The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #1)

Reader reviewed by Julie

This book was different than what I am used to reading. I saw it in the library and thought it sounded pretty neat. And it was! The book was about a girl who lives in a village, not knowing there is anything else out there in the world. Unconsecrated (almost like zombies) stalk the fences outside the village, making it impossible for Mary to find out what really is out in the world.

I think this book is 3 out of 5 stars. I liked the creepiness of the books and the fate of the unconsecrated. I just didn't understand <i>how</i> one was turned into an unconsecrated. I know that it happened, but what made them get that horrible fate in the first place. I don't think it explained it enough. (But, i may be wrong because I read this a while ago!)

Reader reviewed by Beth Revis

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH reads like a masterpiece, not a debut. With a gripping plot and a genre-based subject, you might not expect classy writing, but the beautiful language author Carrie Ryan uses sets this book into a class of itself.

The plot is filled with constant twists and turns, enhanced by the well-drawn-out main character, Mary. The setting, a post-zombie world where the zombies literally rattle the fences around the town, is scary enough, but it's the psychological torture of Mary and the others that are truly terrifying. Being trapped and surrounded by the dead is definitely enough to wig anyone out!

Beyond that, the writing in this novel is excellent. It is by far one of the best written books I read in 2009. The prose is brilliantly written, each word ringing with poetry.

If you need any further convincing, consider this. At a conference, Carrie Ryan mentioned that her method of writing was simple: whenever her characters felt safe or comfortable, she asked, "What is the worst thing that could happen now?" and then made that happen. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout.

Reader reviewed by Yan

 I had high standards for this book. While the summary less than caught my eye when I first heard about it, I expected it to captivating based off of so many positive reviews and awards. Sadly, I may be the few and the only ones who did not come to love this book. So just tally this up with The Hunger Games, and John Green, because I have a feeling I shall face many comments about my review (or will you all avoid this train wreck waiting to happen?)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth had too much going on at the same time. The romance had no true beginning. It was mentioned that she craved for Travis, but no real background as to why. She later pushes through the story without explaining anything between the two. Mary keeps mentioning how much she loves Travis but yet, I saw no actual development between them. Yes. They had a few scenes where they connect but I feel like I still do not understand why they are so love with each other. Harry was, however, a better match I felt at times. Granted, not always but I got a deeper connection between the two (Mary and Harry) rather than Travis.

This brings us to the characters. I thought that while Mary was the main character, she was one of the weakest. I felt that her drive, her motivation was superficial. She only thought of the ocean, of Travis, of her survival. To me, she was selfish. Granted, she may have some tenderness and care in certain scenes but overall I just was not all that fairly compassion towards her. To say the least, the majority of the character I felt no true sense of connection. They either died too quickly before anything really big started, or they just fell. Hard. However, I did feel like Marys brother Jed, was great. I liked his depth, his emotions, and his desire. I love his need to protect Beth but also his reaction to the turn of their mother and how the situation was ironical similar.

The plot in general I had issues with. The plot sounded wonderful but the execution lacked. The author tried to do too many things all at once. She tried romance, thriller, mystery, action, and adventure. This only created an awkward situation together. I felt if she focused on some of these genres then she would have succeeded, but for now, I felt she rambled on at certain areas trying to contain it all. It was only about how way through the novel did the story finally picked upthat the actual Unconsecrated (just a fancy term for zombies&) attacked. Ever now and then, there were golden scenes that was perfect and that was one of the starting points for me. Another was the Sisterhood and Marys short time confinement with them. I actually happened to love that. The secrets, the crazy loons, and the secret rendezvous. I guess what I love most about it was that Mary had more dimension while she was there. It was where it was mostly centered on one action or genre which made the most sense in my mind.

The background information that the story provided was in the first half. I felt that it was great she (Carrie Ryan) included it all in there, to inform the reader of the world before. It gave great insight, great detail, and a better understanding of the village and the causes of the entire Forest of Hands and Teeth. However, I did felt that there some things in there that could have been taken off. Again, it was the ramblings that dragged the story on too long.

The ending. It was&I guess it was an ending if you can call it that. I felt it was more of a hastily ending to keep the reader wanting more for the sequel. It was too abrupt, left too many unanswered questions.

Besides all of that, the writing was beautifully donegreat analogies, detailed descriptions of scenes, and a brutal and honest tone, albeit sometimes dull. Carrie Ryan created a stunning post-apocalyptic world that fulfills every fantasy lovers dream. With its intricate world, detailed plot, and gruesome action, Forest of Hands and Teeth will captivate many.

Overall: Sad and disappointed. Will still keep this in my bookshelf because it is a series, so that means I will hopefully read the next part and maybe a lot of my questions will be answered. Like the Luxe series, Im crossing my fingers that this series will progress in a better direction.

Reader reviewed by danielle

You will need a spare pair of underwear whilst reading this for two reasons: one, it is scary. Really, really scary. Like, you will pee yourself. The descriptions of the zombies--did I mention there are zombies? Did I mention how awesome that is?--are truly haunting, beautifully written, and so imaginative that they almost pop out at you. While I was reading it, everytime one of my family members trudged outside my room, I jumped a little, fearing my home was being overrun with the Uncosencrated from The Forrest of Hands and Teeth. That's how descriptive it was. I couldn't tear my eyes from the page.

Which leaves me with the second reason you will need extra undies: you will simply not want to put it down. Not even to go to the bathroom. Mary's frightened, fragile but strong narrative is simply addicting.

Now, just because it's a scary read, doesn't mean there aren't any heart felt moments. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is, at it's core, a tear-jerker. Mary and her friend's relationships with each other, all different, all layered and extremely complicated, tug at your heart and don't let go. From Mary's love/hate relationship with her brother, to her brother's anguish over his wife's infection and, in turn, the death of his unborn child, every aspect of the lives these characters lead are heartbreaking in their sincerity, and it gives you a horrible feeling of despair whenever they fight, whenever one of them dies, because you grow to love each and every one.

Ms. Ryan's prose is haunting, in that the characters are just as in the dark as the reader. They know little about the creatures around them, except that one scratch my their decaying fingernails will, no doubt about it, turn you into a Unconsecrated. There's no information dump, no long paragraphs about the Forest or how it came to be. Just Mary's need to survive. She doesn't know why, she just knows she has to.

I'd definetly suggest this to any fans of The Hunger Games, The Knife of Never Letting Go, and any fans of zombies. You won't be disapointed!

Reader reviewed by mearley

I
resisted this book for a long time because I just wasn't convinced that
I would enjoy a book about zombies. But after reading so many positive
reviews, I gave in, and I'm glad I did!



Mary lives in a village surrounded by a forest where the
Unconsecrated live. The villagers have always been told that there is
nothing beyond the forest and their only hope for survival is to stay
in the village and not question the Sisters or the Guardians. Mary,
however, remembers stories her mother used to tell about the ocean, and
she longs for something more than village life. After the Unconsecrated
attack the village, Mary and a small group of her friends (including
Travis, a boy she loves, and Harry, Travis's brother who loves her)
leave the village in search of any life beyond The Forest of Hands and
Teeth.



Ryan's first person, present tense narration gives the entire book
an urgency which makes it nearly impossible to put down. Yet the
writing is complex enough that the reader will not want to skim or rush
through. This will appeal to fans of the vampire/werewolf/zombie genre
as well as fans of dystopian fiction.

Reader reviewed by *Samantha*

Mary lives in a world that is set in stone; there are things you just know and things that you just shouldnt wonder about. Some things are simple, true, and have been for as long as anyone knows:
1. The Guardians will always protect
2. The Sisterhood is always right.
3. The Unconsecrated are always there, and always trying to break through.

Mary has spent her entire life surrounded by these infected shells of people, some of which were her friends, family, neighbors, etc. They attack the fences, crave human flesh, and moan the most chilling sound youve ever heard. Think of every zombie movie youve ever saw, and combine all those creepy figures into one and thats the image that goes through my mind when I think of the Unconsecrated. Now imagine living in a lone village, smack in the middle of a forest that is full of these people with only chain link fences and the armed Guardians to protect you. This is Marys life.

The Sisterhood controls the knowledge; they control what everyone else knows about the world outside the fence, and what everyone doesnt know. Mary dreams of life outside the fence, of life at the other end of the gate that leads to the path, the only path that leads to and from the village, the path that no one has ever been allowed to go down. Slowly everything Mary has ever known starts falling apart one by one; the Sisterhood has secrets and Mary learns things that she was never supposed to know.

One day the fences are breached, the Unconsecrated descend upon the village, upon the only lives these people have ever known. The village is in chaos, theres only one safe place to go, and its forbidden. Now Mary has some choices to make: Will she stay in her village and fight for it or will she save herself and the people she can and take the path? Will she choose the one she loves or the one that loves her? Will she find out if there is life outside a village and a forest that is surrounded by so much death and constant danger?

This is such an amazing book! I am having trouble putting how much I actually love this book into words outside of a fangirl scream OMG! I am also tickled purple (not pink, pink is too girly and not exciting enough!) to find out from Carrieryan.com that there is not only a sequel called The Tossed-Dead Waves that will come out Spring of 2010, but there will be a THIRD (!!!!!!) book that will come out Spring of 2011. And the possibility of a movie, because Seven Star Pictures (which is a new company, but they are doing K-11, with Kristen Stewart and Nikki Reed), and it is listed on their website as an Upcoming Film. This is such an amazing read, as I have already said, but it chilling, gripping, it has just enough romance to satisfy someone, without overwhelming the horror, and the hope that the story employs. Its such a dark and terrifying tale, but at the same time its extremely beautiful and hopeful; and that mix is just what the doctor ordered.

Reader reviewed by Sarima89

What´s out there? Are there other villages? Other people? Is there an ocean?....Because it is I want to know... I want to know it all...
Yes, that´s Mary, an intrepid girl who is just looking for... more. More than a village run by The Sisterhood rules, more than a man she does not love...
The book makes you connect with her, with her dreams and fears, with her love for Travis, the forbbiden love... the forbidden thoughts.
What else can I say? It´s such an amazing book, I have never read something like it and I´m glad I did, because it was really book... and the final part.... well you just have to read it.

Reader reviewed by Sara

From inside cover: "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?"

When this book first came out I picked it up every time I went to the bookstore, but I always put it back down. Then I was at the library and saw that they had a copy, so I decided to give it a try. After all, if I didn't like it - I could just return it and it wouldn't be a big deal (there is nothing worse than buying a book only to find out a couple chapters in that it is HORRIBLE). Let's just say that now I have to make a trip to the bookstore... because I NEED a copy of this book on my bookshelf. Right next to its continuation when it comes out in March 2010 (sooo far away!!).

Before reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth, the only zombie centered books that I'd read were Laurell K. Hamilton's books (aimed for "adult" readers) and You Are So Undead to Me by Stacy Jay. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is nothing like those two books - at all. It's much more serious, realistic (if zombies were real) view of zombies and a world where zombies outnumber the living. Actually, it was kind of like I Am Legend (which was first a book, I think). With a bit of The Village mixed in as well.

I loved Mary as a narrator and heroine. I loved the fact that she was so filled with life in a world that was filled with death and, in many ways, hopelessness. Mary never gave up fighting for what she wanted or believed in - even when she didn't really have any proof that what she was fighting for even existed. I found myself rooting for her to succeed in fulfilling her dreams!

I really appreciated the love story - which was (as the ever wise Seth Cohen of the OC would say) a love rhombus - including Mary, her best friend, her fiance, and his brother. It really doesn't get more soap opera than that, but it was amazing nonetheless and totally suited the atmosphere of the story.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a portrayal of what would happen if zombies really did overrun the world, told from the point of view of a heroine that the reader could relate to.

This book is about much more than zombies and a complicated love story - it's about freedom of choice and fighting for your dreams and beliefs despite overwhelming obstacles!

Ratings (out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing Style: 10
Romance: 10
Memorable: 10
Total: 50/50 (A)

I definitely recommend this book to fellow YA readers, especially zombie fans, but to any reader really. The main characters are mature and engaging, so any fiction reader could enjoy their dialogue.

Also, don't be afraid to buy this book at the bookstore. It's worth it.

Reader reviewed by Kristen

I finished this book two nights ago and was really too stunned to write
a review for it. This book read like a zombie movie. You were scared,
you were desperate, and you were hopeful - along with Mary.

I'm
still trying to understand Mary as a character, because she has two
brother vying for her attention, but all she cares about is seeing the
ocean again. The girl is never satisfied and always curious. I pondered
this book for a day or so now and have tried to put myself in her
shoes. How would you act if surrounded by Unconsecrated day and night,
having to listen to their moans. I can't blame the girl for wanting to
dream about a place where they can't touch her life.

Reader reviewed by Debbie

I really liked the concept of this book.  It was different from the
zombie books that I have heard about lately.  Its more of a
post-apocalyptic story of how people move on and live their lives after
the initial wave of zombies.   It doesnt surprise me that in Marys
town a religious group has pretty much taken power and steered how life
would carry on.  The main reason I did not rate this book higher is
that I really could not stand Mary as the main character and found
following her story irritating.   Im not saying you should not read it
because the story is written well but there were some things that
bothered me.  Stop here if you do not want any spoilers.

Although at some points it seems like its breaking through to her I
dont know if Mary ever truly comprehends just how selfish she is.  I
cant imagine living a life like she has but she basically ruins the
life of Harry, Travis and her brother, Jed, due to her caring only for
her own desires.  Initially Jed comes across as a big jerk but in the
end he probably dies trying to help Mary fulfill her dream.  Travis
gives up his life trying to protect her, hoping he will be enough to
keep her happy and Harry was so in love with her he did not realize
what he had in Cass, who loves him.  It almost seems unfair that in the
end Mary does achieve her dream and apparently can go on to live a
happy life while her brother is most likely dead and her best friend,
Cass, Harry and the young boy they save are stranded in the forest with
the zombies.

Reprinted here with author's permission.