The Forest of Hands and Teeth: The unputdownable post-apocalyptic masterpiece (Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1)

by Carrie Ryan

Enter the world of The Forest of Hands and Teeth, where you can trust no one and never be sure what's lurking in the trees. A masterpiece of suspense fiction that will have you reading through your fingers

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?

Readers love The Forest of Hands and Teeth:

'I can't give it less than five stars because I spent most of this book gripping the bed covers in suspense. The characters were all great, realistic and interesting' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'I found Ryan's writing beautifully and painfully evocative . . . I like a book that makes you wonder and makes you think, and even that makes you uncomfortable' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'This is a zombie novel, yes, but it's an oddly haunting and lyrical one . . . It's an excellent story overall and well worth checking out for YA and adult readers alike. Five stars' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'The characters in The Forest Of Hands and Teeth were extremely three dimensional to the point were you felt that they jumped off the page . . . will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games or to people looking for a great book that contains romance, fantasy, and horror' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'An enthralling post-apocalyptic masterpiece . . . At times, the suspense will cause you to put the book down for fear of what you might read next only to pick it up again because you can't wait to find out' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

• ISBN10: 0575090863
• ISBN13: 9780575090866
• Publish Date: 1 March 2010 (first published 1 January 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Gollancz
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

The best way to describe The Forest of Hands and Teeth is bleak. It's set some time in the future, after the dead have risen and taken over. Mary's grown up being told that her village is the last one on Earth. There are no other survivors according to the Sisterhood who are responsible for running the village. But Mary's mother has also told her stories about an endless ocean and buildings so tall that they reach the sky. Mary has to believe that there's something beyond the forest surrounding her village other than more dead, and after a breach in the fence, she finally has a chance to see for herself.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth hooked me from the beginning. It's the future, but everything feels like a 17th century Puritan settlement. Life is simpler, but there's also these seasonal celebrations, and wedding rituals. The church is the government. It's a very different way of life, but it's all Mary has known. That doesn't stop her from being curious, and her curiosity grows once she's brought into the Sisterhood and realizes that they're hiding things from the villagers. This all reminded me of that movie, The Village, where everyone is told not go out into the woods because bad things are there, but really they're just protecting their secrets. I had to know what the Sisterhood's secrets were!

After the breach, is really when The Forest of Hands and Teeth takes a super dark turn. Mary and a few others make it out of the village, but where do they go from there? The only place that's almost safe are the paths that they've been forbidden from following. Now they're the only choice, and Mary is convinced that they'll lead her to the ocean. Seriously, this girl is holding on with all hope that the ocean is real and that she can make it. It's kind of scary how focused on this one thing she becomes, but it's all she has. That hope of the ocean. Even if it gets everyone killed. I was quite disturbed by the turn of events. There is no light at the end of the tunnel.

I really enjoyed The Forest of Hands and Teeth. It's just dark and fascinating. And even though it was told in Mary's first person perspective, I was never convinced that she'd survive. Her hole world is death, and I was always unsure if she'd survive, whether it was from the dead or from herself. The ending is an open one though. We don't get all of the answers, but Gabry's story will fill in a few of those blanks.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[cornerfolds]

Disclaimer: This book has got serious issues, but I love it anyway.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth was the first zombie book I ever read, way back in 2011. Actually, I was so new to the world of YA dystopia and fantasy that it literally took me a hundred pages to realize that the Unconsecrated were zombies. I've read this book three times now, more than I've reread any other book, now that I think about it. Something about this series keeps bringing me back, although my feelings have changed a bit since the last time I read five years ago!

Mary lives in a village that is all she's ever known. The village is governed by the Sisterhood, a fanatical religious group of women who hold all the knowledge of the world before the Return. Mary has questions about the outside world and wants to see the ocean more than anything, although there's slim chance of that happening since it's time for her to get married and start reproducing. Yikes. I never had any strong feelings for Mary in my first two reads, but on this read through, I found myself disliking her more than expected. While I loved her constant need to know what more existed, I could not stand her romantic inclinations.

Oh yes, there's romance, and lots of it! In this tiny world within fenced walls, Mary has managed to find herself in a love triangle with two brothers and it is extremely confusing. Mary wants Travis. Too bad he's going to marry her best friend. All is well, though, because she decides to settle for his brother Harry. But wait! She changes her mind and wants Travis again! But is Travis enough for her? I literally felt myself getting dizzy with the back and forth of these relationships. Outside of the romance, I quite liked Mary and found her to be a strong, inspiring character. Unfortunately, 80% of her character revolved around the romance.

The thing that keeps bringing me back to The Forest of Hands and Teeth is, of course, the world. I love, LOVE stories that are similar to The Village. I love the idea of a small community lost to time, only to realize they're not alone in the world. I loved reading about the creepy community that has been built over the decades(?) in the village. Then again, when I started to think about this world critically, instead of through nostalgia goggles, I began to realize that it didn't quite hold up.

There are actually a few things about this world that I'm not sold on. First, I'm pretty lost on how long it has actually been since the Return. It's obvious that this has all happened in America, sometime in the future. What's not clear is whether the village has existed for two generations or fifty. Another issue I have with the world is the fence that holds off the Unconsecrated. Even if it hasn't been several generations, the fence, which seems to be described as chain link type fencing, would certainly not hold up. There's brief mention of the Guardians repairing the fence, but how long could that possibly go on before the constant push of zombies broke it down? I know there are other problems with the world building, but I'm not here to nitpick one of my faves.

Despite the glaring issues with this book, I absolutely still love it. I love the world, flawed as it may be. I love the mystery surrounding the village and what could be outside it. This will probably be the only time you see me rate a book with this many issues this highly, but what can I say? I do wish that more care had been taken when setting this story up, but I love it for what it is! If you're a fan of The Village or stories like it, I definitely recommend this book!

Originally posted at Miss Book Reviews

The Forest of Hands and Teeth was one scary story. Seriously, do not read this at night! I freaked myself out after I finished it and tried to go to sleep. Every little noise I heard I imagined that it was something terrifying so least to say that I also had scary dreams!

At first I found this book very hard to get into because of the writing style. I felt like I couldn’t get pulled in, this was probably also because I felt like the beginning was a slow start. Although I say that now but when I think back I realise that the beginning wasn’t a slow start at all. It was just the beginning of the story and I didn’t understand that when I was reading it because I hadn’t realised that that was the story. I was waiting for something more. It turns out that this was not a bad thing.

I liked this book, it was terrifying and I wanted to know how the story panned out. But this book also broke my heart. It is a very sad book and I hadn’t been expecting that. When I read the summary of this book I wasn’t completely sure what it was about so I didn’t expect to find that this book was the way it was.

When this book ended I felt like I had been wretched out of one good story but I also felt incredibly sad and I was left with the feeling of something missing. I felt lost. Empty. This book affected me. The ending does not tie up loose ends, it simply just ends. You leave with the knowledge of what has happened from the beginning of the story till the end, but no knowledge of how things came to be or what is going to happen after the words have stopped.

So I have a tonne of questions that I want to know the answers to but there are no answers. Not many questions were answered at all. Simply because even the characters had no answers for the questions that we undoubtedly are made to ask, so how could they give us the answers?

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a book that leaves a lasting impression. It’s everything that it is and that seems to be enough. It’s terrifying, moving, heart-breaking, lovely and saddening all at the same time.

Overall, I really liked this story. I’ve been thinking about it well after I’ve finished it and that is usually a very good thing.

[Kelly]

Loved the storyline, even filled with horror, heartbreak and hope. Great concept and look forward to the second novel in the series.

[violetpeanut]

This was a very interesting concept - what happens in the future if there is a zombie apocalypse. I had very high hopes. The plot was interesting but what really kept this from being better was the characters. The main character was whiny and so indecisive that I was almost hoping for a not so happy ending for her. The book is relatively short as it is but if you cut out all the self pity it would be significantly shorter. I understand teenage angst but it was excessive here.

There are two more books in this series and I may or may not read them. I think they each revolve around a different (as of yet not introduced) character living in a different town/city/area. I'm interested in what's happened to other areas of the country/world so I may pick up the second one sometime in the future to see if that character is better.

[thebookdisciple]

Not as good as I hoped but I could see the appeal for Middle schoolers.

[Amber]

I have very mixed feelings about this book. The plot had real potential, as I love dystopian novels and I was very excited to start this one. However, I don’t think that the plot lived up to said potential, as a lot of it was dragged out - such as Mary’s involvement in the Sisterhood. Whereas other parts of the plot were rushed over and there was no real development - *spoiler* for example, in the XIV village, when Mary and Travis were living together, and also when Mary lost Jed in the Forest.


I loved the idea of the village and the Forest, and the Infected. I loved how Carrie Ryan told the reader about different parts of the history involving how the village(s) came to be, and how the civilisations were developed.


Carrie Ryan’s writing style was acceptable. I was really drawn in by the story but I found that some of the similes used were quite strange and the description was lacking at times.


As for the main character, I found Mary to be very selfish and this frustrated me. She was raised in a community in which everyone cared for each other and looked out for one another. And yet, she only wanted to look out for herself. She chases after a wild dream, and doesn’t care who she loses along the way, even if she apparently loves them. To love a book, I have to love the main character and Mary was just not likable. That said, I did like Travis and Harry, even Jed, and I felt a little sorry for them for reasons I’m not going to go into, because they’ll spoil the book!


For the most part, the book was really good and I plan to read the second book ‘The Dead Tossed Waves’ even if it is only for the plot and I can't wait to read more about the history aspect and how the Infection started!


Rating: 3.5/5

[Joni Reads]

I despise anything to do with zombies. Honestly. Ok, aside from I am Legend the movie. That was pretty kickass. But otherwise, I steer clear of anything post apocalyptic related. And yet, when I heard about this book I had to read it. What changed my mind? A display in my local Barnes and Noble. I was browsing through and came to the end of the shelf and saw two displays set up. One was for before i fall by Lauren Oliver and the other was for the sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth which is called The Dead Tossed Waves. I took one look at the covers of both books and HAD to read them. When I read the cover of The Dead Tossed Waves I realized it was a sequel so I had to read the first book first. The first thing I did when I got home was request The Forest of Hands and Teeth from my local library. The day it came in I was thrilled.

First off, the cover is GORGEOUS! The colors are slightly muted and there is something about the look on the girl's face that just draws you in. My excitement to read these books was well placed. I loved this book. I was leary because it is about zombies but honestly, I got so wrapped in Mary's character and her story that it didn't matter anymore. Carrie Ryan does an amazing job with this book. When you begin to read the zombie apocalypse has already happened and Mary lives in a village that is dealing with it, and has been since Mary could remember. The Unconsecrated are kept out of the village by fences that are built all around.

The village Mary lives in is a bit like a cult. The form of "government" is called The Sisterhood. The Sisterhood have told the villagers that they are the only ones to survive the coming of the Unconsecrated and that they must never leave the village. But one day a stranger comes from outside the fence and suddenly Mary's world is turned upside down. After a series of events, the fences surrounding Mary's village are breached by the Unconsecrated. Mary, along with a few others, follow the paths that lead out of the village. As they venture further into The Forest of Hands and Teeth Mary wonders what secrets The Sisterhood has been keeping from her and what the world outside the fences she has always been behind may hold.

I could not put this book down. I fell in love with it and I couldn't wait to get a hold of the second book. And now I am eagerly awaiting my chance to get my hands on the third book The Dark and Hollow Places.

[Eve1972]

This was just an OK read for me. It was interesting and kept my attention, but the story and characters needed a bit more flushing out.