The Forest of Hands and Teeth By Carrie Ryan

Genre: Young Adult, Horror
Source: Purchased

This is actually a reread for me. I read this book the first time in 2009. However, it has remained one of my favorites all these years. Yesterday I reviewed three short stories that are all like prequels to this book. This book at its very basic is about hope. Hope that things will get better in a society filled with the “unconsecrated”, or what we know as Zombies. There is no real telling of how whatever happened began. What was it that started turning people into zombies? One thing is for sure. If bitten by one you have two choices. You can ask to be killed or wait and be turned into a zombie as well.

Mary is one of the main characters in the story. She is in love with a boy named Travis. Henry is Travis’ brother and is in love with Mary. He is helping her one day as she goes to the river to wash her family’s clothes. The alarms begin to go off. Since Henry’s dad is in charge of the alarms and there was not a drill scheduled, they know it is serious. Mary realizes her mother has gotten too close to the fence looking for her husband and she has been bitten. She is isolated until she dies and Mary is held in a cell for a week to make sure she isn’t infected. The next time they hear the alarm go off it is because the infected have managed to break through the fences. Mary, her brother and his wife and Travis and Henry all escape into the woods. However, things don’t go the way they want. All Mary wants is to see if what her mother told her is true, that there is really is an ocean out there somewhere.

This is a book about hope, love, survival and reaching for your dreams. It is one I am glad I reread. I still have these books on my shelves at school ready for me to recommend to all of my students this next year.

Three Short Stories by Carrie Ryan

Genre: Young Adult Horror
Source: Purchased

I first read The Forest of Hands and Teeth in 2009.  I loved it then and decided to reread it. As I was pulling it up I came across three short stories the author had written as part of the series. I decided to read these three short ones before I delve back into the series.

 

Hare Moon was published in 2011.

Tabitha feels there is so much more in the world than what is tucked away in her little village. She sees the unconsecrated outside the fence, she hears them at night. One day she can’t stand it anymore and she sneaks out into the forest. It is here she meets Patrick and learns there are other villages outside the fence. Why would the sisterhood lie to everyone.  When she is caught she realizes her life is changed forever. She knows that no one will ever marry her. She is doomed to a life in the sisterhood. But what about what lies outside the fences.  This was a quick short read that gives us an idea of why the sisterhood exists and the reason for many lies.  I definitely recommend this.

 

Scenic Route was published in 2013.

Margie and Sally are on their own. They have been that way since their parents were killed.  They have found a secluded cabin up in the mountains. Margie is always on alert. She know that there is no such thing as total safety. For some reason she has felt that there is someone out there watching them. She has perimeter alarms. They live life as normal as possible. She and Sally spend time with maps and tour books planning the next route they will take. Then the book they were looking at the night before goes missing. The next day Margie sees boot prints on the porch. Pretending nothing is wrong she checks the perimeters and then sits and waits. What she finds will change lives forever. I really enjoyed this short story. We have a story of two young survivors after the return. This one is told from the perspective of dealing with the other undesirables in the world. Those who are survivors like themselves with their own type of evil inside.

 

What Once We Feared was published in 2023

For me this was strange, yet beautiful. After the “infection” began, the government told people that they shouldn’t panic. They had everything under control including the infection. They were told to go about their normal lives. That is why a group of high school kids found themselves on a field trip when their world went haywire. They are standing outside of a building when bodies begin to fall. They see the chaos in the streets and decide to head across town to the most fortified apartment building. It is the building where Nicky’s father has an apartment. The story goes on to tell about their hopeless survival as the world turns upside down. It is told from one person’s point of view. It is his perspective on the events and their chances of survival and how the world will end.  This was quite an intriguing read.

Ocean’s Justice by Demelza Carlton

 

Genre: Adult Romance
Source:Purchased

A ship finds a woman naked and floating on a raft. How did she get there? Who is she?  The one love of her life is dead, and now she is aboard another ship. She can't speak their language. She is able to tell them her name is Maria.  Some consider it unlucky to have a woman on board. Some want something more from her.

This story follows along as the men all lust after her, and one falls in love with her, and she with him. This is a story that builds and builds. It is full of learning, love, and catastrophe.

The world building is great. The time period is wonderful. The only problem I have is the explanation of the sexual act. I am a grown woman and really have no desire to read the details of a sex act. The storyline was wonderful, even with this one unnecessary scene.