The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Reviewed by AimeeRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Ratings Explanation
Language: Exclamations of Deity are used along with Damnation.
Violence: The Unconsecrated are humans who have turned into Zombie like creatures. Their skin is ripped and gaping from wounds, fingers cracked and broken. They try to kill other humans because live humans become food for the Unconsecrated. Mary’s mother searches each day for her husband through the fence that separates the healthy people from the Unconsecrated. She becomes infected by the Unconsecrated, her hands are bloody. Mary must decide if she wants her mother to be killed or go to live with Unconsecrated. Travis is injured and bloody. The Unconsecrated attack the village. People are in panic being chased and bitten. There is blood. “Fresh blood still stains their clothes, drips from their mouths.” “Her mouth is hanging open and I can see the gaps from where she is missing teeth. I hold up my hands to try to keep her away and she claws at me. Her mouth is so close to my flesh that I can feel the stench of death seeping through me. I kick at her, whip my arms at her, but to no avail. I close my eyes and wait.” The Sister’s at the Cathedral are attacked. Jed’s wife is infected and he kills her by cutting off her head. There is another attack and the Unconsecrated are trying to kill everyone. Mary finds a baby in a house that has been infected and is Unconsecrated. She throws it out the window. The Unconsecrated attack and Mary uses an ax to sever heads from bodies. “The ax lodges in the wall and I tug it free and swing again, blood slinging from the blade. Again and again…” Travis becomes infected and Mary decapitates him with a scythe. “Flesh falls around me, the squelch of steel meeting putrefaction mixing with the sound of the rain beating the ground.”
Sexual Content: Henry kisses Mary, trailing kisses down her neck. Mary is in the bed with Travis. They are very aware of each other. They kiss. “The feel of his lips pounds in my body, throbbing everywhere.” Travis and Mary kiss several times.
Adult Themes: Because of the hardships and bitter disappointments of life, Mary no longer believes in God. Mary is bound to Henry to be married, but she loves Travis and wants to be with him. She feels a sense of betrayal. Mary’s brother blames her for their mother becoming an Unconsecrated. He refuses to see her or speak with her. Mary is sent to live at the Cathedral with the Sisters. The Apocalypse is the catalyst for this book.
Synopsis
Mary lives in a world with two kinds of people; humans and the zombie creatures known as the Unconsecrated. A fence separates them but the fear is always there. The Sisters in the Cathedral keep the order and balance of the village. After Mary’s mother becomes an Unconsecrated, she is sent to live with the Sisters and prepare for a marriage to Henry, her lifelong friend. But Mary’s heart belongs to Travis, who is betrothed to another. Everything changes when the Unconsecrated break through the fence and attack the village. Mary and her friends escape to a pathway and have to fight to stay alive.
If you love a good horror movie, you will love this book. It is full of the violence and gore that go along with zombies. It’s not my favorite kind of book so I didn’t love this book, but I will say that it was free of the swearing that litters most books. There were a lot of unanswered questions and I found that a bit frustrating because I like to know where characters and ideas are coming from. I like to know the reasons behind the events, feelings and actions. I also love a good love story and this was not a good love story. Everyone in love ends up killing the one they love because they are turning into Unconsecrated. I didn’t love that. Having said that, I think this book will certainly appeal to lots of people. I would keep this in the high school age readers.