Step into a world where no one truly feels safe. Life as we know it now as all but disappeared. Instead, we are all now forced to live a life of constant fear. A life where we or our loved ones could die at any moment. This is the life that Mary lives. Her society exists only a few generations after the Return, a period in time that is shrouded by mysteries. In Mary's society, it is only the Sisterhood who seem to have a "true" understanding of the Unconsecrated. Can Mary live a normal live, or is she destined to discover more about her world?Based on the summary, I truly did not know what to expect from this novel. My initial expectations ranged from zombies! (= good read) to please do not let this be like The Village (= let down). Thankfully, Ryan's zombified thriller delivered on many levels. The novel features a creative combination of elements that any zombie fan is sure to enjoy.The plot moves on a fairly fast pace exploring much of Mary's society and what life is life after the Return. While Mary's world is very vivid, I found my myself having more questions than answers at times regarding the overall picture of this society. The reader is given many glimpses and hints throughout the novel as to the true meaning of certain aspects, such as the Sisterhood, but Ryan tends to never definitively give the reader an answer. This tendency really frustrated me on many level since I enjoy knowing the whole background story. Certain elements are touched on throughout the novel, so I have hope that Ryan will eventually link everything together in her follow up novel(s). All in all, Ryan does a marvelous job of building tension and keeping a reader on the edge of their seats. One can only wait with bated breath to see what Ryan has in store for us next.
