The Dark and Hollow Places

Annah followed her friend Elias as she left her five year old twin sister behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth twelve years ago. Elias left three years ago to fight against the "mudo". Now a Horde of zombies has swarmed the Dark City where she lives, and she finds herself on the run. She's literally and figuratively lost until she meets Catcher. Of course, Catcher has his own secrets. Dark truths that link him to a past Annah would rather forget, and to a future too deadly to consider.

I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK. I like the zombies... a.k.a the unconsecrated, the mudo, the plague rats. They are gruesome and scarry, but at the same time I find myself feeling sorry for them and and people they used to be. I like that although this is a zombie story, and the world is in an awful mess that at the core of it all, people and relationships are what drives the story. AWESOME 3rd book. I thought this was a trilogy, but I think the author could easily write another story.

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

This 2nd in the trilogy was EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST!!! I would really call this book a companion book instead of a sequel, because it could be read without reading the first. Anyway, I really LOVED this book.
The main character is Gabry. She is the daughter of the now grown-up Mary, who was the main character in The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Gabry thinks she is the opposite of her mother who is strong and brave, but she finds herself braving the Forest of Hands and Teeth none-the-less. She is accompanied by Cassia (her best-friend), Catcher (her best-friend's brother) and a "souler" (a member of a mysterious cult who worship the "mudo" ---a.k.a. zombies) named Elias.
This book is about zombies, yes, but it's about relationships, growing up and acceptance of things out of ones control. I give it 5 BIG stars!!!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Why do zombies appeal to us... to me? Maybe it's the fact that zombies were once people just like you and me. They are monsters, yes, but it's not their fault. They are just unlucky souls who were infected by a terrible disease. Of course, this terrible disease turns them into the flesh-eating undead... the unconsecrated in Carrie Ryan's THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH. The zombies in this book are simple creatures who want nothing but to hunt, kill and eat humans. The story follows a young girl named Mary who wants more than to be confined in the village where she was born; the same village that is surrounded by tall fences holding the unconsecrated at bay. She finds herself forever wondering if there is something beyond the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

This story was good because it was more than just a zombie story. It's a story about growing up, decision-making, love and coping. I liked the idea of it. I like the main character. In fact, I'm already into book #2, THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES and loving the turns it takes! Best of all, the author of these wonderful junior books lives right around the corner in Charlotte, North Carolina!!! I wonder if she's ready for a zombie apocalypse? Hmmm...

Beautiful Creatures

Although the idea of this book was original, it was entirely too long and drawn out. I found myself wanting it to be over with, and that's never good! The story is about a strange yet beautiful girl who moves into a haunted house with her reclusive uncle. A popular boy in the very small town of Gatlin is drawn to her and gives up pretty much all his friends (but one) to befriend her. Come to find out, she is the girl of his dreams... literally. They share disturbing dreams and have for years. The can also communicate just by thinking thoughts to each other... hmmm. Anyway, the book spent over 500 pages preparing you for the night the powerful (who knew?) girl would turn 16 and be claimed for either light or dark. SPOILER ALERT... I will save u the trouble by telling you she somehow (who really knows) gets out of the claiming... the bad guys disappear (again, who knows why) and the book ends SPOILER ALERT... with a stupid poem about the girls 17th birthday. So, after reading the whole book that kept going back to a poem about her 16th birthday, I'm guessing the two female authors of this book have set us up for another 500+ pages of "OH NO, I'M GONNA TURN 17 AND BE CLAIMED FOR EVIL... WOE IS ME!"

PS The name of the 2nd is out and called Beautiful Darkness. The series is planned for 5 books total, and there is talk of a movie! Lastly, this book has been compared to TWILIGHT. Maybe I'm just missing something in my reading of it. I might (when I have nothing better to read) pick up book 2 from the library. We'll see.