The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan is riveting.  I am not normally drawn to post-apocalyptic stories, but this one is an exception.  I'd read so many good things about the series that I decided I'd give it a chance, and I am so glad that I did.  I'll admit that while reading it, I often wondered if Carrie Ryan got her idea for the story while watching The Village by M. Night Shymalon.  However, her concept is original enough that any comparison to the movie would be cursory.

Mary lives in a very simple world where everything is controlled by the Sisters.  Her village is very Godly with everyone contributing and everyone provided for.  You just have to stay inside the fences.  Outside the fences are the Unconsecrated--victims of a plague that kills and then re-animates its victims as mindless flesh-eaters.  Mary, however, is restless and unsettled.  She was raised with her mother's tales of the ocean and a world untouched by the Return and the Unconsecrated and she longs to find that world.  When she stumbles upon some secrets being kept by the Sisters, they do everything in their power to bring Mary under their control.  However, circumstances in the village change and Mary is about to learn more about the world than she bargained for.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth blew my mind.  As I said earlier, this is not my normal style of book.  However, the story captivated me from the onset and kept me interested throughout.  I am very much looking forward to reading The Dead-Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places (Forest of Hands and Teeth, Book 3) in the near future.