Timberdark Review – Timberdark By Darren Charlton

Maybe you’ve read Wanglestone by Darren Charlton and want to know if Timberdark is worth reading? Did you love the first book and you’re worried that the second one won’t be as good? Well, I’m going to put this Timberdark book review together and hopefully, you can make an informed choice on if you’re getting the Timberdark book or not.

This post will contain spoilers so if you want to stay away from them, take a look at the title and it’ll say if there’s spoilers or not. There’s nothing worse than someone ruining a book before you’ve even purchased it!

What Is Timberdark?

If you’re wanting to know the true meaning behind the word Timberdark, you’ll have to read the book. Take a look at the synopsis below for a better idea. They’re spoiler free.

Timberdark is a young adult horror novel set in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead have risen and are now hunting the living. The story follows Peter, a young man who is trying to find his way back to his home town of Wranglestone. Along the way, he meets a group of survivors who are also trying to make their way to safety.

The novel is full of action and suspense, as the characters must constantly fight for their lives against the Dead. The Dead are described as being incredibly strong and fast, and they are not afraid to attack humans. The novel also deals with some dark themes, such as death, loss, and violence. The dead used to be the problem but are they still?

The characters in Timberdark are well-developed and relatable. Peter is a sympathetic protagonist who is trying to find his way in a world that has been turned upside down. If you’ve read Wranglestone you’ll know about most of the characters although there are some new ones and some old ones that might make your blood boil!

The writing in Timberdark is strong and engaging. The author does a good job of creating a sense of suspense and dread. The descriptions of the Dead are particularly effective, and they will definitely make you shiver.

Is Timberdark A Sequel To Wranglestone?

Yes, Timberdark is a sequel to Wranglestone.

Wranglestone is a young adult zombie novel by Darren Charlton. It was published in 2021. The story follows Peter, a young man who is trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead have risen and are now hunting the living. Peter eventually finds his way to Wranglestone, a small town that has been walled off to protect its citizens from the Dead.

Timberdark is set several years after the events of Wranglestone. Peter is now a grown man, and he is trying to find his way back to Wranglestone after being separated from his family. Along the way, he meets a group of survivors who are also trying to make their way to safety.

The two novels share some of the same characters, including Peter, Cooper, and the Dead. However, Timberdark is a standalone novel, and it does not require readers to have read Wranglestone in order to understand the story. However, if you have read Wranglestone parts of the book will make much more sense and it will flow easier.

Wranglestone was published in 2021 and follows the journey of the protagonist Peter. Timberdark was published in 2022, which now follows Peter as life progresses and big changes are made!

Timberdark Characters

There are various characters in Timberdark that feature in Wranglestone but also a few new faces. I felt that character development was a bit stunted in this book and I ended up hating some characters whereas I thought they would do so much more after their impression from Wranglestone.

Take a look at some of the main charcters in the book below but be warned, there are spoilers!

• Peter: The protagonist of the novel. He is a young man who is trying to find his way back to his home town of Wranglestone after being separated from his family. Peter is a strong and resourceful survivor, but he is also haunted by the loss of his loved ones. Peter is once again kept out of the loop and has to figure things out himself, although he doesn’t always get it right.
• Cooper: Peter’s best friend. He is a kind and compassionate person, but he is also fiercely loyal to Peter. Cooper is a skilled fighter, and he is always willing to put his life on the line to protect Peter. However, in Timberdark I found Cooper to be a bit of a jerk. Darren writes it in a way that he’s trying to save Peter but honestly, I thought he was a bit of a douche and should have communicated better, I didn’t like him in this as much as I did in Wranglestone.
• Becky: I really liked her in Wranglestone and had high hopes for her in Timberdark especially after she was so brave and loyal to Peter. In Timberdark, I hated her with a passion. She was rude, unfair, a total bitch towards Peter and that Dolly Parton shirt did NOT BELONG TO HER! That bit really killed me and I wanted to pull her out of the book and throw her away.
• Teddy: Teddy was the over excited new character introduced to get close to Peter. He played an important part in the book and his ending wasn’t one I liked. He could have been so much more, Darren missed a trick here in my opinion but his death was at the same time important for the story.
• The Sheriff: horrible, tratior, get in the bin!

What Did I Think? Timberdark Review

Spoilers!

I’m about to get a whole load of honest and some people might not like this. It will contain spoilers so if you’re yet to read the book, look away.

I loved Wranglestone and easily gave that a 4.5 star rating. However, Timberdark only just clawed its way to a 3 star rating. I found the book to drag a little too much, there were parts where you could have easily lost 200 words and it would have been fine, which was a shame because Wranglestone flowed with ease.

I hated the character development. I thought Darren went the wrong way with Becky, she turned out to be an absolute bitch and every time she betrayed Peter more and more I wanted to throw her in the bin. The scene where she’s wearing Peter’s shirt and Cooper doesn’t give a crap really kicked me in the gut, yes I felt for Peter!

I LOVED Teddy and wanted so much more from him, he could have been so much more but when we found out he was working for the Sheriff who then goes on to kill him, sad times and I did tear up just a little, not full-on crying though. I’m glad the Sheriff got the ending he deserved. A LAMP! Again, I loved Teddy and his quirks, I think he was the most relatable character in the entire book if I’m honest and I couldn’t get enough of him!

Umm, what’s the point of Peter’s dad? He saves Peter so much, he’s always there when he needs him, he sacrifices himself to save the group and at the end, they just leave him and don’t mount a rescue mission, no thank you! There best be a third book where they save him because I was not impressed! I was rooting for Daddy and wanted so much more for him.

Overall, the book was a 3 star, it was good, but it just wasn’t great, unlike Wranglestone. I guess a lot of sequels have to live up to their predecessors and this one just didn’t hit the mark. The fact that Peter had to apologise to his traitorous supposed best friend and boyfriend made my blood boil, they should have been grovelling and begging for forgiveness from Peter!

Would I recommend reading Timberdark? Yes. If you’ve read Wranglestone you should totally read the Wranglestone sequel. That being said, if you’ve not read Wranglestone, I wouldn’t bother because as a stand-alone book, it will just annoy you and possibly put you off the author.

Just remember, these opinions are my own and I don’t speak for anyone else. If you agree, let me know. If you think I’m full of it, let me know why but don’t be mean!

Where To Buy The Special Edition Of Timberdark?

You can buy the sprayed edition of Timberdark in Waterstones, on Amazon and in other independent book stores.

I love the special edition of the Timberdark book. Books with sprayed elements are so pretty and I almost didn’t want to read it! I do have quite a few hard back books that I keep on my shelf for display purposes and I can’t be the only one who does that right?

Books Like Timberdark

Did you love Timberdark and want to read more similar books? Take a look at these books similar to Timberdark and get yourself a new book.