Really liked this conclusion to the story. It was interesting seeing Peter and Coopers relationship explored in the way it was, creating a great deal of mystery and tension. With more twists and turns following the first book, this is a great sequel.

What a fantastic sequel to the awesome Wranglestone. Forced to move from the lake into a small town, Peter, Cooper and the other survivors must learn how to operate in a consumer society. Jobs, money and luxury goods are hard to conceive for some members of the community who prefer the simpler life they once shared at the lake. Conflict and suspicion could wreck this fragile social balance, but events are not what they seem. Peter and Cooper must find a way to work together to repair their fractured relationship and their society but it is hard to know who to trust.

BOOK REVIEW
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A BIG thank you to Netgalley and Little Tiger Group for the opportunity to read this arc.
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This review is SPOILER FREE.
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I read Wranglestone earlier this year and, despite my reservations about the first book, I wanted to find out how Cooper and Peter's story ended.
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The premise of the story is fantastic and is what drew me in in the first place. A burgeoning LGBTQ+ relationship set in a dystopian world of walking dead. What's not to like? It turns out, quite a bit but nothing I can actually put my finger on.
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On the plus side, we get to find out how things end for the fledgling couple and what happened to the world to turn the population into zombies in the first place (this part of the plot is actually both inventive and scarily believable) however, as with Wranglestone, something is lacking. In Timberdark in particular, it felt like there were huge location/time leaps that confused me. I spent a large part of the book wondering what on Earth was going on. Eventually, everything did make sense and then it ended! 3/5 stars

Really cool, love the aesthetics of the story and the themes it portrays. I’m also a sucker for a map and cool illustrations in a book and this ticked both boxes.

Thanks Little Tiger for letting me read Timberdark. I'll start with the positives. I think Darren is a really excellent wordsmith; his descriptions of landscapes and of settings especially is top notch. I really look forward to continuing reading his work. Unfortunately, the Wranglestoen duology didn't do it for me. I was so desperate to truly love these books, and there are many parts I do love, but plot-wise, I feel it's a little lacking. In this book in particular, there were huge location/time jumps that confused me, or important moments skipped e.g. what happened to Teddy. I really loved him as a character and I felt his death was skipped over. Overall an enjoyable read with an absolutely gorgeous cover, but the story itself just didn't grip me. As I say, I will continue to read Darren's work for the love of his writing.

Ginger Nuts of Horror tipped zombie apocalypse horror Wranglestone for the top back in 2020 and it has since featured in several of our ‘best of’ lists, including our Top Ten YA Novels of 2020. It then went onto win the Waterstones Prize (for YA readers) and was nominated for the Children’s Costa Book Prize and other leading YA prizes. All these accolades were well deserved, as it was a unique take on the zombie apocalypse, with two gay teenage boys as the central characters, set in a North American island location where in the winter the lake froze over and the dead (the ‘zombie’ word was rarely used) were able to get across to the Wranglestone community. What followed was a love story drama between Peter and Cooper (who were two very different boys) and the enfolding crisis when the zombies approach and there are also threats and dangerous secrets from within their own community. Timberdark picks up the Peter and Cooper story shortly after the events of its predecessor, taking the story in unpredictable directions. It would have been easy to have produced an action-packed sequel, but once again the author holds back on this and concentrates on the developing relationships and what happens when they begin to venture beyond the familiar boundaries of the wilds of Wranglestone.

Peter and Cooper head out looking for other survivors and end up staying in another community in which civilisation has begun to return and there is talk of a returning government and new laws etc. The novel concerns how Peter (gets a job in a cinema) and Cooper (loading boxes) deal with this, making new friends and how this might fit into their developing relationship. The couple stuff dominated the book, probably too much so, and I found it rather repetitive, yes, we know the boys loved each other, but it went on and on. I am unsure how regular teen readers will react to this as it took up an unnecessarily large chunk of the book. The other principal element of the book was the mystery surrounding what Timberdark actually meant and what Cooper might know about this and whether there were secrets in their relationship. As an extension there was the fear of ‘returnees’ those who had been bitten, but were not zombies, in which there was a general distrust of. Charlton takes the book into rather ambitious directions, but I am not sure how convincing I found it, but it was certainly a fresh take on the zombie story. AGE RANGE 13/14+

Timberdark is a great sequel to Wranglestone. I enjoyed following Peter and Cooper's story. It had twists I didn't expect and the ending it really thought-provoking. I initially didn't realise Wranglestone would have a follow up, but I'm really glad that it does!

Timberdark was an amazing sequel to an amazing book!

I fell in love with Wranglerstone when I first read it, and I was so happy to see that it would get a sequel, and I'm so happy I got to read it now!
The different take on the traditional zombie story makes the story much more interesting, and a lot less predictable. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end!

The characters are great! I love Peter and Cooper, even though their communication skills are lacking! I wanted to yell at both of them so many times throughout the book because.... just talk guys!

I can't say much without spoiling the first book, so I'm just going to end this saying; read Wranglerstone and Timberdark... you will eat them up!

Fantastic followup to the first installment, moody and emotional. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for a fair review!

I finally got my hands on, the long-awaited sequel to Wranglestone and it did not disappoint! Particularly poignant given the pandemic and a little philosophical about our ‘normal’ modern world, Timberdark hit all the right feels whilst delivering an important message.

Very grateful for receiving this ARC on netgalley.

On paper this series should be one I love, zombies, queer, adventurous, creepy and apocalyptic. Unfortunately, both this and the first book are just ok for me. I can’t put my finger on why it doesn’t grab me. I quite like the characters and the story line is unusual, but I just didn’t feel desperate to get back to it.

However, I still think lots of people would love this one. Don’t let my luke warm feelings put you off!

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the first book, so was excited to read this, and it didn’t disappoint. It was an enjoyable read, and I loved how the characters and plot developed, as well as how everything linked together leading to that ending. Overall, a really solid and enjoyable book, 4/5 stars, and I can’t wait to see what this author produces next.

I enjoyed Wranglestone last year so was intrigued to see where Darren Charlton would take the story in the sequel.

Timberdark picks up right where Wranglestone left off with Peter and Cooper out in the wilderness looking for other 'returnee's'. The opening sequence was spooky, gripping and atmospheric and just as within Wranglestone, the descriptive writing of the setting really paints a beautiful picture.

Peter and Cooper's relationship in this story is written well and realistically for the characters age, I could really relate to that feeling of first love, and the complexities and doubts that arise when you're really starting to get to know someone.

I think this would be a great book for younger readers, it is full of twists and turns, adventure and young love.

I received a digital copy of this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Net Galley and Little Tiger Group.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of "Timberdark" by Darren Charlton. This is the sequel to Wranglestone.

It is a perfect sequel to Wranglestone and it slotted perfectly in. However, like it's previous installation, it felt like it was missing something.

Darren Charlton has done it again, with a tremendous, atmospheric, and compelling follow-up to Wranglestone. I cannot wait to read what he writes next!

Mmm, I was looking forward to the conclusion of this duology but somehow felt let down? I’m not sure why, to be honest.

Maybe my expectations were just too high—I was nervous when I started reading—and therefore didn’t feel what I wanted to feel. I really hope other people will love this book more than I did and will give raving reviews! The first book definitely deserves it! That’s also why I decided to rate this story still three stars.

As this is a conclusion to a duology I will try and give this review without spoilers. The written style is descriptive without being flowery so you are able to conjure the setting so well. The relationships and friendships are also written with care. This was a fast paced story that I really enjoyed.

Timberdark broke my heart.

It's a gay zombie Western, about love and how painful it is to love someone and to realise that they no longer love you the same way, and how hard it is to see that canyon form and fill with silence. This really hit a nerve with me, and was at times almost painful to read. The emotional resonance is just so overwhelmingly powerful.

First of all, for anyone not familiar with book one in this series, Wranglestone, yes it is a gay zombie Western. In a post-apocalyptic world, human survivors eke out an existence on the islands of a lake on a nature reserve, protected from the zombies stalking the land by the water, except when it ices over in winter. In this bleak, harsh existence, Peter and Cooper find love with each other. Cooper, with his Stetson and his faded jeans and his beloved horse is the quintessential cowboy, and I loved how making him gay did so much to subvert traditional tropes and open up new possibilities for storytelling.

Actually, if you aren't familiar with Wranglestone, you really need to read that first. Timberdark picks up where it left off, and won't make an awful lot of sense as a starting point.

For the first part of the book, the love between Peter and Cooper is pure and beautiful and an absolute joy to watch as they take comfort in each other's presence. There's no sexual content, but beautifully described kisses and hand-holding and it is just the sweetest, purest romance. The ways in which they are there for each other warms the heart.

Then they leave their settled-ish existence, moving into a new town in the hopes that humanity and civilisation might actually be rebuilding itself. This is where the problems really start. The descriptions of love falling apart, of being in love with someone but unable to reach out to them, unable to talk to them and tell them how you feel, or of knowing that you are losing them and being powerless to do anything other than wish they'd open up to you, talk to you, reach out to where you are lying in the darkness thinking about them and aching with every last piece of your heart, they elevate this book from a fantastic horror to someone altogether different and very special. It's mirrored, in a way, with Peter's friendship with Becky, where he just can't bring himself to reach out and talk to her and watches their friendship fade away in silence.

There's so much more to this book than relationship trauma though. There's a really exciting storyline once they reach the town that left me wondering what just about everybody is up to, with plots and mysteries and secrets that are thrilling and captivating. It really left me guessing about what was really going on, and once truths are revealed it's frantic with action.

The Western style is something I really loved about this too, it's just blended so well with the rest of the setup, giving it a real charm of its own.

The horror elements are absolutely on point. The herds of zombie have lost some of their threat, though there is one nail-biting sequence with them, but there's a new and totally terrifying killer in there who really chilled me!

The whole thing finishes with a powerful message about our very humanity, but spoilers!

All in all, beautifully done. Powerful, emotional, with one of the most real, most beautiful and most raw romances I've come across. The fact that it is a gay romance is just another win for diverse representation really.

Darren Charlton has done it again!! Timberdark is beautifully written and such wonderful descriptions and I can honestly see myself in the book alongside the characters.
The book follows Peter and Cooper and how they are adjusting to life and their new relationship after the events of Wranglestone. Peter and Cooper have a plan to find Returnees and offer them sanctuary at Wranglestone. This all goes to plan until they meet a Ghost Ranger and their plans are thrown in the air and they are forced to try a new life in a town. There’s something that’s just not quite right about the town though and Peter and Cooper grow apart over a single word… ‘Timberdark’.

As I’ve said, the book is beautifully written and I found myself being drawn straight back into Wranglestone like I’d never left. I’d recommend the book to ages 11+, there’s mild swearing. The book kept me on my toes and I just couldn’t stop reading.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF

This decision left me a little heartbroken, not gonna lie. But I couldn't force myself to continue any further. The setting is so interesting but the conversations sometimes pulled me out of the story because of how unrealistic they felt.

For example, there was a convo between Peter and a girl he was trying to save near the start of the book but they started bantering and the banter I guess is supposed to be funny? But all it did was made me annoyed because all of them were supposed to be in danger at that moment. How do you still have the time to leisurely argue with someone when your lives are threatened??

Curious point: (This happened in the same scene as above btw) Cooper corrected Peter by saying that “Super Bowl /is/ soccer.” See, I'm not American, but isn't the Super Bowl supposed to be about football?

Anyway, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review.