories, and he begins to write out Death’s memoirs.

Mrs. Death Misses Death has gotten some mixed reviews, and I can understand why. It’s a little weird, and I don’t think it’s for everyone. But even though it was slow, I couldn’t put it down. I was completely enthralled by this story.

Alice by Christina Henry

Last, but certainly not least, we have Alice. Obviously, Lewis Carroll’s original Alice in Wonderland would absolutely work as a rabbit book. But I wanted to spotlight this retelling because it kind of fits with the theme of modern books with rabbit covers being dark. This is an incredibly dark version of Alice in Wonderland. Christina Henry’s retellings are creepy and sinister and so, so good. I read this book a while ago, so I don’t remember too much about it, but I’m pretty sure there should be some strong content warnings with this book, so definitely look those up before jumping in.

Alice is definitely one to check out if you’re looking for a good horror novel with a rabbit cover. Which does seem to be the genre this cover design trend is most popular. And I have to say, I think it works.

That’s it for this post! Sorry it’s a bit of a shorter one, but I have been very busy this month and time’s just been getting away from me. If you have any suggestions for post you’d like to see from me this year (so I can work on getting them written in advance instead of scrambling at the last minute), I’d appreciate it.

What do you think of the rabbit book cover trend? Are you planning to read any rabbit books in the year of the rabbit?

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