The Forest of Hands and Teeth --- Carrie Ryan

Rating: 4 Stars
Genre: Horror, Young Adult, Futuristic
Pages: 308

Official Summary:
In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future - between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Review:
This book is basically a mix between the movies "I Am Legend" and "The Village." If you like creepy zombies, this will be a treat for you. The zombies are called the 'Unconsecrated.' They were once humans but have been infected by a disease that causes them to change in to flesh seeking zombies. Awesome, huh?

I love the title, The Forest of Hands and Teeth. It gets your attention, doesn't it?
I like the idea for the book, but the story itself could have been better.
Unfortunately, the main character, Mary, is very difficult to like. Throughout the book I was constantly questioning her reasoning. Her logic just did not make sense. Although that aspect was frustrating, the book is good.

A good trait of the book was that the author, Carrie Ryan, does not focus the entire book on the Unconsecrated. Instead she focuses on the living characters, their lives, and the impact of the Unconsecrated, rather than the Unconsecrated themselves. Does that make sense? But don't get me wrong, there are still lots of interactions with the Unconsecrated!

This is a fun, creepy read. I recommend it all the time! Plus it has a companion/sequel book called The Dead Tossed Waves.... and it's even better! I will post about that next.
Audience 14+