The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan - Review

What would you do if you knew you had only a few days left to live? This is the recurring question of The Dark and Hollow Places, which focuses on Annah who, as a young girl, left her sister Gabry behind in the forest. She and Elias survive together in the Dark City until he joins the recruiters. Then Annah is left to wait. She glimpses her sister just as she decides to leave the city, is found by Catcher, and is finally reunited with Gabry and Elias, only to be taken prisoner and used as bait to ensure Catcher's help.

This is by far the darkest of the trilogy, as the title suggests. Where do you go when the Unconsecrated are everywhere? What is worth fighting for? Why do we continue to live in the face of such adversity? What keeps us going? It asks a lot of hard questions and doesn't shy away from difficult or painful truths. Annah lives under the threat of violence all the time and is such an admirable character - she is strong, courageous, and has an incredible will to live, The zombie scenes are extraordinary, as ever, but it manages to convey a sense of hope that is unexpected in such a dark and violent book. I just don't suggest reading this late at night unless you don't need much sleep

This follows The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves. What a fantastic series!