The Forest of Hands and Teeth
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The Forest of Hands and Teeth Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Carrie Ryan (Author), Vane Millon (Narrator), Listening Library (Publisher)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,572 ratings
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
See all formats and editions

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. Now, she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

"A bleak but gripping story.... Poignant and powerful." (Publishers Weekly, starred)

"A postapocalyptic romance of the first order, elegantly written from title to last line." (Scott Westerfeld, author of the Uglies series and Leviathan)

"Intelligent, dark, and bewitching, The Forest of Hands and Teeth transitions effortlessly between horror and beauty. Mary's world is one that readers will not soon forget." (Cassandra Clare, best-selling author of City of Bones)

"Opening The Forest of Hands and Teeth is like cracking Pandora's box: a blur of darkness and a precious bit of hope pour out. This is a beautifully crafted, page-turning, powerful novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it." (Melissa Marr, best-selling author of Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange)

"Dark and sexy and scary. Only one of the Unconsecrated could put this book down." (Justine Larbalestier, author of How to Ditch Your Fairy)

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    9 hours and 31 minutes
  2. Author
    Carrie Ryan
  3. Narrator
    Vane Millon
  4. Audible release date
    June 19, 2009
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Listening Library
  7. ASIN
    B002E04DE8
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 9 hours and 31 minutes
Author Carrie Ryan
Narrator Vane Millon
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date June 19, 2009
Publisher Listening Library
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B002E04DE8
Best Sellers Rank #41,782 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#40 in Teen Fiction on Death & Dying
#148 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Death & Dying
#232 in Science Fiction for Teens

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,572 global ratings
Misprint?
1 Star
Misprint?
Not sure what to make of this. Unfortunately I think I got a misprint of some sort. The first page when you open the book was page 297 and continues on through the last chapter of the book and has the acknowledgments and then the first chapter of the second book. Then a few blank pages then it starts on page 25 and then continues on like normal. It then has the last chapter again (where it should be) and then the first chapter of book two again. Highly confused on what’s going on.
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Top reviews from the United States

Nelaine Sanchez
5.0 out of 5 stars The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2009
Verified Purchase
Mary leads a normal life in her small village in the forest. There are certain truths that she was brought up believing in - the Sisterhood always knows best; the Guardians will protect and serve and the Unconsecrated will never relent. But above all, you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future - between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

First off, there was no way of telling that this was a zombie book by just looking at that cover... with that said, this is a zombie book! I love zombies! And our story starts off with a bang - or more like a bite.

Mary's life is turned upside down right from the first chapter. You can feel her desperation as well as her resignation to this life. They have been brought up believing that they are the last of the human race. They have to marry not out of love but to keep their race going. If you don't find a suitable match then, as a female, you join the Sisterhood. For Mary, the short weeks she spends under the same walls as the Sisterhood is life altering. She is now even more determined to believe in a world outside of their fenced in village... but especially, she dreams of the ocean. Her mother has told her stories of what the world was like before the Unconsecrated and Mary has always hoped for something more then her simple life in the village.

The story has its ups and downs but at no point did I feel like it dragged or anything. On the contrary, I was intrigued by the dystopian world Mary was living in. I wanted to know more and more. And although some things were left unanswered - it felt real. Mary is living generations after the Unconsecrated - so the information that we get is from a young girl with the limited knowledge that has been handed down to her by relatives and townsfolk. I will admit to having chewed off a nail or two and at one point or another having to put the book down because... yes, I admit it, I was freaked out.

All in all, I thought the story flowed real smoothly. There was plenty of action and excitement and I thought it blended well with the parts that were more informational in nature. I loved that throughout it all there was a hint of romance and that alone made the bleak world a more (dare I say) hopeful place.

I really enjoyed and highly recommend this. Plus, I can't wait for the sequel, The Dead-Tossed Waves.
3 people found this helpful
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MistyBookRat
5.0 out of 5 stars Really strong debut -- though not for everybody
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2011
Verified Purchase
This seems to be one of those books that gets really mixed reactions. I've read more than a few rants that complain of the writing style (present tense), the love aspect, the originality aspect, and Mary herself, saying she's selfish and unlikeable. And most of the things that seem to bother people about this book help me to love it.

I found Ryan's writing beautifully and painfully evocative, and the present tense lent an immediacy to the narration that really worked. There are times when the things that Mary says in the novel are so perfectly phrased as to make me actually stop reading and just dwell on them. I could see everything so clearly, and sometimes just ached with it. It was lovely in a heartbreaking way.

Much like the romance between Mary and Travis. I loved every moment of that, and bought it all. This bit is a teensy bit spoilery, so if you haven't read it, look away.

I know there are people who find the relationship unbelievable, and think that Mary was selfish for a) choosing Travis over Harry for no reason (? did they read the same book I did?), and for feeling like there was something more even than Travis. I understand why people were frustrated by this and thought Mary selfish -- so many people read YA for the easy romance and the lies. I hate to say it, but it's true. I respect Ryan so much more for not making things easy like that. I absolutely loved that, although Mary loved Travis, she realized there was more to the world, and since she lives in a pretty effed up world, there most certainly is. Mary is a woman on a mission, and she doesn't let anything sway her from that. It's a bit maniacal, maybe, but understandably so, and it makes for a much more complex, nuanced, adult novel than people typically get from YA. I appreciated that.

Same goes for the ending. Some people were really upset about the lack of resolution in the end, and I personally loved it. (And even though I know there is a sequel (and 3rd!), and fully intend to read them, I would have been content with 1 open-ended but powerful book.) It would have been a cop-out to have everything wrapped up neatly. I like a book that makes you wonder and makes you think, and even that makes you uncomfortable. It means the writer was working and doing their job, not just churning out some schlocky mess for $$.

This isn't to say I thought it was a perfect book. There were times when the prose was a bit purply, and I was worried on occasion that it was about to go over the top. I originally rated it a 4 on Goodreads, but as time passed, I found myself craving it, and thinking about Mary and the things she went through, the choices she had to make, and respecting it more and more. I ended up bumping it up to a 5. It's one of those books that I know I will reread and appreciate in different ways, but that I would reread even if that wasn't the case, just to get back to the beauty of Ryan's writing.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
Excellent product, very pleased with speedy delivery. My son loves this.
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Evey
5.0 out of 5 stars Super début !
Reviewed in France on February 28, 2016
Verified Purchase
J'ai tout bonnement adoré ce livre.
Beaucoup de questions, d'actions, les personnages sont tops. Franchement, un très bon livre !! Et le style d'écriture est parfait !
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R. Wood
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2012
Verified Purchase
'The Forest of Hands and Teeth' is far more complex than its blurb insinuates. It successfully creates a love story in one of the most unlikely situations you could - initially - think of: a zombie apocalypse. With its unique take on the zombie tale, 'The Forest of Hands and Teeth', with its narcotic, addictive prose is a breath of fresh air in a genre that has become littered with (pardon the pun) deadwood tales. Ryan accomplishes what few authors have done before her - making every chapter end on a cliffhanger which is in no way contrived.

The zombies (or Unconsecrated) themselves are a background 'character', though their threat is ever-present and their sudden, frenzied attacks are ferocious. The real shining star of the story is Mary, a teenage girl who is unable to decide what and who she wants in life. A stark reminder that even in the darkest of times, surrounded by death and the threat of infection, life finds a way to shine a light. Though several of the novel's characters seem to serve only as an instrument through which to uncover Mary's deeper hopes, dream and confusion, the novel itself is fantastically driven.

Ryan has created a dark, haunting world which demonstrates humanity's unending, incessant desire and will to survive against the odds. Both moving and terrifying, 'The Forest of Hands and Teeth' shines like a torch through the haze of similar though inferior post-apocalyptic zombie tales. The novel leaves the reader thirty for more, to uncover the secrets that have been so tantalisingly close throughout. However, this is simply another superb narrative technique by Ryan. Read the sequels 'The Dead-Tossed Waves' and 'The Dark and Hollow Places' and all will fall into place, giving you that "a-ha!" moment that makes all the best series worth reading!
2 people found this helpful
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Anna
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in Canada on September 9, 2020
Verified Purchase
The product was perfect only dent in the cover due to shipping and the shipping took twice the time it would have but it’s fine.
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Bex
4.0 out of 5 stars Don't be put off by the blurb - this will be a great series.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2012
Verified Purchase
I wasn't expecting too much from "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" after reading a few reviews from disappointed readers and after reading 50 or so pages I was beginning to think I should have listened to them and avoided this one. BUT THEN, it suddenly improved and I couldn't put it down! So with that said, it's fair to say that this book is a bit chewy to begin with, but persevere because it's so worth it, and here's why:

The world of "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" is unlike our own. Surrounded by fences like caged animals the villagers of Mary's town are trapped. Or so it would seem. The Sisterhood holds many secrets except one - if that fence is breached there will death. Because outside of the fence lies the forest, and inside the forest are the Unconsecrated. The unconsecrated are infected humans; zombies desperate to infect the living. The Sisterhood promise that the village is safe. The fences are patrolled by the guardians. They cannot get in. That is, until the fence is breached, the alarms are raised and Mary must make a decision. Fight or run.

I liked Mary. Sometimes. I liked her because she had ideas, she believed that there was more than just her village left - they couldn't possibly be the only living people left to preserve humanity. She's extremely inquisitive, which is great because I wanted to find out as much as possible about the secrets the Sisterhood are keeping. But sometimes I really wanted her to shut up. She's a very restless character, never content with things even when they're working out for her, and this can be frustrating because the story sort of flat-lines whilst she rants on about the ocean (Growing up Mary's mother told her stories of the ocean and Mary wants to believe that the ocean is real and it does exist). Equally, she makes some really selfish decisions which result in other people dying.

Carrie Ryan's done a great job in my opinion of creating a believable zombie apocalypse. BUT, I wish she'd have explained how the infection was started, more about why one of the zombies is much faster than the others and how the village was initially formed but I suppose these things may be better explained in the following books.
12 people found this helpful
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