Forest of Hands and Teeth
Publish Date: March 2009
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Format: Hardcover, 320pp
Age Young adult
ISBN: 0385736819
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?
Carrie Ryan lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can visit Carrie at http://www.carrieryan.com/.
I picked this book up at the library because of the cover (the title threw me off I must say.) Typically I avoid books with a lot of graphic imagery and violence, but got sucked in by all of the intrigue and secrets the Sisterhood were holding. For me, Mary’s world of zombies and isolation seemed doomed and ruled by other’s choices. The romance between her and Travis was beautiful at first and disappointing in the end.
I understand Mary’s need for independence and freedom, but her choices seemed selfish and put the ones she loves in danger. The ending left me sad, but I will read the sequel hoping it answers all of the questions left in my head. Overall, I would give it 3 and a half stars out of five. Very interesting and haunting, yet I found myself wanting Mary to make different choices, taking into consideration all that she lost.
