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charthegoose's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is great if ur looking for something kinda spooky for spooky season. I found Peter and Cooper to be lovable and easy to root for. I also loved getting to know the area of Wranglestone and the world these characters live in. The plot twists kept me hooked throughout the story. However I felt the sexual assault themes were kinda unneeded and it wouldn’t have affected the story if the kidnapped characters were kidnapped for a different reason, especially as these themes weren’t deeply explored. despite this overall I though this was a great book and I would definetly read the next one
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
fallen_angel1002's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What do you do when you realise that your beliefs about the dead are all wrong? And the cute boy you've been crushing on ends up being bitten by a zombie? A cute LGBT+ YA apocalypse setting with themes of betrayal and loss, showing the life of teenager Peter in his life living in the middle of the Wranglestone National Park Lake. It opens with classic themes of the apocalypse, but with his crush getting bitten and kidnapped, Peter must leave the safety of his home town but ends up uncovering more than just who took Cooper.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
abi_sarah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this book!
I’m really starting to enjoy this type of fantasy. I never thought I’d be a zombie apocalypse kinda girl, but I loved ‘The Last of Us’ TV series, really enjoyed the ‘Fallout’ TV series and now this book!
I thought the premise of the lake acting as the barrier between the living and the dead, made for a really interesting novel. (Although it did remind me a lot of a certain ‘Game of Thrones’ episode 👀) I liked how human the living were in the way they were in complete denial about what was looming, until it actually happened.
I enjoyed the romance element of the story (I know?!? Who even am I?!) and thought it fitted in really well to the story and added an emotional dimension to the whole thing.
The writing of this novel was excellent, I was gripped from beginning to end. The only reason it took me this long to finish it was because I was listening with my partner, and getting him to sit down and listen to an audiobook is a difficult task 😅
I’m really starting to enjoy this type of fantasy. I never thought I’d be a zombie apocalypse kinda girl, but I loved ‘The Last of Us’ TV series, really enjoyed the ‘Fallout’ TV series and now this book!
I thought the premise of the lake acting as the barrier between the living and the dead, made for a really interesting novel. (Although it did remind me a lot of a certain ‘Game of Thrones’ episode 👀) I liked how human the living were in the way they were in complete denial about what was looming, until it actually happened.
I enjoyed the romance element of the story (I know?!? Who even am I?!) and thought it fitted in really well to the story and added an emotional dimension to the whole thing.
The writing of this novel was excellent, I was gripped from beginning to end. The only reason it took me this long to finish it was because I was listening with my partner, and getting him to sit down and listen to an audiobook is a difficult task 😅
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
hawkguyscoffee's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A heartwarming story despite it's cold, cold setting.
I found the story to be really, really lovely and though the main character repelled me at first I soon found his development over the story commendable as although he hardened himself and grew aware of the coldness of the world outside, he didn't lose the kindness that made him himself. As far as the rest of the characters go, I enjoyed them thoroughly and they all felt very different from one another, contrary to the mass of grey death the zees were. As far as writing itself and storytelling goes, I do have my grips with how things were executed and how there were several moments where important details were omitted and it made the series of events slightly confusing. Not everything needs to be explained step by step, but sometimes characters got from situation A to B in ways that didn't make much sense or that were too sudden. Other than that, I could see some of the plot points from a mile away but I was gladly surprised to find that once we got there as expected, the story surprised me by developing in ways I hadn't seen coming. My final note would be that although all of the characters were great, sometimes their actions felt slightly shallow or lacked depth. Other than that, I have nothing else to add other than that I found this to be a lovely, lighthearted (despite everything) and fun read. Gay zombie cowboys in the middle of winter, as convoluted as it might sound at first glance, is actually really, really fun.
I found the story to be really, really lovely and though the main character repelled me at first I soon found his development over the story commendable as although he hardened himself and grew aware of the coldness of the world outside, he didn't lose the kindness that made him himself. As far as the rest of the characters go, I enjoyed them thoroughly and they all felt very different from one another, contrary to the mass of grey death the zees were. As far as writing itself and storytelling goes, I do have my grips with how things were executed and how there were several moments where important details were omitted and it made the series of events slightly confusing. Not everything needs to be explained step by step, but sometimes characters got from situation A to B in ways that didn't make much sense or that were too sudden. Other than that, I could see some of the plot points from a mile away but I was gladly surprised to find that once we got there as expected, the story surprised me by developing in ways I hadn't seen coming. My final note would be that although all of the characters were great, sometimes their actions felt slightly shallow or lacked depth. Other than that, I have nothing else to add other than that I found this to be a lovely, lighthearted (despite everything) and fun read. Gay zombie cowboys in the middle of winter, as convoluted as it might sound at first glance, is actually really, really fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, and Trafficking
Moderate: Sexual assault and Death of parent
kittykaz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
a solid Story! maybe a little underdeveloped in the plot and character department but the setting was intriguing and the atmospheric writing only added to it
(I'm also a huge fan of snowball the pony, love horse cameos in post-apocalyptic settings)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Pandemic/Epidemic
dustialycee's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
pkc's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death and Gore
markwillnevercry's review
2.0
Not gonna lie, it felt a bit all over the place. In the beginning I was like, "Ah, it is going to be about Peter learning to kill the restless one and thinking about that process, as a deeply emotional person he is", but nah, that was not the problem. I have a feeling, that there were many ideas, that the writer wanted to involve in the story, but either couldn't think through them well enough or simply didn't have enough space in the book. The general strokes of the story are really nice, but there were some places that made it questionable. The short chapters are nice, but I did not understand most of the times why one chapter would end and the other begin, sometimes in the middle of the scene even. It just felt a bit strange. Overall, it was an enjoyable reading experience, I just wish it was better.
Reading notes:
Why did he throw away the alarm? Shouldn't he keep carrying it to attract the dead?
And the community is just okay with Bud basically killing someone, by making them a bait and not fully informing them?
Now Peter is going to take over Mr Schmidt's job? Where is this story going?
Bro, the sex scene, bring out the fans, bois, it be steamin hot.
I have a feeling, that the writer of this book is not too fond of capitalism, seeing how Cooper reacts to the idea of wanting to be born before shit hit the fan. (this is never mentioned again, they never again think about being born at some other time)
Did we really need the scene where they kill Essie? Like, there was a bunch of blood already spilled and it does not really make sense to kill her in such a flashy way.
So we just leave the rest of people and have just Peter, Cooper, Tom and Becky????
Reading notes:
Why did he throw away the alarm? Shouldn't he keep carrying it to attract the dead?
And the community is just okay with Bud basically killing someone, by making them a bait and not fully informing them?
Now Peter is going to take over Mr Schmidt's job? Where is this story going?
Bro, the sex scene, bring out the fans, bois, it be steamin hot.
I have a feeling, that the writer of this book is not too fond of capitalism, seeing how Cooper reacts to the idea of wanting to be born before shit hit the fan. (this is never mentioned again, they never again think about being born at some other time)
Did we really need the scene where they kill Essie? Like, there was a bunch of blood already spilled and it does not really make sense to kill her in such a flashy way.
So we just leave the rest of people and have just Peter, Cooper, Tom and Becky????
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Slavery
axel_p's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The beginning kinda sucked, but after that it was amazing.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was purely a cover buy, which I'm still loving. I wasn't expecting this to be a great book... and it wasn't. The writing is... bad. Really bad. I would describe it as inconsistent and clumsy, same applies for the characters. The plot is all over the place. But I kind of liked it? There were some mysteries and twists I was interested it. And although I liked the characters, I didn't love them. Still, I was rooting for them. Also, the setting and atmosphere are really cool. I liked the national park sceneries, the community on small islands on a lake surrounded by mountains.
Probably wouldn't recommend it, but I don't regret buying it. It's really pretty.
Probably wouldn't recommend it, but I don't regret buying it. It's really pretty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic