Review: The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

(From Goodreads)
"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?"


My Review:
I apologize ahead of time for my incoherent rambling. *Possible SPOILERS since this is the 3rd book and I'm not very good at censoring myself.  But you can always skip to the Overall section to read a brief non-spoilery blurb*

THIS.  This is the book that I wanted to read when I picked up The Forest of Hands and Teeth.   To be honest, I was not really a fan of the first book.  The Dead-Tossed Waves got a little better for me, but I was not completely in love with it either.  I felt like they had potential, but there was a depressing monotony that didn't really work for me.  I also was not really a fan of where the romance was going and Mary, the protagonist in the first book, really ruined it for me.  But The Dark and Hollow Places has a new main character, Annah, who is Gabry's long lost twin sister.  And she's pretty awesome.

If you cannot remember any of the characters and how they know each other, it's okay! I honestly couldn't remember any of them, but the book does an excellent job of catching you up.  I really liked Annah because she did not come off as whiny and I admired her strength and I could relate with her brokenness.  I also loved the romance in the book, because I loved Catcher in The Dead-Tossed Waves and so I was happy that he finally had someone :)  There is not really a love triangle, which also made me happy!  

Although I didn't really like the first two books, I could tell that Carrie Ryan is an amazing writer.  And I really think that as she wrote each book, her writing just kept on improving, so I look forward to whatever she writes in the future!  This book was filled with passion that kept me turning the pages.  

I like to think that the overarching theme of this book is hope, which personally, I felt was lacking in the previous books.  A large part of this I believe is due to Annah because she is truly a fighter despite her troubled past and feelings of abandonment.  Even though the Unconsecrated have pretty much overrun the world, I love how in the end, there is hope, and how people still find the will to keep trying and keep on living.  Which I think is an excellent way end to an excellent book.

Overall: 
5+ out of 5 stars, easily!  An equally moving and stunning conclusion that left me breathless, I would highly recommend this book.  Even if you were not a fan of The Forest of Hands and Teeth and/or The Dead Tossed Waves, I say give this one a try!  It may surprise you :)