The Dark and Hollow Places (Forest of Hands and Teeth, #3)

by Carrie Ryan

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH introduced us to Mary and took us into her world - a world where decades after The Return mankind is hanging on to survival surrounded by the endless hordes of the undead; the Unconsecrated. A novel of extraordinary power and imagination, FOREST took you to the centre of a terrible future and showed you that even there the hardest decisions are the decisions of the heart. A companion novel, THE DEAD TOSSED WAVES, followed in Spring 2010 and this novel will continue Ryan's superb story. Perfect for readers looking for their next injection of supernatural thrills and dread, the series has already proved to be a word-of-mouth sensation, powered by extraordinary internet activity.

• ISBN10: 1299062725
• ISBN13: 9781299062726
• Publish Date: 1 January 2011
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 25 February 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

I was sadly disappointed by The Dark and Hollow Places. Most of it had to do with me just not liking Annah, Gabry’s long lost twin. As Gabry and Catcher are entering the Dark City, Annah is on her way out. But she sees her twin and pushes her way back in. From there it’s just disaster after disaster, as the girls are ripped apart, thrown together, ripped apart, thrown together. And the Recruiters are controlling her in order to control Catcher, because he’s their only hope at survival.

The Dark and Hollow Places could have gone down the dark and depressing path or the hopeful path. I never knew which it would take, since either would be a fitting ending to this series. I was kind of hoping for the dark and depressing ending though, since those tend to be super rare. But there was enough awful things happening along the way anyway. Annah cannot catch a break. She’s constantly being abused by Recruiters and chased by the undead. It does get very repetitive though, which had me bored.

I also just really did not like Annah. She’s one of those characters who pushes everyone away because they’re not worth loving or whatever. She’s scarred all over from falling into a tangle of barb wire as a kid, so she feels like she’s ugly and unworthy. I get that her scars bother her, but it’s not up to her to tell others how to feel about them. She’s constantly telling Catcher that she’s ugly and no one wants her. Then she has this whole martyr complex, where she thinks because she’s ugly and useless, she has to sacrifice herself for everyone. It was just annoying. She wouldn’t listen to anything anyone said and kept trying to tell them what they think. I do not like characters like this.

Then the great escape plan at the end made me roll my eyes. Everyone is trapped on this island, the last safe haven from the horde. At least until they start crossing the river. Annah had a really great plan to get them off the island, but I do not believe for a second that they were able to tell other citizens, have them get all the needed supplies, and pull everything together in one day. There is no way. I believed that Annah and her group could do it, since she had already started on it. But everyone else? Nope. It was just too easy.

The Dark and Hollow Places didn’t hold my attention like the previous two books. I didn’t like Annah, and I wasn’t behind that romance at all. It came out of nowhere, same with the solution to get off the island. This world is utterly ruined, but there’s always been hope throughout the series. Even though this finale did nothing for me, I do think the series is worth a read. Especially if you like to read about bad things happening to good people.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Joni Reads]

Wow. Who would have thought a lover of contemporary fiction would fall in love with a post apocalyptic trilogy of books so much? I preordered this book. Which is big. I NEVER preorder books. I never pay for than $10 bucks for a book. Even Sarah Dessen books, and she is my favorite author in the entire world. And yet, I won a $50 dollar amazon gift card and I preordered this book without a second thought. That is how much I wanted to read it. And man, did it live up to expectations.
I don't know what it is about this trilogy but it's so believable. And in reading this book in particular, it made me take a look around the city where I live and wonder how well my area would fare when and if The Return were to hit. It's a scary thought.
In this book, the final in the series *tear*, Annah has been living in The Dark City for three years waiting for Elias to return. She lives her days just hoping for survival until she meets a boy named Catcher. Catcher makes her feel things she has not felt since the morning Elias left. But Annah is scarred by her past and she does not trust easily. When The Horde hits the city and there is no where to run but to the recruiters, who are known for their sadistic nature, will Annah be able to continue her path of survival?
I hated closing this book. I hated putting it down. I regretted getting to the last page. I wanted it to last forever. I want to keep these characters with me. I would gladly read a fourth book, although I know there will not be one. I secretly hope for one. I am not ready to let go of this series yet. Even if you are not a fan of zombies and post apocalyptic books, READ THIS TRILOGY. Give it a chance! You will love it!