The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Mary's village is the last heartbeat of humanity. Her community, located in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, has endured droughts, disease and the Unconsecrated, flesh-eating zombies that are always trying to find a way into the village. After her parents die and her brother disowns her, Mary goes to live with the Sisterhood, a group of women who know everything about the village. As Mary gets accustomed to life in the Cathedral, she begins to discover things that she can't believe. But Mary's search for answers is cut short when a breach in the fence leads to an Unconsecrated attack. Will Mary and her friends be able to survive?

I was a little wary of The Forest of Hands and Teeth at first. From the summary, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, plus it was a little vague. But I was proven completely wrong. This book was amazing. It is set in the future, after our world collapses from a virus that causes people to turn into zombies, also known as the Unconsecrated. The people in Mary's village are the last humans alive, or so they believe. In a world without hope, Mary still has this gut feeling that there is more to the world than just her village. She is a resilient character who overcomes loss and despair and continues to move forward. Unlike everyone else, she is not content to live out her life in the village; she wants to leave and see if there really is an ocean, like in her mother's stories. These traits made Mary an interesting character to read about. Mary's faith that there was more to the world was a big theme in the book and the mysterious ocean was a symbol for Mary's dream of a better life.

Another aspect that made this book so wonderful was the romance. There was a bit of a love triangle present, but the love between Mary and Travis was so strong and pure. Carrie Ryan wrote Mary's emotions beautifully. As I was reading, I became Mary and felt all the things that she did. As for the zombies, don't be turned off if you don't like horror. The zombies added an element of fear and hopelessness that made The Forest of Hands and Teeth perfect. I still can't believe how good this book was and highly recommend it for all readers.

9 out of 10.

Release Date: March 10, 2009