Book 52 - The Forest of Hands and Teeth

My fifty-second book was The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. I heard that this book was similar to The Hunger Games. And it is, except that it isn't at all. Instead of being forced to fight other children (like Katniss), the main character of this book (Mary) has to fight people that have been infected (they're basically zombies) and are trying to eat her. Her father disappeared months before and her mother watches for him outside of the fences every day. Mary knows that she is supposed to be with her mother, because if she wandered too close to the fence, one of the many Unconsecreted could bite her and infect her. Which happens, of course, because Mary gets sidetracked with the laundry and the boy named Harry asking her to the banquet. Mary's brother, Jed, is so angry with her for allowing their mother to pick to live in the jungle as an infected person instead of killing her that he will not allow her into his home. So, because no one has spoken for her, she is sent to live with the Sisterhood at the cathedral and become a sister. It soon becomes clear that they have many secrets from Mary, and even from the entire town. Travis, Harry's brother and the boy Mary is really in love with, gets hurt and is cared for in the cathedral. Mary realizes just how much she loves him while caring for him. She also finds out about a girl that has come from the outside world, walking on a fenced in path that connects to the village. No one can use this path, so it means that the girl, Gabrielle, came from another place. When Mary sees a flash of bright red outside of the fence the next day, she realizes that it is Gabrielle and that the sisters have turned her into an Unconsecreted because she would have revealed their secret. But she's different from the others. She's very fast and even finds a way to knock down the very secure fences. After the invasion, there's no turning back. Mary, Travis, Harry, Cass (Mary's best friend), a little boy named Jacob, Mary's brother Jed and his wife Beth are able to make it into the fenced in path, which they walk down for many days. They don't know what is at the end of the path, if there's even anything at all. Very good book. I the entire 308 page book in one day.
Grade: A++
SC: 5
V: 9
C: 2