The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1) in Pick-a-Shelf

May 03, 2009 Misty rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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

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 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.

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Jun 15, 2010 Slayermel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century, zombies, series, horror, fiction, mystery, young-adult, suspense, dystopia

This was a very exciting read that kept me turning the pages and trying to sneak time during the day to continue reading.

Carrie Ryan has a wild imagination and I just loved how she put this dystopian Zombie tale together.

Mary lives in a village where there are rules to live by and they are all set by the Sisterhood as they know what’s best for everyone and they guard the secrets of the past. They Oversee the Guardians of the city who protect the fences that run the perimeter of the village as This was a very exciting read that kept me turning the pages and trying to sneak time during the day to continue reading.

Carrie Ryan has a wild imagination and I just loved how she put this dystopian Zombie tale together.

Mary lives in a village where there are rules to live by and they are all set by the Sisterhood as they know what’s best for everyone and they guard the secrets of the past. They Oversee the Guardians of the city who protect the fences that run the perimeter of the village as well as other tasks the Sisterhood may have for them.
The fences are in place to keep the Unconsecrated out, as they persistently bang on the fences, stretching their broken fingers in to try and claim a victim, to spread the infection further. The fences are what protect the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
Mary has heard stories her whole life from her mother, about how the world used to be before the return. Stories that have been passed down through the women in the family! Stories about the Ocean and buildings that could touch the sky!
Slowly Mary’s life starts to change after her mother is bitten by an unconsecrated, and the village only has two choices as a solution. Mary’s mother’s choice causes much upheaval in Mary’s young life. She Learns things about the Sisterhood she should not know, she learns about the paths that enter and leave the village, that they have been forbidden to use, which apparently are never used. Until Mary catches a peek at a girl in red, being taken from the path! What secrets is the sisterhood hiding?

Throw in your love interests and there are two in this one, brothers Travis and Harry. I really enjoyed Mary, Travis and Harry as characters, some of the other ones bugged me but not enough to hate them.
This book actually made me cry at one point.

So this brings me to the point then of why only 3 Stars. There are a few reasons.

The word Unconsecrated is used more often then I think is really necessary, and when it becomes so obvious it’s time to tone it down a little

The mystery in the Sisterhoods basement with the book, the plaque by the door with the names written on it, we really should have gotten more answers, especially towards the end of the book if it was not going to be cleared up right away. I’m still dying to know what’s written in the margins of the book.

And again the Shakespeare book, more info pleas.
And I’m just dying to know what happened to Jed, Harry, Cass, Jacob and Argos, Especially they way Mary seemed to be telling her story about how there have been many friendly kisses between her and Harry since but none like the one she shared with Travis. I just assumed she’s talking about their future together, what the heck happened there? I hate it when I don’t know what happens at the end of a book especially after it has drawn me in for so long. The mysteries should have all been explained by the end such as how it all began, why the fence system, why different villages etc..... I would have been way more satisfied and given the story a 4-5 Star. Kind of frustrated! So hence only 3 Stars!

Definitely worth a read :0)
I may just have to read the second one now though "The Dead-Tossed Waves" ...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Tien rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, dystopia

My first thought: hhmmm, like The Hunger Games with zombies.

Second thought: errr, I'm not quite sure I like these characters.

I didn't mind the story that much, in fact, I quite enjoy the last 1/4 of the book. The mystery and the occassional suspense made me read all the way to the end but I'm really not quite sure if I'd read the next book in the series although I am left with questions which I probably will not remember within the next 6 months or so. I think that basically describes how much o ...more

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Sep 25, 2010 Sunflower rated it really liked it

Shelves: e-books, fiction-read-2010

4 stars for being unputdownable: I just wanted to know what happened. Dystopia, zombies, a secret religious sect, a love triangle-curious?. This tale stayed with me after I had finished it,and the world that Ryan has built is intriguing even if Mary seems a bit driven and unlikeable. Why is this a YA story? perhaps the way the relationships are portrayed (too idealistic), the age of the heroine? the way she keeps almost dying and being saved at the very last second? the repetitiveness of the wri ...more

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May 05, 2009 Christina rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, 2009-reads

I managed to finish The Forest of Hands and Teeth within an afternoon, which is proof of just how greatly it mesmerised me.

Vastly different from anything I've read in a long time, the world Carrie Ryan has created is dark, deadly and frightening. Mary lives in a village surrounded by the Forest of Hands and Teeth, where the Unconsecrated live. The Unconsecrated were once living people, but have been Infected and Returned from the dead.

Mary's tiny village is fenced off, protected from the Uncon I managed to finish The Forest of Hands and Teeth within an afternoon, which is proof of just how greatly it mesmerised me.

Vastly different from anything I've read in a long time, the world Carrie Ryan has created is dark, deadly and frightening. Mary lives in a village surrounded by the Forest of Hands and Teeth, where the Unconsecrated live. The Unconsecrated were once living people, but have been Infected and Returned from the dead.

Mary's tiny village is fenced off, protected from the Unconsecrated, and she's never known any other life. However, Mary is plagued by the stories her mother told her as a child, of the ocean, of a world beyond their village and the Forest.

Longing to venture out into the unknown, but too scared to take the risk, the choice is made for Mary when the fences are breached, and her small village is destroyed by the Unconsecrated. Mary and her friends must follow the fenced paths leading from the village, in search of freedom and survival.

I loved this book, but it's difficult to decipher whether I loved it for the story, or because I loved just how different it was. I'm thinking a bit of both. Mary's voice is a bit bland, which put me off initially, but it fits the story well. Mary has lived her whole life knowing of death and the Unconsecrated, of fighting for survival, so it's unlikely she's to have a bubbly, enthusiastic voice.

Ryan also throws you RIGHT into the action from the very first page, which I LOVED. There is no getting used to this world, no settling in before taking you for a ride. By the end of the first chapter, you will realise you have already risen the first rollercoaster hill and are about to topple over the edge. Fitting, because Mary's village is constantly on the brink of life and death, never sure of when the Unconsecrated will breach the fences. They constantly live in fear of these monsters. You'll feel this fear with them. I know I did.

I would say I'm very much looking forward to the sequel, but it's a new set of characters. When I finished FHT, I would have liked to have read a continuation of Mary's life from THAT moment. Without spoiling, I want to know what happens to her friends. And I want to understand the pattern of those bloody roman numerals! I hope it's explained in the non!sequel. ...more

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Jun 02, 2009 Kathy rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen, supernatural, zombies

Well, I wasn't expecting to like this book that much, and I was pleasantly surprised by my interest in it. It was rather reminiscent of my approach and reaction to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Game series, which I found completely fascinating. In fact, Mary in The Forest of Hands & Teeth had much similarity to Katniss in Collins' books. Both characters question the ultimate authority of their worlds and want more than the life orchestrated for them. The "unconsecrated" or zombies in Ryan's book were ...more

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Jun 04, 2009 Haley rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2009, young-adult, romance, sci-fi, fiction, fantasy

There are several theories on the apocalypse: one is that when the end comes we will be plunged back into a medieval kind of darkness.

Mary's village is both Christian(it has a "Sisterhood", or convent, and Scriptures are carved onto every wall)and pagan(seasonal celebrations and a "Binding" ceremony for married ones). It has survived the "Return", which seems to suggest that zombies were here before yet came back.

It is medieval. Women are basically baby-machines all in the name of keeping the ra ...more

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Feb 03, 2010 Tara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

I do not read a lot of zombie books (like my husband), but I did find this book to be a interesting addition to the genre.
One of the best parts of this book was the fact that it did not follow the typical recipe for YA books when it came to the love triangle. It featured a female protagonist that did not follow the rules set for her and dared to dream... even when those around her wish that she would not.
The ending sets up for a sequel, but does not end as I thought it would... which always ma ...more

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Jun 27, 2009 Luann rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ms-rec, young-adult, 2010, gr-author, fantasy, dystopia, zombies

I knew it was a mistake to start this so late at night! But I told myself I would just read for an hour or so and then stop and get some sleep. Sleep didn't happen until I had finished the book. I absolutely had to find out how it ended! There were times while reading that I really didn't like the book. I felt like I was there, witnessing the events, and some of them were just not very pleasant. But I was still compelled to know what happened! I think the author has done an amazing job of portra ...more

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