Mary lives in a world that is set in stone; there are things you just know and things that you just shouldn’t wonder about. Some things are simple, true, and have been for as long as anyone knows:
1. The Guardians will always protect
2. The Sisterhood is always right.
3. The Unconsecrated are always there, and always trying to break through.

Mary has spent her entire life surrounded by these infected shells of people, some of which were her friends, family, neighbors, etc. They attack the fences, crave human flesh, and moan the most chilling sound you’ve ever heard. Think of every zombie movie you’ve ever saw, and combine all those creepy figures into one and that’s the image that goes through my mind when I think of the Unconsecrated. Now imagine living in a lone village, smack in the middle of a forest that is full of these “people” with only chain link fences and the armed Guardians to protect you. This is Mary’s life.

The Sisterhood controls the knowledge; they control what everyone else knows about the world outside the fence, and what everyone doesn’t know. Mary dreams of life outside the fence, of life at the other end of the gate that leads to the path, the only path that leads to and from the village, the path that no one has ever been allowed to go down. Slowly everything Mary has ever known starts falling apart one by one; the Sisterhood has secrets and Mary learns things that she was never supposed to know.

One day the fences are breached, the Unconsecrated descend upon the village, upon the only lives these people have ever known. The village is in chaos, there’s only one safe place to go, and it’s forbidden. Now Mary has some choices to make: Will she stay in her village and fight for it or will she save herself and the people she can and take the path? Will she choose the one she loves or the one that loves her? Will she find out if there is life outside a village and a forest that is surrounded by so much death and constant danger?

This is such an amazing book! I am having trouble putting how much I actually love this book into words outside of a fangirl scream “OMG”! I am also tickled purple (not pink, pink is too girly and not exciting enough!) to find out from Carrieryan.com that there is not only a sequel called The Tossed-Dead Waves that will come out Spring of 2010, but there will be a THIRD (!!!!!!) book that will come out Spring of 2011. And the possibility of a movie, because Seven Star Pictures (which is a new company, but they are doing K-11, with Kristen Stewart and Nikki Reed), and it is listed on their website as an “Upcoming Film”. This is such an amazing read, as I have already said, but it chilling, gripping, it has just enough romance to satisfy someone, without overwhelming the horror, and the hope that the story employs. It’s such a dark and terrifying tale, but at the same time it’s extremely beautiful and hopeful; and that mix is just what the doctor ordered. ( )

I've been waiting awhile to read this one - it's about a zombie apocalypse, and zombies are my thing.

Mary's lived in a town surrounded by a fence, surrounded by zombies, surrounded by the Forest of Hands and Teeth, and according to the town's Sisterhood (the religious leaders), the Forest is unending. However, Mary's mother has been telling her stories of what the world was like before the Unconsecrated, and Mary dreams of a day she, too, might see an ocean.

There's plenty of zombie action, for which I am appreciative, and plenty of fear and desperation. Mary's hope and longing muck up things for her - especially for those who escape with her, and the two brothers who've both fallen for her.

I was a bit disappointed - the ending is a bit of a non-ending, and very little seems resolved, but Mary's tough and the the zombies were scary, so I did end up enjoying it! ( )

The first half was so awesome that the second half didn't stand a chance. It was a fun read! -- Ms. Lopez-Gerlach

Mary’s story is just another one of those time-honored, heart warming classics of coming of age, post apocalypse, amid flesh-eating zombies. Like many a similar tale, the main goal in the telling is not the gore and/or violence but rather the struggle of the soul and mind to make some sort of sense of the destruction and absurdity around the protagonist.

Her village is fenced to keep out the roaming, hungry undead who claw at the gates, day and night. Of course, like any quaint, dystopian village, the social order within the protected compound is just as creepy as what lies beyond. The order about town is an Order with a capital O. The Sisters run the municipality with an iron, but seemingly loving, fist. For the most part, all seems well and good.

Our protagonist, Mary, aptly named for such a town, has been listening to her mother’s stories, though. Stories that question the order; question the safety within the fence and question the existence the villagers have always known. Most scoff at her dreams of escape. For what on earth could be so grand and wonderful if everyone else on the planet has perished? Her stories of oceans and skyscrapers from years ago do not interest most.

Until the breech.

When the security of the group’s very existence is shaken to the core, Mary is not the only one to look elsewhere for answers, pulling apart every conventionality the small society has ever known.

The idea of this story is fantastic. The cathedral and sisters are as creepy as creepy religious allusions can get. The Big Brother-like security and scrutiny are deep reaching and there is a very clear message from the get-go that thought and questioning of the safety provided within the walls will not be tolerated. Bible verses, along with the love and will of God are taught as the only truth. Allegory and allusion run thick in the story and for the most part, are referenced in a cohesive way.

Unfortunately, this is going down on my list of books that flopped. Due to the sparkling legacy of Fahrenheit, 1984 and their modern counterpart, The Hunger Games, it simply comes off as overdone and a bit of a washed out version of the old relics, at that. The writing is pretty at moments but isn’t anything to call home about as it skips or halts in more than a few places. It also has that horrible fault of present tense which was excusable in The Hunger Games, as the storyline and characters held together thick enough, but here just weakens an already flimsy book.

I think if it hadn’t held so many positives for me, the allegories, the relative similarities to dystopias past, I wouldn’t have been as disappointed but I truly wanted more from Ryan and she just didn’t deliver. If you don’t set your sights too high on this one, you may not be as disappointed. ( )

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. ( )