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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Forest of Hands and Teeth Trilogy by Carrie Ryan

I read the first book in the series, "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" about a year ago and just finished the second and third books in the series; "The Dead Tossed Waves" and "The Dark and Hollow Places." I loved the first one and found it surprisingly haunting and poignant. While the basic story involves people trying to survive in a world where the dead don't stay dead, this definitely is not your typical zombie story. I found all three books to be consistently well written very evocative and emotional. The first book follows a young girl Mary and her friends as they flee from the only home they have ever known hidden deep inside the woods and surrounded by fences to keep the dead out. They have no idea just how big the world is and how many other survivors are out there until they finally make their way out of the forest of hands and teeth.

The second book, "The Dead Tossed Waves" is a continuation of the first. Mary has lost touch with her friends and made a life for herself in a lighthouse close to the ocean and is raising her daughter, Gabry. This story focuses mostly on Gabry and her friends after they sneak out of their protected village with some friends and are attacked by the dead. Some of her friends are infected and then killed and some are punished for sneaking out. Gabry manages to get back to the village before she is found out but her best friend is caught and her almost boyfriend is bitten and infected so must stay behind. The rest of the story focuses on these young people as they struggle to survive. At what cost do they survive and what are they willing to do? What happens when the man you love is infected?

The third book, "The Dark and Hollow Places" continues to follow Gabry and her friends and explores Gabry's true origins. She finds out that she has a long lost twin, Abagail, and now must come to terms with having missed growing up with her. What kind of person is she and will she be able to find her. Will she be able to convince her boyfriend Catcher that they can have a chance at a relationship even though he carries the infection and could possibly infect her? Can they reunite with her sister Abagail and their friend Elias?

I would highly recommend these books to anyone that likes to read. These are stories of love and survival that anyone can relate to. If you liked "The Hunger Games" than chances are, you will love these books!