Book Review -- The Dark and Hollow Places

Title: The Dark and Hollow Places
Author: Carrie Ryan
Genre: YA post-apocalyptic
Published: 2011
Pages: Hardback, 374
Opening Lines: "This city used to be something once. I've seen pictures of the way it gleamed -- sun so bright off windows it could burn your eyes."


"There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look in 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 from that of 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 the 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 drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?"

~Jacket copy

Thoughts: Ryan has this amazing way with words. Starting with the first book, I was drawn in by her introductions. I was pleasantly surprise that she kept it going in the later books. Even if a few short sentences, she sets the stage for the story without giving anything away or pushing too hard. It also sets the narrator's tone and pace of the novel.

All of the previous books follow a different character in the story post Return. In The Dead-Tossed Waves, the story picks up with Mary's daughter, Gabry. With the way the book ended, I hoped that it would resume with Gabry and Catcher finding the Dark City; however, it is told from Annah's point of view. Since she left her sister on the path in the forest, her and Elias have been living in Dark City. Barely surviving, Elias enters the Recruiters with a promised to return after the required two year tour. The story picks up three years later. Annah is surviving in the Dark City without word from Elias. All she can presume is that he is dead. Not seeing any point in staying, Annah packs up her meager belonging and heads toward the gates to leave Dark City. However, on her way out, she sees her mirror image crossing the bridge to enter the City. Unfortunately, she is escorted by the Recruiters to the Sanctuary.

After reading this book, I'm not sure if Gabry is my favorite narrator. I adored Annah. She is a strong character. Even though the audience sees her wallowing in self pity, the book is not filled with this. On the contrary, I felt it helped make Annah a sympathetic character and allowed the author to show the major growth she under goes as a character. In this series, the author does an amazing job showing growth and development in her characters. This includes most of the supporting characters.

Ryan also has an amazing way to flesh out her backgrounds. She describes the scenery enough to give the reader and idea, but she allows the reader to fill in the details. When Annah was trapped in the cage, I started to feel extremely claustrophobic! It is amazing when an author is able to elicit such responses from her readers.

The only problem I had in the book was the ease with which they creating the hot air balloons. I wanted to know how the surviving residents of Dark City were able to make all of the propellers. In addition, I felt that it was a little too forgiving to allow Annah, Gabry, and Elias to create it in a vacuum. After Ox's pronouncement, it seemed ridiculous to assume that the Recruiters would leave the girls alone when Catcher would scrounge the City for supplies. I'm not sure how Ryan should have handled it; however, she made it much too easy.

That aside, I enjoyed the book! I liked watching Annah grow. At several points, I found myself almost crying for her in her dealings with Elias. The ending scene in the tunnel showed the audience just how strong she was as a person.

I would definitely recommend this series! It reminds me a a combination of The Hunger Games and a zombie outbreak.

Rating:
Currently: Blood Rights by Kristen Painter
Current Pages: 27077
Current Progress:

75/50 books

Book Review -- The Dead-Tossed Waves

Title: The Dead-Tossed Waves
Author: Carrie Ryan
Genre: YA post-apocalyptic
Pages: Oversize paperback, 404
Published: 2010
Opening Lines: "The story goes that even after the Return they tried to keep the roller coasters going. They said it reminded them of before the time."

"Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town near the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up on the hill while she warches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is all she's every known, and all she needs for happiness.

"But life after the Return is never sae, and there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back.

"Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling.

"One night beyond the Barrier . . .

"One boy Gabry's known forever and one veiled in mystery . . .

"One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned.

"Gabry knows only one thing: if she is the have any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past."

~Jacket copy

Thoughts: After reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I rushed to my computer to hold the next two books at the library. Even though I loved The Enemy, I think Ryan's books are the best YA zombie novels I've ever read! However, since I didn't read the back before I started it (I knew it had to be good!!), I was not ready for the book to start with Mary's daughter. I loved Mary from the previous book, but I really liked how Ryan decided to follow her teenage daughter. It gave a different element of the book.

After a late night adventure with friends beyond the Barrier, Gabry's whole life is changed in a way she could never imagine. While the teenagers race to the roller coaster, a Breaker attacks them. Several of the teens are bitten, including Gabry's crush. And if the children being bitten is bad enough, the teens that do survive are forced into a ranks of the Recruiters. Without giving anything away, Gabry is forced onto the trails that leads into the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Mary's book of Shakespeare's sonnets help guide her and her companions.

The first lines of the book drew me into the book in a different way. I felt fully immersed in this book! The talk about the roller coaster made me think of Zombieland. At first, I wasn't sure whether I liked Gabry/ Mary was spunky and always yearned for something more. She had a wild spirit that could not be sated. Gabry, however, is drastically different. Where Mary desired for freedom, Gabry was content to live out her life in Vista and the lighthouse. I wasn't sure whether I would like Gabry as the narrator; however, I couldn't imagine the story any other way! It helped the reader grow along with her.

Even though I adored the first book, this one is my favorite . . . So far! The characters are engaging, and I loved the element of the zombie cult. As disturbing as it was, it was nice to show that people reacting differently to the Return. Also, the history behind the villages in the forest and on the coast added a nice history. I am really curious to see how Ryan plays on this in the next book.

If you enjoyed the first book, I would definitely recommend this one! It is a fast paced, engaging, and action packed read.


Rating:
Currently: The Dead and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
Current Pages: 26703
Current Progress:

74/50 books

Book Review -- The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan
Genre: YA post-apocalyptic
Pages: Oversize paperback, 308
Published: 2009
Opening Lines: "My mother used to tell me about the ocean. She said there was a place where there was nothing but water as far as you could see and that it was always moving, rushing toward you and then away."

"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 fences 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, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

"Now 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 by so much death?"

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts: I have been picking this book up since it was published. I still am unsure why it never ended up in my bag of books I purchased from the book store. However, after seeing it popping up all over the book blogging community, I decided to check out our local library. As I'm sure it is the same for all of you, nearing Christmas cash is a little tight, so no more book book purchases for a bit . . . :'(

Anyways . . . Reading the back, I never suspected that the Unconsecrated referred to zombies. The book struck me as a something akin to The Village. Boy was I wrong! Instead of escaping from society and forming a pseudo-utopia, the people in this book are just a little community of people left after the zombie apocalypse (what the book calls the Return). Even though the isolation is similar to The Village, that is where the similarities end. From what I gathered, the Sisterhood knows that it is possible for other communities to exist; however, they are unsure. And all Mary knows is that a fenced-off path that leads into the Forest is forbidden, which she never really questioned until she sees footprints . . .

The story follows this group of young people coming of age in this small community. After her mother dies, Mary is thrown into a life in the Sisterhood. However, after the fence is breached, the young people are forced to find a safe haven along the forbidden path. The book really questions our desires and drive, and what we consider to be enough.

While zombies are a devise to move the plot forward, I felt they offered a good antagonist without making any one character "bad." Further, the scenery in the story is well described and allows the reader to picture it for themselves without getting bogged down in details. Even though Mary is the central character, through Mary the reader is given a good picture of the supporting characters. However, in some ways I cannot understand the full 180 change in Cass. I wonder whether it was meant that way. Since it is a first person narrative from Mary's perspective, the author might want the reader in the dark and learn along with Mary.

My favorite part of the book was in the three-story house. Finding the chests full of clothing and pictures was exquisitely written.

However, because I pointed it out in the previous book I reviewed, there was an inconsistency I noticed. While Travis is confessing to Mary in the tree, he kneels in front of her and takes her hands in his. However, the next comment about him is that he flexes his hands on the windowsill. Hmm . . . What was he doing during his monologue? When did her drop her hands?

This book was hard to put down. I found myself wanting to read all night; however, my eyes refused to stay open! It is a fast paced novel, but doesn't lack in plot or substance. Rather, the pacing is a reflection of the urgency and anxiety the characters are feeling. So far, this my favorite YA zombie book! Needless to say, I just placed the next two books on hold at the library *squee*

Rating:
Currently: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
Current Pages: 25178
Current Progress:

70/50 books