The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

I've already placed the sequel The Dead-Tossed Waves on hold, does that tell you something?

I'm not a huge fan of zombie novels, so I loved the dark fantasy feel of this one. Mary lives in a world of fences and the zombies who live on the other side. But the word "zombie" is never used, instead they live in fear of the "unconsecrated" whose thirst never tires for blood. The change is quick in the newly dead, and Mary sees her own mother change. Uplifting? No. Mary's world is depressing and the number of humans is diminishing. But her mother's stories of the ocean gives her hope. She believes there is something else out there. And when Gabrielle appears from the forest, Mary knows there is more than the Forest of Hands and Teeth.