"The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan Official Discussion

[Tenley Nadine]

Blurbing book club book from May 14th 2010 - June 18th 2010. 

EDIT: I've just posted the blog with top three regular and lol-cat blurbs. You have a week (until the June 25th) to vote. You can find the blog here.  

Here's a few things you should probably do: 

1. Read the book (obviously). 

2. Come back to this forum and leave your thoughts about the book. You can write a sentence, you can write an essay, it doesn't matter, whatever you want. 

3. Blurb the book. 

Some of you may not know what a blurb is so allow me to explain: A blurb is a sentence of 10 words or less, that sums up the book in question. If you want an example, look on the back (occasionally the front) of some books lying around your house. Those are blurbs. 

Keep in mind that you can also compose lol-cat blurbs if you'd like (the same thing but with internet slang). 

[Scribe]

I hate zombie books. Zombies creep me out. I was tricked into reading a galley copy of this book because I didn't realize "The Unconsecrated" were zombies.

...but I loved this book. It's poignant, and haunting, and compelling, and I didn't want to turn off my lights.

[Gabby Noble]

This book totally creeped me out too and made me feel depressed, but i still read the next one! Istill ahve nightmares that zombies will come and ruin the world. I've read other books with zombies but this one brings it to a really personal level and makes you feel Mary's pain.

[Ashley K]

This entire book creeped me out! I love zombies and I adore zombie stories but what struck me the most about this one wasn't the zombies themselves. The way the people had to become to survive in the village is understandable given the situation but still really eerie. They were forced to submit to a such an unjust system because otherwise they'd never survive.
Seriously though, I read this book in one sitting. One very long sitting and it was way past midnight when I finished. Oops

[Audrey C]

Well, I must be completely oblivious or something because it took at least 5 chapters for me to realize the unconsecrated were zombies...

Blurb: A fast-paced, action packed novel that will leave you either shaking in your chair or out making survival plans and hunting for guns, machetes or katanas.

[gabrielle]

I liked this book mostly because my name is Gabrielle so I got to be the cool fast zombie.

Blurb: Have an over active imagination? Don't read this at night.

[Janeway.Kathryn]

I thought I was pretty good. Not the best book I've ever read, but I would recommend it to someone. I'm not a huge fan of zombie books, but the title looked interesting so I picked it up and read it. It was an very interesting story and the "in your pants" rule does apply.

[Tenley Nadine]

lol, I totally forgot to apply the "in your pants" rule to this book until you mentioned it.

[Melissa Flores]

Gahh, I feel the same way, not the best but not the worse either.

[Ellen Bertels]

blurb: a selfish, annoying character who got what she deserved-- SOLITUDE.

okay, that is a little harsh, but i'm not gonna lie. i REALLY didn't like her. she wasn't the type of character that i envy, and she wasn't the type of character who i found myself in (like holden caulfield, per example). I found her to be wholly selfish and looking for nothing but what she wanted. her character had very, VERY little development, and even that development was basically her getting more annoying. i know that some people will say it's realistic, and that humanity is selfish and is self-centered, and that in the middle of a crisis, when you have a gut instinct, you will do something selfish most of the time, but this was different. her character was written in such a way that i understood (sort of) what she wanted, and i understood that it was her dream and that she was willing to *dramatic scarlet o'hara voice* "give up her family and life and her beloved jed and harry and travis to find her ocean!" or whatever. but i just thought that she was selfish in the whole thing-- getting engaged to some guy she sort of liked, pining after the brother, knowing she would have to give that life up and STILL like, CUDDLING with travis, and then, later, after she'd declared that travis was ALL she needed, ALL she wanted, ASSUMING that he would give up his entire life to come and take her away-- but to where? and then giving up travis' life so she could find the ocean-- which, by the way, he was right about. he told her that it was filled, infested with the Unconsecrated, and even though she knew he was right, she still went on with her "gut feeling". sometimes, this can be a clearly good thing for the protagoinst-- going with your "gut feeling" can get you many good places. EXCEPT for when there is literally no evidence for your "gut" and you KNOW for a FACT that the ocean is there, yeah, but also, btw, it sucks.
so she gave up her love for travis to go chase an ocean that she knew would suck? and she let her brother go, too.
i know i'm rambling.
but, basically, i thought it was well-written and paced, and i liked the author's writing style, but i freaking hated the main character.

BLURB: I can haz oshun...and travis? just one? den oshun.
&
and maybe the ocean doesn't outweigh the risk.
&
good things come to an end, but oceans are forever.
&
love comes to an end, but zombies last forever.
&
the end does not justify the zombies.

[Bryn]

Ooh, I read this a few years ago. It's still on my bookshelf, happy as ever (yes, books can be happy). I remember liking it very much, and being drawn in by the villager's foreign ways of life and strange ideals. Perhaps I'll reread it and then contribute a bit more. :) Yes, the zombie part struck me as grossly clichéd, but other than that, not a bad book. Not bad at all.

[Chelsea]

So, I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read many zombie books, and I found this one interesting. I read it awhile back though, so it's not completely fresh in my mind, but I do know that as much as I enjoyed the book the main character, Mary, was kinda annoying. I also remember thinking that it reminded me of I am Legend and The Village... as well as a few others I believe. So really, I didn't find it completely original, but still a good read. Ah well, I have the next book in the series, Dead Tossed Waves. I'm excited to read it :)

lolBlurb: i haz to get to ochunz before i becomz the unconzicratedz

[Stina W]

I HATED this book when I first read it last year. A month or two ago I was told there was a second to it and I was immediately interested. Odd? yes, I know. I now have the second in my posession but am reading some other books that I think I'll like better first. Being a librarian, I'm never out of a good book to read. Actually, I go to work at 1 today...

Blurb: Seen The Village? Liked it? Here, read this. kthanx bye