The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan
The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan
12 Rating(s)
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
Club: $10.00

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Author: Carrie Ryan

Narrator: Vane Millon

Unabridged: 9 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/12/2009


Synopsis

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, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.
   Now, 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?

[STAR] "A bleak but gripping story...Poignant and powerful."-Publishers Weekly, Starred

"A postapocalyptic romance of the first order, elegantly written from title to last line."-Scott Westerfeld, author of the Uglies series and Leviathan

"Intelligent, dark, and bewitching, The Forest of Hands and Teeth transitions effortlessly between horror and beauty. Mary's world is one that readers will not soon forget."-Cassandra Clare, bestselling author of City of Bones

"Opening The Forest of Hands and Teeth is like cracking Pandora's box: a blur of darkness and a precious bit of hope pour out. This is a beautifully crafted, page-turning, powerful novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it."-Melissa Marr, bestselling author of Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange

"Dark and sexy and scary. Only one of the Unconsecrated could put this book down."-Justine Larbalestier, author of How to Ditch Your Fairy

About The Author

   CARRIE RYAN is the New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy that includes The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves, The Dark and Hollow Places, and the original ebook Hare Moon. She has edited the short story anthology Foretold: 14 Stories of Prophecy and Prediction and contributed to many other story collections herself, including Zombies vs. Unicorns, Kiss Me Deadly, and Enthralled. Her work has been translated into over eighteen languages and her first novel is in production as a major motion picture. Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Carrie is a graduate of Williams College and Duke University School of Law. A former litigator, she now writes full time and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Visit her at CarrieRyan.com.


Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Lisa the Librarian on 2013-08-01 14:43:39

Im a fan of zombies. So many of us are these days. They are what Godzilla was in the 50s and 60s and what slashers were to the 80s. These iconic symbols of contemporary fear are fun.First, the narration. Not great. The reader, while trying to be intense hits a certain boring monotone. But that might be the text. But why did Sister Tabitha get an accent? There are village people who became sisters, they arent foreigners who have conquered. It was a strange choice.Otherwise, Ryans book is not fun. Ryans books are written in a style that is amateurish and mediocre. Had it been written by someone with more skill in the craft of writing, Suzanne Collins and her books of a postapocalyptic dystopia comes to mind, they could have been amazing. So what are the flaws in the writing? First, I question the use of 1st person present tense. Present tense can be difficult to work in as if conveys a feeling of dreaminess and sometimes mental illness. Those qualities do not complement the attempt at grit. Just a stylistic disagreement there. But she has even more problems with the 1stperson narrator. A firstperson narrator cannot think or say something outside their knowledge and experience. That is one of the more difficult aspects of that choice, as opposed to the 3rdperson omniscient, for example. So where does this villager, the protagonist Mary, have the experience to use the word percussion early in the novel? Or to name her dog Argos? In a village that is barely hanging one and that has no books except the scriptures and the genealogy tomes? This type of thoughtlessness reflects the overall poor worldbuilding. And speaking again of poor word choices: Flesh. Overused. There are times when skin would have been just fine, or arm. By the end of the book I felt like creating a drinking game. Every time she uses the word flesh you have to take a drink. Powerful words should be used carefully and sparingly so they dont lose their impact. But Ryan doesnt seem to know how to measure her interactions with the reader.For example, her use of similes is outrageous. Everything is like or as. Yes, these are important techniques that, when used well, offer a great deal to both the intellectual and visceral understanding of a situation. But when overused they call attention to the artifice of the technique and break the suspension of disbelief.She is equally unmeasured in her intensity of description in the unconsecrated zombie attacks. To maintain the momentum of the ongoing crisis, you have to balance, hold back, and alter the sense of danger. Yes, real zombie attacks would probably feel pretty intense every time, but we are talking about the craft of writing and its effect on readers. And her constant hyperintensity simply becomes boring by the end. The protagonist and supporting characters are always deluged or buried or covered with zombies, as they are covered in blood at almost all times, but they arent bitten nearly as much as youd think by the description. Could that be refuted in that the 1stperson narration always feels that kind of intensity when being attacked by zombies? Maybe. But it doesnt work on the level of crafting the narrative and interacting with the reader.Finally, the ending. That is perhaps the most anticlimatic ending I have ever read. The insistance that she will follow [her] dreams and must get to the ocean do not achieve an emotional climax when she does reach her goal. Sure, everybody she loved in life is dead, happiness may not be carrying the day, but to get your first glimpse of the power of the ocean and not forget for a moment after having strived so hard to see it? The ending feels tired. A tired author trying to end an ultimately boring book. I understand there are several derivitive sequel and prequels in the series. I wont be reading any of them.It was a great idea. It could have been a great book. Its a shame it didnt have a greater writer to support it.

See this family? Or this family? Take a good long hard look at all of their faces. See how happy, how healthy, how loving they are. Imagine you've known them your entire life and that you love each one more than life itself. Now imagine if you were one of the people in that photograph with them. Now im......more

Goodreads review by Kiki

Dear Mary, You went full Shane. You never go full Shane. Hugs and kisses, Kiki xoxo......more

Goodreads review by Wigs

More filler YA garbage. It had potential I guess but the writing quality, the plot quality, the dialogue quality, I just can't. It was like the author lost a bet over how minimal a vocabulary she could use to write a book. Ocean. Ocean. OCEAN. OCEAN OCEAN OCEAN I swear to god stop saying ocean talk......more


Quotes

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, February 2, 2009:
“Mary's observant, careful narration pulls readers into a bleak but gripping story of survival and the endless capacity of humanity to persevere . . .Fresh and riveting.”

Starred review, School Library Journal, May 2009:
"[T]he suspense that Ryan has created from the very first page on entices and tempts readers so that putting the book down is not an option."


Awards

  • ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
  • Amelia Bloomer List Recommended Title
  • Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best books
  • Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers"
  • Missouri Gateway Readers Award
  • New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
  • Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award