Review: THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES by Carrie Ryan

THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES
by Carrie Ryan

Hardcover, 374 pages
Published March 22nd 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Placement in the Pile: Top Picks!

Summary:
There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.

But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

Review:
This is the third and final book in the FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH series by the fabulous Carrie Ryan. The whole series has captured me. My review for FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH was done on an old blog that there isn't access to anymore. But my review for THE DEAD TOSSED WAVES can be found HERE.

Each installment of this series gets more and more serious, and more and more dark. But in a good way. Of course as you get deeper into the Return, deeper into the infection and how it affects us as mankind you will find darkness and despair. But just as the books hold despair for humankind, they hold hope and romance that flourishes despite the dire circumstances all around.

What shocked me most about this book was the intense life that Annah has to survive. Just when I think her circumstances can't possibly get harder, they do. She is thrown around and beaten up in this book, but in the end there is hope!

I enjoyed the whole series so, so much. I hope you all give it a chance if you haven't already.

Book Signing: Carrie Ryan!

Last night I was SO priveledged to go see Carrie Ryan at my local B&N! Carrie is on tour for the third book in her zombie trilogy THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES.

I honestly didn't think I would ever have a chance to meet this fabulous author that I have been following on FB and twitter etc. Utah has an amazing author community, and many that are connected to Utah, but when I heard Carrie was coming it was a dream come true!

I hope more authors add Utah to their tour lists because it was SUCH an incredible night! I do have to warn you, this post is long. There was too much to talk about and I wanted you all to have all the info!



* I love the Vanna White pose in this one. ;)
First I have to say Carrie is amazing. She is INCREDIBLE! So personable, so funny and just completely amazing. She was writing down names and taking notes on the people she met as she signed and was just pure amazing. Here are my notes from what she told us all: *again note that these are my paraphrased notes, I tried getting direct quotes and sometimes they are, but not always exact.

• THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH begins about 150 years after a zombie apocalypse. THE DEAD TOSSED WAVES is a generation later.
  
• THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES is hard to describe. Like any final book in a series it should hit that point where the reader says there is no way the author can pull this together, but in the end it does.
  
• There is no kissing the zombies. Very big rule.
  

• The first question I get is "why zombies?" Like all good stories it starts in the 1980's.
  
• Her babysitter showed her Poltergeist and she was so terrified she didn't watch the end (to this day she has not seen it) and always hated horror stories.
• In her 2nd year of law school her boyfriend at the time (JP- who is now her hubby! And their first anniversary is on Friday, April fools! Congrats guys!) took her to see Dawn of the Dead.
• Like any good zombie movie someone lives, someone dies, and someone gets infected. And there is that moment when you feel empowered like "go world!" "we will survive!"
  
• A lot of zombie stories it's about getting from point A to point B. Point B is better than point A, but the problem isn't gone. They haven't solved the zombie problem, they haven't cured them.
• Carrie kind of learned a love for the genre here. She wanted more and watched more (but still shunned other types of scary stories). She loved the idea of survival.
  

*this picture is of me with awesome Utah authors and writer friends that came out to see Carrie! It was an incredible night! I LOVE the Utah author community! Here is Top L-R, Ally Condie, Elana Johnson, me, Brodi Ashton, Bree Despain Bottom L-R, my writer and blogger friends Chersti and Jenny!

• It wasn't long after Carrie was practicing law that she knew she wasn't in love with it.
  
• She asked herslef, If I could do anything, what would that be? And the answer was write. She wanted to be an author.
• Made a 10 year plan and was determined to be invested for 10 years. She would write, and write and write and submit and if after 10 years nothing had happened she would move on. But no matter what rejections or hardships she got, she knew she could hold on for those 10 years.
• Carrie started writing out some Chic Lit, and romance and when NaNoWriMo came along she had to start a new novel. After talking with JP that ended up being a zombie story that became THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH. Four months later she had an agent and sold the book!
  

*Another amazing Utah author in attendance Jessica Day George, always willing to strike a pose!

• And here is some notes on how Carrie came up with the idea for Forest of Hands and Teeth.
  
• I read an article on the over fishing of wild Tuna and how in the future Tuna will be rare. It made me think how in one generation something common can become rare.
  
• There was a story my grandmother told me about her prom. She wore purple tights that matched her dress. Back then colored tights were a brand new thing. One of the chaperones called her a harlot and asked her to leave the dance. Her mother was also a chaperone and had an awesome one liner come back.
• This story made her 1) realize how strong the women in her family were, that this was the stock she came from and 2) she forgot the line. And that made her think that in one generation we can not only loose things outside of ourselves, but we can loose our family, our history, ourselves.
  

*This is James Dashner with anther attendee of the signing who brought James' book over. James was thrilled because this was the first time he had seen the line "New York Times Besteller" on the top of his book!" James was also hilarious in the Q&A portion. With so many authors present he asked Carrie "Who is your favorite Utah author?" Oh James, ever the comic. It's why we love ya!

• I'm a survivor. I want to throw the world at my characters and I want to see if they will survive, because if they do, I can.
• I am fascinated by people who line in the most untenable circumstances and don't just live but they thrive.
• Then Carrie gave some advice on writing: She said if you want to write, you have to write! It is one thing to want to do it, to talk about doing it, to blog about doing it. And another entirely to sit down and actually do it. But once you experience passion for something how do you not live it?

*This is some of those same author and blogger friends, add my good friend who came with me to the signing (in her awesome zombie shirt) and one other writer/blogger friend I know I have met and I can't think of her name! I STINK at names. Sorry awesome zombie to my right! We as you can see are being zombies. I like how Jenny is about to eat by brains!

Then Carrie did some Q&A time. Here are some of my faves.

• What is your favorite book ever read? A: Oh that's like the most impossible question ever. Um, I'd have to say at the top of the list is THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien, and THE DEVIL'S ARITHMETIC
  
• What are you working on now? A: I am doing edits for my summer 2012 release that I can't tell you anything about. It is as of right now untitled. JP titles all of my books, and we're waiting...

*This is Carrie signing my books! I love this part! I feel like a kid in a candy store!

• Is there a movie in the works for FofHandT? A: We have sold the movie rights, I have read the script and it is good. Right now they are interviewing directors. But I don't know what that all means really as far as when/if it will be made.
• Do you have any good writing advice for someone just starting out? A: People will tell you write what you know. I think write what you know means the emotional connections you feel. Capture those moments that mean the most to you and use them.

This is me and Carrie. She is SO amazing and so cute! I will hopefully be getting some swag from her in the future for a giveaway, but until then PLEASE check out her books. They are creepy and beautiful and I have very much enjoyed them and how much they make me think.

If you are interested here is my review for THE DEAD TOSSED WAVES. I look forward to reading and reviewing THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES.

Review THE DEAD TOSSED WAVES by Carrie Ryan

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan


Published March 9th 2010 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Hardcover, 407 pages

Placement in the Pile: Top Picks

Summary:
Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

Review:
This is one of those books that is so frightening and captivating that I could not put it down.

Dead Tossed Waves is narrated from Gabry's perspecitve, the daughter of Mary from the first book. They live by the sea that Mary was so desperate to get to. The ocean is not what Mary hoped it would be though. It is full of Unconsecrated (called Mudo in this book) that wash up on the shore daily.

Mary has raised Gabry in this small town trying to keep her protected from the horrors she lived in the Forest. But Gabry feels lost and affraid of the outside world mroe than safe.

Fairly early in the book there is a big heartbreak moment that sets Gabry on a path that throws her into hers and her mother's past.

As with Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves is a beautifully written novel that deals with some really hard things. Even more heartbreaking and terrifying than the first, The Dead-Tossed Waves is more of an emotional journey than Mary's.

I felt that Mary's entire purpose was to get to the sea. Gabry on the other hand just wants to find out who she is, answer questions about her world, and when she is faced with the frightening realities of the infected Mudo she has to learn what is left in the world left living for.

In many ways I felt it was more satisfying than the first, in others more frustrating in Gabry's repetative thoughts.

All in all I could not put it down and I am very much looking forward to more!

On Carrie Ryan's website she has announced three short stories being published in some story anthologies and she also announced "there's a third book in the series and it should be coming out in Spring 2011. It's already written and the title is The Dark and Hollow Places." For more information go to Carrie's Website http://carrie-me.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews >>