The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

With little knowledge of the book but based on good recommendations, I decided to give The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan, a try.  Wow.  I am really glad I did.  Although I don't have a love for all thing Zombies, like some of my friends, I definitely loved this book.  I loved it so much I bought the sequel when I was only fifty pages in.

The story is about Mary, a young woman who is looking forward to her future.  She lives in a small village that happens to be surrounded by fences.  The fences are to protect the villagers from the "unconsecrated", we know them better as zombies.  When Mary loses her mother to the unconsecrated, she is forced to live with the Sisters, who run the town.  She begins to learn more about the unconsecrated and some of the town's secrets.  When the village is breached, she and some of her friends are forced into the forest on a series of protected paths.

Mary's goal is to get to the ocean.  She'd heard stories of it's existence but she had been so secluded in her village that she isn't sure it is still there.  The book moves quickly, with a great deal of action and adventure.  It's heartbreaking and terrifying.  I was so wrapped up in the story that I found myself dreaming about it!  That's the first time in a long time I can say that.  For fans of The Hunger Games, you'll see a similar quest for survival.  I highly recommend this book and can't say enough good things about it.