The Dark and Hollow Places
by Carrie Ryan
Forest of Hands and Teeth, book three
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? (description taken from Amazon.com)
This was an amazing conclusion to the Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy. The world, or at least as much of it as Annah, Gabry, Catcher, or Elias have ever known, has been overrun by the Horde. As each becomes trapped, literally to escape the Unconsecrated, and figuratively by their love for each other, they must all learn...are they will to do what it takes to survive? Is surviving the same as living?
I loved both the previous books in the series, but this final book is definitely my favorite. Every emotion is heightened. The love is deeper and becomes more desperate as the characters' situations, nay, the entire world's situation become so dire. The danger is amplified to the point that I doubted, seriously doubted some characters' survival. I was on the edge of my seat right until the end, and then I close the book with a tear in my eye and a smile on my face.
This book was definitely worth a gold star. It was a satisfying conclusion to the series, leaving readers with a vision of hope. A reminder that even when the world seems at its most dire...a simple light in the dark can be a symbol that life still exists, in all its messy, wonderful glory. That humans will always find a way to survive, to live, and to love.
*On a different note, I apologize for this post going up so late. I had thought it posted, but apparently it was temporarily lost in the "Great Blogger Debacle" of last week. Sorry if you saw it and then it disappeared!*
Full disclosure: ARC received for review from Book it Forward ARC Tours
2011 Zombie Reading Challenge Title
