The Forest of Hands and Teeth Review

[DaphneReviews]

I finished reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, and I have mixed feelings about this book. By the time I read the first sentence, I was intrigued and curious. I read on, and I started to get bored in certain places but then the action would pick back up again, and this process repeated itself a few times. There wasn’t much action or dialogue, in my opinion. I would have liked to experience more action between the Unconsecrated and the main characters. Also, I felt like the author wrote some of the dialogue from her point of view. For example, she used the word boy when referring to one of the characters, but I don’t think Mary would call someone around her age a boy.

The main characters were not outstanding, but I felt I could relate to Mary more than the other characters. The two guys were good in the beginning, but my interest in their characters presence evaporated near the end of the book. Overall, it was an average book, but I’m glad I read it. I will be reading the second novel: The Dead Tossed Waves.

[MindyW]

Mary lives in a world of fear and seclusion. Her village is filled with rules. Rules about how a young person can start a relationship. Rules that tell them when to marry, when to celebrate, and when to give thanks for the life they live. Mary recently lost her father. Her mother, a strong woman who filled her life with stories of places she never seen, is a little on edge since his death. Jed, her brother, is one of the guardians. Men who are trained to care for the village and keep them safe. His wife, Beth, is pregnant. Which is good, because children are a blessing and a need. Their lives are structured, so much so that Mary knows there is only three choices for her. For her path in life.
She can marry, letting Harry claim her. Harry, her friend and companion, has always loved her that way.
She can join the sisters, a life that would be dedicated to God and to keep order.
Or, if she is unwilling to be part of live there in the forest, she can choose to go into the forest.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

It is there, in that forest, blocked off by gates that surround their village, that Mary's father is joined by the others who have died. They are the unconsecrated. The ones who are dead, but keep moving, hungry for human flesh. Choosing that way would only mean her own death. Her own life being given up. So, when Mary is distracted by Harry's attempts at showing her affection, as she scrubs at laundry, and hears the alarms raised by the guardians, she knows there is trouble. Her heart sinking, she is sure of what happened. Sure that it will be her own mother who has fallen. The bite, all it takes to infect a person and turn them, is the catalyst. Her mother, whom Mary suspects got bitten on purpose, choses to be freed into the forest and join the others beyond. To go to her husband, be like him, and be the walking dead. The unconsecrated.
Mary, after having waited until her mother's point of death with her at the gate, needs comfort from her only family. Jed, angry at her for not having killed their mother before she turned, refuses her entry to their home. Harry has not come for her, has not spoken for her. On one hand, that may seem fine, as she is really in love with Harry's brother, Travis. Yet, Travis had spoken for Cass, her best friend. Which means her only option is to go to the sisters.
There, among the sisters, she is quickly reminded of her other choice. One that surely no one who loved life would choose. Still, Mary dreams of what is beyond that forest, and of the stories her mother told her. Circumstances bring Travis into her life, there among the sisters, and a stranger named Gabriel. What life is left for her shifts as the sisters are sure she will only bring trouble and decide to marry her off to Harry, who never came for her. Her heart bleeds for Travis, who is already spoken for. Already betrothed to Cass.
On the day she is to be bound to Harry, the alarms sound. The village is under attack. People are dying all around her. Mary remembers the path the sister showed her, the one that no one travels. When no other way to live is left open, Mary heads to the gate and out to the path. Others are with her; Harry, Cass, Travis, Beth, Jed, and a boy.
This is where the journey begins and life before ends. This is the point in which they must chose to fight and stay, among the dead. Or to go, follow the path, and find out if the stories are true. Is there anything beyond the Forest of Hands and Teeth? A place from the stories? An Ocean?
Will they live to find out?

I really enjoyed reading this book. I am rating this book 3 of 4 stars. If you like post apocalyptic stories, Zombie type creatures, and adventure, then you will enjoy this book. Mary, the main character, is hard headed, selfish, and determined. Her strength is both a blessing and a detriment.

On a side note, I do wish there was more depth to the other characters. The fact that they are not deeper is almost a reflection of just how selfish Mary really is. Her inconsistent emotions and flighty personality makes it hard to like her.

Mindy W.

[Vscholz]

I can't remember if I ever actually read these books or if I just recommended them a bunch when I worked at a book store. The titles are so creative, which are usually enough for me to show interest. I believe this is the series that is similar to the movie The Village?

[M Zee]

I can't remember if I ever actually read these books or if I just recommended them a bunch when I worked at a book store. The titles are so creative, which are usually enough for me to show interest. I believe this is the series that is similar to the movie The Village?

Hmmm, that's an interesting comparison! They are isolated (with the question of what remains outside the village and the fences that keep them in) but there's the inclusion of zombies that makes it fairly different in my mind.

I can see how you would make that connection. The book's title is really evocative of the horror aspect of the book. The series takes a turn after the first one that I really appreciated!