Review: The Dark And Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

The Dark And Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Series: The Forest Of Hands And Teeth (#3)
Pages: 377
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Published: March 22nd, 2011
IBSN: 9780385738590

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?


[Synopsis by Goodreads]

A great conclusion to The Forest Of Hands And Teeth series!

Carrie Ryan's style of writing continued to be vivid and incredibly emotive. The way she wrote Annah's narration and thought processes really evoked her voice. I really felt for Annah through all of her struggles.


Annah was a brave, strong, yet insecure protagonist. She was dynamic and realistic. She definitely developed as the story unfolded.

The plot was fast-paced and exciting. There wasn't a clear problem and solution, but a series of them to overcome; none predictable.

The world-building was thorough. The premise - essentially a zombie apocalypse - was executed uniquely, and the decayed, futuristic setting was described so clearly that I could imagine everything.

Though the romantic side of the book at times almost felt like Ryan was just pairing up loose characters, the sudden relationships forming was realistic given the characters' distressing situation.

The ending was realistic and satisfying. I'm glad all the work they did and all the ordeals they endured got the characters to a better place, literally and figuratively.

I give The Dark And Hollow Places a 4 out of 5.

Recommend it for fans of: the first two books in the series, The Forest Of Hands And Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves