Reviews

Wranglestone by Darren Charlton

eliotadrift's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

splasticcat's review

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adventurous dark hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

thebooklender's review against another edition

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4.0

In the middle of a lake in an isolated American National Park lives the community of Wranglestone. Peter is much happier wielding a darning needle than a weapon, but in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested world his skill set is not always appreciated. Especially when winter comes, when the lake freezes over, and there is nothing to stop the Restless Ones from moving in. So Peter is made to go out and help Cooper - a boy he's always had a secret crush on - to herd the zombies away from their shores before the it's too late. As Peter and Cooper's relationship develops, together they make a discovery that makes them question everything they though they knew about their world.

Darren Charlton describes Wranglestone as "a love story between two boys set in the American wilderness fifteen years after a zombie apocalypse" (from the Wranglestone press release).

Wranglestone (or "Wrangle St. North East" as my partner keeps reading it as) is a tense YA coming-of-age queer romance zombie horror survival adventure thriller. The world building was excellent. It's isolated post-apocalyptic National Park setting is beautifully atmospheric, creating an aura of both bucolic serenity and claustrophobic threat. The nature of their world is slowly revealed throughout the novel. The characters all felt real and - especially the main two protagonists - had believable and satisfying development arcs. The central romance of the story was lovely and I really appreciated the way their relationship was accepted by the community, that their queerness was not a big deal.

It did take me a little while to get into the book - at the start, there were parts that were unclear, and I didn't know if that was due to bad writing, me missing something, or just needing to be patient until things fell in to place (it was the last one).

Wranglestone will appeal to a broad range of readers - dystopian and apocalyptic fans, horror fiends, romance lovers and thriller seekers.

UPDATE: With the COVID-19 outbreak, Wranglestone now feels exceptionally timely and prescient, dealing as it does with a viral outbreak that changed the way people lived.

Thanks to the Reading Zone and the publishers for the review copy.

rosehock93's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

3.5

olivia63096's review against another edition

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well written, just didn’t vibe with it. the characters felt very juvenile even for their age. 

kasperrr's review against another edition

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5.0

i've never read anything like this so it was a whole new experience but i enjoyed it. A LOT. There was just enough romance and action. It was also kinda creepy, enough that at night i was bit anxious. At the part where Cooper "died" i have to admit that i cried a bit and i was in public, so that was embarrasing.

lintybird's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

pkc's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Sometimes you pick up a book that just tickles all of the right synapses and reading it is an unspeakable joy. This was one of those times. Don’t get me wrong - the story wasn’t particularly happy all the time and there was a sense of foreboding throughout, but the writing was excellent, the characterisation was absolutely flawless and there were enough believable twists and turns to make - let’s face it - a very well-used plot device feel fresh and new and exciting. I was such a huge fan of this book. I can’t wait to read the second book. 

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digitalcage's review against another edition

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2.0

I really wanted to love Wranglestone. A young adult, gay, zombie apocalypse novel set in my home state (Montana)--I wanted to embrace every part of that. Unfortunately, Charlton's writing is extremely undeveloped, with no visual sense and a haphazard approach to character revelation. Coincidences are nestled among contradictory descriptions, and emotions appear out of nowhere, stated but not allowed to flourish. While the plot itself is interesting, and the setting full of potential, the actual sentence-by-sentence writing doesn't flow, and the threadbare descriptions fail to give a sense of place. A disappointment that was a struggle to finish.

rosiereviewsreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

It’s like The Last of Us. A beautiful world was built even if that world was only a lake. This sat on my bookshelf for far too long