The Dark and Hollow Places

The Dark and Hollow Places
Author: Carrie Ryan
Published by Delacorte Press
Release Date: March 22nd 2011
Pages: 377
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
My Grade: A

Summary: (From Goodreads)
 There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.
Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.
But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

My Review:
The Dark and Hollow Places is the third and last in the trilogy the Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, and is by far my favourite in the series. I have been a huge fan of Carrie Ryan since first picking up a copy of the Forest of Hands and Teeth. This was definitely, by far, by favorite in the series, with Carrie Ryan's lyrical and flowing writing.

Annah has been living in the Dark City alone, ever since Elias left her to join the Recruiters. One of the things that has always haunted her is that she and Elias left her sister, Abigail, on the path through the Forest when they were children. Annah has no idea what happened to her sister, since she and Elias got lost and ended growing up in the Dark City. She continues to wait for him to come back, until one day she sees a glimpse of a girl who looks exactly like her and runs into a boy named Catcher. You do not have to read the first book in this series, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, to understand this one, though I would recommend reading the second, The Dead-Tossed Waves, before reading this one.

Annah was definitely my favorite character out of Carrie Ryan's three main characters; the Forest of Hands and Teeth's Mary, The Dead-Tossed Waves' Gabry, and now Annah in the Dark and Hollow Places. While all thre characters have incredible depth, I found Annah was definitely the strongest of the three. I did like Mary and Gabry, but they both bugged me at certain points, as they were more whiny and a little more weak. (Not that I blame them, but still.) Annah was tough and she tries not to let her emotions get to her. She actually reminded me a bit of Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games, if I dare to say that. Her character really made up a big part of this book.

Let's not forget about Catcher. (Me = lovestruck girl for Catcher.) He seems like the absolute dream guy and boy, do I have a crush on him. He's such a sweet but tortured and intriguing character. The other characters such as Elias and Gabry were fantastically done and full of depth. What else would you expect from a Carrie Ryan book?

The world of the zombie apocalypse that the main characters inhabit im the Dark and Hollow Places is absolutely horrifying. With the information that their city is the only bit of the population left, this was one terrifying read. I was always scared, I knew it was terrifying, but I just never realised how terrifying the characters' situation actually is until this book. It hit me like a huge wave.

Overall, my favorite book in the trilogy. I absolutely loved the ending, it really touched my heart. I am really looking forward to seeing what Carrie Ryan's going to come up with next, though I don't want this series to be over just yet.