Reading Teen

Mary lives in a secluded village surrounded by The Forest of Hands and Teeth. The only thing standing between the people in the village and the "Unconsecrated" is a fence surrounding the village. This is a way of life for them though, as they have never known it any other way. But Mary's mother told Mary about the way things were before. Before their world was consumed by the infection that turned so many into the walking dead. She told her of cities, buildings that reached the sky, but mostly she told her about the ocean. After her mother and father are turned, Mary is consume with thoughts of escaping to the ocean. The idea that something so huge can exist out there is the only thing that gives Mary hope. But this way of thinking is strictly forbidden by the Sisterhood. The Sisters have their own plan for Mary, which include marriage to a man that Mary doesn't love, and living quietly in the "only remaining village in the world". But when a stranger comes to the village, all of Mary's suspicions of another life out there are confirmed, and her desire for a life by the ocean, and not just marriage, but love, are things she doesn't know if she can deny any longer.I loved this book! I felt like I was reading a mixture of I Am Legend and The Village, two movies that I watch again and again. It's been a long time since a book has really affected me this way! Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop. It's the first book I've ever read where I was actually a little afraid. After I finished it, I was exhausted from holding my breath. And it wasn't just because of the Zombies. The love triangle square was every bit as intense as the Unconsecrated who were chasing that "square". Ryan did a fantastic job of creating that longing between the characters, for each other and for the life that they wanted but was always just out of their reach. The only thing that I wasn't crazy about was that I felt that there wasn't enough information about the main characters relationship. I knew that they had past relationships, growing up together, and that they had strong feelings for each other, but it never really explained why they loved each other so much (sorry, trying not to give anything away). It was also hard for me to relate to how much Mary valued being at the ocean over being with the people she loved. Don't get me wrong....I love the beach! I just love my family more. Overall, this was a fabulous, though heart-breaking book that I would recommend to anyone who doesn't have an aversion to scary (and a little gory) stories.The next book in the series is The Dead Tossed Waves and I can't wait to get started! Thank you Carrie Ryan, for a fantastic adventure and love story!~AndyeParents should know: This is a horror story. It gets scary and gory in parts. There are a couple of religious exclamations, but no other language issues. It also has some kissing between the main characters with some sexual tension, though there's no sexual content. For more details, go to The Forest of Hands and Teeth on Parental Book Reviews.http://ReadingTeen.blogspot.com/