THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES

Author (last name first):
Ryan, Carrie
Publisher, Date of Publication: 
Random House/2011

Grade Level/ or Age Level: 

9th and Up

Classification:  Fiction 

Alone and listening to the moaning of the Dark City dying around her, Annah wants to find her way back home, to her sister,family and her village in the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Annah (Gabry's twin) lives in the Dark City. Her view is vastly different that Mary's longing for more and Gabry's need for safty. Annah lives in a frightening world where the unconsecrated aren't the worst threats out there. Annah also is angry and hurt that Elias left her alone, but is constantly waiting for him to return to her. She misses her twin, she misses Elias...but she is so courageous and instinctual when it comes to her decisions. Elias isn't so appealing from Annah's viewpoint when he returns to her, but we see Catcher all over again through her eyes. 
The zombies in this book are a little more "real" then before; we see more of them, and many encounters that are more detailed then in THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH and THE DEAD TOSSED WAVES.
The story keeps your interest just as the other two did and is well told but my favorite out of all three so far is THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH. I loved each character, and the zombies kind of grossed me out a bit but the book was excellent. I was very captivated by the detail Carrie Ryan puts into each one of the characters. I would recommend the whole series to any library or school that is looking for a thriller, a horror story, and a romance rolled into one. There is an AR test available for this book as well as the first two books in the series.


Reviewed By: Lila Davis (Night Circulation Supervisor in Midwestern State University's Moffett Library)