The Forest of Hands and Teeth is reminiscent of the movie The Village, a group of people are living in a small isolated village surrounded by a high f...moreThe Forest of Hands and Teeth is reminiscent of the movie The Village, a group of people are living in a small isolated village surrounded by a high fence which separates them from the undead, or as the book calls them, the unconsecrated. The main character, Mary, is out doing her daily chores as the zombies claw at the fence trying desperately to get inside, when suddenly the sirens blare signalling an emergency, possibly a breach. This emergency begins a series of events which dramatically alter Mary and the rest of the villager's day to day existence. While the villagers look to the Sister's to answer their questions and explain god's will, the Sister's may be hiding some secrets that could endanger their very existence. Meanwhile, Mary's main concern is that the brother that she is crushing on has chosen her best friend to marry and she might be stuck with the other brother instead.
I listened to the audio of this and I would not recommend it to anyone considering reading this. You should read it in either print or ebook format. The narrator was very lifeless and monotone and frequently used odd pronunciation. She also, for some unknown reason, used a spanish-like accent for some of the characters which just didn't fit in a story where the characters had all lived in the same isolated village for generations. I felt like either ALL of the characters should have an accent, or NONE of the characters should have an accent.
I have such a mixed opinion about The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I really enjoyed the story but found Mary, the main character, to be absolutely insufferable. I would say that she is one of the most well written godawful characters I've ever read. I don't know that I've ever read a more frustratingly selfish main character. I can't even call her a "heroine" because all she really manages to do is put people in a lot of really bad situations. Apparently, throughout Mary's life her mother had told her stories about life before the zombies and many stories in particular about the ocean. So now Mary's only obsession, other than which brother she loves that day, is making her way to the ocean regardless of who she puts in danger to do it, even though she's not completely sure if it even exists.
I actually found most of the players to be rather 2 dimensional and spiritless and I spent most of my time hoping one of them would be eaten by a zombie. Mary's brother was the only one who showed a bit of personality sometimes, unfortunately it wasn't exactly a winning personality. He was a bit of an asshat. The two brothers were equally insufferable as they constantly made long winded angst filled declarations of their devotion to Mary who couldn't make up her mind which one she loved. I was hoping zombies would eat them too.
"He's so tender, so eager to make me happy in ways that no one else has. Tears start to crowd in my eyes and my body begins to respond to this man as if it were his brother whispering into my ear. As if my body can't tell the difference between the two, between their whispers and the feel of their breath on my flesh."
The fact that she basically admitted that she was just a run of the mill ho almost made her character a little more interesting than she had been up to this point. I was still hoping a zombie would eat her though....
On the other hand, the writing and world building was wonderful and the flow of the plot was evenly paced and enjoyable. I honestly don't understand how I liked a book so much when I didn't like any of the people in it. Some of the instances when the villagers were going about their day to day existence and the author would describe the scene with zombies just feet away literally breaking their fingers off in the fence trying to get in and a constant cacophony of undead moans was the background noise to the point that only its absence was notable. This world was so creepy and written in such a matter of fact way that I could really feel the hopelessness of this kind of existence. This book definitely left me with some haunting images of what unthinkable things could happen in such a world.
I don't know if I'm going to continue to the next book. As much as I loved the writing and story, the ending left me hating the main character even more than I had through the story and I really don't care what happens to her unless it includes being eaten by a zombie. (less)
I have read so many glowing reviews of The Reapers are the Angels that I simply had to see what all the fuss was about and even though I was warned ah...moreI have read so many glowing reviews of The Reapers are the Angels that I simply had to see what all the fuss was about and even though I was warned ahead of time about the bloody bits, I still wanted to read this. I decided to listen to this on audio and I think the narrator did an amazing job giving voice to the conflicted and unique character that was Temple. I would certainly recommend this audio to anyone who is planning to read this.
Temple was an intriguing character, so full of contrasts, she was kind and considerate but with the capacity to become extremely violent if provoked which made sense considering the dangerous world she grew up in. She was also extremely intelligent, logical, and self-aware but at the same time illiterate and simplistic in many ways. Her character fascinated me and reminded me, in a lot of ways, of Saba from Blood Red Road except Temple was much more complex. I was fascinated with the way she accepted the world for what it was and did her best to work within it instead of fight against what she could not control. I have to say, Temple is one of the most interesting characters I’ve read.
The writing was vividly descriptive and unapologetically raw. It brought to life a bleak and desolate world overrun by the undead who were themselves more pathetic and sad than scary. The pockets of survivors that Temple came upon showed the best and worst of humanity. It was interesting to see the many ways that desperation and hopelessness may cause people to react. There were some people and situations that pushed the boundaries of believability, even for a zombie book but for the most part, I could realistically imagine that this is what the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse would look like.
For some reason, I felt really disconnected from the story. I’m not sure whether it was the third person narration or the philosophical and highly allegorical way this was written, but while I could pick out a hundred beautifully phrased quotes, I was never truly engaged in the story. At times I felt that the writing was almost a bit pretentious and that it tried so hard to be literature as opposed to genre fiction that it overreached and ended up just being absurd. Or it could simply be that I am more interested in being entertained by a story than in trying to ponder life’s mysteries or decipher allegory.
I definitely enjoyed listening to The Reapers are the Angels and, while it wasn’t really my thing, I can certainly see where other people would appreciate the writing style and depth. (less)
Ultraviolet introduces us to Alison, a sixteen year old girl who finds herself committed to psychiatric hospital after what others believe was a psych...moreUltraviolet introduces us to Alison, a sixteen year old girl who finds herself committed to psychiatric hospital after what others believe was a psychotic episode. Alison is convinced that she murdered her classmate but she can’t explain how she did it or where the body is. Her fractured relationship with her parents make her reluctant to be honest with her doctor, but when a researcher arrives and with his tests uncovers what Alison has worked for so long to keep secret, she begins to discover some difficult truths about herself.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I had briefly heard of synesthesia in Raw Blue but Ultraviolet definitely piqued my interest in the subject even further. Alison’s unusual way of sensing things was described in such detail, I was absolutely fascinated. Alison’s character was extremely well developed, flawed in very real ways and her journey to understanding herself and accepting her abilities as well as her faults was beautifully written.
The negatives for me was that the romance felt forced and weak and a little uncomfortable. I don’t think that it was necessary to the story and I think that it would have worked much better without it. The sci-fi aspects were also rather weakly done, in my opinion. Where Alison’s time in the hospital was intriguing and emotional, the direction the story then took was a bit dull in comparison.
Overall, I really enjoyed Ultraviolet and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who would enjoy a beautifully written story that includes aspects of mental illness, sci-fi, and paranormal abilities. (less)
I just keep losing interest in this one. Maybe I'll try to pick it up again another time. I'm absolutely in love with the cover and it got such a glow...moreI just keep losing interest in this one. Maybe I'll try to pick it up again another time. I'm absolutely in love with the cover and it got such a glowing review from a Goodreads friend that I really want to like this. (less)
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