The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Author: Carrie Ryan

Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth # 1

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Young Adult

Publisher: Gollancz

Released: 1 January 2009

Summary: via goodreads.com 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?

My Review: Is it wrong to dislike a book because it scared the pants off of you? Maybe, but that, in addition to the fact that Mary (the main character) drove me completely crazy is why I feel the need to give this a lower rating than I normally do. The entire time I was reading I had to wonder: what is the motivator? And why doesn't Mary make any stinking decisions until it's too late? As others have stated, I felt that this would have been a good companion book to The Dead Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places. I felt that Mary was too childish and self-centered to be truly liked by the audience. I wish I could have seen her make some solid decisions instead of wavering on nearly everything. As far as zombie books go, I enjoyed the premise, but that, however doesn't make up for the fact that the heroine was a massive annoyance. And also that it was one of the saddest books I have read in a long time.