Mary's at a delicate stage of her life--in her isolated village, she's at that age she's expected to soon marry. In their world, they believe themselves to be the sole survivors of humanity. The village is surrounded by a fence to keep out the Unconsecreated--aka, the zombies--and all they do is for the good of the village. Marriage isn't love; it's a means for reproduction and survival. 
 Of course, turmoil comes to their little village, and Mary has to figure out just what it is she wants. 
 I expected so much of this book. So much. Mary is this feisty thing, always curious and questioning even though the world is laid out for her. The Sisterhood governs--they tell you what to believe and what you should know, and they're never to be questioned. But Mary has questions. Like, what's outside the village? Can they possibly be all that's left? 
 But... this fell short. Despite all Mary's questioning, she never seeks. She still accepts society's rules, even when she tries to break them. Travis, her love interest, is her world. But I found nothing interesting about Travis. I couldn't figure out why she pined for him, and I waited for her to realize there's more to life than him. 
 What bugs me the most is gender roles. I thought for sure Mary would break them--she seemed to be the strong, go-getter type--but whenever controversy arose things were left to the men. The men hauled wood while the women cooked. Mary's best friend, Cass, adopted a little boy as her own when his parents died. How nice that the girls naturally have motherly instincts. Ugh. 
 Truthfully, I felt very little for these characters. There's no development beyond what Mary observes, and Mary herself isn't as strong as she appears. For a novel that's breaking boundaries (somewhat literally) and characters learning the downfalls of their dystopian society, there was so much more here that could have been done.