The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan
The Forest of Hands and Teeth #1
Published by Gollancz
Pages: 310
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: (From Goodreads)
  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?

My Review:
If I had to choose two words to describe The Forest of Hands and Teeth, the two words would be beautiful and gruesome. Seriously. This book is beautifully gruesome. There are many words I could use to describe this story, but those two words cut it. And I have a feeling my review will not do this book justice. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is an unforgettable and moving story.

 I found myself marveling over Carrie Ryan's writing while reading this. It's gorgeous, and my, my, my; she is a talented writer. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is one of the most well-written novels I have read in quite a long time.

 The plot and overall idea of this novel was depressing. Well, that does make sense. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world where zombies rule! But I think that's what made this book so interesting. I love any kind of dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel, and this one was particuliarly beautiful, mainly because it was so harsh, scary, and gruesome, the hope and love that is shown in this novel really shone through. While reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I couldn't concentrate on anything else, the novel was so mind consuming. It is a depressing read, but it's also poignant, because I loved to see how the love came through.

I cried while reading this novel. I cried in the middle, I cried closer to the end, and then I cried at the end. The Forest of Hands and Teeht is such a deep book, and I'll say this again; it's beautiful. I specifically cried at the end, mainly because it was so sad, and two because it seemed to have so much meaning. It's definitely an ending you won't entirely expecting, as well as the type of ending you don't see often. I won't say anything else.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is one original and compelling read. Creating the perfect blend of hope in a world of horror where love struggles to exist, Carrie Ryan has written a novel that is one of the most well layered novels I have read.