The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Forest of Hands and Teeth Trilogy)

A village isolated from the rest of the world, and living under the belief that they are the last of mankind. Living behind a fence which protects them from the Unconsecrated (walking dead/zombies), the village is ruled by the Sisterhood. Mary has always been raised with stories of how things used to be-- buildings that touched the sky and salty oceans stretching out as far as the eyes can see. Despite the teachings of the Sisterhood, she still wonders whether there could be anyone else out there. Are the oceans still there? She's drawn to know what is beyond The Forest of Hands and Teeth that surrounds them.

It's taken me so long to finally read this book. It's been a long time coming. So what did I think? Well, first of all, the thing most striking to me was how much this story felt like the movie The Village. Right down to the red vest Gabrielle wore, which reminded me of the "bad color" in The Village.

I enjoyed the story, but it did start out a little slow. I expected it to be more about zombies, but it really wound up being more about Mary and her conflicted feelings and confusion. The zombies...well, their depiction is sort of...detached. They aren't generally described in great detail, and there is little interaction between them and the residents of the village. The zombies are simply a fixture in the everyday lives of the villagers.

Final word- I enjoyed it. It wasn't quite as good as I had hoped (as I was expecting a more traditional zombie story- creepy and scary), but I still enjoyed it and look forward to the sequel.

Not for the faint of heart or those people who are already depressed at the current world situation. My god this was a depressing book. And frightening. It literally kept me awake at night. The best way I could describe this book is The Village meets a zombie apocalypse, but it's only like that for the first few chapters. Then you're cast into the winds of fate and uncertainty and constant, never-ending fear. What this book does show is how resilient humans are. Damn but if we aren't survivors. We may be huge idiots, but we will fight tooth and nail (hands and teeth?) to survive. A very engrossing book, all things considered. Would not recommend for people who are scared easily or who are legitimately concerned about the fate of humanity. Would recommend for thoughtful people who also like to be frightened. Annoyed that it's a series, but oh well. Already got the next two books on my Kindle, so here goes.

Untraditional nail biter

It was a unique plot, and quite a world the author created. I couldn't put the book down for a good portion of it. Until... I started noticing one too many crescendos building up, building up, building up... And then the book ended. I was left wanting for a lot more.