Book Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth series

Book: The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead Tossed Waves, The Dark and Hollow Places

Author: Carrie Ryan

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Brief Synopsis:

I just read the third book in Carrie Ryan's post-apocalyptic zombie series came out this March. I've read all three, and as I started this blog after reading the first two, this is going to be a brief three-in-one review.

I'll start with saying that I love this series. I think my friend and colleague, Kelsey, for introducing it to me. They're young adult books so they are quick reads. It took me a week to read the most recent, "The Dark and Hollow Places," but mostly because I was quite busy all week and trying to savor it a little.

Here's an overview of the three books.

"The Forest of Hands and Teeth"

In Mary's world, there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect and serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

"The Dead-Tossed Waves"

Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is all she's ever known, and all she needs for happiness.

But life after the Return is never safe, and there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back.

Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling.

One night beyond the Barrier...

One boy Gabry's known forever and one veiled in mystery...

One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned.

Gabry knows only one thing: if she is to have any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past.

"The Dark and Hollow Places"

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.

Except, Catcher has his own secrets—dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah—can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

These books build on each other and should be read in order.

Throughout all three, of course, the teenage female lead character is heroic and each has a unique flaw (Mary is a bit of a martyr, Gabry is resentful of her mother's oddities and Annah wishes she was as beautiful and perfect as her sister.) Without understanding the women that came before them, each book will not make as much sense.

They also build on the dangers that the various women face. In each, they face the walking dead (though they have different names for them depending on where they are from). But the Unconsecrated, Mudo or plague rats (depending on the voice of the main character)-- in short, the zombies-- are not the only threat. There are dangers within each of their cities. There are those meant to protect who hide deep secrets.

In the end, all the women find themselves needing to escape where they are from. Where they are always holds dangers they need to flee from. They must face some form of an adventure, they must also face love and all its dangers and mostly, they must survive.

So, who might like these books?

Those who appreciate a fantasy books, seek a little romance in their novels (even if that romance comes in the sometimes naive first love, but hey, they are young adult books). And really, if you like zombies, you can't go too wrong. (That is if you're a girl that likes zombies. But I won't say that statement is universally true. My friend Jenni likes zombie books and didn't care for these. I think she's crazy.

If you give them a try, let me know. They're fun. I like them. I also really like the author. I follow her on Twitter, @carrieryan, and really enjoy her tweets. I feel like I want to be her friend. It's silly, I know, but I hope she writes a whole bunch more of these books and they become really popular. Or maybe not, so they are like a secret present for me and only those also cool enough to know how great she is.