I don’t think I’ve read a zombie book that I didn’t like. Sorry about the spoiler because yes, The Forest of Hands and Teeth is as story about zombies but it’s very gracefully written, you sometimes forget there are zombies in it. Carrie Ryan definitely has an effortless way of bringing art out of her words. Her writing seems to have this hypnotic effect on me and I just had to keep reading.
Writing aside though, I think the plot is also very commendable and I think very original. The utopian world is literally juxtaposed with the dystopian world and I was very impressed with the idea. The main characters live safely in a “Pleasantville-ish” village and believe they are the last humans on earth while outside the fence where lies theForest of Hands and Teeth, the “Unconsecrated” surround them keeping the people inside and leaving them no choice but be content with how they live. But Mary, our main character is a curious (sometimes too curious it’s annoying) girl and couldn’t accept that all there is to life is their sorry one in the village. This is where all the conflicts in the story shall arise.
Perhaps one of the setbacks of the novel is the heavy romance despite not being really romantic. I’m not particularly sure why Mary earns a lot of affection from the boys since she’s not a very likable character to begin with. I didn’t find real chemistry with any of the matches and I don’t like how Mary is too indecisive of her feelings. I also find it weird that these sinister Sisters are the ones imposing these weird rules and rituals among the villagers. I don’t think this will be addressed in the sequel because WTH, I checked it and it has nothing to do with these characters. But I want answers on why the Sisterhood rules the village. What are these secret passages they’re hiding in their cathedral? What’s their connection with the Unconsecrated? What happens to the people left behind? To Mary? To Jed?
Overall, it’s still a gripping post apocalyptic read and I would have been eager for the sequel if it would answer all my questions but I guess it won’t so bummer. Guess I’ll just have to find out what the sequel is about.
P.S. I hear this is going to be adapted into a movie starring Maisie Williams. That would be so awesome!^^
