The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Rating: ★★★★★ [5]
Release date: July 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Format: paperback
Source: bought - HPB
Pages: 310
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth (#1)
Challenge: --
Summary: 

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?

This book is exactly how I imagined a great zombie book to be.

I'll admit that the beginning of the book was rather slow, and I found that I didn't care about the characters or the little "love triangle" that was beginning to form. Nothing about the protagonist really caught my interest, either. I only kept reading really, because of my love for zombies.

Eventually, the book just became AWESOME. I'm not exactly sure at what point..Maybe when the zombie outbreak finally becomes big, and the characters are in actual, immediate danger. It might have taken a bit longer than I had hoped, but once the action started, it didn't stop. Plus, things just became so emotional. It was so terrifying and vivid, and it literally had me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what was going to happen next.

I also started to feel for the characters. Although the protagonist had originally been very boring, I was suddenly rooting for her and feeling her pain when she had to make hard decisions. And you know, you actually got to see her go kinda crazy from all the zombie action. Plus, some of the ordeals the side characters had to go through were horrifying. I think I really enjoyed it because it was one of the more gruesome zombie books I've read in the YA genre. However, I didn't like the ending very much.. It was too abrupt, and left me wanting more. Still, anyone who loves zombies should give this book a try! :)