Author: Carrie Ryan
Pub. Date: March 9th
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 416
Copy Received: Publisher
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.
The Dead-Tossed Waves takes place some thirty or so years after The Forest of Hands and Teeth ends and follows the life of Mary’s daughter, Gabrielle. Gabry, as she likes to be called, lives in a fenced-in town, much like her mother’s, but this town doesn’t have the religious influence that Mary’s did. Gabry and Mary live in the town’s local light-house and keep the Mudo (formally known as Unconsecrated) that float in from the ocean at bay.
Gabry, much like her mother, never thought much about the consequences of leaving her town, but unlike Mary she doesn’t leave because of an attack; she jumps the fence to hang out with her friends at the old run-down amusement park that neighbors her town. I don’t really have to explain what happens next because it comes as no surprise, but their group of friends gets attacked by the Mudo and the boy that Gabry loves gets bitten trying to protect her.
Gabry runs home, after being ordered to by Catcher (the boy she loves), leaving her friend’s behind to deal with the wrath of the Militia. The morning after The Council has a town meeting to notify everyone of their punishment, and they decide to kill the kids who have already been Infected and the others will be sent to serve The Recruiters for two years. After the meeting Gabry talks to Cira, the best friend she left behind that night and Catcher’s sister, who tells her to go back and find Catcher, who was never found by the Militia.
As Gabry goes beyond the barriers again she meets another boy, Elias, who helps her find Catcher and discovers something she never thought possible…
As a fan of The Forest of Hands and Teeth and an even bigger fan of zombies, I was super psyched to finally read the long-awaited (for me, at least) The Dead-Tossed Waves. Only a chapter in and I could already see how much Carrie has approved in pretty much everything. The writing was overall so much better and the story was more gripping, easier to fall into and read.
Since Gabry doesn’t live in the closed-off town that her mother lived in we learn a lot more about the world and how it works. Plus, we discover something that we didn’t even know was physically possible and takes up a big chunk of the story line so I can’t say too much without ruining it!
I have to say that I liked this book so much better than TFOHAT, so if you weren’t too crazy about that one you should still give this one a try. And if Carrie keeps on getting better with time I can’t wait to see what she’ll do with the next book, The Dark and Hollow Places.
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