Mini Review: Hare Moon by Carrie Ryan

Title: Hare Moon
Author: Carrie Ryan
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth # 0.5

Tabitha can’t shake the feeling that something exists beyond the fences of her village. And when she sneaks out, past the gates and down the path into the Forest of Hands and Teeth, she meets a boy who teaches her heart things she never knew. But love in a world surrounded by so much death doesn’t come without its sacrifices, and Tabitha gradually realizes just how much she’ll have to give up to live among the Unconsecrated.

My Review 

Since this is a short story, this is just a little mini review. Hare Moon  by Carrie Ryan is a short story that takes place before the first Forest of Hands and Teeth novel. In The Forest of Hands and Teeth, one of the characters we meet is Sister Tabitha, who is the leader of the Sisterhood in Mary’s village. For those who have not read it, the Sisterhood is a group of nuns, who are in charge of the village. While I still do not like Tabitha, I did like seeing how she got to where she was in the first Forest of Hands and Teeth.

This story Tabitha starts out much like Mary in the first Forest of Hands and Teeth novel, dreaming of the world outside the safety of her village. The choices she makes in the story set the stage for understanding the first events in The Forest of Hands and Teeth better. This is a very quick, short read, but I really loved delving back into the world of created by Carrie Ryan. Any fan of The Forest of Hands and Teeth will enjoy this short story.

**Unabridged Bookshelf borrowed this short story from her local public library**

Review: The Dark and Hollow Places (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #3) by Carrie Ryan

Title: The Dark and Hollow Places
Author: Carrie Ryan
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 22, 2011

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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?

My Review

The Dark and Hollow Places is the third book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan. The first book in the series told from Mary’s point of view, and the second book follows her daughter Gabry. This book is from Annah’s point of view, who is Gabry’s long lost twin sister. This maybe a bit spoilery for the second book, but I will try to avoid it as much as possible. Annah and Elias depended on each other of everything, after getting lost in the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Annah is left to survive on her own, after Elias joins the Recruiters.  This makes her a very strong and independent person, which I think makes me love her as the main character more than I did Mary or Gabry.

Annah feels like her life stopped, when the only person she cared about left her. Then she meets Catcher, and that starts to change. Once Annah finally see her twin, Gabry, it is hard on her. Annah fell into a razor wire trap, when she was a little girl, and it left her entire body scarred. This makes it hard to see herself, as she should have been reflected in her sister. The Dark and Hollow Places feel like the name reflects, it feels darker than previous novels due to the emotions and circumstances. There are a lot more of the dark, and disturbing human behaviors featured in the book, than in the previous books.

I absolutely love this series, and I think I love The Dark and Hollow Places the most out of all three. I have to say I love Annah in the book. She does what she has to for the people she loves, and it is such an admirable quality. I also like her relationship with Catcher, because of how things worked out in the previous book. I loved so many things about this book, but I do not want to give too much away. This is just an amazing book, full of emotions.

I have to say that if even if you were not completely in love with the previous Forest of Hands and Teeth, this one is worth reading. It is truly the best one out of all of them. It is a great read even for someone who is not a huge fan of zombie novels. I think these books are about far more than zombies; it is more about the human emotions and reactions. It is just a great series, and it has to be one of my all time favorites!

**Unabridged Bookshelf borrowed this book from the local library**

Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves (Forest of Hands and Teeth #2) by Carrie Ryan

Title: The Dead Tossed Waves
Author: Carrie Ryan
Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 9, 2010

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AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

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.(copied from Goodreads)

My Review

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan is the second book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth series. This book is told from the point of view of Gabrielle or Gabry.  Gabry is the daughter of Mary, from the first book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth. I wanted to know what happened to Mary, so I glad you can find out through Gabry’s eyes. At the beginning, Gabry’s friends want to cross the safety of the barrier to explore the old, crumbling amusement park from before the Return. Gabry does not want to cross, but her best friend Cira, and her older brother, Catcher convince her too.

On the other side, they begin to explore and have fun, and as anyone should know THERE IS NO FUN in zombie novels. Sensing children having a fun, a Breaker attacks. Gabry runs for the safety of Vista and the barrier, leaving her friends behind. This choice leads her down a path; she never thought she would cross. While trying to help her crush, Catcher, she meets Elias. Elias befriends Gabry, and Gabry begins to have mixed feelings. A series of events causes Gabry to escape into the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

I really loved the first book, Forest of Hands and Teeth, even though at times Mary drove me crazy. I have to say, I did like Gabry better. There is just something about the Dead-Tossed Waves, that drew me in, and made me obsessed with finding out what happens. I really love the world Carrie Ryan has created, and the amazing tales of survival she comes up with for readers to enjoy. Gabry at first seems weak and scared, but grows into a strong survivor. There are many similarities between the Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves, but it is the differences that I loved.

There are many new characters to learn about, like Elias, Catcher, Cira, and of course Gabry. There are a few old ones from the first book that pop up whether in person or discussion, you will have to read to find out. Anyone who loved The Forest of Hands and Teeth will enjoy this one, and it is also a great read for dystopia and zombie fans. I just finished the third and final book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dark and Hollow Places, so look for that review soon.

**Unabridged Bookshelf borrow this book from the local library**

Review: Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

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?(copied from Goodreads)

My Review

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a very interesting read. It is about Mary, who lives in a fenced in community. The Unconsecrated, zombies, fill up the forest around the fence. If one ventures to close to the fence, they maybe bitten and infected. After this happens to her mother, Mary is given over to the Sisterhood. The Sisterhood is a religious group of women, who are in charge of the village. While in the Cathedral, the headquarters for the Sisterhood, Mary begins to learn some of the secrets of the Sisterhood. 


Mary grew up listening to her mother’s stories of the time before the Return. Where there were buildings as tall as the sky, and of the Ocean. Mary dreams of being able to stand in the ocean, where it is untouched by the Unconsecrated. When the fences are breached, and the village is overrun by the Unconsecrated, Mary uses this as an opportunity to try, and follow her dream of the ocean. She decides to venture down the fence line, deeper into the Forest of Hands and Teeth. 


Mary does not complete this journey alone, her brother, Jed, her betrothed, Henry, and the love of her life, Travis and his betrothed, Cass, who is also her best friend. This is a very complicated long triangle, more like love square or circle. The Forest of Hands and Teeth takes the normal complications of love and commitment and then adds the pressure of being surrounded by fleshing eating zombies on top of all that. 


I loved Forest of Hands and Teeth, even though there are a few times Mary’s actions made me want to slap her. This book is a thrilling read, and I could not put it down. While Mary upset me on more than one occasion, I still loved her! This book is so quote worthy, and usually I do not pick quotes out but there are a few that stood out to me. Any dystopian or zombie fan should read this book! I cannot wait to start The Dead-Tossed Waves, the second book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth series. 

FAVORITE QUOTES:

From Page 15:

“In the moment between my mother’s death and her Return, I stop believing in God. “

From Page 146:

“Every Night I drown and every morning I wake up struggling to breathe.”

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
• Publication Date:  February 9, 2010

**Unabridged Bookshelf borrowed this book from the local public library**

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