The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1) by Carrie Ryan

Nov 11, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews, apocalypse-rah, oppressive-dystopian-regime, to-ya-or-not-to-ya

See this family?

family

Or this family?

other family

Take a good long hard look at all of their faces.

See how happy, how healthy, how loving they are. Imagine you've known them your entire life and that you love each one more than life itself.

Now imagine if you were one of the people in that photograph with them.

Now imagine that I told you and all those other people standing and smiling with you that I was going to kill you all so that I could go for a trip to the beach...

Okay, now you know the basic plot of The Fo...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Cory rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

How to Write a Best Selling YA Novel

1. Make sure you write the book in a POV that distances us from the narrator. If you have no idea how to write 1st Person Present, do it any way. It makes the book confusing and fun for your reader to plow through. Also, make sure your narrator's POV is very boring. Boring enough to put Plato, Jane Austen, and Shakespeare to sleep.

2. Make your narrator a selfish, boring girl with little to no life outside of her love interest and one singular hobby. Whether i...more

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Oct 21, 2011 Ceridwen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: america-and-environs, capital-r-romantic, omg-were-all-going-to-die, sexy-nihilists, zombies, young-adult

Well written but squandered book. Mary is down at the river being an annoying teenage girl with romance issues when the sirens go off. The walls of her small enclave of humanity have not been breached; instead her mother has seen her father beyond the fence, and gone to him, and been bitten. Her mother has a day or two before she dies and becomes undead – or Unconsecrated in the religious nomenclature of the town. The opening is a slam-dunk of rapid exposition, setting up the world and then drop...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Phoebe added it · review of another edition

Shelves: funtasy, kiddie-lit, horror

It's difficult for me to review Carrie Ryan's first novel, The Forest of Hands and Teeth objectively--because I can't help but feel like there were two very different books packed into the volume's three-hundred-some-odd pages.

The first was the delicate story that was clearly and wisely aimed at young adults: that of Mary, who lives in a village isolated from the rest of the world thanks to a zombie plague that rages outside its gates. In this tale, when Mary's parents become infected, and the m...more

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Mar 25, 2010 Tatiana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, ya, why-the-hype, ala-ya-2010, series-dropped-lost-steam, dystopias-post-apocalyptic

I was very much looking forward to reading this book. Great premise, rave reviews. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

First of all, I truly disliked the writing style. Present tense writing can do wonders in skillful hands (see Wake, Fade by Lisa McMann), but in this case this style was mishandled, it didn't add any kind of intensity to the story. Quite the opposite, I was extremely irritated by it.

I don't think this book was in any way original. It read mostly like kind of Village/Dawn of the...more

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Aug 07, 2009 Meghan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Synopsis:
Sometime in the future, the world is overrun by zombies--people infected by an unknown virus that causes them to return as the undead and feed on human flesh--called the "Unconsecrated". Mary lives in a village surrounded by the Forest of Hands and Teeth, where the Unconsecrated are kept out by a chain-link fence, and to the villagers' knowledge, they may be the last bastion of uninfected humanity. Mary's little world is ruled by fear and the people have turned to a Medieval-like relig...more Synopsis:
Sometime in the future, the world is overrun by zombies--people infected by an unknown virus that causes them to return as the undead and feed on human flesh--called the "Unconsecrated". Mary lives in a village surrounded by the Forest of Hands and Teeth, where the Unconsecrated are kept out by a chain-link fence, and to the villagers' knowledge, they may be the last bastion of uninfected humanity. Mary's little world is ruled by fear and the people have turned to a Medieval-like religious fervor to give them hope. Mary grew up with stories of Outside the Forest and fences and her latent desire to uncover the truth eclipses everything when Mary finds out a dangerous secret. However, a blooming romance further complicates matters, and Mary will have to make a choice...

My review:
The story sounds promising, right? It does have potential and the idea is rather unique (especially with the deluge of vampire-related YA novels that has been happening) but, ultimately, it didn't do it for me. The writing was fine and moved at a nice clip, but lacking in detail. So much so, that there were times when I wasn't even sure where the action was oriented! I never got a real feel for the setting. I also found myself not caring for the characters, and there didn't seem to be much character development (one of the pitfalls of first-person narrative?). Travis, the love interest, had no discernible personality and so I had no idea why our narrator was so in love with him. And for all her suffering, I had a hard time drumming up sympathy for Mary.

The biggest problem was that the author had too many ideas going on at once, and would completely drop story lines altogether. No questions were really answered by the end. And while I assume the author is planning one (or more) sequels, I have no compulsion to follow Mary's story. Because so many (seemingly important) threads were cut in this book, I don't know how they can be picked up again (if they would be at all).

Oh, and a chain-link fence? Come on!

(less)

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Aug 17, 2011 Kira rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: The Unconsecrated

Recommended to Kira by: The Unconsecrated

Shelves: ya, dystopian, zombies, awesome-heroine, favorites, awesome-ya, books-that-changed-my-life, argh-you-made-me-cry, i-hate-that-i-love-you, lost-the-will-to-live, sentimental-value, so-action-packed-i-peed, will-read-the-next-one

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

This book is amazing. Did you hear that? It is an amazing BUK.

Oh, God. Sorry for the nuttymadam reference. Dear Lord.

Anyway. I'm not quite done, but fuck! is this book good. I can't believe I actually thought of giving up on it once. It's SO GOOD.

How many times has Kira ever told you that a book was amazing? Italics amazing? Not that many times.

I just can't get over it. Here are a few things that I fucking love about it:

a) Mary is such a zombie-killing mennonite badass. I c...more

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Mar 06, 2009 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

I’ve been trying to write my reviews soon after I read a novel why the emotion of the story is still fresh within me, but with The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I needed a few days to digest.

I particularly enjoyed this novel. The writing was beautiful, it was one of the best written novels I’ve read in a while. The plot itself, while it did remind me of a mix of the movies The Village and I Am Legend, I still found it to be original in context. It was captivating and suspenseful, I had a very hard...more

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Mar 03, 2009 Yan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. “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.

Wh...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Morgan F rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of The Giver and I Am Legend.

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, 2000s, dystopian-apocalyptic, goodreads-author, series, zombies, scary, favorite-covers, own, its-a-girl, read-2010, medium-sized, awesome-titles, re-read, read-2011

I was really excited to read this book when it first came out. But being short on money (like always), I had to wait an entire year for it to come out in paperback. You should have seen my face when I spotted it's cover at Borders. It immediately went to the enormous pile I was lugging around (sadly, I had to put half the books back, because it would be called stealing otherwise).

This book is told from the perspective of Mary, a young woman growing up in a small, isolated village surrounded by...more I was really excited to read this book when it first came out. But being short on money (like always), I had to wait an entire year for it to come out in paperback. You should have seen my face when I spotted it's cover at Borders. It immediately went to the enormous pile I was lugging around (sadly, I had to put half the books back, because it would be called stealing otherwise).

This book is told from the perspective of Mary, a young woman growing up in a small, isolated village surrounded by a fence that keeps the unrelenting zombies out. But they are not called zombies in this book (in fact the word zombie never mentioned), but rather the Unconsecrated. Trust me, they are true zombies. They eat flesh and babies and everything. Anyway, Mary grows up believing that her village, run by the dubious Sisterhood that claims that their little pocket of humanity amidst the formidible forest is the last of mankind. Mary, of course, questions this and is not content with her future as a member of the Sisterhood or married to man she doesn't love. Instead, she dreams of the ocean and the other stories her mother used to tell her of generations long gone.

From the first chapter, Mary's life is turned upside down. Her father walks among the dead, and her mother goes to join him. She is turned away by her brother and is sent to live in the Cathedral with the Sisterhood, which has well-kept secrets in every room.

This book is very well-written. Fluid and suspenseful, I had a hard time putting it down. While it did have some zombie-slaying action, it wasn't the focus of the book. Instead what kept me going was the sense of mystery and doom. Nothing good ever happens to Mary and the questions just kept coming with little-to-none answers. Mary was an unreliable narrator and a little crazy. All what the reader sees is first filtered through her eyes. She selfishly clung on to her dream of the ocean and refused to settle for anything less, even when it cost her the people she cared about. But hey, she is still one of the few chracters alive at the end, and the only one with a chance at a life, so she must have been doing something right. The rest of the characters wouldv'e gotten eaten long ago if Mary wasn't there to drive them.

This book is severely creepy, what with zombies relentlessly moaning in the background. I got skeeved out in a couple scenes (zombie baby). Like I said earlier, nothing good really happens at all. This book isn't for the faint at heart as it can be somewhat depressing. But I still found it intelligent and refreshing. It's so nice to read a young adult novel without a saintly narrator and a perfectly happy ending.

My least favorite part of it though was the love triangle? rectangle? I don't know what to call it. But the gist of it is Mary is in love with Travis. Travis is in love with Mary, but is engaged to Mary's best friend, Cass. Cass is in love with Harry, but Harry is engaged to Mary. Harry likes Mary, but I wouldn't call it love. I think he just wants a wife. Oh, and Travis and Harry are brothers. It's just a mess of duty and love. No one wants to marry who they are supposed to, but feel like they have a duty to do so. So, its complicated without ever being really interesting. I never really saw what was so great about Travis. Mary nursed him and her previous crush on him turned into full out love (or so she says). This might sound weird, but I could never tell when they were kissing or not. The scenes between them were written oddly, and I kept thinking they were kissing, but later on in the page I was proved wrong. Their lips were just really close together and they were almost kissing. My bad.

Anyway, despite some personal preferences and little annoyances, this book was really good. Not for everyone, but I recommend everyone try it. I'm sooo looking forward to The Dead-Tossed Waves, where some questions might finally be answered. (less)

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May 08, 2009 Arlene rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2009, dystopic, ya-dystopic, zombies, young-adult

I really wanted to like this book because the premise sounded interesting and somewhat original and it was recommended by one of my fave authors. I was looking forward to being "creeped out" as some of the reviews said would happen. Well, I wasn't creeped out and I didn't care for the book at all.

Mary lives in a confined village surrounded by fences to keep the Unconsecrated out. The Unconsecrated are zombie like beings that thirst for human flesh/blood. They came after The Return which brought...more

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May 03, 2013 Wigs rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

More filler YA garbage. It had potential I guess but the writing quality, the plot quality, the dialogue quality, I just can't.

It was like the author lost a bet over how minimal a vocabulary she could use to write a book. Ocean. Ocean. OCEAN. OCEAN OCEAN OCEAN I swear to god stop saying ocean talk about something else anything else. Seriously. Do not hit your readers over the head with a hammer we GET IT. WE GET IT DON'T REMIND US EVERY CHAPTER I AM DROWNING IN YOUR SEA OF OCEANS.

All the main c...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Cait rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Warning: some spoilers do run about freely in this novel; like carefree little bunnies. If you are afraid of spoilers and/or bunnies, do not continue on.

Awwww! Sooo cute! Let's look at just one more before I start my review.

Sooo..... Cute.... Kind of weird to see little baby bunnies if you know what this book is about. Probably just my ADHD kicking in.

Bunnies..............

Ahem...... alright, so before I get to what I didn't like about this 3.5 star book, let me start with what I absolutely ...more

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Dec 30, 2009 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Zombie lovers

Shelves: zombies, young-adult, library, 2009, apocalyptic-types, fantasy, dystopias, horror, mystery-and-thrillers, reviewed, blog_etb

I ♥ zombies.
I know, I know, big secret. I say so on my profile page. But what I really love are zombie apocalypses. I love the terror of feeling that you're alone and there are legions of the undead swarming around and the only thing between you and certain (but temporary) death is a marginal amount of luck and maybe a little skill.

I love apocalyptic fiction on its own, of course. But there is just something about zombie apocalypses. Now, you're not just on your own to fend for yourself in an...more I ♥ zombies.
I know, I know, big secret. I say so on my profile page. But what I really love are zombie apocalypses. I love the terror of feeling that you're alone and there are legions of the undead swarming around and the only thing between you and certain (but temporary) death is a marginal amount of luck and maybe a little skill.

I love apocalyptic fiction on its own, of course. But there is just something about zombie apocalypses. Now, you're not just on your own to fend for yourself in an empty world... Now you have to fight off zombies who want nothing more than to see what you taste like. Gives me a shiver every time.

This book was a really good ZA story. The zombies were exactly the kind that I love. Ruthless, eternally hungry, and persistent. Dead, broken, and hungry, just the way I like them. The zombies, or the Unconsecrated, as they are called in the story, set the tone for the rest of the book, and it's pretty dark.

Set an unspecified number of years after the Return (I'm guessing probably about 100 to 150?), we're shown what the world has narrowed to: a little village surrounded on all sides by teeming undead and run by the fervently religious Sisterhood. We're shown that at this point in time, nobody currently alive in the village has ever been or even seen outside of their village/world, and believe that they are the only remaining island of the living left.

The Sisterhood does well to encourage and teach this line of thinking, with the "For The Good Of All" mentality that's so popular among those who hold power. They don't want a breach in their fences when people go looking for something else, which is understandable. They don't want people to harbor a hope that may never be realized when instead they could simply live their small and semi-sheltered lives within the village. So, to this end, they teach and believe that the world outside is gone, and the village is all that is left. Until everything changes with an outsider showing up.

The story was pretty suspenseful, and I never really knew what was coming. I enjoyed the concept of love vs. duty and commitment, and the confusion that arose from that.

I loved Mary's character and her conflicting desires to follow her heart in two different directions while still trying to do the right thing. She was completely believable in the situation that she was put in. I also loved Travis's character. He stole my heart from the moment he covered for Mary in the Cathedral to prevent her from being caught breaking her vow of silence. I have to say that he was my favorite character, and I loved him for his sadness and devotion to Mary when she wanted to risk everything following her dreams.

I devoured this book... The zombies, the conflicts and confusion and romance and terror and hope. I wish I could give it 5 stars, but unfortunately, I can't. I had a bunch of unanswered questions, and there were quite a few things that just didn't make sense to me. The ending was left pretty ambiguous, but I'm OK with that. I have other issues that I wish were addressed in a more acceptable way.

For instance, Mary talks about how important it is for everyone to marry and have babies so that they can keep the village alive, and how there was an illness that reduced the number of marriageable people her age to a whopping 4: her best friend, her two brothers-in-law (whose sister is married to Mary's brother), and herself. Now, I find it a bit unbelievable that an illness would wipe out all but two intact families and one loner who happens to be Mary's best friend.

Also, Sister Tabitha, who heads up The Sisterhood, has an uncanny knack for knowing exactly what Mary is up to at pretty much all times, yet when Mary makes a big discovery (and a LOT of noise doing it), not a soul shows up to find out what's going on, and it's never mentioned.

In addition to this, I think that the writing was a bit clumsy in some places, and the editing could have been tighter. Sentence structures were such that the line would read differently in my head than it should have, and I'd have to reread it again to understand what was going on. And Ryan used far too many sentence fragments in her writing. I understand that sometimes they work and work well, but they should fit the flow and enhance the story, not detract from it or cause confusion, which they did in a couple cases.

But, overall, I thought that the story was well done and intriguing. It certainly kept me guessing, and didn't pull any punches, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. (less)

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Oct 13, 2009 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Ashley B for TeensReadToo.com

Mary lives in a village surrounded by the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

The Unconsecrated fill the forest, moaning, trying to get into the village, to devour and make more of their own by a single bite, which will spread the infection. They don't give up. They want to feed.

The Sisterhood holds the secrets of the village, from before the Return. No one knows the truth, except them.

The Guardians protect the village, and make sure the fence holds back the Unc...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Lowed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Sisterhood knows nothing at all. Look what happened to Gabrielle.!
The Guardians are a bunch of sissies!
Yes, the Unconsecrated are relentless
And the fence! That damn fence. How did it get there? Was it made out of the strongest metal?
And the book! This book, I mean, is peppered with selfish characters! From Mary down to Jacob. But 'o course Mary gets the award for being the Bitch Queen of Egotism.

And you know what? For some reason I still think Carrie Ryan is a damn good writer. This book is...more

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Mar 12, 2009 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, ya, zombies

I can solidly say that my acquisition of The Forest of Hands and Teeth is entirely the work of John Scalzi's Big Idea posts that have been prominently featured on his blog. This book was just recently featured, and as soon as I saw the post go up I knew I had to check this one out. I don't read a lot of YA, but this one had all the right elements for me: a young heroine anxious to explore beyond the confines of her restrictive world. A post-apocalyptic setting, where what's left of humanity has...more

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Mar 10, 2009 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

It's been a couple of hours since I finished reading this and I still can't believe how truly remarkable The Forest Of Hands And Teeth was. In my view, this defiantly has the potential to be one of the best debuts of 2009, if not the best.

The writing, the world, the characters were all so interesting and haunting, which made you become totally involved in the story from the beginning.

The characters in The Forest Of Hands and Teeth were extremely three dimensional to the point were you felt tha...more It's been a couple of hours since I finished reading this and I still can't believe how truly remarkable The Forest Of Hands And Teeth was. In my view, this defiantly has the potential to be one of the best debuts of 2009, if not the best.

The writing, the world, the characters were all so interesting and haunting, which made you become totally involved in the story from the beginning.

The characters in The Forest Of Hands and Teeth were extremely three dimensional to the point were you felt that they jumped off the page. Since, you could feel their fears, their fight for happiness, and their battle to be strong in a world were all you want to do is cower in a corner. Carrie even crafted the unconsecrated in a way that you began to feel sorry for what they had became even though you wanted to hate them for what they had done to the world. Mary was probably my favorite character overall because her strength just amazed me. I loved how no matter what happened to her she never gave up and always found the bright side of things. Also, I liked the romance between Travis and Mary. It was a cute and great add to the story.

Also, I became completely enthralled in the world Carrie Ryan had created. Since, I always find it interesting to read about what an author thinks may happen in the future. Plus, the world felt real to me. Though, I had a couple of problems with it. Such as, Carrie never really said what had lead to the unconsecrated. Also, she never really came out in said what the unconsecrated were, leaving me to infer that they were zombies.

The writing was up to par, too. Carrie Ryan shows in this that she has big talent, which makes me extremely excited to read more by her.

Overall, there is not enough adjectives to describe how incredible The Forest of Hands and Teeth was. As said above, I'm really looking forward to reading more by Carrie. Also, I truly hope she wrights a sequel to this telling of what happens to Mary. Since, the ending was kind of a cliff hanger.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games or to people looking for a great book that contains romance, fantasy, and horror.

Grade: A+(less)

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Jan 19, 2013 Merna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: do-not-read

I still haven't finished reading this book. But I felt it would be necessary to write as I go along reading the ‘Forest Of Hands And Teeth’. Just to make the book to some extent more bearable.

Props to the writer who faintly has beautiful way with words, but also has a way with boring me to tears. Yet, I can't tell if I'm bored stiff because of the way it’s written that causes my eyes to go heavy with sleep, or if perhaps it’s the plot. It could be the characters in addition. Or, possibly it’s a...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: zz-2011, reviewed, grammatical-yodeling, impulse-shopping, zz-swapped-ya, mary-sue-puke-bucket

Suffice it to say I was underwhelmed. While I don't read many zombie novels, I do watch a lot of zombie movies. And alas, I have to say this particular story doesn't stick in my mind.

One thing I do know: Mary is a fine example of the uber-selfish heroines that are common in YA, particularly paranormal/dystopian fiction. I'm fine with reading a selfish, unpleasant narrator -- but what I don't like is when selfishness is portrayed as a positive trait. Selfishness isn't mental strength. As with ma...more Suffice it to say I was underwhelmed. While I don't read many zombie novels, I do watch a lot of zombie movies. And alas, I have to say this particular story doesn't stick in my mind.

One thing I do know: Mary is a fine example of the uber-selfish heroines that are common in YA, particularly paranormal/dystopian fiction. I'm fine with reading a selfish, unpleasant narrator -- but what I don't like is when selfishness is portrayed as a positive trait. Selfishness isn't mental strength. As with many other YA heroines, I was rolling my eyes at her navel-gazing. It's not always about you! ...Except, apparently, it is. Why are these two brothers so madly in love with her? Why is she so special? I didn't see any outstanding features in her personality, unless you count obsession with the ocean & an extreme aversion to contentment. She's determined to be unsettled in whatever choice is offered -- simply because it isn't the ocean.

The ocean is her religion, her idol, her emotional talisman. It gets old really fast -- mostly because everyone in her life ends up dead or emotionally maimed by her refusing to accept that she can't have her cake & eat it too (by the ocean, natch). Even at the end of the novel, she's driven by her own desires. She's learned nothing about that eternally appropriate Vulcan mindset: the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few (or the one :P). People continue to throw themselves in harm's way to protect her, & it's not until they're dead that she has a glimpse of how she's trampled them to chase her selfish childhood dreams. But then she remembers the ocean & off we go. What good is a beach? How will a beach help them survive?! As one character dares to contradict her, it's not as if they can drink the water. And yet everyone follows Mary to see the ocean because....why?? As I said, I couldn't unravel their devotion.

Instead we're subjected Mary's constantly rehashing her love triangle -- and her craving to see the ocean. The ocean drowns most potential subjects of mental conversation, including important ones such as Why can't I manage to look beyond myself for two minutes together? or How can I indulge my angsty love triangle analysis when we're in a life-or-death situation? or What gives me the right to withhold potentially important information from my fellow survivors? That's precisely what the Sisterhood does & I despise them for it -- but when I do it, it's because I know better than to offer false hope.

*facepalm*

These questions are never answered, at least to my satisfaction. Whether that's to lure the audience into reading the sequel or an example of "sort it out yourself," post-mod storytelling, I'm not sure. All I know is that it annoyed me. Comes to that, very few of the questions in this novel are answered. The Sisterhood is never explained. Gabrielle's story is a mystery. The village's fate is left open. Jed's fate is never clearly defined. The remaining survivors are (quite literally) left at a fence in favor of the ocean view. It's a supremely unsatisfying book in that regard. (And what's the deal with present-tense narration? I can stomach first-person-present in certain circumstances (mainly short fiction), but this wasn't one of those times. The first-person tense added no immediacy to the story.)

There were a few things I liked. The isolated village had intriguing social dynamics & the Sisterhood was an interestingly sinister twist on conventional religion. The descriptions of zombies were vivid. I liked Gabrielle's repeated appearances. I liked Harry & Jed (bonus points for Harry finally telling her she was selfish); I also appreciated that the dog survived.

...But I won't be reading the rest of the books.(less)

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Jul 28, 2009 The Holy Terror rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: zombie, suspense, horror, and mystery fans

Shelves: horror, zombies, borrowed, suspense, young-adult

The Forest of Hands and Teeth instantly reminded me of the movie The Village and it also made me think of the movie Dawn of the Dead as well. But even if you didn't like those movies or never saw them, don't let it detract from wanting to check out this book.

Mary, the main character, lives in a village some time in the not-so-distant future where civilization has been set back by hundreds of years, because of something called "The Return." The village is surrounded by a fence which holds back th...more The Forest of Hands and Teeth instantly reminded me of the movie The Village and it also made me think of the movie Dawn of the Dead as well. But even if you didn't like those movies or never saw them, don't let it detract from wanting to check out this book.

Mary, the main character, lives in a village some time in the not-so-distant future where civilization has been set back by hundreds of years, because of something called "The Return." The village is surrounded by a fence which holds back the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Within the forest are Unconsecrated, or really, zombies. The inhabitants of the village live their lives while the Unconsecrated moan, push their fingers through and shake the fence.

But Mary has dreams of the ocean. She remembers a photograph that her mother showed her of her great-great-great grandmother standing in the ocean. She can't shake the image and she longs to see it for herself. But leaving the village means death or becoming another of the unconsecrated so Mary has to be content with dreaming.

Until the fence is breached and she's forced to leave the village and survive.

This novel was at times frustrating, heartbreaking, and horrifying, but it's one of those books that you just have to read that next chapter to find out what happens.

That part that was frustrating for me was the first part of the book when Mary is still in the village. Women have two choices; either be spoken for by a man or join the Sisterhood. If a man doesn't speak for you, you default to the Sisterhood. The Sisters and the Guardians are a bunch of Puritanical crazies, but I can see how they'd want to create order in a small village that could be the last of humanity.

There's a heartbreaking love story told throughout this book as well. I can't really say anything without giving something away, but this aspect of the novel really adds something to the story and it makes you care that much more for the characters.

There's a lot of gruesome parts to this book and if you're squeamish about decapitation and things of the sort, you might want to look for another book. It's not too graphic, but there are some disturbing scenes.

At the end, there's still a lot of unanswered questions. This chapter of Mary's life has ended, but her story is not over.

Now I can't wait for The Dead-Tossed Waves. I read the description, don't read it unless you don't mind spoiling yourself, and it sounds just as good as The Forest of Hands and Teeth. There aren't that many zombie books around, but this is definitely one of the best.(less)

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Sep 09, 2010 Misty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia-postapocalyptic, excited-for, helluva-halloween, horror-mystery-suspense-thriller, juvenile-ya, read-in-2009, recommended, sci_fi-fantasy, zombies, cover-appeal, own, favorites

This seems to be one of those books that gets really mixed reactions. I've read more than a few rants that complain of the writing style (present tense), the love aspect, the originality aspect, and Mary herself, saying she's selfish and unlikeable. And most of the things that seem to bother people about this book help me to love it.

I found Ryan's writing beautifully and painfully evocative, and the present tense lent an immediacy to the narration that really worked. There are times when the thi...more This seems to be one of those books that gets really mixed reactions. I've read more than a few rants that complain of the writing style (present tense), the love aspect, the originality aspect, and Mary herself, saying she's selfish and unlikeable. And most of the things that seem to bother people about this book help me to love it.

I found Ryan's writing beautifully and painfully evocative, and the present tense lent an immediacy to the narration that really worked. There are times when the things that Mary says in the novel are so perfectly phrased as to make me actually stop reading and just dwell on them. I could see everything so clearly, and sometimes just ached with it. It was lovely in a heartbreaking way.

Much like the romance between Mary and Travis. I loved every moment of that, and bought it all. This bit is a teensy bit spoilery, so if you haven't read it, look away.

I know there are people who find the relationship unbelievable, and think that Mary was selfish for a) choosing Travis over Harry for no reason (? did they read the same book I did?), and for feeling like there was something more even than Travis. I understand why people were frustrated by this and thought Mary selfish -- so many people read YA for the easy romance and the lies. I hate to say it, but it's true. I respect Ryan so much more for not making things easy like that. I absolutely loved that, although Mary loved Travis, she realized there was more to the world, and since she lives in a pretty effed up world, there most certainly is. Mary is a woman on a mission, and she doesn't let anything sway her from that. It's a bit maniacal, maybe, but understandably so, and it makes for a much more complex, nuanced, adult novel than people typically get from YA. I appreciated that.

Same goes for the ending. Some people were really upset about the lack of resolution in the end, and I personally loved it. (And even though I know there is a sequel (and 3rd!), and fully intend to read them, I would have been content with 1 open-ended but powerful book.) It would have been a cop-out to have everything wrapped up neatly. I like a book that makes you wonder and makes you think, and even that makes you uncomfortable. It means the writer was working and doing their job, not just churning out some schlocky mess for $$.

This isn't to say I thought it was a perfect book. There were times when the prose was a bit purply, and I was worried on occasion that it was about to go over the top. I originally rated it a 4 on Goodreads, but as time passed, I found myself craving it, and thinking about Mary and the things she went through, the choices she had to make, and respecting it more and more. It's one of those books that I know I will reread and appreciate in different ways, but that I would reread even if that wasn't the case, just to get back to the beauty of Ryan's writing.

(less)

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Mar 25, 2010 Osho rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This has been tagged as a young adult dystopian novel, and while I agree with "young adult," it's dystopian only in the sense that all zombie novels are dystopian--a spreading horror, present or past, destroys much of civilization. Perhaps it shades slightly more into dystopian territory, in that a character alludes to the Unconsecrated--this village's name for the zombies--having originated in scientific attempts to make people immortal. However, this aside is so tangential to the action of the...more This has been tagged as a young adult dystopian novel, and while I agree with "young adult," it's dystopian only in the sense that all zombie novels are dystopian--a spreading horror, present or past, destroys much of civilization. Perhaps it shades slightly more into dystopian territory, in that a character alludes to the Unconsecrated--this village's name for the zombies--having originated in scientific attempts to make people immortal. However, this aside is so tangential to the action of the story, so peripheral to the central narrative, that, while intriguing, it is not a sufficiently central point to support calling this a dystopia. It is young adult horror with science fiction elements.

There are things I can live without knowing. I don't need the whole back story; in many ways it's more interesting not to have a huge revelation about the long, long ago time and how things came to be. Perhaps some of that is filled in in the next book; perhaps not. What we should have learned: Why on earth the Sisterhood allows infected people to join the Unconsecrated rather than chopping off their heads; how or why both Mary's and Gabrielle's villages are overrun; why Mary and her group of survivors assume the members of the Sisterhood who bolted themselves into the Cathedral didn't survive; why Mary thinks that Gate I would lead to the ocean. There's more, but these are the big points. More irritating, and constituting plot disruptions/bad writing: If the zombies can pile up enough to get to an upstairs story, why don't they do this with the village fences? Who does maintenance on the path fences beyond the Guardians' range? If zombies can take down sturdy, braced wooden doors in a relatively short time, why can't they take down cyclone fencing even more quickly?

Psychologically, this is a novel about claustrophobia. The (seemingly) lone village, the tiny beacon holding back the unending, zombie-filled forest. The stern and secret-keeping Sisterhood, a religious order that controls the village, its inhabitants' lives, and access to historical and current knowledge. The young girl, who wants to marry for love, break out of the village's tight periphery, and re-discover this "ocean" her mother described to her in her childhood. It is also about selfishness; more specifically, selfishness rewarded. Mary, the protagonist, is cut from the same histrionic and narcissistic cloth as Twilight's Bella. She is moody, impulsive, self-focused and self-preoccupied, willing to put her ambivalent desires ahead of (as far as she knows) the well-being of everyone in the world. Why is Travis attractive? For the same reason Edward is: Because the female protagonist says so.

If I were still back in my text deconstructin' days, I'd say that Mary's fervent desire for a particular kind of love, bolstered by the repeated symbol of the ocean (Freud's oceanic oneness, q.v.) and the image of the ocean-like forest, is what causes the village fence to be breached, admitting the endless tide of Unconsecrated who consume or infect just about everyone, converting them from individuals to an undifferentiated, oceanic mass of zombies. In psychoanalytic terms, it's the ambivalent desire to return to the pre-individuated ego state (bonus for you Kleinians: Snapping and rending included!). Since Mary's village understands the zombies in religious terms, a translation of the above might be that desire casts one out of paradise; this Mary has original sin. While Mary doesn't lust after a creature of darkness as Bella does, this theme is present, though displaced onto Mary's mother. The story is that Mary's mother allows herself to be bitten by her husband (who is now a zombie) because Mary isn't there to stop her. Mary is too busy getting creeped out by her friend and nice-guy Harry, who in a prefiguring of this zombie/ocean trope grasps her hands under water (she's doing laundry) and initiates a courtship. However, it's not clear that Mary would have prevented her mother from being bitten by her father; Mary, though devastated, also apparently finds it all unbearably meaningful and argues with the Sisterhood, and her brother, that her mother should be permitted to join her father as part of the unknowing, uncaring zombie horde. Who can say that the addition of Mary's mother and of Gabrielle (a parallel sacrifice by the Sisterhood) isn't the tipping point that allows the Unconsecrated to breach the fence?

At the end of the novel, having navigated the oceanic forest and seeing her love interest (who turned out not to be enough for her, anyway) zombified and castrated, I mean decapitated, by her, Mary reaches the real ocean. There, she immerses herself with, incidentally, a large number of zombies and chopped-up zombie parts. Then, to the lighthouse with an older man whose job is to decapitate the zombies who wash onto the beach. It wasn't her mom she wanted all along, it was her dad! Oedipal mystery solved.

Oh, and this bears little resemblance to The Hunger Games, with which I've seen it compared. Instead, think The Road, but with zombies instead of the charred ashes of a ruined civilization, and a whiny self-serving kid. Same ending, though: It's sad about the other(s), but now you're safe because you've found another claustrophobic enclave, where you can be protected (until the horror engulfs it as well).(less)

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Mar 12, 2009 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Our heroine, Mary, has a dream. A dream to leave the safety of her village and find this ever-mysterious ocean her mother romanticized through stories. Mary has always been taught that her village is all there is. Well, all that remains of pure humanity at the very least. Her village is surrounded by a forest--the forest of hands and teeth. Outside the fences and walls of her village, the Unconsecrated roam. Zombies. They're an ever-present threat, but as long as the fences hold. As long as the...more Our heroine, Mary, has a dream. A dream to leave the safety of her village and find this ever-mysterious ocean her mother romanticized through stories. Mary has always been taught that her village is all there is. Well, all that remains of pure humanity at the very least. Her village is surrounded by a forest--the forest of hands and teeth. Outside the fences and walls of her village, the Unconsecrated roam. Zombies. They're an ever-present threat, but as long as the fences hold. As long as the guardians protect the borders from breaches, then life goes on normally. They're raised to respect the Sisterhood, respect the Guardians, respect the rules of society. And one of the rules is that all young people should make the commitment to family and marriage. All eligible young men and all eligible young women should go through the strict rituals and vows and settle down, start families of their own. Mary has always assumed that her life will follow this course. But after several years of being passed over, she fears that she may have to join the Sisterhood and dedicate her life to God. The idea doesn't thrill her--or the Sisters.

On the day when a young man, Harry, does ask to court her--and courtship almost always leads to marriage--the siren interrupts her response. A breach. The zombies. The two rush to safety. But in a way, it's too late, Mary's life is forever changed. Her mother, Mary's mother, has been bitten by the Unconsecrated. The decision remains...kill her now out of mercy, or let the disease overcome her and release her into the Forest. Her mother's choice? To join her husband who is among the Unconsecrated. Days later--after her mother's release into the Forest--her brother returns angry and vindictive. Jed. He kicks Mary out of his home. Forces her to join the Sisterhood. Harry, it seems, has not gone to her brother. He has seemingly withdrawn his interest to court her, to marry her. While she did not love Harry, she did have a long friendship with him, with his family--his brother, Travis, and his sister, Beth.

But now...now she's being forced into the Sisterhood...forced to dedicate herself to a God she can't believe in. How could God have allowed both her father and mother to have become Unconsecrated? How could God have allowed her brother to turn his back on her? How could God have allowed her sister-in-law, Beth, to miscarry? In just a few days, her life have become a mess, a disaster. It soon becomes apparent--within minutes really--that the Sisterhood is not what she thought. They are more than what they seem. That there are dangerous secrets. That the Sisterhood poses a threat to her very life.

What's a girl to do when there are no choices that can lead to a happy ending?

How could I ever do justice to this book? Seriously. It's so intense. It's so exciting. Full of danger and secrets and betrayals and hopes and fears and love and loss. It's incredibly fast-paced, near-impossible to put down. It's dark and dangerous--not light and cheery. But it's so compelling, so well-written, that I just have to sing its praises(less)

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Oct 05, 2012 Kat (Le Pauvre Cœur) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: depressing, disappointment, not-worth-the-hype, stupid-heroine, wtf, lust-and-love-are-not-the-same, october-2012

Recommended by THE BERN.

He told me this would make me cry buckets. I SHALL NOT CRY.

Review

Mary lives in a post-apocalyptic world, in a town surrounded by fences to protect them from the Unconsecrated (aka, zombies). Her mother told her incredible stories about the ocean and about a time before the Return. Mary dreams of going to the ocean, of being free of the fences, the Unconsecrated, and the strict, religious Sisters.
The night Mary is to be officially married to a man she does not love, the...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Monica! rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: it-was-earth-all-along, read-in-2011, ust-ftw, the-sparkles-mean-its-magic, what-is-this-feeling, i-wish-i-could-hate-you-to-death, meh, but-wait-theres-more, goodreads-made-me-do-it, i-love-you-for-your-cover, tastes-like-children-i-mean-chicken, romtopian

Eeeh. For a book featuring crazed zombie attacks, torrid love scenes, mad scientist nuns and a girl who (according to the cover image) appears to actually be River Tam, I’m not entirely sure why I was so unenthused overall.

To be fair, our protagonist doesn’t seem to be able to kill people with her brain, so that’s strike one....

Because I really, really did want to like this darn thing, and Hazel thought it was shiny, but... but I just couldn’t.

Partly it was the way the main character’s entire pe...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Lissa added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

EDIT: The more I think about this book, the more I realise that it doesn't deserve the 2 stars I gave it originally. I tried hard not to let the subject matter or stylistic devices or plot affect my rating, but the point of the matter is that I did not think it was amazing (5), I did not really like it (4), in fact did not even like it (3). To me, it was OK (2). BUT. I still think this is a book people who read YA need to read. I didn't like it as much as my favourites, and it didn't quite rate...more

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Feb 15, 2010 Annalisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Annalisa by: Annie

Shelves: dystopia, young-adult, apocalypse, speculative, horror

Creepy. It's a combination of The Giver and I Am Legend with a flair of The Village. I spend so much of the book trying to shake off the hopeless feeling that Mary would never escape the zombie apocalypse that it did its job creeping me out. There was a little too much of the zombies have a hold of her and their mouths are reaching for her and she closes her eyes and knows she's going to die and then someone saves her with no plausible way for either of them not be bitten, but it was still suspe...more Creepy. It's a combination of The Giver and I Am Legend with a flair of The Village. I spend so much of the book trying to shake off the hopeless feeling that Mary would never escape the zombie apocalypse that it did its job creeping me out. There was a little too much of the zombies have a hold of her and their mouths are reaching for her and she closes her eyes and knows she's going to die and then someone saves her with no plausible way for either of them not be bitten, but it was still suspenseful and the world Ryan created very interesting.

My biggest complaint about the book is the writing--of course, isn't it always? :). You take a book written in first person and we're seeing more into Mary's head than the description of this world built to keep the zombies out, which really was very intriguing and we don't get enough of it. Then you write in present tense and the plot slows down, losing the ability to keep up the fast pace a horror novel requires. On top of that, Ryan felt the need to stop the dialogue after each sentence to tell us exactly what Mary was so obviously thinking and the story slows to a stand still. Sure zombies are creepy because they're slow but relentless, but I don't want the writing to mirror those traits.

Also, there were times when Ryan wanted to keep up the suspense so she's evasive with her details. I reread several scenes a couple of times trying to figure out exactly what happened, but at a loss to understand. I'd have to guess, often to find out later that I assumed the wrong thing. Like the almost kiss. There was way too much touching for there not to be kissing, so I thought I must have misunderstood the vague introduction to the scene, but no, I was supposed to believe that she was lying on top of him, his hands on her hips pulling him to her and they weren't kissing. I still don't think I understood exactly what happened in that scene. You can built suspense and still let your readers know what's going on.

And speaking of the love rectangle (is that what I should call it?), it got on my nerves. Not that it was there, that made the story interesting, but the back and forth of it. She likes Travis, she likes Harry, one likes her, than the other, no he likes Cass, who knows. It didn't really matter after awhile who ended up with whom; I just wanted the back and forth to end. For as much as she claimed she loved Travis, she did an awful lot of avoiding him when she had the chance to be alone with him. It seemed more like she lusted after Travis but could be herself with Harry. Ryan never justified Mary's love for Travis for me. I didn't see it build or grow, just a confession of it. For all that Ryan put me into Mary's thoughts, I should have had a better understanding of her feelings for the boys.

My favorite part of the book is when they're stuck in the house/platform with the constant moan of the zombies outside and no idea where to go or if there even is a where, so very reminiscent of what I enjoyed about I Am Legend. I wanted more interactions with Travis, more description of the world, more panic about time, but the creepy moaning zombies really captured the horror of the scene. The story was original, but there's too much saved in the nick of time and very slow writing for me to enjoy it like I could have.(less)

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Feb 11, 2011 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What will they think up next? If they were like some YA writers, most likely the same crap they have been spinning over the past two decades. Well, maybe just one decade. And this is the part where I yearn for the authors of my past lives, and/or the nineties.
Originally, when I wrote this prehistoric review, I gave an extra star out of acknowledgement of hard work. It can keep it, I guess. But by the time I revisited this in the future, I was hoping that the scenery would have graduated from z...more

What will they think up next? If they were like some YA writers, most likely the same crap they have been spinning over the past two decades. Well, maybe just one decade. And this is the part where I yearn for the authors of my past lives, and/or the nineties.
Originally, when I wrote this prehistoric review, I gave an extra star out of acknowledgement of hard work. It can keep it, I guess. But by the time I revisited this in the future, I was hoping that the scenery would have graduated from zombies and vampires. It has, but it only has moved from the pits of hell to the exact opposite, sex appeal beings on earth. Hurrah. Though I have to say, I am looking forward to them graduating to gargoyles.

----Original----
The Forest of Hands and Teeth begins with quite strong grabber paragraph, "My mother used to tell me about the ocean...always moving towards you and away." That in itself was obvious to the one standing at the shore. But since I live in the Pacific, I am of course going to be cynical about this statement. I see the ocean almost every day, lucky me, but imagine how incredible it must be to a person who has never seen a body of water that huge and terrifying before.

As I progressed with this particular YA read I found, of course, errors that comes with your first book ever. Since I began with mine various titles I have learned that a flawed manuscript is better than a meticulously perfect and dreary one. Finding editing mistakes and sentance inprefections makes it WAY better, it reminds the reader that the creator of this world is human like them, and they have pains in the same manner (well, mostly.Writers block is worst than many cancers). But my mind readily agreed with this Zombie infested world. It was nicely crafted, and although I was not "enchanted" or anything with this book, it still has a place in my heart. Why? Well, for one, the YA authors I have met on Myspace and such are more CONNECTED with each other and their readers than adult writers, well, most of them anyways. I plan on being different, to let readers know I love them for trying to connect with their favorite writers. It is more important to readers the quality of the book if the author actually wants to talk to them, whether they are a bunch of macadamia nut cookies or not.

(I realize that this review is mostly thought and not information...but there should be a shooting rocket in reviews sometimes. It is an effort to not be conformitative."
(less)

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Aug 25, 2011 Karin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: zombies, youngadult, 2009-reads, favorites, post-apocalyptic, audio-books, 2011-reads

Mary’s world is surrounded by the moans and shuffles of the Unconsecrated. The Unconsecrated look for ways to breach the fences that protect her village. They try to find weakness in the metal links. They reach through trying to grab hold of anyone unfortunate enough to walk too close to the fence. Mary’s world is based in fear. Fear that the Unconsecrated will one day break through and devour everyone in the village.

Mary’s mother goes to the fences everyday to look into The Forest of Hands and...more Mary’s world is surrounded by the moans and shuffles of the Unconsecrated. The Unconsecrated look for ways to breach the fences that protect her village. They try to find weakness in the metal links. They reach through trying to grab hold of anyone unfortunate enough to walk too close to the fence. Mary’s world is based in fear. Fear that the Unconsecrated will one day break through and devour everyone in the village.

Mary’s mother goes to the fences everyday to look into The Forest of Hands and Teeth. She is searching for a glimpse of her husband who disappeared in the Forest months ago. Mary’s mother is the only one that remains hopeful that he’ll come back to her unharmed. Mary and her brother Jed, a Guardian, makes sure their mother never goes to the fences alone - afraid she’ll get too close if she sees her husband. When Jed is off on a fence repair mission and Mary gets held up doing laundry, her mother does the unthinkable. She gets too close to the Forest and is bitten by an Unconsecrated.

The ramifications of this disastrous event leave Mary with no choice but to live with the Sisters. The Sisters hold the knowledge of the village and make the rules for the community. They never marry, but instead devote their lives to the Scriptures. Mary must decide if she can settle for a life with the Sisters or if she is going to keep faith in the stories of a life outside the village and beyond The Forest of Hands and Teeth that her mother always told her about. However, after a major fence breach, her decision is made for her as she must brave the Forest along with Jed and his wife, Mary’s best friend, the man Mary loves, and the man who loves her. Emotional complications just add to the stress of staying alive when they are surrounded by the Unconsecrated.

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH is an enthralling post-apocalyptic masterpiece. Carrie Ryan’s description of the unrelenting Unconsecrated comes through loud and clear to the reader. At times, the suspense will cause you to put the book down for fear of what you might read next only to pick it up again because you can’t wait to find out. You’ll be able to feel the boney fingers of each and every Unconsecrated reaching for you as you turn page after page of this amazing novel. The ending definitely leaves the reader begging for the next installment in this amazing series.(less)

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Are you as blown away by this novel as I am?	8	43	May 21, 2013 11:28am
THE MOVIE!!!!! (2013)	59	656	May 18, 2013 05:23pm
! YA Heroines !: The Forest of Hands and Teeth series	17	15	May 03, 2013 08:29pm
who should play in the movie?	4	29	May 02, 2013 09:14am
Who started crying at the end?	32	90	Apr 21, 2013 11:13am
1st, 2nd or 3rd book?	2	25	Jan 22, 2013 02:20am
Zombie post-apocalyptic novels with a little romances thrown in?	4	63	Nov 30, 2012 06:59pm

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