nglofile's review
2.0
Much stronger in its beginning than in its development and conclusion. I usually respond well to first-person narration, but this protagonist was wearying in the way she would tread and re-tread the same thoughts, not to mention her utter self-absorption. Disappointing in the lack of realizing its own potential, and landing in the "just ok" camp.
tine1789's review against another edition
5.0
Ja, lieve mensen, ik heb zonet mijn eerste zombieboek uitgelezen! Dit boek kwam ik zo'n 3 jaar geleden voor het eerst tegen en het leek me toen al interessant, maar om één of andere reden heb ik het nu pas gelezen en, amai, wat ben ik blij dat ik dat gedaan heb!
My mother used to tell me aubout the ocean.
Ik was hooked vanaf de eerste zin. The Forest of Hands and Teeth pakte me en liet me niet meer gaan. De kleine gemeenschap waarin Mary leeft, een nederzetting die door hekken van the Forest wordt afgeschermd, werd heel goed beschreven en alle personages vond ik heel realistisch. Ook de impact van alle gebeurtenissen op de personages was heel duidelijk aanwezig en goed gedaan. Ik voelde mee met Mary als de zaken er niet goed uitzagen en wilde bij een bepaalde scène naast haar komen staan om samen alle gevoelens er schreeuwend en krijsend uit te laten.
Heel het boek heeft een donkere sfeer, wat natuurlijk niet verbazend is als je in achting neemt dat de personages constant omringd zijn door grommende, kreunende ondoden die hen aan stukken zouden scheuren zodra ze de kans kregen. Soms werden situaties zo donker, zo uitzichtloos en hopeloos dat ik me afvroeg hoe Mary & co het er in vredesnaam levend vanaf zouden brengen.
Verder heb ik nog wat vragen die onbeantwoord zijn gebleven, o.a. over Gabrielle en the Sisterhood, wat ik jammer vind, maar tegelijk zou het te 'gemaakt' zijn als alle vragen perfect beantwoord zouden zijn. Gelukkig is dit het eerste deel van een serie en zal het tweede deel misschien een paar van deze vragen beantwoorden.
My mother used to tell me aubout the ocean.
Ik was hooked vanaf de eerste zin. The Forest of Hands and Teeth pakte me en liet me niet meer gaan. De kleine gemeenschap waarin Mary leeft, een nederzetting die door hekken van the Forest wordt afgeschermd, werd heel goed beschreven en alle personages vond ik heel realistisch. Ook de impact van alle gebeurtenissen op de personages was heel duidelijk aanwezig en goed gedaan. Ik voelde mee met Mary als de zaken er niet goed uitzagen en wilde bij een bepaalde scène naast haar komen staan om samen alle gevoelens er schreeuwend en krijsend uit te laten.
Heel het boek heeft een donkere sfeer, wat natuurlijk niet verbazend is als je in achting neemt dat de personages constant omringd zijn door grommende, kreunende ondoden die hen aan stukken zouden scheuren zodra ze de kans kregen. Soms werden situaties zo donker, zo uitzichtloos en hopeloos dat ik me afvroeg hoe Mary & co het er in vredesnaam levend vanaf zouden brengen.
Verder heb ik nog wat vragen die onbeantwoord zijn gebleven, o.a. over Gabrielle en the Sisterhood, wat ik jammer vind, maar tegelijk zou het te 'gemaakt' zijn als alle vragen perfect beantwoord zouden zijn. Gelukkig is dit het eerste deel van een serie en zal het tweede deel misschien een paar van deze vragen beantwoorden.
lunabob's review against another edition
4.0
I must admit that this book did not live up to my expectations. I was hoping for more but it wasn't a total drag.
It took me some time to get through it because Mary quite honestly annoyed me. She displayed feelings for various people but you could never tell who she really cared for. I was getting mixed signals for both men. Was she interested? Or did she just like the way their skin felt when they were touching? Was she angry with her friend or? I felt like Mary was quite flat.
However, in a world full of zombies while excluding the obnoxious love triangle she seemed so desperate for, her feelings about the world around her was quite understandable. I for one, am terrified of zombies. I become scared at the idea of such a world and so I would feel a constant impending doom that I felt from Mary's breakdowns.
I also wanted to strangle ever last Sister that was within this book. I am not a very religious person, I have not quite found my place among our diverse religions and it irritates me to no end when someone thinks that they have any right to control the life of another being. Excuse me Sister, but my mind may wonder however it pleases and I may lust for whatever man I like.
Aside from my undying hate for Sister Tabitha and Mary's insanely detestable love triangle the book was grand and I would love to give the second book a chance at redeeming The Forest of Hands and Teeth.
It took me some time to get through it because Mary quite honestly annoyed me. She displayed feelings for various people but you could never tell who she really cared for. I was getting mixed signals for both men. Was she interested? Or did she just like the way their skin felt when they were touching? Was she angry with her friend or? I felt like Mary was quite flat.
However, in a world full of zombies while excluding the obnoxious love triangle she seemed so desperate for, her feelings about the world around her was quite understandable. I for one, am terrified of zombies. I become scared at the idea of such a world and so I would feel a constant impending doom that I felt from Mary's breakdowns.
I also wanted to strangle ever last Sister that was within this book. I am not a very religious person, I have not quite found my place among our diverse religions and it irritates me to no end when someone thinks that they have any right to control the life of another being. Excuse me Sister, but my mind may wonder however it pleases and I may lust for whatever man I like.
Aside from my undying hate for Sister Tabitha and Mary's insanely detestable love triangle the book was grand and I would love to give the second book a chance at redeeming The Forest of Hands and Teeth.
taylorreadsbooks's review against another edition
1.0
Oh this book could have been so much better. I love zombies and the initial idea of this new world was very interesting, but I quickly became bored. I felt like the storyline dragged soo much, I hated the Sisterhood and everything about it and I found myself wishing for the demise of the all main characters because they all annoyed the crap out of me.
To summarize this story in once sentence: Its a post apocalyptic zombie story of a girl who only wants to see the ocean.
Seriously.
Sadly I am a reader who can't not finish a book and its really hard for me to abandon a series so I'm sure I will find myself suffering through the next in this series. *fingers crossed that its better*
To summarize this story in once sentence: Its a post apocalyptic zombie story of a girl who only wants to see the ocean.
Seriously.
Sadly I am a reader who can't not finish a book and its really hard for me to abandon a series so I'm sure I will find myself suffering through the next in this series. *fingers crossed that its better*
koalathebear's review against another edition
4.0
Now this book is very, very interesting. It's basically a zombie novel of all things, set in a post-apocalyptic world which reads like a historical. Ryan is very talented in terms of describing things, building suspense and that sort of thing but I really rather loathed Mary. I have no idea why the men in her life cared about her the way she did, not only was she a Too Stupid To Live Heroine, she was also selfish, self-absorbed and just kind of rotten. It's always unfortunate when the main character has no redeeming qualities. BUT I still think the book was a very interesting read and I wasn't bored for a second - the problem is, Ryan spends so much time trying to build suspense, write gorily and scare the reader that she never actually answers the questions and mysteries that she introduces. Ah well.
kate_brauning's review against another edition
I loved the first half of this so much, but the story didn't hold together for me once they reached the abandoned village. Gorgeous writing and a fascinating world, though.
shan198025's review against another edition
3.0
Before I read this book it seems like I read slot of reviews saying how much they hated Mary and that she is crazy. I personally didn't see these two things. To me Mary was a teenage girl who didn't really know her own mind ( other than that she wants to see the ocean). She was selfish and self absorbed, just how I remember myself being as a teenager. I would have liked to see more of the romance between her and Travis. The Sisterhood had more secrets that I would have liked to see revealed. Overall there are a lot of questions that go unanswered, if the had been I think I would have liked the book more.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this one and for real, couldn't put it down. As usual, when I get into a great story, I want to read all the words as quickly as I can and that was definitely the case with this one.
At first the characters drove me nuts but it all came together. I will admit, their flaws are what really turned me off at first and then as the book progressed, that is what actually made me enjoy the story.
I won't give away anything of the story here but I am still very curious as to what happened that triggered the Return...nothing is given up to the reader regarding the back story and who knows if it ever will be. Also, I wanted to understand more about the Sisterhood as well as what the heck happened with Gabriela. I need to know what the secrets are.
I have read a few reviews stating that the next book isn't about Mary - I hope we still get some information on what happened between the end of book 1 and the beginning of book 2 but don't know if it will happen. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a good story, zombies and quite a bit of action.
At first the characters drove me nuts but it all came together. I will admit, their flaws are what really turned me off at first and then as the book progressed, that is what actually made me enjoy the story.
I won't give away anything of the story here but I am still very curious as to what happened that triggered the Return...nothing is given up to the reader regarding the back story and who knows if it ever will be. Also, I wanted to understand more about the Sisterhood as well as what the heck happened with Gabriela. I need to know what the secrets are.
I have read a few reviews stating that the next book isn't about Mary - I hope we still get some information on what happened between the end of book 1 and the beginning of book 2 but don't know if it will happen. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a good story, zombies and quite a bit of action.
ellenpenleysmith's review against another edition
1.0
I'm glad this book only cost me $10. Really. After picking it up again this afternoon and only making it through another few pages, I can honestly say I won't try to read this again.
I definitely thought I would enjoy this. The beginning was good, the voice was enticing... and then after a few chapters things just stopped. There was hardly any dialogue, only thoughts and Mary's rambles.
I'm sorry. But I cannot handle that.
I definitely thought I would enjoy this. The beginning was good, the voice was enticing... and then after a few chapters things just stopped. There was hardly any dialogue, only thoughts and Mary's rambles.
I'm sorry. But I cannot handle that.
chelseavbc's review against another edition
4.0
Everyone who recommended this book to me billed it as a zombie romance. Each time I heard or read that phrase, I kept picturing two of the living dead presenting brains instead of flowers as tokens of affection. While that would be totally funny, it’s not akin to what I’ve been reading. Luckily, I read the inside flap on the dust jacket, and didn’t see any hints of the main character being a zombie.
I sank my teeth in, as it were, and was impressed by both the plot and themes of Carrie Ryan’s novel. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is not a zombie romance book. It’s a love story that just happens to have zombies as outside forces impacting the living characters. And, despite the dark tone, it’s a refreshing read. It’s not a story you’ve read before. (Though one could draw some similarities to the film The Village.)
Mary’s world is sheltered. Everyone knows it, and they’ve been convinced they should be thankful for the cloistering. The community is surrounded by a towering fence. Outside lies the Forest of Hands and Teeth, home to The Unconsecrated. Throughout the day The Unconsecrated will attack the fence, breaking fingers and limbs, attempting to get at the living inside. The Sisterhood (a religious authority, as you may have guessed) runs the town, and blames the wanton ways of society before The Return for the existence of the aforementioned zombies. All are taught that their community is the only one left. Everyone else has been killed or turned into one of The Unconsecrated.
Mary doesn’t believe that. For one, why are there paths leading away from their village? For another, her mother passed down stories of the ocean — such a vast body of water could surely keep The Unconsecrated at bay. She passes along her mother’s stories of the ocean, of the world before The Return to her friends, and knows there must be more out there.
As Mary doesn’t work hard to toe the party line, she finds herself under the watchful eye of The Sisterhood. She spots a girl in vivid red enter the village from outside the fence, but the sisters keep her hidden. The Sisterhood is keeping secrets, and Mary realizes she has options. But then the fence is breached, people are dying and she must flee.
She always wanted to leave, to prove there was more to the world, to find the ocean. But now she has her friends with her, including the guy she loves, his brother who loves her and her best friend who thinks leaving the village even when it is in shambles is a bad idea. Choosing to build the life she thought she wanted with the person she loves is hard when the chance to find the ocean, and maybe escape The Unconsecrated, is nearly in reach.
Often doing what is best for ourselves can be hard, especially as we grow. Carrie Ryan does an excellent job of depicting the internal strife that comes when you realize you’ve outgrown your dreams. When you realize you want something bigger, and are forced to make the hard choice to act on it. In a much more secondary way, it paints a picture of why transparency in government is vital. If the citizens had known more about The Unconsecrated, about the creation of their village, it’s likely they would have been better prepared.
While this review doesn’t focus on the romance angle, mostly to avoid spoilers, the interactions between couples are real, not storybook. Each of the characters in The Forest of Hands and Teeth feels honest to the reader, which is something I highly value.
Carrie Ryan recently released the sequel to this novel titled The Dead-Tossed Waves, which has been pushed toward the top of my to-read list.
This review is also available at the Vampire Book Club
I sank my teeth in, as it were, and was impressed by both the plot and themes of Carrie Ryan’s novel. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is not a zombie romance book. It’s a love story that just happens to have zombies as outside forces impacting the living characters. And, despite the dark tone, it’s a refreshing read. It’s not a story you’ve read before. (Though one could draw some similarities to the film The Village.)
Mary’s world is sheltered. Everyone knows it, and they’ve been convinced they should be thankful for the cloistering. The community is surrounded by a towering fence. Outside lies the Forest of Hands and Teeth, home to The Unconsecrated. Throughout the day The Unconsecrated will attack the fence, breaking fingers and limbs, attempting to get at the living inside. The Sisterhood (a religious authority, as you may have guessed) runs the town, and blames the wanton ways of society before The Return for the existence of the aforementioned zombies. All are taught that their community is the only one left. Everyone else has been killed or turned into one of The Unconsecrated.
Mary doesn’t believe that. For one, why are there paths leading away from their village? For another, her mother passed down stories of the ocean — such a vast body of water could surely keep The Unconsecrated at bay. She passes along her mother’s stories of the ocean, of the world before The Return to her friends, and knows there must be more out there.
As Mary doesn’t work hard to toe the party line, she finds herself under the watchful eye of The Sisterhood. She spots a girl in vivid red enter the village from outside the fence, but the sisters keep her hidden. The Sisterhood is keeping secrets, and Mary realizes she has options. But then the fence is breached, people are dying and she must flee.
She always wanted to leave, to prove there was more to the world, to find the ocean. But now she has her friends with her, including the guy she loves, his brother who loves her and her best friend who thinks leaving the village even when it is in shambles is a bad idea. Choosing to build the life she thought she wanted with the person she loves is hard when the chance to find the ocean, and maybe escape The Unconsecrated, is nearly in reach.
Often doing what is best for ourselves can be hard, especially as we grow. Carrie Ryan does an excellent job of depicting the internal strife that comes when you realize you’ve outgrown your dreams. When you realize you want something bigger, and are forced to make the hard choice to act on it. In a much more secondary way, it paints a picture of why transparency in government is vital. If the citizens had known more about The Unconsecrated, about the creation of their village, it’s likely they would have been better prepared.
While this review doesn’t focus on the romance angle, mostly to avoid spoilers, the interactions between couples are real, not storybook. Each of the characters in The Forest of Hands and Teeth feels honest to the reader, which is something I highly value.
Carrie Ryan recently released the sequel to this novel titled The Dead-Tossed Waves, which has been pushed toward the top of my to-read list.
This review is also available at the Vampire Book Club