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gremlinjane 's review for:
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
by Carrie Ryan
I...was not won over by this book.
It started with a vaguely interesting premise and I was happy to wait to slowly warm up to the characters. When one character died early on, I figured that the only reason that I wasn't affected was because the world and it's people were all still so new to me.
But at about 1/3 in, I started to realize that no. It was actually just that the characters had no depth, what-so-ever, and the plot made little sense.
What we really had was a single-minded and extremely selfish narrator. Who was somehow loved by all. (But also spurned by all?) Her one romance was completely without reason - and it's not that I think that love is somehow rational and full of purpose, but... this was just lacking. What was it about her love interest that caused her to love him? It was all encompassing (why, she had time to worry about touching his fingers during zombie attacks!!) and it was all she cared about, even though she knew nothing about him and spent so much time not even talking to him (they just *knew* what the other was thinking - except for when they didn't at all, but far be it for her to bring anything up. Ever. To this person she loves).
Oh wait - I'm wrong. She did care about one other thing.
The Ocean.
Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean.
Also, the ocean.
But that's it. Just those two things matter. The Ocean and this one particular guy that she lurves (but doesn't talk to, and never has sexy time with, really, despite "playing house" with him for how long? This books version of experiencing love was basically putting bodies really closely together - I'm sure neither of them ever wanted more...).
I don't know.
Somewhere else in here there's a kid.
There's some zombies.
There's a conspiracy of overly-zealous, puritanical nuns, I guess?
There's the narrators best friend who is both sunshine and extremely weak (so the narrator tells us) - oh, and nobody loves the best friend. Until the kid.
There's a love triangle? Sort of?
There's family dissonance, for some reason, with her brother? But then it's all better?
There's a dog that is a puppy, but also entirely able to fight zombies, and also never pees in the house even though they are trapped in one for days or weeks or ... I don't know.
Also, seriously? Gates and pathways that keep zombies out? For miles and miles and miles? Who made those? Who kept them up? And really - no one EVER explored them? What the what.
By the end, I was seriously just finishing for the sense of completion and nothing else. And I don't really care that my questions might be explained in further books - cuz I'm done.
It started with a vaguely interesting premise and I was happy to wait to slowly warm up to the characters. When one character died early on, I figured that the only reason that I wasn't affected was because the world and it's people were all still so new to me.
But at about 1/3 in, I started to realize that no. It was actually just that the characters had no depth, what-so-ever, and the plot made little sense.
What we really had was a single-minded and extremely selfish narrator. Who was somehow loved by all. (But also spurned by all?) Her one romance was completely without reason - and it's not that I think that love is somehow rational and full of purpose, but... this was just lacking. What was it about her love interest that caused her to love him? It was all encompassing (why, she had time to worry about touching his fingers during zombie attacks!!) and it was all she cared about, even though she knew nothing about him and spent so much time not even talking to him (they just *knew* what the other was thinking - except for when they didn't at all, but far be it for her to bring anything up. Ever. To this person she loves).
Oh wait - I'm wrong. She did care about one other thing.
The Ocean.
Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. Ocean.
Also, the ocean.
But that's it. Just those two things matter. The Ocean and this one particular guy that she lurves (but doesn't talk to, and never has sexy time with, really, despite "playing house" with him for how long? This books version of experiencing love was basically putting bodies really closely together - I'm sure neither of them ever wanted more...).
I don't know.
Somewhere else in here there's a kid.
There's some zombies.
There's a conspiracy of overly-zealous, puritanical nuns, I guess?
There's the narrators best friend who is both sunshine and extremely weak (so the narrator tells us) - oh, and nobody loves the best friend. Until the kid.
There's a love triangle? Sort of?
There's family dissonance, for some reason, with her brother? But then it's all better?
There's a dog that is a puppy, but also entirely able to fight zombies, and also never pees in the house even though they are trapped in one for days or weeks or ... I don't know.
Also, seriously? Gates and pathways that keep zombies out? For miles and miles and miles? Who made those? Who kept them up? And really - no one EVER explored them? What the what.
By the end, I was seriously just finishing for the sense of completion and nothing else. And I don't really care that my questions might be explained in further books - cuz I'm done.