Carrie Ryan = Ahhh-mazing!

I did some marathon reading Friday and Saturday and finished up some books that I've been under orders to send to the JJs.

One of them was the follow-up to last year's fantastic teen zombie book, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, which I reviewed here. I was just rereading that post and realized that I was under deadline with that one as well -- but it was self-imposed that time around :)

Not that I can blame my sisters, I've been dying to get my hands on this one, too! Ever since turning the final page on Forest last year, I've been desperate to return to this world. And, to be totally honest, I don't think I could have lingered over The Dead-Tossed Waves anyway. Again, Carrie Ryan's amazing imagery and relentless pacing just begged to be gulped up in one sitting. And I did!

This time around, the story is told by Mary's daughter, Gabry. Gabry has never known the danger of the Forest. Mary vowed that Gabry only ever know love and safety, and until now she's been successful in providing this. But when Gabry and her friends go beyond the Barrier for an evening of fun, everything changes. The kids are attacked by a Breaker and the Militiamen are sent out to save them. Gabry escapes with only some suspicious that she might have been present during the event. In the end, the survivors are quarantined and punished, forced into service with the Recruiters where they will face endless danger from the Mudo. Gabry's friends keep her secret, but in exchange, Gabry must cross the Barriers once again and find one of the infected who escaped. From this point forward, Gabry will have to face the dangers that have been kept from her for so long.

I had some fear that Dead-Tossed Waves could not live up to the expectations I had after Forest. I was so wrong! Carrie Ryan completely blew me away yet again. And now it's back to waiting for the next installment. And yes, readers, there is to be a third book in the series and it's due out next Spring! And there's still the movie on the horizon, too, though I've not heard anything more about it of late.

Gah! Go out and get these books. Whether you're looking for a great YA read for your teen (and you should snag 'em first) or if you're a post-apocalyptic/zombie/horror fan like I am, these are beyond amazing reads.

For lots of extras including book trailers, check out Carrie Ryan's official website.