The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

We all know the zombie apocalypse is coming. But do you know what happens after? Or how humanity could survive the ravenous hordes of undead?

The answer lies in a good fence and a dash of hellfire and brimstone religion. And that is all our young protagonist, Mary, has ever known. She lives in a small village, surrounded by an ages old fence, and beyond the fence lies the forest of hands and teeth, where the Unconsecrated gather to lust after the taste of flesh. The Sisterhood spreads the word of God to the villagers and guides their lives as they live next to terrible danger. The Sisters train the guardians, who repair the fencing and hunt the Unconsecrated. The village lives by the traditions that God has handed down through the Sisterhood, such as the annual time of betrothal. Mary is of age and if she isn’t soon betrothed she would have to join the Sisterhood as a servant. Mary has feelings for a young man named Travis, but life in the village isn’t about love, it is about survival. Travis’s older brother has already claimed Mary. But Mary isn’t sure she even wants either brother. Her dreams lie with the stories her mother told her as a toddler, tales of a place called the ocean where there was no forest but just water as far as the eye could see.

Love and dreams must be put on hold the day her mother wanders too close to the fence and gets bitten. Mary must now either kill her mother or let her become Unconsecrated and wander the woods forever. Her choice has repercussions on her life, love, and dreams. Mary will have to fight for control of her own destiny, even if it means leaving the village and taking her chances amongst the never ending hunger of the Unconsecrated.

This book offers a great new twist on the zombie genre. It has action, romance, intrigue, and the suspense that can only come from fighting for your very life. It was a good read and appropriate for ages 14 and up.