The Dark and Hollow Places By Carrie Ryan

***spoilers for Dead Tossed Waves***

The Dark and Hollow Places By Carrie Ryan
Release Date – March 22, 2011
Publisher – Delacorte
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 374
My Rating- 8/10
Obtained - from the library

Here is the Goodreads 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?

We leave Gabry just after she’s discovered that she has a twin sister. Her and Catcher have started off to try to find her. Carrie Ryan jumps right in and we are introduced to Gabry’s twin Annah and Dark City where she lives.

As always, I enjoyed Carrie Ryan’s writing style. I do find her book start off slower, and the end leaves you gasping and rushing to finish. This was no exception. I think this was the best novel out of the series. The story was well paced, well written and the plot just flowed in a way that made it impossible to put down.

I was pleasantly surprised by Annah. She did not have the issues I felt were in Mary and Gabry. Annah is strong after having to care for herself. She is more capable of making decisions and trying to come up with plans. She is more focused on getting to safety than other distractions.

Catcher remains the guy in the series that I adore. Conflicted, intense, and so wanting to be loved. He really goes through a lot and the character development when it comes to him is so well written.

Gabry ended up growing on me during this novel. She was different from the Gabry we meet in Dead Tossed Waves. The relationship between her and Annah is one of my favourite things in the books. I realy enjoyed seeing them interact and grow with each other as the story progressed.

This book introduced us to the darker side of what people can revert to in situations like this. You are left with little supplies, hardly any people and everyone is scared. These circumstances are perfect for people to take advantage of others, and for cruelty to come out in those that have it in them. I was quite disgusted by some of the characters in this book, and they were the humans instead of the zombies.

There is still wiggle room for other books in this series, I felt that the way we leave the characters was the best ending for them. It leaves you understanding the realities of the world these characters live in while providing you with enough hope to wish for the survivor’s happiness and well being.