The Dead-Tossed Waves

February 8, 2011 Audiobook Review, Book Review 5

The Dead-Tossed Waves
Author: Carrie Ryan
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: March 2010
Pages: 404


About 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 boy Gabry’s known forever and one veiled in mystery…

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.

My thoughts:

Okay, zombies? I think they’re fabulous. Really. I’m totally Team Zombie, (except when I’m Team Unicorn, but that very rarely occurs!) Still, I have a VERY hard time reading about them. I mean, zombie stories that don’t involve too many snapping tendons and crunching bones I can handle. But a zombie story with all that and love? Not gonna happen. At least, that’s what I thought before reading Carrie Ryan’s books. How does she do it? How can she tell such a beautiful, elegant, touching story with descriptive, bile inducing zombie scenes and make it all work together? Genius I say, genius!

The Dead-Tossed Waves is a companion to Ryan’s first novel The Forest of Hands and Teeth. It picks up years down the road and focuses on the next generation. We meet Gabry who is quite possibly one of my favorite characters ever. She has spent her whole life behind the Barrier where she is safe from the Mudo (those would be the zombies!) One night sets Gabry’s world on end. Everything she has known and hoped for is changed. I love that, although Gabry lives in a very different world than ours, teens (and adults!) will be able to relate to her and the situations she finds herself in. Okay, maybe not the zombies themselves but you get the idea…

Gabry is scared. She doesn’t know what the future holds. She’s not certain who she is. Really, she’s not certain about anyone. She’s realizing that things aren’t always what they seem. There are big decisions that come up in her life. She has to make choices she doesn’t feel prepared to make. Basically, she’s growing up.

What I love most about Gabry is that she keeps on going. No matter what happens Gabry realizes that she has to find the strength to go on. She takes the hurts, joys, successes, failures, grows from them, and moves on. When it comes down to it, Gabry chooses… Gabry. She does what is best for her in order to be true to who she is. Thankfully she is a loyal, giving person so that isn’t as selfish as it might sound.

As far as the boys go, can I just say THANK YOU Carrie Ryan for creating Elias. He makes my heart happy. I’m not going to go in to the love triangle situation because Carrie Ryan does it so much better here. Let me just say this, it is SO well done!

I could go on and on about how much I love this book but this review is already longer than I anticipated and I just so happen to have an ARC of the next book The Dark and Hollow Places. So yeah, I’m going to read now 🙂

**NOTE: I listened to 4/5 of this book on CD. It is a really wonderful audiobook. I highly recommend it!**

5 Responses to “The Dead-Tossed Waves”

  1. Annette

    Oh, I just read Forest of Hands and Teeth last week, and I thought I’d wait a while to read this one but now maybe I can’t. I didn’t realize this was the next generation. I loved the first one so much – just like you said – I can’t believe this book is about zombies! How does she write like that?

  2. Okie

    I’m a Huge fan of The Forest Of Hands And Teeth/The Dead-Tossed Waves!! Dying to read The Dark And Hallowed Places. I. Can’t. Wait for its release!

  3. Erin

    I have an old ARC of this book around here somewhere. I didn’t even know it was a sequel! Now I have to get my hands on “Forest of Hands and Feet” so that I can read this, because you’ve got me all intrigued after reading your reivew! Thank you for sharing.

    Quitting My Day Job

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