The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Paperback, 336 Pages
2010, Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780385736824
Series: Book 1 of The Forest of Hands and Teeth
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 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
I'd read nothing but rave reviews of The Forest of Hands and Teeth since the book was released. I finally got around to reading it and I have to say, I'm a bit baffled by the hype. I love a good zombie story. Heck, I generally even love a bad zombie story (if my taste in movies is taken into account). The Forest of Hands and Teeth wasn't a bad zombie story. It just failed to make me care.
Mary questioned the world she lived in, because she's the main character in a dystopian novel and that's what they do. She loved one boy, but becomes betrothed to another, because that's how love triangles work. Mary's society found a way to live in relative safety while surrounded by zombies. Until one day, it all went to hell, because that's what happens in zombie novels. Like I said, The Forest of Hands and Teeth wasn't bad, but it followed every cliche of every genre it touched and ended up being predictable because of it.
It's hard to become emotional about events or characters when you can't find any reason to connect with them. Most of Mary's actions were inspired by her attraction to Travis, yet for half of the book it seemed as though he wasn't interested in her at all. The Travis, Mary, Harry love triangle made it difficult to root for anyone. Harry and Travis both claim that Mary is the love of their lives, but both are equally willing to be with Mary's best friend. The way Mary's society handled marriage probably had a lot to do with everyone's attitudes towards the love triangle, but knowing the reason doesn't make the romance aspect any more exciting.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth is an all around average book. Full of cliched situations and characters who ignored the obvious, it just didn't elicit the excitement one would expect from a zombie novel. It was an okay read, but there are better YA zombie books out there.
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