Review of "The Dark and Hollow Places"

"The Dark and Hollow Places 
Carrie Ryan 

5

Pub. Date: March 22, 2011
Pages: 384
Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Synopsis:   There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.  

Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.

But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction? 

I loved this book!  I am so happy with how the series ended (it is such a relief).  If I had the time, I probably would have read this book all in one sitting, but life gets in the way of reading sometimes.  Part of the reason this book was so successful for me was because it showed more than just the horrors of the zombies, it also showed how horrible humans can be when they have too much power.  The Recruits were terrifying and the characters had to watch themselves every second.  I also loved seeing how life in the city.  It wasn't at all how I expected it to be after reading the first two books, but it was an interesting new perspective. 

The characters were also great in this book.  I really liked Annah; she was such a strong character, even if she was a bit broken.  She was put in some very tough situations and I respected her actions.  I also loved Catcher.  I found it interesting how they struggled with similar issues even though they went through different experiences.  The characters had depth and I loved learning more about them as the story unfolded. 

I really loved "The Dark and Hollow Places"; it's a fantastic ending to a wonderful series.  I highly recommend it to readers who like paranormal romance, dystopian fiction and horror.  This series really did a great job of balancing terrifying zombies with plot and characters.