The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

The Dead-Tossed Waves is a companion book to Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Gabrielle, or Gabry, has lived her entire life in a town in between a forest teeming with deadly zombies and the sea where the living dead wash in with the tide nearly every day. When Gabry and her friends cross over into unprotected territory one night, tragedy ensues and changes Gabry's life forever. Secrets are revealed, and soon Gabry is not only running for her life and the lives of her loved ones, but is also searching for answers to her and her mother's past.


The Dead-Tossed Waves is every bit as suspenseful as The Forest of Hands and Teeth. At first, I was a little disappointed to learn that it picked up years after The Forest of Hands and Teeth left off, but Carrie Ryan soon drew me in with a compelling story full of characters you want to learn more about.

Often companion books and sequels insult readers by spending a lot of time in the beginning telling the story of the previous book. Luckily, Carrie Ryan respects her readers enough not to waste their time doing this. Instead, she weaves important information about the past throughout the book. You don't have to read The Forest of Hands and Teeth first, but I'd recommend it so you can become familiar with the back story.

Not only is it a love story and a coming of age story, but there's plenty of zombie gore. Yay!

Reading Level: Young Adult | Publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers, March 2010 | Source: Review copy from publisher

The Amazon.com links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.