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, 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 in so much death? [STAR] "A bleak but gripping story...Poignant and powerful."-Publishers Weekly, Starred "A postapocalyptic romance of the first order, elegantly written from title to last line."-Scott Westerfeld, author of the Uglies series and Leviathan "Intelligent, dark, and bewitching, The Forest of Hands and Teeth transitions effortlessly between horror and beauty. Mary's world is one that readers will not soon forget."-Cassandra Clare, bestselling author of City of Bones "Opening The Forest of Hands and Teeth is like cracking Pandora's box: a blur of darkness and a precious bit of hope pour out. This is a beautifully crafted, page-turning, powerful novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it."-Melissa Marr, bestselling author of Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange "Dark and sexy and scary. Only one of the Unconsecrated could put this book down."-Justine Larbalestier, author of How to Ditch Your Fairy
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"So finally finished the Whole trilogy! yea!, So the dark and hollow places is quite an interesting book as the rest are as well, thank god the main character "Annah" is the more Tough chick in the series instead of the whyneness and drama, of gabry did get on my nerves a bit on the last book, but this one is much better! she does what she has to do to survive. the ideas for the Zombies are great and so is the plot of all 3 books really, though the whole trilogy does have a bit of a problem, the drama can get annoying at times, I feel it centers a little to much on the romance and not as much on the Zombies and Survival. It did end on a satisfying note, idk if there will be more, though despite the flaws the series has I think it is defanatley worth a read. I just feel if Carrie Ryan made the other two characters a bit more tough and not as whiney about the Love triangle it could have been a very popular series like the Hunger games or close around there.Dont get me wrong I would be a lttlte whiney as well in thier situation, but they whine and focus too much on the guys, Annah in this book not as much but still a little bit. hopefully Carrie ryan will hit the Bulls eye next time, regardless though it Was a very unique take on zombies and plot which is why I gave this series a good review. Def. worth a read, I really gave this book 4.4 Stars and the Trilogy as a whole 4.3 Stars :)"
— Jmarz93 (5 out of 5 stars)
" Awesome closure to an awesome series. "
— Melanie, 2/14/2014" I actually like this one the best of the whole series. "
— Arik, 2/7/2014" To be honest, I thought this one would be better after reading reviews on it. I liked Annah, but unlike the two main characters in the books before this one, who put on a weak front then showed their strength and determination, I thought it was almost the opposite with Annah. I liked her a lot though. Her determination and fight. I love her relationships and her protectiveness over her vulnerable past and the burden she carries from it. I thought she was an intriguing character, but the writing got really repetitive and I started to loose interest. Gabry seemed really different to me and I was really sad that she was so different from the last book. I liked the last two much better than this one and found them much more engaging, but this one was alright and ended well. I don't know if I'll ever read it again, but it left you with a good feeling and that these people who have been through so much intense suffering might finally have a happy furure. "
— Dandylion, 2/1/2014" This book is immensely satisfying. It picks up right where the previous book left off and doesn't give you a moment to catch your breath. The Dark City is a perfect backdrop for the story. It asks tough questions, pushes the envelope about survival issues, and yet still provides romance and hope. Extremely well done, and a fantastic way to tie together all three books. "
— Marissa, 2/1/2014" A great end to The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy. This one continued the story well, focusing on Annah and her fight for survival in the Dark City. The plot line was great. The characters were entertaining. The villains (not the Unconsecrated) were sufficiently villainous. The only difference was the style. This book felt more like a discussion on the meaning of life rather than an eventful story. Sure, there were action sequences. Things happened. But the entire book feels more like a philosophical text. And I appreciate this change. We get to really see what The Return means to the future of the human race. We get discussions about the meaning of life. Characters must decided whether the life they have is enough to truly live. And I must say, Annah is a much more likable character than Gabry (Abigail). I enjoyed the conclusion to the trilogy. I will definitely be reading anything that Carrie Ryan writes in the future. "
— Tfrances, 1/25/2014" I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, but this one really didn't get my attention. I found it boring and I didn't really care about any of the characters. Annah, allowed herself to be brought to the sanctuary island even though she knew it was so that she could be bait for Catcher (the one immune to the zombie plague) so that he would keep coming back to the island with supplies for the recruiters. The recruiters are unnecessarily mean and violent, and they don't care about anyone's survival but their own. Annah, finds out that Elias doesn't love her but he loves her twin sister, but thank goodness there is another guy there, Catcher, to become her instant love interest. That relationship happened so fast that I didn't believe it. The instant they get to the island they realize that it was a bad idea to come and start looking for a way off. Their ultimate idea is very sudden, random, and unbelievable, but I found that I didn't really care at that point. Now, it sort of seems that they are back where they started. "
— Audiaa, 1/24/2014" Okay, but a little too angsty. "
— Chrissie, 1/15/2014" Carrie Ryan once again did it scaringly for all her readers to be terrified...but still craving and wanting more of the thriller adrenaline... best book series I have ever read! "
— Caitlin, 1/4/2014" I loved how Carrie Ryan has subtly and successfully tied all of her relationships together. The ending is very hopeful which I love the most about it because at every turn, it seems like there really is no hope and no where for the characters to go. "
— Kaeley, 12/29/2013" A good ending to the series. Man I like zombies. I felt really hopeless about the human race during the book, but somehow the author wove hope within the characters and the end seemed perfect and hopeful. "
— Brenda, 11/19/2013" This was my least favorite of this series. It felt fractured and hard to follow at points and in the end it was a bit of a cheat to me. Too bad because the series started off with such promise. "
— Calico, 3/10/2013" liked it better than the second one. actually can't wait for the next one. there is a next one right?? :) "
— Allison, 8/16/2012" I enjoyed the last to books of the series more than the frist book, which is odd. I wish there would have been more of an ending but I did like the ending; however, for the moment I have had enough of zombies. Good story! I enjoyed it :) "
— Shalice, 6/27/2012" Amazing plotline, and overall just a really good way to end the series. Carrie did a really good job writing the novel and putting it all together. I was sad to see the series end. "
— Lisa, 4/19/2012" The Books are just amazing.. Well to me they are.. I loved every single on of them and i was very sad when the book ended because i didn;t want it to finish. I love them.:) "
— Adriana, 12/11/2011" This is now one of my favorite series.. I am not a zombie person, but I love the love story in this book between Catcher and Anna... I'm hooked "
— Jo, 7/12/2011" The best of the series in my opinion. "
— Valerie, 7/5/2011" Best Zombie Series ever! This book made my heart jump and I would recomend it. Why aren't there more books like this?!?!? "
— Sierra, 6/30/2011" A very satisfying end to the trilogy. "
— Ami, 6/26/2011" I really enjoyed it by the end, but I was slow to warm up to the main character, Annah. So it just gets 3 stars from me. I love this series though and can't wait for the next one! "
— Julie, 6/24/2011" i couldnt wait for this book! i love zombies , i love the idea of this trilogy, i love everything about it! worth the read. "
— Mana, 6/23/2011" Not as good as the other books.....but it's still good. It has slight jealousy in it.....! "
— Nicole, 6/17/2011" I liked the first book in this series a lot, but 2 & 3 were a little too "Twilighty" for me - just switch out the vampires for zombies :) "
— Alisha, 6/17/2011" Wow, sooooo awesome! I fell in love with Catcher!!!!! Aghhhhhh! "
— Vica, 6/17/2011" You do not want to miss this last enstalment of the forest of hands and teeth trilogy. It is an amazing book and Carrie Ryan knits up the story in a nice warm bundle worthy of praise. "
— Elizabeth, 6/16/2011Carrie Ryan, born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, graduated from Williams College and Duke Law School. A former litigator, she now writes full time. She lives with her writer/lawyer boyfriend and two fat cats in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are not at all prepared for the zombie apocalypse.