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The Forest of Hands and Teeth #3
The Dark and Hollow Places
There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.
Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.
Except, Catcher has his own secrets -- dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah -- can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?
Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.
Except, Catcher has his own secrets -- dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah -- can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?
384 pages, Hardcover
First published March 22, 2011
About the author
Carrie Ryan
59 books4,784 followersCarrie Ryan is the New York Times bestselling author of a lot of books. She use to be a lawyer. Happily, she is not anymore. You can keep it that way by reading her books:
Latest release (out Aug 2, 2022), perfects for fans of thrillers, serial killers, missing girls, mysteries, unputdownable books: Trapper Road
If you like zombies, try the Forest of Hands and Teeth series.
If you like clever, fun adventure fantasy for 8-12 year olds, definitely read the Map To Everywhere series (co-written with her husband, John Parke Davis).
If you like cold calculated revenge involving hidden identities and lots of secrets: Daughter of Deep Silence.
If you or your kids like multi-author, multi-platform series like 39 Clues and Spirit Animals, try Infinity Ring: Divide and Conquer -- it's produced by the same publisher (and has vikings and true history!)
If you like true-crime stuff (both fiction and podcasts), check out her upcoming release, Dead Air, a serialized thriller co-written with Gwenda Bond and Rachel Caine.
If you're pretty sure you won't survive the zombie apocalypse, you're in good company. She won't either.
instagram: @CarrieRyanWrites
twitter: @CarrieRyan
website: www.CarrieRyan.com
Latest release (out Aug 2, 2022), perfects for fans of thrillers, serial killers, missing girls, mysteries, unputdownable books: Trapper Road
If you like zombies, try the Forest of Hands and Teeth series.
If you like clever, fun adventure fantasy for 8-12 year olds, definitely read the Map To Everywhere series (co-written with her husband, John Parke Davis).
If you like cold calculated revenge involving hidden identities and lots of secrets: Daughter of Deep Silence.
If you or your kids like multi-author, multi-platform series like 39 Clues and Spirit Animals, try Infinity Ring: Divide and Conquer -- it's produced by the same publisher (and has vikings and true history!)
If you like true-crime stuff (both fiction and podcasts), check out her upcoming release, Dead Air, a serialized thriller co-written with Gwenda Bond and Rachel Caine.
If you're pretty sure you won't survive the zombie apocalypse, you're in good company. She won't either.
instagram: @CarrieRyanWrites
twitter: @CarrieRyan
website: www.CarrieRyan.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,021 reviews
February 9, 2017
After reading and reviewing The Dead Tossed Waves, I wasn't planning on reading the final book in this series. But, I hate starting a series and not finishing it, and I really hoped this book would be better.
The plot follows the previous two books; there's the whiny, self-pitying girl, the love triangle, and the need to escape. The writing hasn't improved either. Something is always almost like something else, unimaginative similes abound. Someone is always retching or vomiting. When hands, fingers, or knuckles are mentioned, they're raw, ragged, bloody, or bruised. Throats and voices are raw and ragged too. If you need an adjective, any adjective, just use one of these four.
Annah is always whining about her scars and hiding behind her hair. It makes her look meek. Instead of being invisible, she stands out as an easy target. Like Catcher, I was tired of having her 'badge' thrown in my face. It's her personality and her refusal to open up, not her scars, that makes her ugly.
In contrast, Gabry is more mature and steady. She's much more likable than in the previous book. Catcher and Elias are nice guys, even if they're not very multi-dimensional. The remaining characters were just filler, bad guy #1, bad guy #2, victim #1, etc. No personality or motives needed.
This could have been a 2 star book, except for one thing. The escape at the end is beyond ridiculous.
If you liked this series, you might also enjoy:
✱ The Clockwork Century series
The plot follows the previous two books; there's the whiny, self-pitying girl, the love triangle, and the need to escape. The writing hasn't improved either. Something is always almost like something else, unimaginative similes abound. Someone is always retching or vomiting. When hands, fingers, or knuckles are mentioned, they're raw, ragged, bloody, or bruised. Throats and voices are raw and ragged too. If you need an adjective, any adjective, just use one of these four.
Annah is always whining about her scars and hiding behind her hair. It makes her look meek. Instead of being invisible, she stands out as an easy target. Like Catcher, I was tired of having her 'badge' thrown in my face. It's her personality and her refusal to open up, not her scars, that makes her ugly.
In contrast, Gabry is more mature and steady. She's much more likable than in the previous book. Catcher and Elias are nice guys, even if they're not very multi-dimensional. The remaining characters were just filler, bad guy #1, bad guy #2, victim #1, etc. No personality or motives needed.
This could have been a 2 star book, except for one thing. The escape at the end is beyond ridiculous.
If you liked this series, you might also enjoy:
✱ The Clockwork Century series
July 29, 2011
In some parts, it was my favorite. In others, it was my least favorite.
April 16, 2011
You know how when you are reading a book and you can sort of tell when the author lets her characters off the hook or saves them from a potentially devastating situation? Well, Carrie Ryan spares no sort of mercy for her characters. In fact, she leaves your soul begging for a way out for them. I found myself bargaining with Ryan to please cut them some slack! But Alas, such is not the way in any of the Forest of Hands and Teeth novels. While the POV changed from each of the three books, one constant always remained:
Or the “Unconsecrated,” “Mudo,” or “Plague Rats” depending which book you’re on.
The Dark and Hollow Places (or the series in general) is epic. I can honestly say I really, really liked it, perhaps even loved it. However, it is not an adventure I would want to read again. It is just too damn depressing. And I’ll probably have Zombie filled dreams the next night I sleep. The world Ryan creates is so grim, so full of darkness and despair. Honestly, its awesome. It feels like you are watching a horror movie.
The book picks up with Gabry’s twin sister, Annah. What a broken character! At first, I thought Annah was sure to annoy the hell out of me with her constant complaints of her scars. But she quickly grew on me. Annah is a very strong, solid, female protagonist. Is she flawed? Sure. She is so used to depending on herself for everything, that she is afraid to let anyone get close to her. Throughout the novel, she learns that if she or her loved ones are going to make it, she has to learn to trust again.
Annah can not take a break in this novel. Ryan puts her through some pretty hellish situations that left me doing something like this:
Or this:
I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book. Nowhere was safe, not from the Zombies or the recruiters. Many times they all just wanted to give up. But really, who could blame them? Ryan brought up a very good question in this book: What is the difference from surviving and simply existing? What do you do when you only have a short time to live? Well, you LIVE. You continuing fighting, feeling, believing. So, if you haven’t read this book or series…what are you waiting for?! The Return?!
More reviews and more at Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.
April 18, 2011
I really liked The Forest of Hands and Teeth, which I thought was a bleak, well-written take on the whole zombie story. I wasn't as big a fan of the follow-up novel, The Dead-Tossed Waves, primarily because I thought Gabry was a bit of a whiner and a little too obsessed with boys in the middle of all the death, dying, and undead.
As such, I wasn't sure whether I was eager to follow the story with the third installment in the series, but happily The Dark and Hollow Places returns with a compellingly flawed narrator in Annah, Gabry's long-lost twin. A frightened and lonely child who grows up to be a scarred and mistrustful woman, Annah is much more interesting than her sheltered twin--and Catcher, who was part of the triangle in the last book, is much more appealing than Elias. As with the previous books there's a lot of running away from the Unconsecrated, hiding out in forests, and fighting off unwanted attention.
I would preferred to have seen Annah come to accept herself in a more obvious way, to have had a little more time spent on her relationship with Catcher (it felt a little too close for comfort to have her pining for both of her sister's lovers), and I still don't really understand why authors ever want to write in the present tense. But overall the story moves along at a fast clip with descriptive narration and some pretty cool action sequences. There's a fairly open-ended close to the novel, but being that there are finally some notes of hope in this dark world, I'm kind of hoping that this is the end of the series. Better to let it finish on a high note than to let it drag out interminably.
As such, I wasn't sure whether I was eager to follow the story with the third installment in the series, but happily The Dark and Hollow Places returns with a compellingly flawed narrator in Annah, Gabry's long-lost twin. A frightened and lonely child who grows up to be a scarred and mistrustful woman, Annah is much more interesting than her sheltered twin--and Catcher, who was part of the triangle in the last book, is much more appealing than Elias. As with the previous books there's a lot of running away from the Unconsecrated, hiding out in forests, and fighting off unwanted attention.
I would preferred to have seen Annah come to accept herself in a more obvious way, to have had a little more time spent on her relationship with Catcher (it felt a little too close for comfort to have her pining for both of her sister's lovers), and I still don't really understand why authors ever want to write in the present tense. But overall the story moves along at a fast clip with descriptive narration and some pretty cool action sequences. There's a fairly open-ended close to the novel, but being that there are finally some notes of hope in this dark world, I'm kind of hoping that this is the end of the series. Better to let it finish on a high note than to let it drag out interminably.
October 15, 2011
Perhaps I need to go back and reread The Forest of Hands and Teeth. The thing is, that book blew me away. I loved the mystery, the surreal quality, Mary's craziness, the pervading sense of doom and of course the never ending onslaught of the Unconsecrated. I remember reading the book late at night, in the middle of a storm while the hubby was away. Between the wind and lightening I could hear moans of the undead, and when thunder shook my old, isolated house I imagined hoards at my door. I was so spooked that I actually had to put the book down and take a break from it! Carrie Ryan can write a creepy zombie story that is for sure.
Needless to say, I was completely let down by the teen angst portrayed in The Dead-Tossed Waves, almost so much so that I considered not continuing with the final installment of this trilogy. But of course I did finally read The Dark and Hollow Places. The verdict? Well, Carrie Ryan can still write some of the best zombie scenes ever. So many zombie books fail because they go for the immediate scare and shock value. But Ryan manages to build up a slow tension and throughout the novel and allow the reader to truly see the hopelessness and horror of a zombie apocalypse.
And then they come, stumbling from the cloud of dust and dirt: Unconsecrated. At fist it’s just a few, but then there are more and more, struggling across the rubble and flooding into the streets. Slow but steady they flow like blood from a seeping wound.
Some are short and some are tall. Some men and others women. Some wear clothes from olden times and some are naked, their bodies striped with wounds. But all moan with gaping black mouths. All claw at the air, reaching and needing. Some of them shuffle on broken limbs, arms gnawed away, with stringy gray tendons swinging with each step.
There are more than I could ever count and I know this is just the beginning. Soon the entire City will fall to them. I stare and wonder how we’ve survived as long as we have against such an inevitable destruction.
Unfortunately, Ryan also has a desire to write about teenage angst and lurve. While this worked well in The Forest of Hands and Teeth, it’s old hat by now. At this point the zombie scenes and the supporting characters are meant only to hinder the romance and heighten the angst. Teenagers talk philosophically about the nature of life, love and death and manage to be the only good guys amongst many of the survivors we encounter. *yawn*
The Dark and Hollow Places is a solid three stars for me. While I absolutely love Ryan’s ideas and writing style, her execution of this trilogy leaves something to be desired. I would love to see her break away from a plot which is so dependent on the lurve and the angst.
Needless to say, I was completely let down by the teen angst portrayed in The Dead-Tossed Waves, almost so much so that I considered not continuing with the final installment of this trilogy. But of course I did finally read The Dark and Hollow Places. The verdict? Well, Carrie Ryan can still write some of the best zombie scenes ever. So many zombie books fail because they go for the immediate scare and shock value. But Ryan manages to build up a slow tension and throughout the novel and allow the reader to truly see the hopelessness and horror of a zombie apocalypse.
And then they come, stumbling from the cloud of dust and dirt: Unconsecrated. At fist it’s just a few, but then there are more and more, struggling across the rubble and flooding into the streets. Slow but steady they flow like blood from a seeping wound.
Some are short and some are tall. Some men and others women. Some wear clothes from olden times and some are naked, their bodies striped with wounds. But all moan with gaping black mouths. All claw at the air, reaching and needing. Some of them shuffle on broken limbs, arms gnawed away, with stringy gray tendons swinging with each step.
There are more than I could ever count and I know this is just the beginning. Soon the entire City will fall to them. I stare and wonder how we’ve survived as long as we have against such an inevitable destruction.
Unfortunately, Ryan also has a desire to write about teenage angst and lurve. While this worked well in The Forest of Hands and Teeth, it’s old hat by now. At this point the zombie scenes and the supporting characters are meant only to hinder the romance and heighten the angst. Teenagers talk philosophically about the nature of life, love and death and manage to be the only good guys amongst many of the survivors we encounter. *yawn*
The Dark and Hollow Places is a solid three stars for me. While I absolutely love Ryan’s ideas and writing style, her execution of this trilogy leaves something to be desired. I would love to see her break away from a plot which is so dependent on the lurve and the angst.
July 17, 2011
This is definitely the best of the three. Just as original and thought provoking as the first two in the series- in The Dark and Hollow Places we follow yet a new character, Annah, as the protagonist. Although the others from The Dead-Tossed Waves are present as well. Some more than others, but don't fret- you won't miss anyone; Annah's story is plenty interesting. I also found her to be a much more competent main character than Mary and Gabry. She is strong and self sufficient. I really admired her determination and will to live.
In addition to its originality, we still run and hide, escaping the Unconsecrated, fighting for our lives in this exhilarating pulse pounding conclusion. Although the ending is still a bit open-ended with room for more books in the future, I'd be fine if this was it. It's a perfect way to end this series: Hopeful and believable.
There is no slow start in this third novel. We are thrown right in at high speeds that don't slow down until the last page. It's easily the darkest book in the series. The Unconsecrated are not the only enemy anymore, and I don't know which is worse. We really see the lengths that people will go to in order to survive. Some even make the zombies seem charming. Regardless of all this horror, we've still got some love and romance to gush through. The chemistry between the characters is much more present which makes it easier to root for them.
It's all brilliantly written. The settings, the different protagonists, the passion, the helplessness, the hope, it adds up to give a very realistic world. It made my adrenaline pump and my heart ache. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. I also have to mention that the covers are gorgeous!! That alone is worth having these on your shelves!
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
In addition to its originality, we still run and hide, escaping the Unconsecrated, fighting for our lives in this exhilarating pulse pounding conclusion. Although the ending is still a bit open-ended with room for more books in the future, I'd be fine if this was it. It's a perfect way to end this series: Hopeful and believable.
There is no slow start in this third novel. We are thrown right in at high speeds that don't slow down until the last page. It's easily the darkest book in the series. The Unconsecrated are not the only enemy anymore, and I don't know which is worse. We really see the lengths that people will go to in order to survive. Some even make the zombies seem charming. Regardless of all this horror, we've still got some love and romance to gush through. The chemistry between the characters is much more present which makes it easier to root for them.
It's all brilliantly written. The settings, the different protagonists, the passion, the helplessness, the hope, it adds up to give a very realistic world. It made my adrenaline pump and my heart ache. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. I also have to mention that the covers are gorgeous!! That alone is worth having these on your shelves!
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For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
February 15, 2017
*4.5 UNDEAD STARS*
Screw The Walking Dead, if there's ever a zombie apocalypse, I want to be like Annah!
"Life is never that simple. And the fact that it's not that simple to you means only one thing: you're still alive."
This book was by far the best one in this entire series and I'm kind of mad at myself for leaving two years between reading the first two and this one. I would've enjoyed this one so much more right after the other two because this really brought all the storylines together nicely! It finally all made sense now! Book 1 was about Mary. Book 2 about Mary's daughter Gabry and this one was about Gabry's twin sister Annah and included pretty much all the characters from the previous books, still trying to survive in a world full of Unconsecrated.
I really don't get why these books aren't more popular! These already draw you in by their haunting titles! And don't get me wrong, these are definitely not everyone's cup of tea. They're extremely dark and made me question humanity more than once.
I felt hopeless in Annah's place because of all she had to go through, but she was headstrong and never gave up! I admire that about her and I wish I was more like her in that aspect. I probably would've been dead literally 0.5 seconds after the zombie outbreak started lol, I'm just that clumsy. She also literally managed to find love in a hopeless place. (eat that, Rihanna!)
By the way, Catcher, I still love you and you know it!
Screw The Walking Dead, if there's ever a zombie apocalypse, I want to be like Annah!
"Life is never that simple. And the fact that it's not that simple to you means only one thing: you're still alive."
This book was by far the best one in this entire series and I'm kind of mad at myself for leaving two years between reading the first two and this one. I would've enjoyed this one so much more right after the other two because this really brought all the storylines together nicely! It finally all made sense now! Book 1 was about Mary. Book 2 about Mary's daughter Gabry and this one was about Gabry's twin sister Annah and included pretty much all the characters from the previous books, still trying to survive in a world full of Unconsecrated.
I really don't get why these books aren't more popular! These already draw you in by their haunting titles! And don't get me wrong, these are definitely not everyone's cup of tea. They're extremely dark and made me question humanity more than once.
I felt hopeless in Annah's place because of all she had to go through, but she was headstrong and never gave up! I admire that about her and I wish I was more like her in that aspect. I probably would've been dead literally 0.5 seconds after the zombie outbreak started lol, I'm just that clumsy. She also literally managed to find love in a hopeless place. (
By the way, Catcher, I still love you and you know it!
March 24, 2016
Αν και το δεύτερο βιβλίο μου άρεσε περισσότερο, η Άννα είναι η καλύτερη ηρωίδα όλης της τριλογίας. Την θαύμασα. Η Ryan έχει απίστευτο ταλέντο στο να πλάθει ρεαλιστικούς χαρακτήρες.
Θα μπορούσα να διαβάσω τουλάχιστον άλλα τρία βιβλία για αυτόν τον κόσμο κ τους ήρωες του χωρίς να χάσω ούτε λίγο το ενδιαφέρον μου. Θα μου λείψουν.
Θα μπορούσα να διαβάσω τουλάχιστον άλλα τρία βιβλία για αυτόν τον κόσμο κ τους ήρωες του χωρίς να χάσω ούτε λίγο το ενδιαφέρον μου. Θα μου λείψουν.
August 30, 2017
Second audiobook I will enter towards my reading challenge, sadly I had never heard about this series , so when I chose this book I didn't know this was the third book in a trilogy, however this book was a good stand alone book . The narrative was simple and the plot was nothing out of this world , this is the classic zombie, survival, dystopian society we find in all zombie related books. Did not like the main character, she whines all through the book and is reliant on other characters to keep her safe . All in all a good simple book, not the greatest, not the worst ....maybe I would have given it more stars if I had read book 1 and 2.
April 1, 2014
I've been slowly working through The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan for the last couple of days. Partly, I blame the stupidity of ongoing health dramas. Partly I blame myself. This is "the final" book in the trilogy... and I simply did not want to let these books go.
The Dark and Hollow Places starts out with a new character - Annah, the twin sister of Gabry from book two. Annah lives in the Dark City and is patiently awaiting the return of Elias, who went off to find Annah's sister, Abigail. Annah and Elias left Abigail behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth ten years ago while fleeing the Unconsecrated. Since then Annah has regretted the decision every day. Her guilt is visibly represented on her flesh by severe scars, an accident caused by barbed wire. Annah thinks of her sister and knows that she herself is ugly.
Three people come into the city that irrevocably change Annah's life. One is Elias, the man Annah is in love with. Another is Gabry, Annah's sister, who is in love with Elias as well. The third is Catcher, the Immune former flame of Gabry. All three of these characters serve as a symbolic counterpoint for Annah in provocative ways. They also make a very impacting point in the story. Because of Catcher's immunity the Recruiters (who secure the defenses in Dark City) have forced him to infiltrate the infected areas for supplies. To keep him in line they imprison Annah, Gabry, and Elias but they really only need to keep one alive to maintain Catcher's loyalty. The threat of their deaths are ever-present in (and out) of Dark City.
I really like what Ryan did with this book. Granted, it took me a minute to get into the storyline but once Gabry and co. made their presence known I was hooked. Annah is a hard character to wrap your brain around. I wasn't convinced, at first, that I was going to like her voice. I wasn't sure I was ready for her darkness. She's a completely different character than the first two women; her inner strength comes from years of self-loathing more than success. I was scared of how dark she was in the beginning, but I quickly grew to appreciate her, to love her. I really grew to love her.
This is, potentially, the darkest book in the series. But it's not because of the dead, it's because of the living. The things that people do, the things that people become in order to survive, are truly monstrous, and Ryan drives this home with efficient grace. It's not the undead we need fear, it's ourselves. Beautifully, masterfully done.
I'm really glad that I had this book to read this week. Really. Very. Glad.
5 out of 5 stars. It's bittersweet to see this series end, but I'm very happy with the final book.
- review courtesy of www.bibliopunkkreads.com
April 27, 2011
The first book in this series "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" was such a great story, then the second book "The Dead Tossed Waves" wasn't really a sequel, it was a whole different story with mostly different characters and it didn't make references to the first book very often, so you didn’t get any answers to the questions that the first book raised. This last book "The Dark and Hollow Places" is a sequel to "The Dead Tossed Waves", I started skimming about mid book because I thought it was getting a little bit boring and repetitive. There wasn't much of a big finale, and it didn't really go in the direction I thought it would, it just sort of faded into an ending, "and they rode off into the sunset" sort of a thing. Very inconclusive, and very disappointing.
April 16, 2011
Carrie Ryan has a talent for writing. Not only does her writing increase in perfection with each book, but she creates a world that feels so real while reading it, that I hopelessly and willingly fall victim to it's brilliance. Yes I know zombies aren't real, but they sure feel real when you're reading Carrie's series. I can honestly say I am NOT a zombie fan, but I'm a die hard Carrie Ryan zombie fan. There's a difference, as Carrie's main characters are not zombies, but the world in which they live is over run with them.
The Dark and Hollow Places lives up to it's name and is the darker of the three, but it also made it the most realistic. Without giving away any spoilers, what happens with the characters in the story wasn't shocking to me and is something that fits a story who's world is facing an end. This is something that felt real and something I can see really happening, as human nature takes over. People either fight to survive or become barbaric and let me just say that a few of the Recruiters make the zombies look nice.
What I've loved about this series is that each book is from a different character's point of view, and each story is told in manner that I not only get to see the characters in a variety of ways, but also their world. What I loved most with this story is the way in which Carrie brings all her characters together and wraps up her series. The Dark and Hollow Places is told from Annah's point of view, Gabry's twin sister. I really enjoyed getting to know Annah, and I loved the romance that grows between her and Catcher. It's so broken, and hopeful all at the same time and filled with tension, which I love. I really fell in love with Catcher in TDTW, but this time his desperation is so much more urgent that I really wanted to reach out to him. Annah and Catcher mold together perfectly, as they're the only ones who are able to really understand each other. I'm so glad that Gabry and Elias were apart of the story, but this time they were great supporting characters.
The setting in which the story takes place really helps set the tone and feel of the book. Dark City is overrun and falling apart and it's the last strong hold survivors have. The darkened subway tunnels are beyond creepy! My adrenaline started running while reading these scenes they're that creepy, but so fitting for the story. While the setting makes the world and the story feel helpless, the characters give it hope, which was so appealing to me. Annah for me is the essence of survival. Her passion for living really brought the story to life. She often questions the way in which she was changing and how could she not? She's had to deal with some pretty horrific things both from what she's seen and experienced. She won't give up, even when all seems lost.
I truly loved the moments I spent being apart of the world Carrie created. With The Dark and Hollow Place I had a few of those "ah ha" moments when Carrie ties together her previous two story lines, and adds them to this story's deliciously twisted plot. And oh what an ending! It's biter sweet, hopeful, and exactly how a series should end. If you have not picked up Carrie's series, I highly recommend it. The Dark and Hollow Places is a must have book and I recommend running out today to pick up.
The Dark and Hollow Places lives up to it's name and is the darker of the three, but it also made it the most realistic. Without giving away any spoilers, what happens with the characters in the story wasn't shocking to me and is something that fits a story who's world is facing an end. This is something that felt real and something I can see really happening, as human nature takes over. People either fight to survive or become barbaric and let me just say that a few of the Recruiters make the zombies look nice.
What I've loved about this series is that each book is from a different character's point of view, and each story is told in manner that I not only get to see the characters in a variety of ways, but also their world. What I loved most with this story is the way in which Carrie brings all her characters together and wraps up her series. The Dark and Hollow Places is told from Annah's point of view, Gabry's twin sister. I really enjoyed getting to know Annah, and I loved the romance that grows between her and Catcher. It's so broken, and hopeful all at the same time and filled with tension, which I love. I really fell in love with Catcher in TDTW, but this time his desperation is so much more urgent that I really wanted to reach out to him. Annah and Catcher mold together perfectly, as they're the only ones who are able to really understand each other. I'm so glad that Gabry and Elias were apart of the story, but this time they were great supporting characters.
The setting in which the story takes place really helps set the tone and feel of the book. Dark City is overrun and falling apart and it's the last strong hold survivors have. The darkened subway tunnels are beyond creepy! My adrenaline started running while reading these scenes they're that creepy, but so fitting for the story. While the setting makes the world and the story feel helpless, the characters give it hope, which was so appealing to me. Annah for me is the essence of survival. Her passion for living really brought the story to life. She often questions the way in which she was changing and how could she not? She's had to deal with some pretty horrific things both from what she's seen and experienced. She won't give up, even when all seems lost.
I truly loved the moments I spent being apart of the world Carrie created. With The Dark and Hollow Place I had a few of those "ah ha" moments when Carrie ties together her previous two story lines, and adds them to this story's deliciously twisted plot. And oh what an ending! It's biter sweet, hopeful, and exactly how a series should end. If you have not picked up Carrie's series, I highly recommend it. The Dark and Hollow Places is a must have book and I recommend running out today to pick up.
October 16, 2011
Picking up right where we left off at the end of "The Dead-Tossed Waves", "The Dark and Hollow Places" ups the pace of the story, making us feel just as desperate as the rest of the main characters thus far.
This last third book in the trilogy (though I really, really hope there are others!) unites all of the characters we've met since the first book together in a frenetic union of panic and love, lust and hurt. Annah's love of her sister combined with the hate that springs forth once she learns how Abagail/Gabry grew up is a tasty treat, sweet and sour, to be enjoyed slowly as it simmers to a head near the middle of the book. Just as the first book was Mary's story and the second was Gabry's, make no mistake that this last story in the trilogy belongs to Annah and Ryan never lets us forget that. We're deeply immersed in Annah and her psyche the entire time, and how she fights with herself on whether she loves or hates her sister, Catcher, and Elias.
Between this and the panic spurred on by the actions of Catcher, Elias, and Gabry at the end of the previous book, it feels like you're on a marathon - heart pounding, lactic acid in your legs the entire time. And it burns - teenage love in the middle of a world that's ending.
But it burns so, so good. Ryan has only honed and perfected her craft of agonized teenage affection throughout all three books, which is really well represented in this last story.
And then there's the generational aspect as well; Mary's story was the first story, somewhere around 20 years previous to the second book. By the end of this third book, you get the feeling that things have come full circle, that there is hope, another generation to be born, and even though they may have to fight for their lives, they WILL live.
That, ultimately, I think is Ryan's message: if there's life there's hope, and if there's hope, there's love. And that's what makes us different from the dead, just as Annah says in the book - the fact that we're aware and fight for these emotions makes us alive, makes us fallible, but makes us human. This is the line that separates us from the dead.
I really hope there are more books in the world of "Hands and Teeth" - "Hare Moon", a novella just released online (which I haven't had a chance to read yet), apparently also takes place in the same universe. But I'd like a prequel, maybe something to answer what happened to cause the Return, or a sequel/separate trilogy of what happened after this last book. I won't take no for an answer.
This one's in my top five for 2011 so far, and the year's not even over yet. Simply gorgeous.
(crossposted to librarything, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
This last third book in the trilogy (though I really, really hope there are others!) unites all of the characters we've met since the first book together in a frenetic union of panic and love, lust and hurt. Annah's love of her sister combined with the hate that springs forth once she learns how Abagail/Gabry grew up is a tasty treat, sweet and sour, to be enjoyed slowly as it simmers to a head near the middle of the book. Just as the first book was Mary's story and the second was Gabry's, make no mistake that this last story in the trilogy belongs to Annah and Ryan never lets us forget that. We're deeply immersed in Annah and her psyche the entire time, and how she fights with herself on whether she loves or hates her sister, Catcher, and Elias.
Between this and the panic spurred on by the actions of Catcher, Elias, and Gabry at the end of the previous book, it feels like you're on a marathon - heart pounding, lactic acid in your legs the entire time. And it burns - teenage love in the middle of a world that's ending.
But it burns so, so good. Ryan has only honed and perfected her craft of agonized teenage affection throughout all three books, which is really well represented in this last story.
And then there's the generational aspect as well; Mary's story was the first story, somewhere around 20 years previous to the second book. By the end of this third book, you get the feeling that things have come full circle, that there is hope, another generation to be born, and even though they may have to fight for their lives, they WILL live.
That, ultimately, I think is Ryan's message: if there's life there's hope, and if there's hope, there's love. And that's what makes us different from the dead, just as Annah says in the book - the fact that we're aware and fight for these emotions makes us alive, makes us fallible, but makes us human. This is the line that separates us from the dead.
I really hope there are more books in the world of "Hands and Teeth" - "Hare Moon", a novella just released online (which I haven't had a chance to read yet), apparently also takes place in the same universe. But I'd like a prequel, maybe something to answer what happened to cause the Return, or a sequel/separate trilogy of what happened after this last book. I won't take no for an answer.
This one's in my top five for 2011 so far, and the year's not even over yet. Simply gorgeous.
(crossposted to librarything, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
December 23, 2015
It seems to be happening a lot to me lately first with the next part if the Gone series and now this too... I don't know how I'm gonna wait a whole year
UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally a whole year has passed and I just finished reading the book this morning , 1 am counts as morning right??
After reading it I feel kind of overhelmed with all the emotions the story has generated on me, I even feel a bit sore of been pulled through all the tension moments along the story.
"What would you do if you knew you only had a few more days to live?" Have you ever think about it??...me neither, I mean, not seriously, till now; and when Annah decided she wanted to live actually live and not only survive, for me, it was like colliding into a brick wall. And suddenly realizing I want to live too. I mean its true we are all dying and why to wait to have only a few days left if we can live now.
A don't want to spoil it , because it really really worth the reading, I'll just say that despite the trilogy is amazing, and quite original too, since each book has its own voice and protagonist; but from the three this one is my favorite, and Im still secretly hoping for a fourth book.
UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally a whole year has passed and I just finished reading the book this morning , 1 am counts as morning right??
After reading it I feel kind of overhelmed with all the emotions the story has generated on me, I even feel a bit sore of been pulled through all the tension moments along the story.
"What would you do if you knew you only had a few more days to live?" Have you ever think about it??...me neither, I mean, not seriously, till now; and when Annah decided she wanted to live actually live and not only survive, for me, it was like colliding into a brick wall. And suddenly realizing I want to live too. I mean its true we are all dying and why to wait to have only a few days left if we can live now.
A don't want to spoil it , because it really really worth the reading, I'll just say that despite the trilogy is amazing, and quite original too, since each book has its own voice and protagonist; but from the three this one is my favorite, and Im still secretly hoping for a fourth book.
February 4, 2011
Wow. I wasn't too thrilled with this book at first, but that ending... Wow. I hope with all my might and soul that this isn't really the end of this fabulous series. But if it is, it's still a beautiful ending.
March 28, 2011
Brief-ish summary (that isn't so much spoilery as it is more of a quick set-up of the plot during the first chapter or so): Teenage Annah has been on her own for three years, since Elias--the boy with whom she got lost in the forest several years prior--left to join the protectorate to secure a better future for both of them. In the Dark City where lawlessness prevails Annah learned quickly what it takes to fend for herself. She's had to be strong in order to survive.
Because of street smarts and childhood accident that left part of her face and body marred Annah's been fortunate to fend off creepers and the like. Unfortunately the very same scars cause Annah to keep everyone at arms length. She walks the streets with her head down, speaking only when necessary and has no friends or acquaintances. She's literally all on her own as she waits for Elias to return to her.
Near the beginning of The Dark and Hollow Places Annah makes the decision to move on--Elias has been gone three years when he only signed up for two. She knows that there is a good chance he's dead or worse. She knows it's foolish to continue living in the same building they lived in together as it's been declared unsafe and the city is getting more dangerous every day.
It's when she's leaving the city for what's supposed to be the last time she sees a teenage girl who has her face, or rather the face she would have were it not for all the scars. Annah knows without a doubt the girl is her long-lost identical twin, Abigail, whom she and Elias left in the forest all those years ago. Guilt-stricken, there hasn't been a day in which Annah hasn't thought about Abigail, about her fate--whether she found her way back to their village or not.
Annah attempts to get to Abigail who, ironically enough, is entering the Dark City. She fails because of the excessive, though entirely necessary security measures in place. Helplessly she watches Abigail pass by, hoping she can locate her after she returns to the city. Around the same time a young man, also entering the city, becomes the focus of nearly everybody's attention when security dogs start barking at him, identifying him as infected. Turns out Abigail is traveling with the young man and helps him escape from the peacekeepers. In turn they take her into custody while Annah looks on, horrified.
And this, folks, is when things get truly interesting but I'm going to have to finish reviewing this book later as my five year old needs attention RIGHT NOW! (Seriously, the world might just end if I don't do her bidding.)
----
Original short review:
More like 3.9 stars but I went ahead and rounded it up because it is the series finale and it ended well. The protagonist is the strongest Ryan has written to-date, though a little too much of a tortured soul from time to time. There are times in which I found myself choking on her pain, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
It's just that Ryan writes heartbreak and rejection so well, I found myself sort of reliving some of the nastier, best-left-forgotten experiences from my adolescence. I was choking on bitterness on the MC's behalf and I even hated the 'other girl'. So glad I'm no longer a teenager, but I digress.
I'll write a full review when I get to my computer as typing this out from a phone isn't very fun.
Because of street smarts and childhood accident that left part of her face and body marred Annah's been fortunate to fend off creepers and the like. Unfortunately the very same scars cause Annah to keep everyone at arms length. She walks the streets with her head down, speaking only when necessary and has no friends or acquaintances. She's literally all on her own as she waits for Elias to return to her.
Near the beginning of The Dark and Hollow Places Annah makes the decision to move on--Elias has been gone three years when he only signed up for two. She knows that there is a good chance he's dead or worse. She knows it's foolish to continue living in the same building they lived in together as it's been declared unsafe and the city is getting more dangerous every day.
It's when she's leaving the city for what's supposed to be the last time she sees a teenage girl who has her face, or rather the face she would have were it not for all the scars. Annah knows without a doubt the girl is her long-lost identical twin, Abigail, whom she and Elias left in the forest all those years ago. Guilt-stricken, there hasn't been a day in which Annah hasn't thought about Abigail, about her fate--whether she found her way back to their village or not.
Annah attempts to get to Abigail who, ironically enough, is entering the Dark City. She fails because of the excessive, though entirely necessary security measures in place. Helplessly she watches Abigail pass by, hoping she can locate her after she returns to the city. Around the same time a young man, also entering the city, becomes the focus of nearly everybody's attention when security dogs start barking at him, identifying him as infected. Turns out Abigail is traveling with the young man and helps him escape from the peacekeepers. In turn they take her into custody while Annah looks on, horrified.
And this, folks, is when things get truly interesting but I'm going to have to finish reviewing this book later as my five year old needs attention RIGHT NOW! (Seriously, the world might just end if I don't do her bidding.)
----
Original short review:
More like 3.9 stars but I went ahead and rounded it up because it is the series finale and it ended well. The protagonist is the strongest Ryan has written to-date, though a little too much of a tortured soul from time to time. There are times in which I found myself choking on her pain, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
It's just that Ryan writes heartbreak and rejection so well, I found myself sort of reliving some of the nastier, best-left-forgotten experiences from my adolescence. I was choking on bitterness on the MC's behalf and I even hated the 'other girl'. So glad I'm no longer a teenager, but I digress.
I'll write a full review when I get to my computer as typing this out from a phone isn't very fun.
June 3, 2020
I'm also a book blogger: Vee_Bookish
Honestly, this book made slogging through the first two worth it. While Mary and Gabry (Annah's twin sister) spend most of their time whining and letting everyone else fix things for them, Annah seemed much more independent after being left in the Dark City by Elias three years ago. She's by far my favourite character of the three girls and really made the read worthwhile, particularly towards the final pages.
Elias and Gabry did not come across as well however. There was one particularly memorable scene where Annah asks Gabry how she's okay with Elias essentially handing over people to be tortured to death and she's like... Yeah but the dick is really good *shrug* Plus Elias decided that fucking off and leaving a teenage girl in a city with no law enforcement and a fuck ton of zombies was actually an okay idea.
We spend most of our time on an island of soldiers trying not to get raped, which was just lovely. It did give some good bonding moments between Gabry and Annah, and Catcher and Annah which I did really enjoy. The first and last parts of the book were quite fast paced and binge worthy, but the middle did slog.
Honestly, this book made slogging through the first two worth it. While Mary and Gabry (Annah's twin sister) spend most of their time whining and letting everyone else fix things for them, Annah seemed much more independent after being left in the Dark City by Elias three years ago. She's by far my favourite character of the three girls and really made the read worthwhile, particularly towards the final pages.
Elias and Gabry did not come across as well however. There was one particularly memorable scene where Annah asks Gabry how she's okay with Elias essentially handing over people to be tortured to death and she's like... Yeah but the dick is really good *shrug* Plus Elias decided that fucking off and leaving a teenage girl in a city with no law enforcement and a fuck ton of zombies was actually an okay idea.
We spend most of our time on an island of soldiers trying not to get raped, which was just lovely. It did give some good bonding moments between Gabry and Annah, and Catcher and Annah which I did really enjoy. The first and last parts of the book were quite fast paced and binge worthy, but the middle did slog.
May 20, 2016
Ακόμα ένα ταξίδι έφτασε στο τέλος του!
Το τελευταίο βιβλίο της τριλογίας : Το δάσος με τα χέρια και τα δόντια, είναι το καλύτερο τέλος, ο καλύτερος επίλογος ενός ταξιδιού γεμάτο από δυσκολίες, πόνο και αγώνα για επιβίωση.
Η ιστορία που έπλασε η Ryan και ξεδιπλώνεται στα τρία αυτά βιβλία με τρεις μοναδικές πρωταγωνίστριες μόνο βαρετή ή συνηθισμένη δεν θα μπορούσε να χαρακτηριστεί.
Γιατί σε έναν κόσμο που βασιλεύει ο τρόμος και ο θάνατος. Το σκοτάδι, η ερημιά και η θλίψη. Ανθίζει η αγάπη με καύσιμο την ελπίδα. Η επιβίωση γίνεται ζωή και όλα αυτά μαζί συνθέτουν ένα μοναδικό μυθιστόρημα ένα φανταστικό διστοπικό βιβλίο που γεμίζει με φως την καρδιά.
Γιατί όπως λέει και η τελευταία ηρωίδα Άννα:
" Εφόσον υπάρχει αγάπη και ελπίδα στον κόσμο, πάντα θα υπάρχουν ζωντανοί άνθρωποι".
Το τελευταίο βιβλίο της τριλογίας : Το δάσος με τα χέρια και τα δόντια, είναι το καλύτερο τέλος, ο καλύτερος επίλογος ενός ταξιδιού γεμάτο από δυσκολίες, πόνο και αγώνα για επιβίωση.
Η ιστορία που έπλασε η Ryan και ξεδιπλώνεται στα τρία αυτά βιβλία με τρεις μοναδικές πρωταγωνίστριες μόνο βαρετή ή συνηθισμένη δεν θα μπορούσε να χαρακτηριστεί.
Γιατί σε έναν κόσμο που βασιλεύει ο τρόμος και ο θάνατος. Το σκοτάδι, η ερημιά και η θλίψη. Ανθίζει η αγάπη με καύσιμο την ελπίδα. Η επιβίωση γίνεται ζωή και όλα αυτά μαζί συνθέτουν ένα μοναδικό μυθιστόρημα ένα φανταστικό διστοπικό βιβλίο που γεμίζει με φως την καρδιά.
Γιατί όπως λέει και η τελευταία ηρωίδα Άννα:
" Εφόσον υπάρχει αγάπη και ελπίδα στον κόσμο, πάντα θα υπάρχουν ζωντανοί άνθρωποι".
April 12, 2011
i want to know what happeds to gabry!!!!!!!!! but can not wait till it comes out
August 9, 2020
Bir seriyi daha bitirmenin mutluluğu 😁😁 Saçma sapan gönül işlerini yok sayarsak aslında güzel bir seriydi. Kıyamet sonrası senaryosuydu. Zombilerin işgal ettiği bir dünyada hayatta kalmaya çalışan kişilerin hikayesini okuyoruz. Her kitap farklı bir karakterin gözünden. Zombi kitabı olduğu için irkiltti bazı yerlerde. Sevmediğim şu nokta var. Son iki kitapta karakterler ikiz. Bu ikizler birilerine aşıklar. Sonra hopp eş değiştirip diğer ikizin sevgilisi ile sevgili oluyorlar 😵😵 Bi de ne ara bu kadar aşık oluyorlar birbirine anlamadım. Bir tanışma, elektrik vs evresi olmadan ''ay ben sana aşığım' modunda tüm karakterler 3 kitap boyunca.. Böyle saçma ilişkileri kaldırırım diyorsanız okunabilir bir seri :)
March 24, 2011
What would you do if you knew you only had a few more days to live? What are you living for if the Unconsecrated swarm the earth in hoards, claiming any and all life they can come in contact with? Do you get sick of fighting and running, always surviving just to survive, doing whatever it takes to survive? Carrie Ryan sends all these questions (and much more!) through your mind with the final book in her Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy, The Dark and Hollow Places.
This book was an amazing finish to such a remarkable series. I love a writer who gives you something, say, a present, wrapped in pretty pink paper. This gift is so amazing, and the author allows it to grow in your heart, then rips it right back out, roughs it up some, okay, roughs it up A LOT, and then hands it back to you, wrapped in pretty new paper and says, "okay, this time you can have it. Maybe." That is what reading this book is like. I adored it. I adored the torture that some scenes were, the humanity that the characters attempt to preserve and the love that perseveres through all hopelessness.
Another thing that is SO great about this trilogy is how each book is told from a different (and possibly new) character's POV, yet they are all intertwined so deeply, and rooted to each other. I love that each book introduces new characters and man, do the characters in these books ROCK YOUR FACE OFF. I loved how Annah tried to learn what she was really fight for and how Catcher tried to learn to be unbroken. Everything on the surface was about survival, but underneath is was so, so SO much deeper. Gabry and Elias were great complimentary characters whereas, in the volume before this book, The Dead-Tossed Waves, they really were the show. Their back story was plenty strong enough to allow them to reinforce the third books plot without rehashing too much of the plot of the series in TDAHP.
I am grateful that authors like Carrie Ryan exist to torture us; it expands our horizons and thoughts in different ways. It doesn't always give us the "fairy-tale ending" but it helps to show us how adversity can create opportunities for us and reshape the way we see things. Just because something is different, doesn't mean it's bad. This book is SUCH a great example of that. Even though as a reader I flt hopelessness and despair during the course of events in this book, the characters never stopped hoping and believing that a better way existed. They knew it didn't have to be perfect, but that if they didn't just have to keep "surviving," they could really, truly live.
I've never been into "zombie drama" stories or movies, but Carrie Ryan takes the undead to a whole new level. I love the suspense, the horror, the romance that makes surviving not just a matter of saving your own life, but of someone else's, and every other emotion and feeling this book (and series) evokes. This series is one of the best I've ever read and it absolutely graces the top of my "Favorite Series" list. Even if you think you don't like zombie stories, you need to read this series. If you were a fan of Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves, then I don't know why you're reading this review and not reading The Dark and Hollow Places.
If you don't read this book, I hear you turn into a Mudo. Sucks to be yooooooou....
June 19, 2011
This final(?) volume in the series was more of the same. The world has ended, there are a few survivors trying to scrabble out an increasingly difficult and futile existence, and of course, the teenagers are smarter, faster and better than the adults.
More so than the other two books, the teenagers in The Dark and Hollow Places, were cast as "good," and the adults were unrelentingly bad, obstructionist, and in some cases, plain old vanilla stupid.
Still, I felt like I had to finish the series, and find out what happened to Gabry/Abigail from the book 2 cliffhanger. Fortunately, it's a quick and easy read, even if Annah's continual whining about her scars, and Catcher's "heat" got really old after about 50 pages.
Not especially recommended, but if you've read this far, you might as well finish the series.
More so than the other two books, the teenagers in The Dark and Hollow Places, were cast as "good," and the adults were unrelentingly bad, obstructionist, and in some cases, plain old vanilla stupid.
Still, I felt like I had to finish the series, and find out what happened to Gabry/Abigail from the book 2 cliffhanger. Fortunately, it's a quick and easy read, even if Annah's continual whining about her scars, and Catcher's "heat" got really old after about 50 pages.
Not especially recommended, but if you've read this far, you might as well finish the series.
February 24, 2017
Έφτασε λοιπόν κι αυτή η τριλογία στο τέλος της και την απόλαυσα πραγματικά! Κάθε μέρος ήταν καλύτερο από το προηγούμενο! Κάθε μέρος ��χει τη δική του κεντρική ηρωίδα, της οποίας τη ζωή και τις πράξεις της παρακολουθούμε, χωρίς να χάνουμε τη σύνδεση με τους άλλους πρωταγωνιστές. Και αυτό το βιβλίο έχει έντονη δράση και γρ��γορη πλοκή, αλλά το γεγονός πως δεν υπάρχει το κλασσικό happy ending, όπου μαγικά βρίσκεται η θεραπεία, με έκανε να εκτιμήσω τη Carrie Ryan ακόμη περισσότερο!!
June 21, 2013
Where oh where do we begin? The ONLY reason I continued beyond book 2 was that I hoped beyond hope that something awesome might happen and somehow this crew would whip the zombie's butts and create a new world. Well, since I gave up on this book in the last 20 minutes of it (audiobook), it's not looking like that happened, unless it happened super fast. No, I wouldn't have normally given up that close to the end but my library loan ended and I just don't care what finally happened to stupid Annah in the tunnels in the frigid air. Yes, say frigid air out loud and see if you don't laugh out loud. Because I heard it repeatedly like 7 times and I was like, wha? what is she talking about a refrigerator for? I understand the air is cold, but is this author so completely devoid of imagination that the only words she can use to describe cold air repeatedly is frigid air?
Stupid similes, something is always "like" something else in a totally long-winded annoying way. The stupid self-talk continues as in the other books and random bits of tedious unimportant information that is forever fed to the reader. This is not good literature - it is annoying fluff.
Annah is a self-pitying reject who has no original idea of her own and trusts no one and yet falls in love with Catcher without any real reason that I can see. Let's talk about Catcher for a second though. This is a boy as 2 dimensional as the pages of the book. This boy is totally into Annah's twin sister for all of book 2 and decides he can't be with her because it's too big of a risk. And yet, 1 day later (okay maybe a week later) he meets Gabry's twin sister, scarred and broken, and falls in love too - again, with no reason that is made clear to us. And yet although Annah is Gabry's twin, she's the ugly twin. But Catcher's willing to sacrifice all of his scruples for the ugly twin - and not even the nice ugly twin. She's the mean, ugly twin. I don't get this 2 dimensional stuff. And so we don't get enough information as to why the relationships go in the directions they do, and yet we know exactly minute inconsequential events occur.
Here are a few examples of extraneous sentences that tell us nothing and waste space:
1) My heart's pounding so furiously that I don't know if it will ever calm down again. (steller lit there)
2) I'm punching and screaming and kicking and twisting and fighting as...[really, because i thought you were having a peaceful stroll] - are there no better words to describe the fact that she's fighting back? and and and. please.
3) I'm so focused on on the Recruiters that I don't notice another body slip into the room. I don't notice him make his way along the edge of the wall. (this constant repeating of the same phrase is so prevalent in this book - redundancy for the sake of making an impression is poor writing IMHO).
And the partial sentences are so grating (ya partial sentence intended). I can't stand poor grammar from an author. If you are going to write, please don't insult my intelligence by using poor grammar. There is no excuse. It is not cool, trendy or whatever it is you're hoping to achieve. It just makes you look like a marginal amateur author.
Last but not least, the narrator for this book was terrible. She made all of the author's flaws 100% more apparent. I know this because I went onto Google Books and looked up the book so I could actually read it, and it wasn't quite so bad. Which tells me that the narrator was an amateur too. Please blow your nose before you read - ya, really.
*SPOILER*
I know that other people gave this book and the 2 before it really good reviews. But frankly I am more discerning with my spare time and I feel like I just wasted it. I look back over the 3 books and feel like so very little of any monument actually happened and the end of book 3 was a joke - how convenient that a group of completely untrained "children" could come up with such a viable option and create this complex aircraft for their escape. Made from quilts and oil? It didn't burn up? No trial run? Right. It makes about as much sense as the whole rest of this ridiculous series.
Stupid similes, something is always "like" something else in a totally long-winded annoying way. The stupid self-talk continues as in the other books and random bits of tedious unimportant information that is forever fed to the reader. This is not good literature - it is annoying fluff.
Annah is a self-pitying reject who has no original idea of her own and trusts no one and yet falls in love with Catcher without any real reason that I can see. Let's talk about Catcher for a second though. This is a boy as 2 dimensional as the pages of the book. This boy is totally into Annah's twin sister for all of book 2 and decides he can't be with her because it's too big of a risk. And yet, 1 day later (okay maybe a week later) he meets Gabry's twin sister, scarred and broken, and falls in love too - again, with no reason that is made clear to us. And yet although Annah is Gabry's twin, she's the ugly twin. But Catcher's willing to sacrifice all of his scruples for the ugly twin - and not even the nice ugly twin. She's the mean, ugly twin. I don't get this 2 dimensional stuff. And so we don't get enough information as to why the relationships go in the directions they do, and yet we know exactly minute inconsequential events occur.
Here are a few examples of extraneous sentences that tell us nothing and waste space:
1) My heart's pounding so furiously that I don't know if it will ever calm down again. (steller lit there)
2) I'm punching and screaming and kicking and twisting and fighting as...[really, because i thought you were having a peaceful stroll] - are there no better words to describe the fact that she's fighting back? and and and. please.
3) I'm so focused on on the Recruiters that I don't notice another body slip into the room. I don't notice him make his way along the edge of the wall. (this constant repeating of the same phrase is so prevalent in this book - redundancy for the sake of making an impression is poor writing IMHO).
And the partial sentences are so grating (ya partial sentence intended). I can't stand poor grammar from an author. If you are going to write, please don't insult my intelligence by using poor grammar. There is no excuse. It is not cool, trendy or whatever it is you're hoping to achieve. It just makes you look like a marginal amateur author.
Last but not least, the narrator for this book was terrible. She made all of the author's flaws 100% more apparent. I know this because I went onto Google Books and looked up the book so I could actually read it, and it wasn't quite so bad. Which tells me that the narrator was an amateur too. Please blow your nose before you read - ya, really.
*SPOILER*
I know that other people gave this book and the 2 before it really good reviews. But frankly I am more discerning with my spare time and I feel like I just wasted it. I look back over the 3 books and feel like so very little of any monument actually happened and the end of book 3 was a joke - how convenient that a group of completely untrained "children" could come up with such a viable option and create this complex aircraft for their escape. Made from quilts and oil? It didn't burn up? No trial run? Right. It makes about as much sense as the whole rest of this ridiculous series.
August 17, 2019
Well, it wasn't terrible. Contrary to the critical review ahead, I did actually like some parts: Annah's painting/drawing, particularly when she paints a portrait of an infected woman with the remnants of makeup that she left behind. Catcher, too. He who was quite the noble-hearted soul and deserved much more page time, perhaps à la Warm Bodies. He'd've been a much better protagonist.
This review will be a mixture of my thoughts on The Dark and Hollow Places and on the series as a whole.
I think perhaps the author would've done better to have written this story for an adult audience. The series features some potentially pretty horrific things: the threat of being eaten alive, of losing yourself, of starving to death, of having to behead someone who once loved you and now has turned against you, and the omnipresent fear for women in war zones: rape. But this is all tackled lightly - or rather, "lite"-ly. It's weak and I never felt any major concern for the characters. We had these clear YA romance plots: a fair bit of instalove, no real fear of death.
I don't know if it's because I'm not a young adult anymore, or because life doesn't let many people keep their naïvety but I had no patience for Annah and Gabry's sanctimonious shit. Gabry tearfully confesses to and hopes that Annah won't think she's a terrible person. Does Annah tell her she was entirely justified, WHICH SHE WAS? Nope! And when Catcher , she says it was murder and that they have to be better people. Are you fucking kidding me??? I hate it when characters put their philosophising before their basic survival instinct.
I'm also no longer willing to forgive simplistic plotting. I mentioned this in my review for The Dead-Tossed Waves, but honestly - yes, it's a pretty image, survivors floating away from the zombie hoardes in but it needed more work. How did they steer, for one? And why Do any of them actually know how to
But before all of that - how did Mary get back to Vista? And why did they let her in? How did Annah survive for years on her own in a city - lately with no law but the military - without being violated? Without having to defend herself with force? Without shedding some innocence? And why was it effective, our little gang of refugees choosing a tower block home, hoping that their captors wouldn't bother to climb the stairs to mess with them? Let's be realistic here: two young women, a whole island full of men caged, frustrated, bored, facing the end of the world, with no real prospect of ever seeing any other uninfected women again, basically just waiting to die... Ryan, do you seriously believe that a few flights of stairs would be enough of a deterrent?
I didn't mean for rape to be such a focus of my review. I just... if I'm going to readpost apocalyptic fiction, I expect to see some realism. And if you're going to touch on difficult subjects, you have to do them justice. I know that that's harder to achieve given the restraints of YA, but it's not impossible. I'd like to see more YA authors take page space up on building a world and characters who are shaped by it than on making sure every character experiences a romance.
This review will be a mixture of my thoughts on The Dark and Hollow Places and on the series as a whole.
I think perhaps the author would've done better to have written this story for an adult audience. The series features some potentially pretty horrific things: the threat of being eaten alive, of losing yourself, of starving to death, of having to behead someone who once loved you and now has turned against you, and the omnipresent fear for women in war zones: rape. But this is all tackled lightly - or rather, "lite"-ly. It's weak and I never felt any major concern for the characters. We had these clear YA romance plots: a fair bit of instalove, no real fear of death.
I don't know if it's because I'm not a young adult anymore, or because life doesn't let many people keep their naïvety but I had no patience for Annah and Gabry's sanctimonious shit. Gabry tearfully confesses to and hopes that Annah won't think she's a terrible person. Does Annah tell her she was entirely justified, WHICH SHE WAS? Nope! And when Catcher , she says it was murder and that they have to be better people. Are you fucking kidding me??? I hate it when characters put their philosophising before their basic survival instinct.
I'm also no longer willing to forgive simplistic plotting. I mentioned this in my review for The Dead-Tossed Waves, but honestly - yes, it's a pretty image, survivors floating away from the zombie hoardes in but it needed more work. How did they steer, for one? And why Do any of them actually know how to
But before all of that - how did Mary get back to Vista? And why did they let her in? How did Annah survive for years on her own in a city - lately with no law but the military - without being violated? Without having to defend herself with force? Without shedding some innocence? And why was it effective, our little gang of refugees choosing a tower block home, hoping that their captors wouldn't bother to climb the stairs to mess with them? Let's be realistic here: two young women, a whole island full of men caged, frustrated, bored, facing the end of the world, with no real prospect of ever seeing any other uninfected women again, basically just waiting to die... Ryan, do you seriously believe that a few flights of stairs would be enough of a deterrent?
I didn't mean for rape to be such a focus of my review. I just... if I'm going to read
July 22, 2015
OMG! No gif can describe my feelings after reading this book.
First impression: The second book was better, come onnn. Second impression: The Death-Tossed Waves disappointed, this is Champion! Dear Lord!
In Dark and Hollow Places is the main heroine Annah, the twin of Abigail which we all know as Gabry from The Death-Tossed Waves. Annah lives in a Dark City where she's waiting for his friend Elias, whom had fled from the village. A Few years ago he left to join the crimps for a couple of years to provide the service themselves and Anna safe, but it doesn't return for a long time and Annah isn't going to wait any longer. She decides to retire from the dangerous city and find a better life somewhere far away. It was at her departure but she sees his sister on the way to the city, so she stayed. Everything happens next will start the chain of events leading to a huge denouement: Can the human race survive in the final battle against unclean (or whatever)?
Yes, this book offers a huge finale. It is full of action, emotion and also is boasting my favorite heroine of this series. But the biggest plus is somewhere else. How dark and catastrophic this book is. One might expect it by name, but I guess no one can prepare to future like this only based on name. How far Carrie Ryan chased her vision of the Dark City really surprised me.
As I said, Annah is my favorite heroine from this series. She's strong, harsh and brave. Even here, however, appear Carrie's shortcomings of previous books. Annah is too much thinking sometimes. She's still discussing her guilt she feels towards his sister (I survived that, yay!) but she's still discussing her feelings for boys. Yes, there's a love triangle AGAIN, although now it's more like a square. As we know, Gabry was dating Catcher, but she fell in love with Elias after his transformation. Well, Annah was in love with Elias, but the more she was recognized Catcher, the more she was detached of that feelings (especially when he licked her twin)and, of course, she begins to discuss her growing feelings for Catcher. And here we go...
I didn't like Catcher very much. I noticed one thing in this series - when there are two boys in one book, one is good and a second is bad, literally literally as BAD. He's rude, mad. And in this book I found that Catcher isn't that bad, neither rude or mad. Maybe he's more attractive than Elias. And that scene when he was crying and hugging Annah in her bed was just ohhh...O:-)
Fearful caution on the topic of sex. Little spoiler - I think that last night of Anna and Elias, before he joined the crimps. Did you also thought that they, as it were, came to the last base? Were you also surprised that they were just ''kissing''? Because Annah Although can undress to the waist ahead of Catcher (left her pants and shoes) or take his hands and put them on her breasts, but God forbid that they were doing something more than kissing and making out together! You know what? Bullshit.
Well, that's just something I noticed and want to get out of my head. When I let out that love triangle (square) and thinking about the past, it was really great book and super ending of this series. I really enjoyed Dark and Hollow Places and it's just a pity that there are no more books similar to this one!
First impression: The second book was better, come onnn. Second impression: The Death-Tossed Waves disappointed, this is Champion! Dear Lord!
In Dark and Hollow Places is the main heroine Annah, the twin of Abigail which we all know as Gabry from The Death-Tossed Waves. Annah lives in a Dark City where she's waiting for his friend Elias, whom had fled from the village. A Few years ago he left to join the crimps for a couple of years to provide the service themselves and Anna safe, but it doesn't return for a long time and Annah isn't going to wait any longer. She decides to retire from the dangerous city and find a better life somewhere far away. It was at her departure but she sees his sister on the way to the city, so she stayed. Everything happens next will start the chain of events leading to a huge denouement: Can the human race survive in the final battle against unclean (or whatever)?
Yes, this book offers a huge finale. It is full of action, emotion and also is boasting my favorite heroine of this series. But the biggest plus is somewhere else. How dark and catastrophic this book is. One might expect it by name, but I guess no one can prepare to future like this only based on name. How far Carrie Ryan chased her vision of the Dark City really surprised me.
As I said, Annah is my favorite heroine from this series. She's strong, harsh and brave. Even here, however, appear Carrie's shortcomings of previous books. Annah is too much thinking sometimes. She's still discussing her guilt she feels towards his sister (I survived that, yay!) but she's still discussing her feelings for boys. Yes, there's a love triangle AGAIN, although now it's more like a square. As we know, Gabry was dating Catcher, but she fell in love with Elias after his transformation. Well, Annah was in love with Elias, but the more she was recognized Catcher, the more she was detached of that feelings (especially when he licked her twin)and, of course, she begins to discuss her growing feelings for Catcher. And here we go...
I didn't like Catcher very much. I noticed one thing in this series - when there are two boys in one book, one is good and a second is bad, literally literally as BAD. He's rude, mad. And in this book I found that Catcher isn't that bad, neither rude or mad. Maybe he's more attractive than Elias. And that scene when he was crying and hugging Annah in her bed was just ohhh...O:-)
Fearful caution on the topic of sex. Little spoiler - I think that last night of Anna and Elias, before he joined the crimps. Did you also thought that they, as it were, came to the last base? Were you also surprised that they were just ''kissing''? Because Annah Although can undress to the waist ahead of Catcher (left her pants and shoes) or take his hands and put them on her breasts, but God forbid that they were doing something more than kissing and making out together! You know what? Bullshit.
Well, that's just something I noticed and want to get out of my head. When I let out that love triangle (square) and thinking about the past, it was really great book and super ending of this series. I really enjoyed Dark and Hollow Places and it's just a pity that there are no more books similar to this one!
April 19, 2011
In the third and final installment in her Forest of Hands and Teeth series, Carrie Ryan, introduces you to Annah. Annah has been living on her own in the Dark City since Elias left to join the protectorate. With scars that mar her face and body, Annah is more of a recluse. She uses her street smarts - bowing her head, not making eye contact and blending into the shadows as a weapon. Without any friends or family she has used these skills as a way to survive the dangers of the Dark City. Waiting for Elias, her life has become as lifeless as that of the Unconsecrated but then she meets Catcher. Catcher who brings with him memories of a past that she has longed to forget.
Out of the three leading ladies you will find in this series, Annah was hands down my favorite. She wasn't a whiner like Mary, and Gabry annoyed me with all her boy drama... but Annah was phenomenal. She was tough as nails, brave, strong and courageous. Her will to live was a breath of fresh air. Even though she's scarred, feels alone and even broken at times - she still was not willing to give up.
Out of the three books I believe this was the darkest one. Their struggle for survival was the most intense. I went through a slew of emotions from sadness, hopelessness, and even found myself choked up more than once. I can't even imagine a life this bleak where the unconsecrated are a threat but humans can be just as dangerous.
Yet through it all I found myself hopeful. I found myself waiting for and really savoring the moments that weren't as dark... moments of light. Especially when those moments dealt with Annah and Catcher's relationship. The fact that they are both so broken and flawed really makes you hope that they can find a way to make it work in a world infested by the living dead. Originally, I was worried that I wouldn't like this final installment since I was so focused on Gabry and Elias's story (The Dead-Tossed Waves) but I think Ms. Ryan did a wonderful job in connecting everything together.
Overall this book was incredible. The whole series is amazing. Full of tension, suspense, nail-biting action and Unconsecrated... lots and lots of Unconsecrated. I can't recommend it enough!
Out of the three leading ladies you will find in this series, Annah was hands down my favorite. She wasn't a whiner like Mary, and Gabry annoyed me with all her boy drama... but Annah was phenomenal. She was tough as nails, brave, strong and courageous. Her will to live was a breath of fresh air. Even though she's scarred, feels alone and even broken at times - she still was not willing to give up.
Out of the three books I believe this was the darkest one. Their struggle for survival was the most intense. I went through a slew of emotions from sadness, hopelessness, and even found myself choked up more than once. I can't even imagine a life this bleak where the unconsecrated are a threat but humans can be just as dangerous.
Yet through it all I found myself hopeful. I found myself waiting for and really savoring the moments that weren't as dark... moments of light. Especially when those moments dealt with Annah and Catcher's relationship. The fact that they are both so broken and flawed really makes you hope that they can find a way to make it work in a world infested by the living dead. Originally, I was worried that I wouldn't like this final installment since I was so focused on Gabry and Elias's story (The Dead-Tossed Waves) but I think Ms. Ryan did a wonderful job in connecting everything together.
Overall this book was incredible. The whole series is amazing. Full of tension, suspense, nail-biting action and Unconsecrated... lots and lots of Unconsecrated. I can't recommend it enough!
May 31, 2011
Hands down the best book I have read this year, and easily the strongest installment of this trilogy-which is now my second favorite of all time, second to only"Chaos Walking"
The Forest of Hands and Teeth was worth 4.5 stars
The Dead-Tossed Waves was worth 4 stars
This finale is worth almost six. It was magnificent.
It takes place in a dying New York City, at least 200 years into the future. This is now called "The Dark City"-one of the last safe places on a dead earth. The descriptions & imagery that Carrie Ryan uses throughout the book is magnificent-some images I will never be able to remove from my mind-both beautiful & terribly haunting at the same time:
-The dead and rotting New York skyline at dawn, with a handful of fires flickering in each building , being one of the said images.
I typed six more, but all of them were mega-spoilers, and thats not on.
The third book is narrated by a third protagonist-Annah, and she is the most likable and interesting yet.
Everything I type will not do justice to this thrilling book...so yeah. Just read it.
Its written well, paced terrifically, the characters are wonderful and the dark atmosphere is sensational. I just wanted to pull Annah out of the book and comfort her.
And the ending...oh wow. I am considering making a goodreads shelf for 'best climaxes' just for this book.
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SOOOO MUCH!
Ive tried recommending this series to my friends, but they just scoff: "Zombies...thats so stupid!"
But no, its not. The zombies/unconcencrated/Mudo/Plauge Rats are not the base of this story. Its all about human nature, survival, love -and mostly: the power of hope.
Please, please, please, please:
Read this trilogy.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth was worth 4.5 stars
The Dead-Tossed Waves was worth 4 stars
This finale is worth almost six. It was magnificent.
It takes place in a dying New York City, at least 200 years into the future. This is now called "The Dark City"-one of the last safe places on a dead earth. The descriptions & imagery that Carrie Ryan uses throughout the book is magnificent-some images I will never be able to remove from my mind-both beautiful & terribly haunting at the same time:
-The dead and rotting New York skyline at dawn, with a handful of fires flickering in each building , being one of the said images.
I typed six more, but all of them were mega-spoilers, and thats not on.
The third book is narrated by a third protagonist-Annah, and she is the most likable and interesting yet.
Everything I type will not do justice to this thrilling book...so yeah. Just read it.
Its written well, paced terrifically, the characters are wonderful and the dark atmosphere is sensational. I just wanted to pull Annah out of the book and comfort her.
And the ending...oh wow. I am considering making a goodreads shelf for 'best climaxes' just for this book.
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SOOOO MUCH!
Ive tried recommending this series to my friends, but they just scoff: "Zombies...thats so stupid!"
But no, its not. The zombies/unconcencrated/Mudo/Plauge Rats are not the base of this story. Its all about human nature, survival, love -and mostly: the power of hope.
Please, please, please, please:
Read this trilogy.
February 8, 2012
Argh, Carrie Ryan. Such a good writer, and yet there's always something about her books that bothers me. Last time, in Dead-Tossed Waves, I was bored by both the heroine and the romance. This is an improvement, in that it's just the romance that bothered me.
Gabry honestly irritated me, so I was not exactly looking forward to a book from the POV of her sister. Luckily, Annah is a far more interesting character, rather more like Mary had been: flawed, and not always perfectly likable, but an interesting person anyways. Ryan's setting and creep factor remain as good as ever. It's just that romance.
It might be possible for a writer to work me past my initial distaste for this entire love rhombus, but Ryan doesn't do the heavy lifting.
This is why Carrie Ryan drives me crazy. Her books are almost entirely really good, but there's always just one thing that bugs me. It's to her credit that I even attempted to finish this book at all, much less that I enjoyed it as much as I did.
Gabry honestly irritated me, so I was not exactly looking forward to a book from the POV of her sister. Luckily, Annah is a far more interesting character, rather more like Mary had been: flawed, and not always perfectly likable, but an interesting person anyways. Ryan's setting and creep factor remain as good as ever. It's just that romance.
It might be possible for a writer to work me past my initial distaste for this entire love rhombus, but Ryan doesn't do the heavy lifting.
This is why Carrie Ryan drives me crazy. Her books are almost entirely really good, but there's always just one thing that bugs me. It's to her credit that I even attempted to finish this book at all, much less that I enjoyed it as much as I did.
December 2, 2015
That sad part when you don't follow your instincts and DNF a book.
Annah is scarred inside out. She abandoned her twin sister several years ago to the Unconsecrated (zombies) and has since survived with various scars all over her body and face. But now, that her sister is found, Annah starts developing other feelings such as jealousy and lover boy envy. Can Annah ever be at peace?
Despite being the third book in the series, Ryan chose to focus the story on a new character with a dull personality. Not only is Annah constantly conflicted, but her reasoning makes little sense. She immediately sees her sister after years of guilt, and feels nothing but jealousy. Admits to loving Elias, only to flirt with Catcher right away. It's impossible to root for a character that doesn't know what she wants.
The action is also constantly stalled, as our four main characters are being held under their will. Together they must decide if they desire to live or exist (tough existentialist question during apocalyptic zombie times).
Wish Ryan would have stopped at book two.
Annah is scarred inside out. She abandoned her twin sister several years ago to the Unconsecrated (zombies) and has since survived with various scars all over her body and face. But now, that her sister is found, Annah starts developing other feelings such as jealousy and lover boy envy. Can Annah ever be at peace?
Despite being the third book in the series, Ryan chose to focus the story on a new character with a dull personality. Not only is Annah constantly conflicted, but her reasoning makes little sense. She immediately sees her sister after years of guilt, and feels nothing but jealousy. Admits to loving Elias, only to flirt with Catcher right away. It's impossible to root for a character that doesn't know what she wants.
The action is also constantly stalled, as our four main characters are being held under their will. Together they must decide if they desire to live or exist (tough existentialist question during apocalyptic zombie times).
Wish Ryan would have stopped at book two.
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