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.

Signs of Spring

Spring is finally around the corner. It's so near. I can hardly wait. I'm ready to get outside and plant flowers and enjoy warm, breezy walks. Spring is near. Yes, spring is finally near!

I feel like Minnesotans crave and appreciate spring in a way that our southern neighbors can't understand. It's our reward for again have survived the dead of winter, the below-zero temperatures, the snow, the ice, the scraping cars. It's a God-given gift that yes, we can again appreciate warm days, smmer clothes and summer food and drinks.

This year it is more true than ever. It's been a long, cold and very snowy winter. (Minnesota had nearly record-breaking snow fall, I think around roughly 60 total inches of snow this winter based on what I've found). Now with that said, I don't want to dwell the long, cold winter we are exiting. Instead I want to focus on the signs that spring is near. The signs that good days are ahead.

Sign 1: Summer beverages.

Sangria is just around the corner. Soon, I'll switch back to ice tea as my drink of choice. Lemonade will soon sound delicious again. To welcome in spring, I've already enjoyed margaritas and summer beer, Bud Light Lime (while I'm not a huge fan of regular Bud Light, I do love it with a touch of lime in it.)

Sign 2: Summer food.

Last night my mom, sister and I watched the Twins home opener, accompanied by a dinner of brats and pasta salad. Months of grilling are ahead. Ahh summer days. Ahh, summer food.

And speaking of the Twins, that leads me to sign 3...

Sign 3: Baseball.

Ahh, the American past time. I've already commented on how happy it makes me.

Sign 4: Open Windows

Today was the first day I could open a window. It was only in the mid-50s, but my cat was begging for a chance to sit in the window, so I gave in. (Of course, he's so spoiled, it doesn't take much for me to give in.) The little bit of, albeit cool, fresh air felt great after many months of cabin fever.

Sign 5: Flower buds.

I can already see my tulips and lily of the valley coming up. Soon there will be flowers! Soon there will be flowers! (The photo below was taken a few weeks ago. While there is still snow, there is significantly less now.)

Sign 6: Warm weather.

It's coming. I finally believe it's coming. Happy spring! Happy summer! Happy warm weather!

Museum Tour 2011: Museum 3: Minneapolis Institute of Arts Titian Exhibit

So, I have to start off by admitting, my goal is to go to one museum each month. And I'm two days late for March. Bad planning on my part. Oh well, I am counting my visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, where I saw the special exhibit, "Titian and the Golden and Age of Venetian Painting" as my March museum stop. I also plan to visit a second museum later this month.

This month, my sister was my museum tour buddy. (Our wanting to go together and both having busy schedules is one of the reasons I missed my March deadline. I'm a little hung up on that, unnecessarily. Anyway...) We both loved the exhibit and would highly recommend it.

On the MIA's website, the exhibit is described as:

Catch this rare opportunity to see the cream of the Venetian paintings collection of the National Galleries of Scotland, here for the first time ever. Two ravishing pendants by Titian, Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto, make this a must-see for painting lovers.

Acclaimed as the most poetic creations of the Italian Renaissance, these luminous sixteenth-century paintings are the two most significant works by Titian outside of Italy and Spain. Originally painted for King Philip II of Spain, they entered the Bridgewater/Sutherland collection at the end of the eighteenth century and have been on loan to the National Gallery since 1945.

The exhibition also includes Titian's famous Venus Rising From the Sea (formerly a Bridgewater picture) and masterpieces by Lorenzo Lotto, Jacopo Tintoretto, Jacopo Bassano, Paris Bordon, Giovanni Cariani, and Paolo Veronese. A companion exhibition, "Venice on Paper," will present a selection of stunning Venetian drawings by Venetian Renaissance masters.

While it is a small exhibit, I was overwhelmed as soon as I walked in the room. I learned a lot about Titian, and his Venetian roots. The exhibit of course featured several other Venetian

artists from the period, as well as some beautiful maps drawn of the city of Venice.

One thing I found really interesting was a map Titian drew of the city of Venice, which is considered to be history's first copyrighted work. (See below.)

I actually found a review of this exhibit from its tour at the High Museum in London online that gives a nice overview of what you'll find. The article describes Titian's work as a mix of humor, eroticism and mythology-- and its true, you'll find that in several of the paintings on display at the exhibit.

My favorite piece was a Madonna and child (below).

I did not pick this as my favorite because of the subject matter (I think we've all seen more than enough interpretations of the Madonna and child from Renaissance artists), but because of the bright, beautiful paint used. I love the way she is posed, too. The Madonna has slight gesture away from the saint who has a tear in his cloak (which shows a location of one of Christ's wounds). There is an unknown female saint in the background leaning near her, and two mysterious men in the background going about their work. This particular painting caught my attention more than any others I saw today. It was just beautiful and rich.

I'd really encourage anyone who appreciates art to see this exhibit. It goes through May 6, 2011 and is well worth the mere $8/ticket (non-member price).

Also, Art in Bloom starts later in April. While I don't plan to count a second visit to the MIA among my tour, I may come back the weekend of April 28-May 1 to see this exhibit. I went last year and it was beautiful and well worth the visit.

For those who aren't familiar, Art in Bloom features fresh floral arrangements placed throughout the museum that are meant to be an interpretation of the piece that they are arranged near. According to the MIA's website, more than 150 floral artists will be featured. It's a great event and a fun and interesting way to look at art and think spring! Again, highly recommended!

As a final note, I also checked into the MIA today on Four Square and earned a badge. I'm not an avid Four Square user so I'm up to a solid two badges. (Woot!) But thanks to the History Channel, I can now proudly say I have a "historian badge. " I guess this museum tour idea is worth something!