Review: The Dark and Hollow Places

The Dark and Hollow Places
(The Forest of Hands and Teeth #3)
Carrie Ryan
Release date: March 22nd, 2011
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Goodreads / Purchase

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.
 
Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.

But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

*This review is part of Zombies vs Unicorns month co-hosted with Literary Exploration, YA-Aholic and YA Bookmark.*

This was definitely the best of the three. Just as original and thought provoking as the first two in the series- in The Dark and Hollow Places we follow yet a new character, Annah, as the protagonist. Although the others from The Dead-Tossed Waves are present as well. Some more than others, but don't fret- you won't miss anyone; Annah's story is plenty interesting. I also found her to be a much more competent main character than Mary and Gabry. She is strong and self sufficient. I really admired her determination and will to live.

In addition to its originality, we still run and hide, escaping the Unconsecrated, fighting for our lives in this exhilarating pulse pounding conclusion. Although the ending is still a bit open-ended with room for more books in the future, I'd be fine if this was it. It's a perfect way to end this series: Hopeful and believable.

There is no slow start in this third novel. We are thrown right in at high speeds that don't slow down until the last page. It's easily the darkest book in the series. The Unconsecrated are not the only enemy anymore, and I don't know which is worse. We really see the lengths that people will go to in order to survive. Some even make the zombies seem charming. Regardless of all this horror, we've still got some love and romance to gush through. The chemistry between the characters is much more present which makes it even easier to root for them.

It's all brilliantly written; the settings, the different protagonists, the passion, the helplessness, the hope- it all adds up to give us a very realistic world. It made my adrenaline pump and my heart ache. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. I also have to mention that the covers are gorgeous!! That alone is worth having these on your shelves!  

5 Hot Espressos

The Forest of Hands and Teeth series:

For my reviews on the previous books:
Click here for The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Click here for The Dead-Tossed Waves

Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

The Dead-Tossed Waves
(The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #2)
Carrie Ryan
Released March 9th, 2009
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Goodreads / Purchase

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

I was expecting a sequel but The Dead -Tossed Waves is more like a companion with new characters. We now have the daughter of the protagonist from The Forest of Hands and Teeth as the main character, which makes it an original and intriguing sequel. We still have glimpses of the past and Mary's life, though, so it blends well into this second novel.

Even though it ended up being a very captivating page turner, I found the first half of the book slow and somewhat irritating. First, Gabry - the protagonist - is incredibly whiny. And secondly, I found there was a lot of back and forth, consequently making the plot feel sluggish. Imagine teasing a dog with a piece of meat, to just yank it back at the last minute. About 3 times I thought, ok now the real action is starting, she's escaping, but nope it was back to square one again. Finally though, about halfway through we got there, and then it was a real rush with lots of excitement. So in the end, the second half makes up for it.

I really enjoyed learning more about the past, how the fenced villages came about and Gabry's family. I thought I had a lot of it figured out and was rolling my eyes at the predictability, but I had guessed all wrong. It has a lot of unexpected twists. It's also unnerving to get more into the real world they live in. With all these weird viruses emerging lately it's not that big a stretch to imagine an epidemic like this happening.

All in all, this is another great series in the dystopian genre that I highly recommend. 

4 Hot Espressos

Previously reviewed in the series:

1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth
(The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1)
Carrie Ryan
Released March 10th, 2009
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

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?

This was a really exciting read. The plot was not what I expected from the little I knew of the synopsis - it was even better! The Forest of Hands and Teeth takes us years after a virus turned everyone into zombies, except for a certain few who have escaped and built a village surrounded by fences. We follow this girl, Mary, who lives in this village and she wonders if it's true that there is nothing and no one beyond the fences, but zombies (or Unconsecrated as they call it). Then one day, the fences are breached and Mary has run off to the forest trying to find any signs of life, all the while trying not to get bitten. This is a true, creepy, exciting zombie novel!

For the first part, the book was pretty slow moving and a tad boring. Mary just kept whining about how her life sucked. But after the fence is breached the story gets very engrossing, fast paced, and keeps your heart racing until the very last page. It would have gotten 5 espressos if not for the slow beginning.

The author is obviously very talented. The writing is great. She did a very good job at making their world very eerie and nostalgic. The characters are well-rendered. You really feel for them - their loneliness, fears, and will to live. It was great to have a female main character who was strong and didn't need a boy to hold her hand and lead. She also grew to be optimistic which was a relief. I do wish we would have gotten more explanation about what happened before that lead them to this life; how the virus started and such. Maybe in the next books!? We'll see.

I recommend this to anyone who likes heart pounding excitement and isn't afraid of a little zombiesauce.

4 Hot Espressos

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