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, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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.
