The companion novel, The Dead-Tossed Waves, picks up several years after Mary's escape from the zombie infested forest. Gabrielle, Mary's daughter, lives in Vista, a walled-off sea city. Gabrielle is not like Mary. She spends much of the novel wishing things had been different, indulging in "if only"s. This was rather off-putting for me. Unlike Mary, who was always looking towards the future, Gabrielle is stuck in the past. It felt like I was reading the same lines over and over again -- things like "only yesterday things were better" or "a week ago so-and-so kissed me and life was good" -- and it really got plain-old-fashioned boring. The dystopian part, which is what I was reading for, was barely there. I wished more focus was given to Vista and its social dynamics. I felt like I didn't know the town.
Zombies strike (but not often enough), people fall in (and out) of love, (not so mysterious) mysteries and twists abound. And Gabrielle just didn't cut it for me. She was a little too damsel-in-distress.
That's the truth, how I really felt when I was reading the novel. I do suggest reading the first novel, The Forrest of Hands and Teeth, if you enjoy dystopias or zombies. Since The Dead-Tossed Waves is a companion novel, and not a sequel, you needn't worry about having to read the "next" book. What about you all? Did you like The Dead-Tossed Waves?
Publisher: Delcorte, 2010 Pages: 416
Rating: 2.5 Stars Source: Public Library
