Hare Moon

A short story and goes back to before Book 1 (Forest of Hands and Teeth) it helps to explain why one of the characters, Sister Tabitha, is why she is like she is - took me half an hour to read. Set the scene moodwise to prepare me for The Dark and Hollow Places which I have just picked up. ( )

This short addition to the Forest of Hands and Teeth series gives readers a glimpse into the background and psychology of Tabitha. Those of you who have read The Forest of Hands and Teeth will recognize Sister Tabitha as the strict, scary, maybe even a little crazy head of the Sisterhood that tries to stifle Mary’s love and curiosity. Hare Moon delves into the past, when Tabitha is a young, curious teenager herself. When she meets a boy on the path into the forest, she learns that what she once knew was not entirely true, and learns the meaning of sacrifice to those in her village. Being a short story, Hare Moon is indeed short and leaves the reader wanting a bit more. However, I think it stands as a valuable addition to the series. You can read it first if you haven’t read The Forest of Hands and Teeth, or you can read it after the entire series like I did. I would recommend it to those who were curious about why Sister Tabitha acted the way she did. ( )

Can I just say how much I love Carrie Ryan’s zombie-filled world? I LOVE IT. And she finally granted my wish of having some backstory to the Forest Village before the first book! YAY!

So here with have Sister Tabitha (who makes her appearance in the first book) and her own little backstory – and surprise! One of the reasons she’s so hard on Mary is because she herself was like Mary in that she wanted out of the Village and wanted to go out in the Forest to find freedom, and when she meets the boy on the other side, love. Only to be betrayed by his little Infected brother, of course.

Now, at least, we know where the last entry in the Village Records came from.

Anyway, at 27 pages, this was a delicious bite of what would be a wonderful prequel, if there’s one scheduled or being written. I really hope there is, because I just love this world far too much to give it up for one trilogy and a novella. Ryan’s really sharpened things up in this novella – you can almost smell the dead flesh that’s haunting the forest, hear the wind in the leaves, and feel the rattle of the fence in your bones. The sensory input is stunning, and Ryan’s at her best in this novella (and in the final novel in the trilogy – I have the feeling that both were written at or around the same time due to how well the sensory language has been sharpened from the previous two novels. It’s lush, horrifying, and gorgeous all at the same time. We become Tabitha like we become Mary in the first book, longing for the wild Forest beyond the fence – so surreal that I had to shake myself back to this reality after reading it.

Anyway, I’m not one for novellas, usually – but this one takes the cake. I still demand more, though!

(crossposted to shelfari, goodreads, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com) ( )

This might be a short story, but it packs a lot of punch in its 27 pages. In typical Carrie Ryan fashion, this story will have you holding your breath until you finish. If you're a fan of The Forest of Hands and Teeth, you should definitely check out Hare Moon. ( )