The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

It has been many generations since the Return. Gabry has lived a highly protected life in a small village by the sea called Vista. Her mother, Mary, is in charge of running the lighthouse and destroying all the Mudo that wash ashore during storms (Mudo is another word for the Unconsecrated/Undead). One day, through a lot of persuasion, she decides to join her friends as they cross over the Barrier in order to play around at the long-abandoned amusement park on the other side. The Barrier is the only thing that protects Vista from the Mudo, and with one split second mistake, Gabry's world is shattered.

With the help of friends, both new and old, Gabry begins a journey of self-discovering and tries to come to terms with not how, but why one should choose to live in a world surrounded by the dead. This companion novel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth left me breathless! It was filled with action, violence, romance, and a pretty deep underlying message. Everything I've come to love about zombie culture. I'm eagerly anticipating the third and final installment of this series (due out in spring '11). Read this if you're a fan of the first book, or just like reading a well written post-zombie apocalypse story.

-Sam