Review: The Forest Of Hands And Teeth

Book Details

Title: The Forest Of Hands And Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan
Genre: YA Fiction
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Published: March 10, 2009
Price: $22.99
ISBN: 0385906315, 9780385906319

From the Publisher:

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 about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, 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 in so much death?

Carrie Ryan lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can visit Carrie at http://www.carrieryan.com/

My Review:

Before sitting down with a cuppa tea to write a review on, The Forest Of Hands And Teeth, by Carrie Ryan, I had an impulse to check the windows and doors to be sure they were locked up tight against a possible invasion of “Unconsecrated.” I devoured this book in one sitting while spending time at my cottage on a little island in Lake Simcoe, in Ontario Canada, where just outside my door is my own little forest of hands and teeth…minus the hands and teeth (hopefully). From the very first sentence and for every one thereafter, I was completely engrossed in the atmosphere, plot, and characters of the novel. Set generations in the future in a post apocalyptic world overrun with the zombies known as, “The Unconsecrated,” the main character, a young woman named Mary, faces a reality filled with heartache, terror, secrets, and the unknown. Carrie Ryan’s descriptions of a small village surrounded by guarded fences with hundreds of Unconsecrated pushing against them from all sides was made so real and vivid by her descriptive language that I was on the edge of my seat from chapter to chapter. As a character Mary is believable, likeable, and relatable for young adult and adult readers alike. It is truly a coming of age story filled with the disillusionment of the world created for her by, The Sisterhood and The Guardians, the heartache of a tragic love triangle, and the impossibility of making life altering choices in the midst of terror and confusion when the fence protecting her village is breached and Mary must flee the village and face The Forest Of Hands And Teeth. This is one of the most genuine and heartfelt stories I have ever read in the YA genre and I felt as though I was running for my life alongside Mary and feeling the confusion, terror, uncertainty, conflict, love, heartache, tragedy, and simple joys of life right along with her. I would recommend this novel to all young adult and adult readers who love the fiction genre and are looking for something new. I eagerly anticipate the release of the second novel in the trilogy, The Dead Tossed Waves, coming out in March 2010.

My Rating

Ohhhh Chapters...your calling to me strongly

Chapters is calling very strongly.  I finished reading Beautiful Creatures a few weeks ago (it was like a book sunday with a fat, red, jucy cherry on top and extra sprinkles) and since then I have not had much to read.  I have a few books on the go but nothing that has me in "book fever."  In anticipation for my next trip to Chapters or Manticore (my local book store) I have compiled a list of books I want to read. 

First up is The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.  I keep walking by this book at the store but keep not buying it as other authors I read have released books more reciently. After snooping around on Carrie Ryans web site I became more and more interested in the plot line of this book because more then anything (ok almost more then anything) I love books who's main characters are young women on the cusp of adulthood.  I am so intrigued by how the events in our lives shape us and sometimes you find an author who captures that on paper.  I think its great to have fictional role models who demonstrate how to be honest with yourself, how to have courage and resilience when challenged by unfortunate life circumstances, and to be true and have respect for yourself.  I am hoping (and I have a feeling it will) this book lives up to that expectation.  Click here to read a indepth excerpt from the novel, it got my attention, I hope it gets yours to.

Coming out in March 2010 is the companion book to The Forest of Hands and Teeth.  Below is a quick excerpt from the book however if you would like to know more about Carrie Ryan and her novels click here.

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.

I have lots more on my reading list which i'll be happy to add tomorrow.  For now I need to do less typing and more reading so i'll say,

Good Night and Happy Reading!