Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #1)
By Carrie Ryan
Publisher: Delacorte Press

To Sum It Up:

Mary dreams of seeing the ocean one day, but her reality makes that almost impossible. Her village is surrounded by the Forest of Hands and Teeth and the Unconsecrated, the dead who’ve come back to life. When the Unconsecrated breach the village, Mary is part of a small group that manages to flee. There appears to be nowhere for them to go, but Mary has recently made a discovery that gives her hope of finding life beyond the Forest.

Review:

Judging by the title, I was prepared to be thoroughly scared while reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Out of all the paranormal creatures, zombies give me the worst fright. They’re usually so disgusting in appearance, and then there’s the whole living dead concept. The zombies in The Forest of Hands and Teeth are described in some grotesque terms, yet this novel didn’t scare me at all.

I had a really tough time mustering investment in the story because I found the prose flat. Mary was not a compelling narrator at all. I never felt like she was actively involved in anything that happened around her; she just droned on about it in a detached voice. The only times when her narration showed some signs of life were when speaking about Travis, the love of her life, and seeing the ocean, which she was obsessed with. And when I say “obsessed,” I’m not kidding. That’s practically all Mary thinks about; that is, when she’s not professing how much she loves Travis. I quickly lost interest in both topics, which only made the book harder for me to get through.

As for the romance, that, too, was lackluster. For all of Mary's “I love Travis” and “I want to be with Travis” declarations, I didn’t find any chemistry between them. I think it had a lot to do with how monotone the prose was because my pulse didn’t speed up whenever anyone was being chased by the Unconsecrated, either. Travis was okay, but like the other characters (except Mary, who just annoyed me), that was about all I could say about him. No single personality stood out to me, so even when misfortune befell someone, it didn’t really matter to me.

One of my biggest pet peeves with post-apocalyptic/disaster type scenarios is when there’s no explanation of how the world arrived at this point. That’s the case with The Forest of Hands and Teeth. The Unconsecrated surround the village, constantly on patrol for their next meal, but what’s the story behind their origin? Don’t know. People only known as “They” built the fences that stand between the village and the Unconsecrated. Who are They? Don’t know that, either. Personally, if I’m going to read a novel about the undead, I’d like to know how they got reanimated in the first place. I’d also like to know how a line of fences manages to keep them out. Most of the zombies I’ve seen in movies and on TV plow through any obstacles barring their way from chowing down.

I’d actually been looking forward to being petrified by this book, but I could never sense any terror from the characters or urgency to their plight. I pushed myself to finish this, even though it’s not a lengthy novel, and despite the twist toward the end, I’m not intrigued enough to see if it turns into something bigger in the sequel.

All in All:

I read this mostly with disinterest. I thought the world needed to be explained in much more depth because one of the first questions that pops into my mind whenever zombies are involved is: where did they come from? I was disappointed not to find out and disappointed with this book all-around; here’s hoping that I have better luck with my next zombie read.

Review: This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

This Is Not a Test
By Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

To Sum It Up:

Sloane Price’s last sliver of hope disappeared the day that her older sister, Lily, took off and broke her promise that they would leave their abusive father’s house together. Sloane is prepared to escape from her pain permanently when the world erupts into chaos. Zombies are everywhere, and she ends up taking refuge in Cortege High School with some of her fellow students. As the group fights, sometimes among themselves, to see another day, Sloane continues to struggle with her despair. Finding something to live for before the zombies was difficult enough, and now, with no end to the mayhem in sight, Sloane faces an even tougher battle to summon the will to survive.

Review:

I think the best way to sum up how I feel about this book is with: it’s not you, it’s me. There’s nothing overtly wrong with This Is Not a Test; it just wasn’t my kind of read. I couldn’t get into the story or connect with any of the characters. As I read, it seemed as though there was a distance between the book and me, and that distance was never bridged.

I found the characters in particular difficult to form any kind of attachment to. They all garnered my sympathy for the situation they were in and for the losses they suffered, but my investment in them failed to go beyond that. No one stood out to me and commanded my attention. I also had a hard time processing Sloane’s mind-set once the zombie apocalypse began. Granted, she had a horrific home life before, and the fact that she wanted to end her life because of it was heartbreaking. But once she’s barricaded inside the school, she continues to dwell on her sister leaving and to feel that she has no reason to go on. I think my brain couldn’t reconcile Sloane making it to shelter in the first place only to plan on walking out and letting the zombies infect her. I expected a different reaction, for her to be as consumed with fear of the undead as her classmates were and for her survival instinct to kick into high gear. It’s interesting that Courtney Summers chose to have Sloane act this way, sort of opposite to what might have been anticipated. For me, though, it created an incongruity in my head that I couldn’t move past. The world has been altered forever, but that isn’t enough to break Sloane out of her pre-apocalypse thought pattern.

If you’ve read other reviews of This Is Not a Test, then you probably know that the zombies are rather secondary to the story. Instead, the novel focuses on the dynamics within this group of teenagers who’ve been thrown together under extreme circumstances. Summers builds some great tension-filled scenes that make you wonder whether the survivors are going to turn on each other before help arrives or the zombies manage to breach their makeshift sanctuary. To me, the unpredictability of the plot is the strongest aspect of the novel. Summers keeps you guessing as to whether the zombies outside the doors are the biggest threat, or if the frayed nerves of the weary, frightened teenagers are going to prove to be their undoing in the end.

I know this review is all over the place, but so were my thoughts when I finished reading this book. It simply didn’t work out for me, but that shouldn’t discourage anyone from giving it a try.

All in All:

If you’re looking for an all-out zombie fright-fest, then you should probably look elsewhere. If, instead, you’re in the mood for a dark, intense read that examines how people are driven to survive in the face of catastrophe, then this might be worth checking out.

Review: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Infinity (Chronicles of Nick #1)
By Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

To Sum It Up

: The ever sarcastic Nick Gautier has bigger things to worry about than fitting in at his prestigious high school. He’s caught the attention of the Dark-Hunters, a group dedicated to ridding the world of evil, not to mention that the majority of Nick’s classmates have been turning into zombies. Now, on top of worrying about his overworked, single mother, Nick is indebted to Kyrian, a powerful Dark-Hunter, and has taken on the task of restoring the zombies to their former state. He just needs to do all of this before curfew.

Review:

Lee was actually the one who recommended this lovely book to me. She thought I would like it, especially with all the zombies and sarcastic remarks. I did enjoy the book, and I definitely appreciated the sarcasm.

The characters in this book were great. Nick was so sassy, it killed me! I felt bad about his living situation, and I was peeved, though a little intrigued, by his deadbeat, criminal father. Nick manages to do pretty all right for himself. He has a good circle of friends. Kyrian was the “cool” guy. He swooped in and saved the day, all while keeping his mysterious bubble intact. Although I usually go for those types of guys, he was a little too angsty for my liking. The two guys who really put the cherry on the book for me were Bubba and Mark. Man, those guys are awesome! Not only were they uber smart, tech savvy, and amusing, but they were also the best zombie slayers around! I loved their whole best friends forever type of atmosphere! They and Simi, the barbecue addicted demon, made the book a lot more amusing to read.

The book itself was an easy read. It wasn’t the type of book that required your brain to be functioning at one hundred percent. I don’t think I understood or appreciated Infinity as much as I could have. I haven’t read Sherrilyn Kenyon's adult Dark-Hunter series, nor am I, being a teenager who shies away from “steamy” situations (though Lee doesn’t seem to have a problem with ‘em). My reluctance to read the adult series does not help me in the “loving this series” corner, especially since I think that Chronicles of Nick is more of a spin-off anyway. I think reading the adult books would have been beneficial; then I would have had the whole backstory and information up front and center.

Aside from being slightly unprepared, I had a lot of fun reading this book. It was light and humorous. Plus, the characters were great! Although the zombie plotline wasn’t the meat and potatoes of the story for me (the whole Dark-Hunter thing was), I was still quite fascinated with it. I’m glad Lee got me to read this.

All in All:

Infinity was a light, fun read. Those who have read the adult series should definitely check it out, and those who haven’t should still check it out.

Review: The Infects by Sean Beaudoin

The Infects
By Sean Beaudoin
Publisher: Candlewick

To Sum It Up:

Nick/Nero, a regular teenage boy turned delinquent, is sent into the wilderness with a handful of other troubled teens. All is going pleasantly well until the first morning into their hike. Nero and his "friends" wake to find their counselors have turned into contagious flesh eating monsters. Nero and the rest of his group must use their prior zombie survival knowledge to form a plan for survival.

Review:

I have to say, this book was rather . . . twisted. So, me being the deranged person I am, genuinely enjoyed this epic tale of horror. But, it is definitely not for the squeamish. Well, for some reason, I ended up reading a majority of this at night. I'll leave it to your imagination to picture my reaction to reading a surprise-full-on-zombie-attack at 2 in the morning.

The Infects was a really weird book, and I was able to really appreciate it as a horror movie lover. The start of the zombie apocalypse was like my worst nightmare come true. If you've read this already, you know what I'm talking about! But, if you haven't, when you do, you'll understand. All I have to say is, if I'm not immune, I would be in the first batch of zombies.

I thought Nick/Nero and his fellow delinquents had a hilariously sick sense of humor. The dialogue made the entire book for me. I found myself chuckling out loud quite a few times (awkward).

All in All:

The Infects really filled my need for a horror-induced adrenaline rush. It was much better than a cheesy SyFy movie! While this book is not for everyone, if you love twisted horror stories, this book is for you!

Review: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Infinity (Chronicles of Nick #1)

By Sherrilyn Kenyon

Publisher:

St. Martin’s Griffin

To Sum It Up:

Fourteen-year-old Nick Gautier has learned a lot about hardship during his short life. He and his mother are barely getting by, and his father is in prison. Nick doesn’t fit in with the rich kids at his posh school, where his classmates constantly taunt him. As if things couldn’t get any worse for Nick, he’s attacked one night by some guys who he thought were his friends and is rescued by a mysterious stranger with almost inhuman fighting skills. Little does Nick know that he’s about to become acquainted with an entire world of supernatural beings, and zombies in particular because his classmates are turning into them.

Review:

This was the first book that I ever read with zombies in it . . . and I liked it! I don’t watch horror movies because I’m pathetically squeamish, but these zombies were more than tolerable to a wimp like me. But there’s a lot more to Infinity than a football team of the undead. Throw some demons, shapeshifters, and a scrappy hero with razor-sharp wit into the mix, and you have one highly entertaining read.

I’m particularly fond of snarky fictional guys; in fact, the snarkier, the better. Nick Gautier’s opening line in Infinity, “I am a socially awkward mandork,” pretty much ensured that we were going to get along famously. And we did. Nick is hilarious, and his nonstop biting commentary was my favorite thing about the book. I even laughed out loud a few times, prompting stares from family members who figured that I’d finally cracked from too much time spent with fictional characters. Anyway, Nick = very funny.

This book is teeming with memorable characters, some quirkier than others. On the quirky front, we have Bubba Burdette and Mark Fingerman, supernatural hunters extraordinaire. Bubba owns a computer repair/gun shop, so, as his ad, says, if he can’t fix your computer problems one way, he’ll fix them another (presumably through the use of firearms). In the event of a zombie apocalypse, you want Bubba and Mark on your team. I also loved the demon Simi, who carries a bottle of barbecue sauce and a lobster bib in her purse in case there are any tasty zombies to eat. Simi loves her barbecue sauce!

I wish that we’d seen more of Kyrian, Nick’s mysterious savior, and Acheron, the 6’8”, Porsche-driving immortal. I haven’t read Sherrilyn Kenyon’s adult Dark-Hunter series, in which these guys and some other faces from Infinity appear. While I wasn’t completely lost as I read Infinity, there were a few times when I felt that some prior knowledge of this world and the characters might have come in handy.

With a fairly straightforward plot, Infinity is a light yet fun read, thanks largely to its sarcastic protagonist. If you appreciate the humor of someone like Jace Wayland from Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments or Cassel Sharpe from Holly Black's The Curse Workers, then you need to meet Nick Gautier. And I need to read Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series to find out more about Kyrian and Acheron.

All in All:

I’m so happy that I borrowed Infinity and the sequel, Invincible, at the same time. I can continue reading about Nick’s adventures immediately!