The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan

Mary and her village live behind the safety of the fences that keep the Unconsecrated away from the living.  It is a dangerous existence, one breach of the fences and the whole village could be overrun, with those who fall rising again to join the rest of the Unconsecrated.  Their lives are carefully controlled by tradition, a belief in God, the protection of the Guardians, and the rules and guidance of the Sisterhood.  Mary has grown up with the stories her mother told, stories of far off places and a great ocean, places that she dreams of one day visiting. 

When her mother is infected and Mary allows her to join the Unconsecrated in the Forest of hands and teeth, Mary finds herself at the mercy of the Sisterhood.  Not content with her new life, Mary finds herself at odds with the most senior Sister, her questions causing problems and putting her in danger of meeting a terrible fate.  When the village is overrun it almost seems like a sign that they need to move on, move towards the ocean, but is the world beyond the forest really any different to what she already knows, or is Mary walking into more heartache and death?

This was an addictive read that keeps you turning pages to see how things end.  Mary is interesting and the world she lives in carries echoes of the past, as well as dropping hints that it is our future where they are living.  The other characters around Mary have depth and carry secrets of their own, thought at times some thoughts/actions don't seem to sit quite right, and at times the story does seem to falter or skip before picking up the pace again and moving forwards.  The world they live in is scary and you can feel the tension of the danger that lurks beyond the fence, that it feels very real when things go wrong. 

Don't be fooled though, this is definitely a zombie book for the girls rather than the boys, although there is a strong story there is a little too much romance and feelings for most boys who love zombie books to really get into the story.  At times there are flashes of an epic adventure that will have wider appeal, and then you get a moment of intense emotion or drama that would put most boys off.  It will be interesting to see how the series develops through the next two books.

If you like this book then try:

• Enclave by Ann Aguire
• Rot and ruin by Jonathan Maberry
• The hunger games by Suzanne Collins
• The crossing by Mandy Hager

Reviewed by Brilla