Forest of Hands and Teeth Review

Spain won the World Cup for the first time EVER! It was an extremely long, but great game. I'm still celebrating. Also, Gio Ponti broke a five-race losing streak when he won the same race for the second year in a row. Good weekend in sports for me. =D

Also, I watched Miss Congeniality and Confessions of a Shopaholic over the weekend. Both awesome movies if you haven't seen them.

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, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now 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 their be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

I finally finished this book last week and I still don't know how I feel about it. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. The first half kind of dragged and I had to force myself to read it. The second half was where it really picked up for me. I promised myself I'd just read a couple chapters at midnight before I went to bed. I ended up going to bed at 2:30 instead because I couldn't stop reading.

I'm still coming to terms with the ending, in a good way and a bad way. At first when I finished it I wanted Dead-Tossed Waves right away, but now I just kind of feel like I could wait.

I like the characters. I like Mary and her obsession to see the ocean feels real, but I didn't get that kind of connection until after she left the village. Travis and Harry were a little too similar until the end there. I could really only separate them by who they loved. Cass was a little whiny for me, half the time I just wanted to smack her. I mean I suppose after your home's destroyed and it seems you have nowhere else to go it would be human nature to want to return to whatever it is that is left of home, but SERIOUSLY. Not smart.

Overall: 8/10. Awesome premise, heart-pounding second half, but the first half just didn't do it for me.

****SPOILER ALERT****

I sobbed when Travis Returned. It was such a brilliant scene and it ripped my heart out. I was in too much shock to cry when Jed died. I LOVED Jed, despite his attitude in the beginning. After all the horrible things that had happened, I couldn't see how it could get any worse. And then it did.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I loved the premise, but for me there were just too many deaths! I was like EEESSSH, is anyone going to survive? lol apparently not.
July 12, 2010 at 2:51 PM
Nomes said…
I LOVED this book - but I know what you mean about the first half - I did llike the first half, but was tempted to do some skimming. And, the deaths killed me, but made the book more powerful in a way - I didnt expect it, especially with Travis :(
July 12, 2010 at 7:31 PM
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