Reason for Reading: Next and (last?) book in the series. This series has always been referred to as a trilogy and still is on the back flap of this book, so I'm assuming this is the last book in the series. I say this as it has one of those endings that doesn't quite satisfy, that could leave room for a sequel. But if this is indeed the final book, then I'm still mulling over whether I actually like how the book ends. Otherwise, this was a terrific book that brings back all former major characters, except one who is spoken of often so we know where they are in the story and introduces one (sort of) new character. The story is a page-turner from beginning to end; was a book I couldn't put down and I loved the characters, though I found my opinion of them had changed from the previous book. A favourite character from before became less liked and was replaced by someone else as the plot progressed and the characters responses brought them either closer or further from my heart. The year wait between books does fade my memory a bit but I remembered everyone and what was going on pretty quickly as the story progressed. This story is very violent, certainly not for the squeamish. Of course, there is lots of zombie violence but humans are maimed and killed as well. Reader beware. I love the direction the story went. It is a bit over the top in believability but hey, so are zombies! The plot is dark and this is a story with not many bright spots. There are glimmers of hope that keep the characters from giving up and ultimately reaching the climax but the book ends on an unknown note, with only visions of what the future will hold. The ending may bother some readers who like there books to tell them how everything is all neatly wrapped up at the end. Myself, I'm still not quite sure about it. I still see another book in what comes next. But this is the third book of a trilogy, so I'll ponder their fates until I see what Carrie Ryan has for us with her next book. Love the series. Makes for great zombie reading!

In the Dark and Hollow Places we are with Annah, Gabry's twin sister. Annah's been stranded in the Dark City, waiting for Elias, the one person who can make her feel anything other than hopeless. Annah was a character I immediately loved. She's had so much hardship in her life. She left her twin sister in the forest when they were little and is constantly feeling guilty about it, wondering what kind of life she went on to lead if she even survived. She's been alone in the city for three years waiting for Elias to come back to her, three years of straight up survival. Survival against the increasing numbers of Unconsecrated that roam the street and survival from the Recruiters, who are supposed to be the protectors but can be much worse than the zombies. On top of that she's horribly scarred from an accident with barbed wire, and though she uses them as a shield to hide and repel people, all she really wants is to be wanted and to feel beautiful. Annah meets Catcher, who we've seen from book two, who we know is immune to the virus. Annah and Catcher are two people who refer to themselves as broken, and it was tragically romantic to see them falling for each other. Catcher is afraid to lose anyone close to him, and as a result is reluctant to get close to Annah, even more so because it could mean infecting her. Annah is also very reluctant in getting close to people because of her huge insecurities about herself and her scars. She feels that they're all people see when they look at her, and is constantly comparing herself to a certain someone and all that she missed out on rather than what she has. You could tell they had this amazing connection, and also this heat between them, and on one hand I wanted them to be careful because, really, falling for a zombie? Bad things are almost guaranteed to follow. But on the other hand I wanted to yell 'OH MY GOSH KISS HER ALREADY. SCREW THE CONSEQUENCES AND LIVE. Ahem. But seriously, loved them! Throughout this book there is this intense feeling of hope. When things are terrible and you think it can't possibly get worse, it does, yet somehow Annah manages to get back up and carry on. To survive. The last few chapters are critical in showing this, and it was horrible reading during this time. It was scary, and dark, heartwrenching, and the whole time you feel this blooming in your chest and you want to stand up and cheer Annah along, because if she can do this, if she can make it where she needs to go, then maybe it'll be alright, it'll all be ok in the end. This story doesn't end with rainbows and by no means is the world going to be magically saved from the hordes of zombies around every corner, but it ends on a high point, literally and figuratively, of hope that they can go on and survive despite the odds and enjoy the time they still have with the people they care about. The future is unknown and I thought it was an amazing end to the series. Recommended in a heartbeat for fans of the series. Full review here: http://allofeverythingforyou.blogspot.com/2011/04/review-dark-hollow-places-forest-of.html

This is the third book of a series and it was just as great as the first two. It kept me reading and wouldn't let me put it down at all. It was a great ending to the three book series and all three books of this author was a must read.