Review : The Dead-Tossed Waves
The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
Pages : 404
Genre : YA, Post-Apocalypse
Companion to The Forest of Hands and Teeth
My Rating : 
From the Back of the Book :
Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She’s content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is all she’s ever known, and all she needs for happiness.
But life after the Return is never safe, and there are threats even the Barrier can’t hold back. Gabry’s mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but like the dead in their world, secrets don’t stay buried. And now, Gabry’s world is crumbling.
One night beyond the Barrier… One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Gabry knows only one thing: if she is to have any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother’s past.
I didn’t think I would, but I loved this book even more than I loved The Forest of Hands and Teeth.
First, I have to say that Gabry is, in my opinion, a much stronger heroine than Mary is in the previous book. Her personality didn’t irritated me like Mary’s and made me care a lot more for her and her story. She is, especially on the long run, less selfish in her decisions and spends a lot of time thinking of her actions and their consequences – maybe too much in parts, and the book did slow down a bit at those times, but I personally appreciated that the narration wasn’t focused only on the action.
Another strong point of the novel is that we get to learn more about how the society functions. While the previous book kept us mostly isolated, The Dead-Tossed Waves gives us more information on what happened and how life is forever changed. Some questions are answered and new ones are asked, giving more substance to the setting. Add to dad captivating story and a new love triangle, and you have in your hands a great zombie-filled novel!
Even though The Dead-Tossed Waves is presented like a companion novel rather than a sequel, I wouldn’t advise on reading them out of order. Not only because the second book takes place later in time, but also because I believe the reader’s experience is better in this order, too. We learn so much more in the second book that reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth last would make it less enjoyable, I think. Also, the second book contains a few spoilers on what happened to Mary in the first one.
This book was an extraordinary adventure ; passionate, scary, and intriguing. I cannot wait to see what Ryan has in store for us in the next book!
Series Reading Order :
- The Forest of Hands and Teeth
- The Dead-Tossed Waves
- The Dark and Hollow Places (spring 2011)
I am so glad to hear that Gabry is more enjoyable than Mary. As much as I enjoyed Forest of Hands and Teeth, her character really put me off. Great review!
These books are out of my comfort zone, but I really do want to try them!
I enjoyed Gabby’s character quite a bit more than Mary’s as well.
“I didn’t think I would, but I loved this book even more than I loved The Forest of Hands and Teeth. First, I have to say that Gabry is, in my opinion, a much stronger heroine than Mary is in the previous book…Another strong point of the novel is that we get to learn more about how the society functions.”
Totally agree with you! I loved this one far more than the first. Can’t wait for the third book.
These books are new to me, but after reading your review, I can’t wait to check them out further!!
Kay : Yes, Mary was hard to relate to. We see her a bit in this book, too, so it’s interesting to see what she thinks of the choices she made in her past.
Kathy : I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts on it if you do!
Christina : She’s a lot nicer. I got her motivations, too, unlike Mary’s.
Rhiannon : I can’t wait either! I wonder if we’ll hear more from these characters? I certainly hope so!
April : I hope you’ll like them! I find that they offer a lot more to the readers than gory zombies.