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

This was my favorite of Carrie Ryan's book. It had a pretty good plot kinda unusual for the post zombie takeover world. Low on the sappy romance stuff that always seems to ruingood horror books. worth a read fo who!

Previously published on my blog: http://fictionfervor.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/review-the-forest-of-hands-and-teeth-by-carrie-ryan/

Dark and haunting, The Forest of Hands and Teeth was an emotional rollercoaster. At times, fear consumed me, and at other moments, I was overwhelmed with sorrow. But I was certain about one thing: The Forest of Hands and Teeth is an unforgettable novel, one that may catch up to you in your dreams … or your nightmares.

When I first cracked open this novel, I was struck by how similar the world of the Forest of Hands and Teeth was to the world of Ann Aguirre’s Enclave. However, before you begin pointing fingers at Carrie Ryan, note that her novel was published in 2009, whereas Enclave was published in 2011. In addition, I did find differences in the two novels; for example, the zombies in the Forest were dubbed “the Unconsecrated” and were created by “Infecting” a human with a single bite, whereas those in Enclave were called Freaks and had no known origin. The societies in both books were also incredibly different; the Forest included the Sisterhood and the Guardians, unlike Enclave’s society of Breeders, Builders, and Hunters.

The world of the Forest can be described with one word—frightening. Imagine a village enclosed within a fence, and beyond that there is only the Forest. A Forest of zombies craving to feed on human flesh. The life that the villagers lead in the society is purely to survive. Love is second to commitment in marriages, and the Guardians serve to protect while the Sisters keep secrets from the villagers. Add in those insane zombies trying to claw their way into the village (oh, yeah, and if they manage to bite you, you’ll die and turn into a zombie), and you’ve got yourself a dark postapocalyptic novel. In other words, I loved this account of the zombie apocalypse. It’s nice to get a haunting novel every so often.

While I may have loved the world Carrie Ryan created, I was not so much a fan of the characters. Though realistic (and I love realistic characters), the main character, Mary, was incredibly selfish. I loved that she was curious, always wondering about a world beyond her secluded village, but so much that that idea consumed her? She paid no attention to her best friend, her older brother, the two boys who loved her, and her own mother. And by the time she realized how much they meant to her, she had lost them all.

I was disgusted with Mary, true, but I absolutely loved the boy she fell in love with. He understood her ever so well, and he always wished for her happiness. But I think I really fell in love with him when (spoiler!) Mary had to kill him. Because who doesn’t long for happy endings?

The Forest of Hands and Teeth enraptured me from its first word; Carrie Ryan’s dark style of writing created a bleak world caught in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. I guarantee that you will not be able to set down this haunting novel.

Source: copy received from giveaway

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 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 Lizzy

I'll admit that I was a little nervous when I picked up Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth. This was mostly due to the fact that this book because is a Zombie Apocalypse book, although it's written for the Young Adult audience. I'd been reading rave reviews on all of the book blogs I read, and so when it was released I went down to the bookstore and bought a copy.
The story revolves around a small village that is enclosed in a fence to protect them from the unconsecrated (zombies), and the main character, Mary, longs to escape her life this village. The town is ruled by a religious sect, called the Sisterhood, who aren't exactly what they seem. When the fence is breached and the village is attacked Mary escapes, and begins to search for life outside of the place she grew up.
I don't want to say any more about the plot, because it will really give the story away. Let me just tell you that this book might not be for the faint of heart. It is, after all, about a zombie apocalypse. Despite this, the book does show little snippets of home, including Mary's dream to see the ocean.
This is definitely a book worth reading, especially if you love the zombie genre!