Review : The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Pages : 308
Genre : Young Adult, Post-Apocalypse
My Rating : 

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?

After hearing and reading so many great things about The Forest of Hands and Teeth, you know I just had to read it. Plus ; Zombies! How could I resist those adorable, rotting brain-eaters?

I loved this book. I went through it  fast, but it stayed on my mind for a few days after. I thought of the characters and their choices, the setting, the action, what could have happened IF, etc. It had plenty to keep my mind busy.

I’ll be honest, that my strong rating for this book is mostly based on my undying love for zombies and post-apocalyptical settings. I loved the slow narration, which insisted more on the setting and history of Mary’s village than on the zombies gruesome details. Of course, there were a few of those, but they were few and far between, even if their existence is a constant presence.

If there was one aspect of the book that kept me from loving this story completely, it would have to be Mary, the narrator. Her quest to “see the sea”, prompted by her mother’s tales about the “ocean”, is first poetic and inspiring. On the long run though, it got a little annoying for me; she was so desperatly obsessed with her quest that she didn’t seem to care much about her friends survival. I have very little patience for self-pity, and so Mary was, at times, a little irritating.

Still, I loved the book! I had a hard time putting it down. I felt like it never stopped and the pages went by fast – too fast. It was intriguing, mysterious, and frankly, a little scary! Putting aside Mary’s ocean obsession, I thought she was an excellent narrator, reliable and intelligent, and lucky to be surrounded by a good cast of strong characters, too.

When I turned the last page, I was left with many questions about the Sisterhood and a few other things I will keep quiet about for now (no spoilers for you!) But fortunately, there is a second book to be published in March 2010! I’m not sure if it is a sequel or a prequel or just a parallel story, but I’m hoping for another great story and more answers to my question. And isn’t that cover stunning? I want it now!