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Okay, I am probably going to get in trouble for this, but I could not enjoy this book. I know a lot of people enjoyed this book. But for me it was sort of like a traffic accident, you can't help but watch it but the horror of it is overwhelming. Let me explain more thoroughly. This is a very well written book that is very intense. It has a huge amount of suffering and you feel for all the characters. But there is a lot of grisly stuff that occurs in it that at the end I was repulsed. Plus the end of the novel is not easily wrapped up. If you are a reader who reads books that at the end the mystery is solved or in a romance where the characters who deserve happiness have a happy ending this book will NOT give you the ending you would like. I like reading books for the fantasy aspect, to escape but I kinda like a pat ending. If you are more adventurous, like edgy novels where things are left hanging a bit or horror movies where most of the cast is killed in inventive ways then this book will keep you spell-bound and thrill you! Mary lives in a society where water is sacred and the religious beliefs are very strict. Their village is said to be the only one with humans left. Outside of their village there are zombie like creatures that hunt the remaining humans and there is fear and paranoia everywhere. But Mary goes against the grain and believes the stories her mother passed down. That there is another place filled with water and free from these 'zombies.' Mary is obsessed with this belief. While I admired her spirit I was frustrated that she could not seem to be happy in the book, ever. She convinces her friends and the 2 men who are interested in her to accompany them. Along the way people die and it is gruesome. The ending is realistic and brutal. There is good and bad but I was just so shocked and actually repulsed after reading it that I didn't feel satisfied. It was creepy. But this book makes you think. It is not the typical easy read. So beware!
Very rarely is there a novel that gets under your skin and is so permeated with atmosphere you feel as if you can hear the nails scratching on wood and smell the fetid breath of death right behind you. "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" is such a novel that pulls it off with amazing effect and aplomb. The setting of this novel is a secluded village surrounded by the forest and the Unconsecrated who seek to infect and destroy the living above all else. Ravenously hungry, unrelentingly persistent, they are a constant threat. Is there anything outside the village? Do others exist? Is this last scraggly band of survivors all that is left of humanity? What is the Sisterhood hiding? These questions are probed by Mary, a young woman at the heart of this story. Her quest to find answers brings pain, loss, longing, and unltimately redemption. Struggling to find her truth and her own path she must confront the Unconsecrated hordes, navigate the Forest of Hands and Teeth, and defy the Sisterhood. Written in a stark and graphic style, this novel pulls you in from the first page and has you thinking it over long after the last. With a creepy factor that sinks in and wont let go- this novel is a breakneck race to freedom and a white-knuckled ride through the forest, dark and foreboding- instersped with flashes of light and brilliance. At its core, this novel is one about love. The love of family, of home, and dreams. It is about stark realities and how we bring survival into the same circle as hope and faith. This book (to me at least) seemed to be the perfect blending of the film "The Village" and the creepy atmospheric "Resident Evil 4" video game(s). While the pairing might seem odd at first, if you have seen or played either you will get the connection very quickly. This book is an excellent read and a wonderful first for the author. I assure you- this book is great! Pick it up, soak in its chilly and musty atmosphere, hear the crunch of leaves and the shuffling steps of the Unconsecrated. Be brave. Venture into "The Forest of Hands and Teeth."
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RCZOQRMM2C30L My first book comes out August 25, 2009! Check it out: As You Wish
...and I mean that in a positive way. 'The Forest Of Hands and Teeth' is the anti-Twilight. 'Twilight' is fluffy teen wish-fulfillment romance/fantasy whereas this book is a cruel, gruesome allegory for resisting complacency with the status quo. It forces the reader to consider some difficult questions about the nature of organized religion, and the constraints of "normal" society. These questions aren't really ever answered definitively. In the end nothing is tied up in a neat little package, and that's what I love about this novel. It forces you to think. This is a "young adult" novel with stress on "ADULT" It deals with very complex themes that may be lost on some younger readers (I can see that from some of the reviews *rolls eyes*). This a beautifully written novel (and coming form me that's saying something. I'm a super picky grammar nazi). Ryan has a simple, lyrical writing style that few modern authors are able to master. The writing is so fluid and the story so engrossing that before you know it you've almost finished the book. This is just way too good for a first novel. The main character Mary (who is also the narrator) is a refreshingly flawed non-Mary Sue. Mary is not a "super special" girl, but she is a compelling character none the less. She is an ordinary person faced with extraordinary circumstances. Despite the bleak reality she lives in, she is still able to cling to hope. That is what motivates her throughout her journey, hope that there is a better life out there somewhere amidst all the chaos and misery. Oh, and there are zombies (REAL zombies). Bloody, rotting, gore-encrusted, walking corpses that eat human flesh. It is actually a Romero-esque horror story. If you're not into that kind of thing, you should probably avoid this book. I feel very lucky that I just happened upon 'The Forest Of Hands and Teeth' while browsing books. I'm a bit old for young adult novels, but after reading the first few pages, the story garbed me, and I knew I was in for something good. So, if you enjoy scary, gory books with an oppressive aura of constant dread then you'll love this. ^_^ JUST BUY IT GAWDDAMMIT!
What can I say about The Forest of Hands and Teeth. It was fantastic. I've yet to find a book to rival the intensity and carefully woven darkness contained inside. Classic terror? Absolutely not. Carrie Ryan's words are magical. As I read I found my stomach in knots and I was delightfully terrified to finish the book. The Forest of Hands and Teeth grabs you by the wrists, slices them open and delves in deep, penetrating the very core of your being. Read it, and you'll see what I mean.
The Green Festival is the quintessential event for the Green Economy. This book...
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