Here's a blurb from Ms. Ryan's website: Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to
the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the
Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is
all she's ever known, and all she needs for happiness. But life after the Return is never safe, and there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back.
Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling.
One night beyond the Barrier...
One boy Gabry's known forever and one veiled in mystery...
One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned.
Gabry knows only one thing: if she is to have any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past.
My Take
This is the second in the series of the Forest of Hands and Teeth books. I loved the first book and this one did not disappoint either. Carrie Ryan sucks you in with her writing. Each chapter ends with you dying to turn the page and keep reading. Her descriptions have you visualizing everything clearly and when the characters are desperately trying to get away, your heart is pounding almost as hard as theirs.
Gabry is a great main character. She's so much stronger than she realizes. It's nice to get a glimpse of Mary from the first book as well. I loved how the storylines would tie together to make you feel as though you were coming full circle with it all.
I never thought I could get into zombie stories. However, I'm a convert. I really do love these books. They have a wonderful love story woven around the fact that there are undead everywhere. I'm giving this one 5 fleshy kisses!
I still haven't read the 1st one - not sure if I'd enjoy the zombie thing either. Sounds like I would :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed books 1 and 2, but the third book gets too dark for me. I'll be interested to see what you think!
ReplyDeleteTHE DEAD TOSSED WAVES is the follow up novel to THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH. If anything, it is even better than the first one. Carrie Ryan is an exquisitely good writer. I love her characters...every single one of them. Her command of prose is of such a high quality, that I can not stop telling people about her works. Don't let the "Young Adult" label of her fiction fool you. This is literature in high form. Ryan deals with love, emotions, fear, self doubt, sacrifice, hope, and beauty with equal gusto. The novel pulls no punches. I simply want to emphasis the quality of the writing. I am an English teacher, and I am and man. Her romantic slant was so well done that it did not turn me off at all. Occasionally it is slightly over the top....and I do mean slightly. However, it is not the main focus of the book. After all, what teenager doesn't love with melodramatic passion? The action in the book makes the reader want to hold their breath for pages on end. Her books are so aptly named it really sums up the feel of them. In my opinion, these are the most literary zombie holocaust novels ever written.
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