The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. New York, N.Y. : Listening Library, p2010. Read by Vane Millon.

Review :  Mary lives in a nice little quiet village on the edge of a forest where nothing much happens except when someone gets bit by one of the infected dead zombies called the Unconsecrated that gather by the fences that surround the area.  You may think that this sounds weird, but basically it’s all Mary has ever known.  Her father has recently disappeared and turned up Unconsecrated, and her mother pretty much goes insane and gets herself bit in order to be with him outside the fences.  Once someone is bit they become infected and then it is only a matter of time before they turn Unconsecrated as well. After losing her parents, Mary is in an awful state and even her own brother turns her away so goes to live with the Sisterhood who just happen to be the keepers of many deep dark secrets.  In the meantime Travis, the guy that Mary has had a crush on for a long time ends mashing his leg and ends up convalescing at the chapel where she is staying with the sisters.  The two become very close and have a strong connection that just may last forever.  Unfortunately the sisters have different plans for them and they decree that Mary must instead become betrothed to Travis’ brother Harry.  Many things happen after this and there is a breach in the fences and the Unconsecrated swarm the village biting and eating lots of people.  The only ones to make it out alive are Mary, Harry, Travis, her friend Cass, a little boy named Jacob, her new puppy Argos and her brother Jed.  As they flee from their village, they leave behind the only world they have ever known.  Mary always wonders what lies beyond the forest of hand and teeth and would like to explore it, but she is constantly being pursued by those annoying flesh eating zombies. 

This is an amazing fictional apocalyptic tale that will have you on the edge of your seat and chewing your fingernails, well at least it did for me.   Ryan’s writing is haunting and intense as she shows readers what life will be like when zombies take over the world dubbing it appropriately as The Return because they die and come back to life as zombies.  I really enjoyed listening to this on disc and Vane Millon’s voice was perfect for Mary.  Readers will enjoy this book because there is plenty of chasing and running and tons of action.  Especially when Mary takes charge and has had enough.  That’s when some zombie heads start to roll! 

When I'm at the highest point in our village I look out at the Forest. I strain to see if I can find the edge of it, find where the rest of the world begins. But all I can see is darkness. My entire life has been about the world outside the fence line, has been about the Forest.

- Mary 

Through twists and turns of fate, orphaned Mary seeks knowledge of life, love, and especially what lies beyond her walled village and the surrounding forest, where dwell the Unconsecrated, aggressive flesh-eating people who were once dead.

Characters. I have read a few reviews saying that the characters in this book were undeveloped and didn’t feel “important”. While i read books, i mostly picture what I'm reading from what I’m given from the author. I’m happy to say that i had no problem visualizing any part of this book. The characters all had a certain personality and was easy for me to like. I think the character development is very good without be too much. In some books, you just get way too much stuff. This book seems level and even.

Theme. The theme of this book is centered around free will. Mary’s village is controlled by the “Sisterhood.” Mary doesn’t want to be forced to conform. It’s not that she wants to go crazy and do illegal or immoral things, she just wants to be able to choose her own path. Instead, the sisterhood determines what is best, then everyone does what they want to achieve that. 

Plot. This story has various elements of suspense. There were times where I couldn’t stop reading because i needed to know what was going to happen! There is a huge journey throughout the book; not just literally but emotionally as well. There is also some mystery because there is a speculation that the sisterhood may know more then they let on too.  

Style. This story evoked many emotions from me including fear, sadness and brief happiness (very, very brief). It was simple to read and understand. Some simile/comparisons but not too much to cause it to be too confusing. The dialog was somewhat brief but i found it effective.

Setting. The setting of this book occurs in an isolated village. This village is surrounded on all sides by a fences and a forest beyond the fence. The unconsecrated zombies are in the forest preventing escape. There are also abandoned trails lead away from the village, but the villagers are prohibited from exploring these trails. The trails seem to be a huge maze! The atmosphere is developed great.

Comparison. Similar to Resident Evil & The Village [that movie] but written for a younger audience.

Overall. Defiantly 5 stars because it was written well, had great characters and cover a topic i have seen much in young adult books. I really really enjoyed this book. I may even go out on a limb and say it was the best one i have read in a while. This reason for this i think is because it really made me think. It some YA books, there is a girl and a boy and the whole story is about there love or relationship. While that kinds of book are good, i think i really like this too. In this book, the whole villages’ wellbeing was considered. There was more issues then just that “mysterious new guy at school” one that so often comes up. Family, friendship, duty, and lose are all covered in this book. And I'm not ashamed to admitted that i almost cried (ok, maybe more then almost.)

<h4>The Bottom-Line</h4>

Mary lives in a secluded village surrounded my people eating zombies, protected only by a fence. She wants to find a way out of the village..out of that life. 

 

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