Personally this wasn't what I'd call "my kind of book" however, I have to admit it was an incredibly original take on the post-apocalyptic/zombie genre, I can honestly say it stood out from others of a similar genre. The opening chapter really set the mood for the rest of the novel, with loads of peril, suspense and action throughout. (with a healthy dose of LGBT+ romance). I can imagine if you like a Dystopian/Action novel this would probably be your next top read. I just didn't click with it for some reason, I feel like the narrative voice just didn't endear me to the story as much as I would have liked and I found the initial romance elements felt a bit forced which left me unenthused. These are purely personal preferences though, objectively it was very original and had lots of positive attributes.

Very entertaining post-apocalyptic book., Reminded me of Brokeback Mountain. It was very atmospheric and loved the love story between the teenagers. really good read.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Apologies requested in error, so I won’t leave a bad review due to my mistake.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I hate zombies. Out of all of the well-known supernatural creatures in pop culture at the moment, zombies freak me out the most. Hence why I’ve never read/watched The Walking Dead and it took the Other Half YEARS to make me watch Zombieland (it was in the cinema on our first date but, due to me hating zombies, we watched District Nine instead). There are exceptions to this rule - though it is VERY rare. I adore the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix and I have read books and series where they are hinted at, but normally, I stay away.

So why, I hear you ask, did I was to read Wranglestone so badly? It’s a zombie book. Yes, but it features at its heart an LGBT romance. And this is the main reason I wanted to read this. I haven’t heard or read a zombie book that has a same-sex relationship as the main romance before.

Set in post-apocalyptic America where the Dead are Restless, one of the few safe havens is Lake Wranglestone. But Peter never feels like he’s fit in the safe community. He’s not like Cooper, a boy he’s always watched from afar, who’s strong and brave and fearless. Peter is more a homebody. And when he puts the community in danger after naively allowing a stranger to come ashore to one of Lake Wranglestone’s islands, he is forced to leave the islands and help Cooper herd the Restless Ones away from the shores before the lake freezes.

But as the pair realises that’s something to their long-held feelings for each other, both discover a dark secret about Wranglestone. Meaning they have been lied to their whole lives…

I am going to admit this right now, it took me most of January to read. I know, this isn’t because I didn’t like the book. I did! But I found time to read really tricky. Work and real life suck at times for a book blogger/vlogger as this is a secret, second-yet-unpaid job. If anyone wants to pay me to read and blog full-time, go for it!

Sorry, will behave now.

So… Wranglestone. Ok, where should I start?

This is an interesting debut novel as the writing and prose are beautiful. On this front, it was strong and it carried me along with the story. And I found the romance between Peter and Cooper a joy to read (though I know some of you will go “It’s very insta-love” but with the situation, both characters having crushes on each other and a few other factors, I will forgive this) and I found what this book was adding to zombie mythology quite fascinating and intrigued to see how this builds throughout the course of the series.

I do have some problems. It mainly comes down to two factors: pacing and plot complex. I get why, don’t get me wrong. I completely understand why the first 100 or so pages were slow - world building and getting readers to understand. But at the 150ish mark, the pacing goes up several gears and you are running. You need to be on the ball when the gear shift happens as the plot gets darker and more complex. And because of this, there were several times I had to stop and reread a page or two back to keep everything straight in my own head.

Despite these flaws, this shows signs of being a promising start to a new series and I can’t wait for the next instalment!

When I was about 13 or 14, I loved zombie stories. Zombie apocalypse books were my favourite sorts of dystopian novels, so when I heard about Wranglestone, I was particularly excited. And, for me, it definitely lived up to that excitement.

Wranglestone opens with Peter, doing chores outside, when someone shows up in a boat. Unfortunately for Peter, he is too trusting by half and ends up stabbed. When it turns out that this man’s wife is a zombie, Peter faces a reckoning. People in the community feel that he is too naive, and so he must join Cooper, a boy his age who helps herd the zombies from the lake shore, and learn about the world.

Hands down, the best part of this book is the relationship between Peter and Cooper. Yes, it develops quickly, but that’s sort of understandable if they’ve known each other for their whole lives anyway. And it’s also definitely the softest relationship I’ve read recently, where they actually communicate as well, so there aren’t any points where you want to scream because they’re being obtuse. They are that good.

But this book wouldn’t get by on their relationship alone (at least, I don’t think it would). Luckily, it’s also a book where a lot happens, so you’re fully engrossed in it the whole way through. I’m fairly sure I read the entire thing in one sitting (which, okay, isn’t that impressive given I read a lot of books in one sitting, but one sitting where I didn’t want to put it down, as opposed to making myself get through it). I had finished the book before I even knew it, and it’s definitely one that will leave you wanting to know what happens next.

If there was any sort of weakness in this book, though, it was that, on occasion, parts of the speech felt incongruous. Either like they weren’t entirely replying to the previous statement, or that they didn’t feel like they fit quite with what was happening in the scene. It didn’t occur that often, but I noticed it often enough to clock it.

Overall, though, this is a solid zombie novel, and definitely a book and an author I will be coming back to.

Fifteen years after the zombie apocalypse, an isolated community exists in a national park, surrounded by a lake, nervously awaiting what winter and the great freeze will bring. The First Fall celebration is a time of happiness for the Lake-Landers but also a warning of the hardship to come.

When naive homebody Peter welcomes a stranger ashore, he puts the whole community in danger and finally gives credence to those who have been insisting that he grow up and learn to protect Wranglestone. Peter has long watched Cooper from afar but now he is tasked with helping the boy herd the dead away from Wranglestone and into the wilderness.

Out there on the plains, Peter will discover that he isn't the only person who has been watching but that also isn't the only secret he will uncover in that vast wilderness. On a journey of first love and self-discovery, Peter will learn about the dark secret of Wranglestone and how they have been living a lie for fifteen years.

Darren Charlton's debut young adult novel has been described as a mix between Brokeback Mountain and The Walking Dead. As a huge fan of The Walking Dead, I loved the post-apocalyptic setting of Wranglestone, the depiction of the Dead, the memories of previous lives and the exploration of life in this frightening new world. The book often felt like TWD fan-fiction, but it had enough going for it, especially with the introduction of the Pale Wanderers, to keep it fresh and interesting.

The growing relationship between Peter and Cooper is beautifully written and shows great tenderness and love. I loved this aspect of the novel and how Wranglestone wasn't about the characters being gay but about gay characters having an extraordinary adventure in a snowy, post-apocalyptic wasteland.

I also liked the twist, the uncovering of the great lie that had kept the community isolated and controlled. Indeed, there was a great deal to like about Wranglestone but I felt really confused at the end. While I wouldn't say it was rushed, there were too many 'knowing glances' and loose ends to really know what was going on. Perhaps I would have been kinder had I known we were being set up for a sequel but in its execution, it felt awkward and staged.

It is with a fair measure of disappointment that I give Wranglestone an okay three out of five stars. Given my abundance of feelings in the first half of the book, I expected to love this. I did like a good deal of it but I was left seriously underwhelmed by the vague ending,having not appreciated that we were heading for a sequel. Perhaps I'll feel differently once I've read the sequel - I certainly hope so - I've been known to re-read entire series again to appreciate the whole story.

Wranglestone is published by Little Tiger Group and will be released on 6 February 2020.

A YA zombie thriller combines with a sweet LGBTQ+ romance in this debut, and series opener from Darren Charlton. Set in a future, post apocalyptic version of the USA where zombies, known as the "Restless Ones " roam, we meet Peter, who lives with his father in an isolated community on an island in the middle of a lake. For most of the year, its the safest place possible, the water acting as a barrier that the Restless have yet to breach, but when Winter comes and the lake freezes over, its a very different story and the community must always be on its guard. Peter has always struggled to find his place within the community, feeling his skills at sewing and need for neatness and order set him apart from the rest of the men in the community, and his growing attraction to Cooper, another boy is making him feel even more alone. When his trusting nature puts the whole community in danger, he must prove his mettle by going with Cooper to herd the Restless away from the camp. The fact that Cooper is just as attracted to him is only the second most surprising thing that Peter discovers, and what the two boys find will change their community and their lives forever.
First things first, lets take a minute to appreciate that beautiful cover, it portrays the isolation and Winter setting perfectly. While it is never exactly clear what exactly went wrong to create the Restless the author does an excellent job of portraying the turmoil that followed, and the heartbreak and struggles of those who survived to watch their loved once succumb. The descriptive writing is strong, especially when it comes to scene setting and creating a mood of fear or menace . While I did not love the characters of Peter and Cooper, and I struggled to buy into their romance completely, I did love how accepted their pairing was to the rest of the community. Peter seemed to border on neurotic at times , and I felt like the romance with Cooper just never seemed believable. The book started out a little slow, understandably as there was some set up and world building to get out of the way, but the pace did pick up as it continued, to the point that the ending felt a little rushed as so much happened in the last few pages. Without saying anything to spoil the ending, there were a few twists that I did not see coming, which is always nice.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Years after the zombie apocalypse began, Peter discovers a secret that's been hidden from his isolated community.

Peter's tiny community survives, perched high on stilts above islands in a huge lake. Most of the year they're safe, protected from the Dead by the water. But when winter comes, the lake freezes solid and every villager lives in fear until the next thaw. This year, the freeze exposes secrets that some of his people would kill to protect.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I like the idea of it, and I'm always down for zombie stories. I'm just...not sure how the world works. How many people in the community? Enough that losing three people to bites in a matter of days isn't a cause for concern for anyone; no one is worried that they'll be too few to function. Few enough that they can all fit into one living room for a meeting late in the book. How do they live? They mention fishing and hunting, but there's no mention of farming or foraging, and they can't be growing anything on the islands, the houses are in the way. A plot point is medicine and ammunition being acquired through underhanded means. Where do the islanders not in the know think they're coming from? There's a big fuss about firing a flare because it might draw the Dead, but whenever someone is bitten they light a flare to tell the nearby military encampment about it? All of these things can be explained, they just aren't.

But the story itself is great, and I love Peter...a very unmanly boy, who makes the best pillows and blankets around and is thus left alone and not teased. I am a little confused how Peter and Cooper, who grew up together in a community of however many people there are, ended up with such different accents, but since the book is from Peter's POV maybe he thinks he sounds different than he actually does.

It's a good read and I hope it'll do well, but it could be better.

This is a highly entertaining post-apocalyptic story, kind of The Walking Dead meets Brokeback Mountain.  The teenage love-story between Peter and Cooper is sweet and very touching at times. The lake and wintry setting is very atmospheric and for a genre that has been done to death in recent years there are some very original ideas.  A really good read with great sequel potential.

eARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, Thank you NetGalley and Little Tiger Group (Stripes Publishing) Release Date according to today: February 2020.

This book was such a surprise! It had everything I love in a story. A creepy, Gothic feel, intense atmosphere and a wonderful set of characters. The twists and turns blew me away each time. Just when I thought I knew where things were headed, the author reshaped everything I thought I knew about a Zombie novel and I loved every minute of reading it.

The romance well so heartfelt and well paced, it was so sweet and beautiful! The action was well thought out and the twists and turns kept me glued to the very last page. I loved Peter, he was the most real character to me and my heart went out to him from the very beginning.

This is a story about love, secrets, trust and of course, the Restless Ones.

Peter lives in Wranglestone, a national park surrounded by water that keeps the dead at bay until winter sets in, then nothing stops the dead. When Peter puts the camp in danger, he is made to help Cooper herd the dead away from their shores. As love grows and blossoms, a dark secret about their community makes them question everything they know.

If you love LGBT, horror, action and young adult books (even if you are curious about this amazing combination) make sure you read this novel!

The Dead are walking. In post-apocalyptic America a small community manages to survive in a national park surrounded by water. They are safe and protected. That is, until winter comes and the lake freezes over and then there is nothing stopping the Dead from crossing. One day a stranger approaches kind and niave Peter, which puts the community in danger. Peter is then forced to prove his worth to the community. Prove he isn’t the weak link they all believe him to be. Soon, Peter makes a dark discovery about their secret sanctuary and makes him question everything he’s ever known.

Wranglestone is the perfect book to read on a cold winters night in a dimly lit room. It’s creepy, it’s atmospheric, it’s cold, and it’s suspenful. It is a horror/post-apocalyptic and it had, frankly, a very refreshing take on zombies – something the genre is a little oversaturated with at the moment. It wasn’t an in-your-face scary, though some scenes were, it was a very subtle horror. It makes you question who are truly the monsters? Is it the Dead? or is it those who would do anything to survive? I loved watching Peter slowly untangle the clues and uncover the secrets – that intense feeling of knowing that something just isn’t quite right.

Wranglestone also featured a lovely m/m romance which was totally heart-warming. The romance wasn’t the focus of the story, but a really lovely addition nevertheless.

Overall, a strong debut that was thrilling, tense, and romantic. Highly recommend for zombie and horror lovers.

Wranglestone is a zombie fiction book but it's more character focused than about zombies. In fact, the walking dead aren't even featured that much. It's definitely a very gentle introduction to this sub genre and unusually for this genre there is very little guts and gore. We see a bunch of survivors who live on small remote islands in the middle of a reservation. Winter hits and it's an incredibly difficult time as the lake, which is normally a natural barrier, ices over and the zombies can then just walk on over to the islands. Our survivors then have to deal with this along with members of their dwindling community being bitten.
I did really enjoy the story once I got in to it and it would be interesting to see how the characters and their situation evolves over time.
I just had one problem with the book and it kind of overshadowed the whole story for me. The portrayal of one of the main characters, Peter, seemed so very basic and stereotypical. It came across as almost offensive. If I'd have asked a gang of straight young males in the 90's to describe the personality and interests of a gay man they would have described Peter. This is a story about post-apocalyptic America where zombies are roaming and Peter is 'distracted by a well stitched floral oven mitt'!
As the story progresses we get to see the reason why Peter was portrayed in that way. The author was trying to show that Peter wasn't suited to this new world and wasn't a natural survivor. But it still felt very uncomfortable.
I also didn't like the way that the other main character Cooper was portrayed. He was basically a dumb bit of eye candy.
I grew to like both characters and was rooting for their love story to have a happy ending but my overall sense of uneasiness persisted until the end.
I did love that there was queer rep in such an unexpected genre, I just wish it had been done a little better. Well done to the author for giving it a shot though.

I love Post Apocalyptic books, however, I find them to be rather repetitive. The same could not be said for this book. The storyline was so unique, the characters seemed to jump off the pages, and I couldn’t stop reading.

I loved Peter and Cooper’s relationship. It’s great to see a LGBT relationship portrayed in Post Apocalyptic fiction. Often when the genre is focused so much on the plot, relationships between characters get forgetten or seem less important because of the dramatic and often overbearing plot. Wranglestone had a brilliant plot; interesting, tense and edge of your seat exciting, but it also gave the characters the attention they deserved and it made it better for that. Their relationship was heartbreaking, beautiful and intense.

This was such an interesting and new take on the Post Apocalyptic genre. I found myself so invested in the story and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next!

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. I absolutely loved it!.
The plot ...
The writing ...
The characters ...
The spooky atmosphere ...
All 100% amazing. This book was very strong from the get go, and the beginning of the book set a good spooky pace and this continued throughout the book, it was something different something I’ve not read before I think that’s what made this book even better for me because for me it was fresh and new. I didn’t have a clue of this book but the blurb intrigued me and I’m so glad I requested it. As well as being spooky, this book has all the feels and the friendship aspect was amazing and made me wish I had a friend like that!. All I can say is you need to read it.
5stars.

I don't normally reach for zombie thrillers, but you might know by now that I'll read any genre, especially if it's gay. Which is also why I was sent a physical review copy of this book. I'm very grateful for that, as international readers don't get sent physical copies a lot. The book came with a lovely author letter, in which the author said he wanted to give LGBTQ+ teens their own adventure, because that was exactly what he needed growing up. I can only say I think he nailed it.

This book was off to a good start right away. After only reading a few pages, I was already completely drawn in and I found it so suspenseful.

And honestly, this didn't stop for the remainder of the book. I was immediately hooked and found it pretty much unputdownable. It was very difficult to get through my work day while just wanting to get back to my book.

I truly loved the voice of this novel, which made the main character so endearing. Normally in a book like this, I'll have trouble connecting to the main character because they'll be so much more... capable than me. And that's precisely what I loved about this book: the main character is young and naïve, and he's kind of clueless, at least at the start of the book. Because of that, as a reader, you really take the journey with him. And it's much easier imagining yourself in a similar position.

The voice of the book also made the romance work really well. It's a sort of rough voice at first, because this is a rough world to live in, but there's a lot of softness beyond the surface, which made the romance really stand out for me, and there were multiple fragments that really spoke to me.

An example:

"Peter felt a surge in his heart like it had suddenly been granted more strength or heat somehow. He'd never known that feeling before, but he recognized what it was at once. It was the presence of someone else being there."

And another example:

"There's only one a you in the whole wide world, Peter. And there'll only ever be one a you. So what are the chances that you lived in this time? Not before, but right now and at exactly the same time as me. What are the chances of that? I'm grateful as all hell and you'll get no more worries from my pa or anyone else for that matter. Not now, not now you's with me. I'm glad you wasn't born before. I need you here. So I reckon this time suits you just fine, Peter. OK?"

While this book was very suspenseful, I didn't think it was scary. In that sense it was just the right amount of suspenseful and gory for me: enough to keep me hooked, but not enough to make me afraid in the dark. One thing that really aided the eerie atmosphere of the book was the world building, which I can only describe as narrow. The story is set in a very small community, in a relatively small area, and we don't get to know a lot about the rest of the world and the surroundings. This makes sense, because there's no such thing as the internet anymore, and there's also no safe way to travel large distances.

I only have one small criticism. Something I do have a hard time understanding is when a fictional world doesn't have homophobia, but it does have misogyny and toxic masculinity. This just seems unconvincing to me, because homophobia is ultimately rooted in misogyny and toxic masculinity. And if you are erasing bigotry from your fictional world anyway, why stop at homophobia? Luckily, this aspect was only prevalent in the first part of the book, so it didn't feel too present.

Rep: m/m romance

CWs: murder, gore, blood, ableist language

The concept of Wranglestone had me from the get go! A LGBTQ+ romance set within a zombie apocalypse? Erm yes please! As soon as I got an early copy of this book I was super excited to get stuck in.

Set in a post-apocalyptic USA, a small community is surviving within a national park, surrounded by water, keeping the dead away. However, when winter arrives nothing is stopping the dead from crossing the ice and going into the community. When teenager Peter puts the community at danger, he is sent to help rancher Cooper herd the dead before the ice freezes over. As love blossoms between the two boys, they discover a secret that makes them question everything they have ever known about the world they live in.

This was a really well written, thrilling read that had me for the most part, gripped. However, it did start off a bit slow for me and I found that I didn’t get fully engaged into the story until I was about halfway through. Mind you, once I was immersed I was in for the long run.

The concept, was unique in the way that the world was set up and how the characters all interacted. I never thought in a million years I would be reading a M/M love story set within a zombie apocalypse but I was wrong. The tight knit community and the way the ‘zombies’ are portrayed brought a new lease of life to a genre that has been done several times before.

The love story between Peter and Cooper was just the sweetest, despite the premise of the plot. Seeing them finally get together after admiring each other from afar brought me so much joy. The love they had for each other, you could tell was so genuine and true and was just a delight to read. They are probably one of my favourite M/M couples in YA right now, if I’m being totally honest.

Wranglestone was an exciting, distinctive read that had me absorbed and captivated. It’s truly one to look out for this year, mark my word!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this novel!

Rating: 4 stars
Rep: gay MC, M/M romance.
Trigger warnings: violence, gore.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this, I was so intrigued. A YA post-apocalyptic zombie thriller, Brokeback Mountain meets The Walking Dead with LGBTQ+ main characters...what a premise!

Normally, I take lots of notes when reviewing so I can go back and reference, but I was so hooked into this story I really didn't want to put the book down at any time! There were so many twists and turns, the plot twists just kept coming and I didn't anticipate them at all!

I loved the absolute lack of homophobia, I loved that the book wasn't focused on Cooper and Peter's relationship, it just seemed to progress so naturally and fit into the story so well, (even though Cooper was a little creepy at times). I really liked the character and romance development.

For me, this was a very refreshingly unique book, it's unlike anything I've ever read before!


A couple of things that didn't work for me:

1) Sometimes Peter, the main character, was a little too naive, gullible and rash for me. I love that he came into his own as the book went on though and I'm excited to see what's next for him and Cooper!
2) The pacing was a little off at times and I did find myself lost and confused a few times in the story.


Overall, a solid debut with an amazing concept, a hooking and incredibly gripping plot, I can't wait to read more by this author!

A brilliant new take on zombies with a chilling setting and a truth long buried, Wranglestone had me gripped from the very first page and swept me up in its romance-filled snowstorm of zombies and secrets. I'd highly recommend this to zombie lovers and non-zombie lovers alike!

Wranglestone is one of those books that blasts you from the get-go. I knew nothing about the book in advance, so every plot move was a surprise to me.

The opening is frightening and tense, painting the setting for the story to follow. In an isolated community, an underachieving youngster who makes a stupid mistake that could risk everyone in an apocalyptic island setting. But a friendship starting to blossom, shined a ray of hope over the bleak lives of Peter and Cooper. But the Restless Ones threaten to ruin the lives of everyone in Wranglestone.

Wranglestone is surprisingly sweet and gives the reader pangs of loss for a once normal life. I felt every emotion reading this book - shock, fear, love, sadness. It's a new age, dystopian, cowboy horror with a heartwarming love story at the core. This book is a cracker and the story and setting are perfect for reading by the Christmas tree.🎄

Will Wraklestone survive this Winter? You'll just have to read it and see!

Unique spin on the apocalypse/zombie theme type stories, the book just got better and I was hooked from the first page till the last, to the point where I was fully invested in the community and the people and wanting to know more.