The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (Review)

Genre:	Young Adult, Paranormal, Zombies, Dystopian, Horror
Publication Date:	January 1st 2009
Pages:	308
Published By:	Delacorte Press
Website	Carrie Ryan
	The Forest of Hands and Teeth on Goodreads
My review copy:	Bought

Where to get:

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?

(Goodreads)

I want to sleep, I want dreams to pull me from this world and make me forget. To stop the memories from swirling around me. To put an end to this ache that consumes me.

Suddenly, all I can think about are all the things I don't know about him. All the things I never had time to learn. I don't know if his feet are ticklish or how long his toes are. I don't know what nightmares he had as a child. I don't know which stars are his favorites, what shapes he sees in the clouds. I don't know what he is truly afraid of or what memories he holds closest. 

And I don't have enough time now, never enough time. I want to be in the moment with him, feel his body against mine and think of nothing else, but my mind explodes with grief for all that I am missing. All that I will miss. All that I have wasted

You think you want love, Mary. You think it is this beautiful gift that does nothing but fill you and make you whole. But you are wrong. Love can be cruel and ugly. It can become dark and cause the deepest pain

When you know love . . . that's what makes life worth it

Well, I have officially read two zombie books and I am not disappointed! I wasn't sure what to expect with this book before I started but I really enjoyed Mary's story. When you start the book it jumps right into the setting and Mary talks about the fenced in village and how they have people who look out and guard to make sure the zombies can't come in. It almost reminded me a little bit of the movie The Village but executed much better than that movie. 

What I liked most about this book was Mary. I loved that she wasn't perfect and she did get what she wanted, but at the same time she felt that she deserved more or better. Which is completely normal! Who doesn't think they deserve more or better!? I really loved that about her because it made me connect with her that much more!

The one thing that really irritated me was the cliffhanger ending, but since I don't have to wait for the second book to come out (since it's already out) I can't really complain because I can easily grab the second book and dive back into the world.

I thought it was clever that within the book they call the forest, "The Forest of Hands and Teeth." Instead of it being a metaphor for the zombies that live within the forest. It was very clever that the characters within the book called it that.

This will definitely not be my last Carrie Ryan book! I can't wait to dive back into the world she created and it was perfect for this time of the year. Because it is so well executed to to make you sit on the edge of your seat and you crave more and more with each page you flip!

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