The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Chapters 20-30)

Mary and everyone are still traveling when Cass breaks down. She is screaming that they all go back and find more water. But everyone disagrees because there is nothing to go back too. Then they see the letters again and they know they must follow them because it will lead to something. "Harry's eyes are not on me but on his brother as he lets me go, a small possessive smile on his face" (CX) (184). To me that is really annoying because they are both fighting over her when they have bigger things to worry about.
Finally they reach a path that says XIV which is what Gabrielle wrote on her window and they see a village just up ahead.

 So they all run to it. Rejoicing that maybe they are not the only ones left. But there are no people, just more Unconsecrated. So they run towards the ladder but Travis cannot climb it so Mary and Travis run to a house while everyone else runs up the ladder. They box themselves in and finally they are alone. But Mary starts to get really annoying because she completely ignores Travis. After all that wanting for them to be alone and they finally get it, she goes off where he cannot get to her and sits by herself watching the others.
Finally the Unconsecrated break into the house. Travis and Mary hurry out and they both barely get out alive. They talk to the others and they explain that they cannot leave until winter because that is when they will be at there weakest. Travis then tells Mary that he talked to Gabrielle and she has seen the ocean and it is not safe. "She told me the Unconsecrated rise from the waters and still walk the beaches. That there's no way to fence it off- no way to protect your self" (S) (254). Mary gets all mad and then she finds out that Travis was never going to come for her. So their relationship is pretty much over.
Before getting over to the other side, Mary found these books so she brought them with her as proof there is something more. She has found that the numbers in this book do mean something and there is some sort of pattern.
I think that there plan to wait until winter will not work. I think someone else is going to die. This book will not have a happy ending.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Chapters 13-19)

In chapter 13 Sister Tabitha explains that it is a miracle that she was ever born. And then she starts telling her to appreciate her life and that she is being selfish because she only thinks for herself. "I am struck with the knowledge of my own selfishness. That this woman in front of me knows more about my mother than I ever did or ever will" (S) (117). That is when Harry walks in and this will be the last night that they have to call of everything. Travis never came so she has to be with Harry. I don't understand why she finds Harry so repulsive. He bought her a puppy and is trying to make her happy. When she told him what she believed, that she wants to leave because she knows there is more out there, he says "We will find a way to make you happy" (S)(121).

When they wake up the sirens are going off. Mary is kind of on a daze but then she sees Gabrielle in her red vest streak past and she knows that the Unconsecrated are among them. The chapters continue with them trying to escape the Unconsecrated and when they arrive at the Church they see Sister Tabitha being attacked by Gabriella. They cannot believe that. When they run away to the mysterious path, they see Travis coming there way. They all stand, not knowing what to do.  The decide to come back to the village in the morning because there are to many of them. Mary still wonders about Travis actually loving her. She still battles with what is right and what she wants. "Every night I drown and every morning I wake up struggling to breathe" (S)(146).
After they decide to stay where they are they see Jed, Mary's brother, and his wife Beth, which is Harry's and Travis's sister. Jed tells them that in this path they have been filling it with food and water for a while because that is what the Sisterhood instructed them to do. Harry gets all weird and gets mad that he was never told because he is a Guardian. But after that Jed secretly tells Mary that Beth has been bitten.

Mary proceeds to tell Jed that it is not safe and he has to kill Beth. But Jed explains that he cannot just shoot someone he loves, and he goes on to say that without love their is no point in living, and that is what Mary believes. So she keeps his secret hoping that she will not turn.
That evening they come across some crate that says XVIII. They do not know what those letters mean. Inside is just more food and water so they rest for the night. During the night Gabrielle and the other Unconsecrated come. They leave immediately and they have all realized that there village is gone, that no one has survived and have stopped fighting. That is hard to comprehend and I do not blame them. Knowing that all your loved ones are lost to the Unconsecrated. They find paths to take and they just have to guess where they should go, but they end up in a dead end.
Mary then starts to lose it. She sees Travis hugging Cass and she gets super jealous so she lashes out on Jed and tells them all about Beth finally. That causes some uproar and Mary runs away. She wanders down the paths and is calling out for Gabrielle. I do not know if that is such a good idea but she does it anyway. Gabrielle comes a little slower this time. Like her body is finally catching up to her. She tells her she's sorry and walks away. Mary then continues to find more roman numeral numbers on the paths. And she knows that they have to have some sort of pattern but she can't figure it out. She finds Cass and Cass tells Mary that they killed Beth and are burying her now. Mary feels the shame and that she never got to say goodbye. She decides not to tell them about the letters because she does not want to get there hopes up. I cannot blame her. I have no idea how they are going to survive.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Chapters 9-12)

So Mary contemplates what to do with the news that the Sister are keeping stuff from them, and what to think about this Gabrielle girl. When she gets called down to see Sister Tabitha, she finds that Harry is there, And he has spoken for her which means they are going to be married. Mary is disappointed because she wants Travis but it is the only way out of the Sisterhood she reluctantly agrees. "His eyes become harder, deeper, and he shakes his head" (77) (CP). He knows that she does not love him. This whole situation is just sad, and right after that she finds Cass and he tells her that she fell in love with Harry! Mary wants to switch and "make it right" but Cass says no and that's the end of that. See, this whole thing is just sad. Later that same day she finds that Gabrielle has vanished.
The marriage ceremonies begin and Mary is not happy. She is marrying the person she doesn't love and has to watch her best friend marry him. It is a week long celebration with many parties and they are the "guest of honor." When she thinks all hope for Travis and her are lost she finds him in her favorite spot and she runs to him and he holds her. Giving her back those feeling and knowing he still loves her. He then proceeds to tell her that he too believes there is more then just there village and this forest and she starts to fall in love with him even more. They are more alike and I really hope they can somehow get married...
Then they see this Unconsecrated in a red vest and Mary knows it Gabrielle except shes not like the others. She can move really fast. Before she goes to tell the Guardians; Travis kisses her and then she asks " Will you come for me?" (94) (S). Now I already know he probably won't because he does not want to betray anybody, but I hope I'm wrong.
After telling the Guardians, the village people got worried but Sister Tabitha had reassuring words, but even then no one felt safe. Travis has still not come to Mary, and right before her true wedding day she goes to find answers. She goes down to the tunnels where Sister Tabitha first took her when she arrived at the church. She stumbles through and she gets through and door but she doubts whether she should go through or now. But she thinks about her life and how it did not turn out how it was supposed to be, she she steps forward into the tunnels.

When she enters the room, she finds a cot, a thick book that must be the scripture. It is just on ordinary room. She opens the scripture and sees tiny, cramped writing. She finds out about the fast one (Gabrielle). " As expected, extreme and complete isolation was the cause of her immense strength and speed. God help us all, we will send her to the Forest to see how long she lasts, to better understand. It is through her sacrifice that we grow stronger. It is through His glory that we survive" (109)(CPCX). She understands now that they are doing some sort of experiments, maybe just towards outsiders that come because they don't want the village to know that they can live somewhere. That's my prediction. Before the binding, Sister Tabitha comes and explains why they must do this. Then she tells Mary that her mother has lost children. I do not know why that is important but we shall soon find out.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Chapters 5-8)

Mary goes to tend to the patient and it turns out it is Travis, the boy she had a crush on for a long time. I predict that they are going to end up falling for each other even though he is already courted with Mary's best friend Cassidy. But Mary has a chance to tend to the one she loves so she is not going to stop and she will not give let him turn into an Unconsecrated. "I have seen such horror and such grotesqueness that it never occurred to me that I would feel light-headed and weak-kneed when I saw Travis's injury" (40).(S)  I think this shows that she really does love him because she did not even get "weak-kneed" when her mother was turning. Instead of prayer though she tells him stories of the ocean. The story her mother used to tell her. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean.
Finally, after a significant amount of time, Cass and Henry finally come to visit Travis. Now Mary gets upset because she realizes that none of it can be real because Travis is courted already to her best friend, so she is in a bad position and I actually feel really bad for her. Also, Mary still pretends she cannot talk even though she already finished her scripture reading, so when Henry tries to apologize it is to her about not courting her, it is her advantage that she cannot say anything.
She has now moved on to different studies and she cannot see Travis anymore. But at night, she sneaks over to his room to be with him. Until one night, when they finally have there first kiss, and they get interrupted, "Perhaps a shift in the drafts around the room, maybe my ears popping as a door somewhere is opened, but I pull back a bit and meet Travis's eyes" (55). (CPCX). They hear the people walk around and they lock Travis in is room. They wonder what it could be as Mary leaves, hoping to come back but not sure if she can. When she gets outside and see footprints on the path that no one can go on, leading right up to the fence and into the Church. Mary concludes that means someone from Outside has come, and now she can leave her village.
Mary once again gets in trouble with Sister Tabitha. I really do not like her. She is way to mean and bossy. She talks to her about the Return, and because they have survived this far is because it is God's will because they all follow him. And the Unconsecrated did not and that is why they turned. She also tells Mary she actually does not belong in the Sisterhood so she will never be trusted and never find her place. Now that really brings Mary down because she did not want to be here in the first place. The sisterhood is keeping so many secrets from the village and Mary wants to know why.
Later, she is in Travis's old room when someone named Gabrielle knocks on the wall. She is the one from the outside. She sees that she is wearing a red vest, which is maybe some kind of trade mark from her old village. Or maybe it keeps the Unconsecrated away. I don't know but I really want to find out.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (chapters 1-4)

If you went to the Carrie Ryan talk then you already know that this book is about what happens after the zombie Apocalypse. I decided to read her book because I thought it sounded interesting and she made it sound like an exciting book to read. I never thought I was going to think zombies were interesting, but I decided to give it a try because she made them sound pretty cool.

In chapter one it starts off with a girl named Mary and how her mother used to talk about the ocean. That there was "nothing but water as far as you can see and that is was always moving, rushing toward you and then away (C)" (1). But she stopped believing in the ocean because how could there be such a thing if there were droughts? Mary has never seen the ocean because her whole town is fenced in for the Unconsecrated. They cannot get through fences so they are safe, until they break through. Her mom stands at the fence looking out, looking for her lost husband, believing that he is not one of them. At least she has something to believe in. No one in that town really believes anymore, they just go through the motions.

Mary is at the stream when a boy named Harold comes up and asks if she would go with him to the Harvest Celebration. The Harvest Celebration is for those who are old enough to get married, declare themselves to one another. Mary says,"Marriage in our village is not about love-it is about commitment (S)" (4). It reminds me of an arranged marriage. I would not like that. I would want to find love, not just someone who asked me for commitment and to keep the population up. That's when the sirens go off. That means they have to get to the towers and bring the ladders up so the Unconsecrated cannot get them. But it turns out that someone got bitten, unfortunately it was her mother.

Her mother saw her husband and was reaching out when she got bitten. Now she had a choice. Die now, or join them. She decided to join them to be with her husband. That is sad. I think I would want to die. Mary waits it out with her mother until she turns. When she does turn and is sent into the woods her brother Jed returns and yells at her for not killing her. Because not he has too. I feel bad for him. He has to kill both his parents now. Jed however shuns Mary and makes her join the Sisterhood where she will not get married and help those who are hurt and be one with God. It is not her first choice but she has no other choice. After she has read the scripture five times she can start to earn her privileges.

I feel bad for Mary. No one has accepted her and now she has to join the Sisterhood when she does not even want too. Her brother abandoned her and now she has to be reminded of her mother when someone new comes into the church to be helped. I feel this book is going to get very depressing and everyone is going to die. Let's hope I'm wrong.  

Linger (Chapters 42-52)

Cole breaks down and apologized for everything he has done to Victor. I really do feel bad for Cole. He has made some bad choices but he knows what he was doing was wrong and now this moment his life will be changed forever because he is going to change now.

After the burial they go back inside and Isabel is there. She takes Sam aside and starts to yell at him which I think is completely unnecessary. She starts to say that he isn't don't anything with Grace, with Cole being in a band and that he is supposed to be dead, and even for Victor dying because she told Sam the wolves were around her house. What was he supposed to do? Tell the wolves to leave? Like they would listen. She really has no right to be yelling at him. Cole has a suspicion that Isabel has feeling for Sam. I can actually see that. Maybe if Grace does end up turning into a wolf she will try something?They all go to bed and Grace and Sam finally have the talk. Nothing really gets said. Just that they both acknowledge it has something to do with her never turning. Then, an hour later she starts throwing up blood and everything goes down hill.

Her parents arrive at the hospital and the dad punches Sam and is told he has to leave the room and Cole sticks up for him and says that he deserves to be in the room and not them. Which is true, he has been there her and they have not. Isabel comes down and makes Cole figure out what is going on because he is the genius. Fortunately, he does figure it out. He says that because she never shifted, that the wolf toxin is put at bay when you shift because it is so bad for you, but if you do not shift it festers until eventually it starts to kill you, which is what is happening to Grace. So they concluded that she has to get bitten again so she can get "cured." I know it is confusing. Which by the way means that after 10 or so years Sam will also die because his wolf toxin is also festering.

So they form a plan, Isabel distracts the parents and Cole goes and infects Grace again and instantly she starts to change into the wolf she never was. While Grace is shifting Sam promises to find her again, to not forget and to not lose herself. "The girl i knew was gone, and there was only a wolf with brown eyes" (357). Then Cole makes on offer, he says that Sam can go with her and get bitten too, then they could be together, but he can't. He refuses the offer because he couldn't go through all of it again. So, with Grace and Cole as wolves Sam goes back into the hospital with accusing stares. Thinking he is helping her runaway, he has to watch out for Tom Culpeper and he is waiting until summer so he can be with Grace again. Sam makes a choice to find a cure. For Grace, Cole, himself, and even Beck. "I will find a cure. And then I will find Grace" (360).

That is the end of the book. Obviously there will be another one. I liked it. I thought it was a good read and it kept you thinking what was going to happen again. I cannot wait to read the next one.

Linger (chapters 31-41)

I have finished the book but there are to many chapters to do all the blogs so I am going to combine them all into one and just put the most important stuff into this one blog.

So starting off when Grace and Sam arrive at the recording studio, Sam has the time of his life. He cannot believe that he is actually doing this. But when he walks through the halls of different bands, he sees Cole in his band NARKOTIKA. He has no idea what to do with that. Then, at the same time Isabel meets up with Cole and she catches him trying to shift and stay wolf. When Isabel sees how hopeless he is, she tries to offer her hand at friendship. Which I think Cole really needs. While they are out, Cole reveals that he in fact was on drugs while they try to figure out why they really shift. While they are out, three teenage girls come up and recognize Cole for who he really is, Cole St. Clair. Cole is anxious because he does not know how to tell Isabel, but he does not really have to because she just doesn't care.

When Grace and Sam get home, Cole is there and him and Grace finally get to meet. Cole likes her right of the bat. While they clean the house, Grace is still sick, and she notices that she is supposed to be home now. When she gets home her parents are there and they freak out on her, but she fights back. Saying that they aren't really her parents and they cannot tell her what to do anymore. But they play the your not 18 yet card and she has to listen to them. That is when Grace decides to run away and live with Sam. So she sneaks out and never looks back.http://www.helpyourteens.com/teen_runaways.php

Sam has a realization that he actually missed the wolves. He did not miss being a wolf but he just missed the wolves in general. I think that was a stepping stone for Sam because it made him realize that being with the pack was his true family. Grace arrives at Sam and they both pretend everything is ok but they know, deep down, that it is just the opposite. Grace's parents find out that she left and her best friend Rachel tries to cover for her, she feels that it is not right for Grace to be running away and I agree with her, but i can get why Grace ran away. Her parents really do not care for her, at least they do not show it.

After that Grace and Sam arrive back at the house and see Cole talking to Tom Culpeper. He is Isabel's dad and is the one who went on a wolf shooting rampage in the first book Shiver and shot Sam. Turns out he killed another wolf, Victor, and he gives a warning to Sam saying he has to stop "feeding these things" and that he will shoot "every single wolf I can get in my sights." Cole and Sam dig up his grave.