The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer
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Book Reviews of The Host: A Novel
Book Review: Not at all like the Twilight Series...
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a 16 year old who has been a fan of the Twilight series before it ever became as popular as it is today. So when The Host was released in 2008, I decided to give it a try, hoping it would be as good as Twilight.
Was I ever wrong...it was better.
While I like Twilight, I do admit that its plot line is very lacking. The Host however, is not JUST a romance novel. Yes, it is a little lagging at the beginning, but as the story unfolds, it is revealed that it is very insightful and complex. Characters that you wouldn't expect to be important in the story slowly grow and develop in surprising ways.
I love the way that Stephenie put this book. "It's the only novel to have a love triangle with only two bodies." I tend to compare Wanda and Melanie to that of Siamese twins, with the exception that Wanda is the only one in control. The body belongs to both of them, but both want their body loved in different ways. But it's not all about one relationship. There's romance love, parental love, sibling love and friendship love that the two compete with as well.
Wanda and Melanie are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum.
Wanda is unique in that she maintains her soul traits (her ability to put others needs before her own, her fear of violence, her kindness towards everyone, her inexperience with human emotions) while also developing new traits while living with her human friends (her sarcasm, her new compassion for humanity and her understanding of what love really is.) While she is weak, she is also strong in that she pays a huge contribution to the human community. (Though I can't give details for that would spoil the book.)
Melanie, however couldn't be more different from Wanda. While she is one of the strongest characters in the series, she isn't always the...nicest person. Her violent thoughts tend to give Wanda a headache. On the other hand, Melanie is weaker than Wanda in that she wouldn't be able to provide her family in the same way that Wanda has done.
Weak but strong. Strong but weak. The two conflicting personalities come together to create only a mere portions of this powerful novel. But I'll leave the rest of this fantastic novel up to you.
Book Review: A new twist on an old tale...
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the things I enjoy the most about reading Stephanie Meyer's books is the unique and fresh spin she puts on often overdone genre's.
I know that people are polarized on their views of her Twilight series, some loving her spin, some not so much.
But I think fan's of both will enjoy The Host.
A parasitic alien race calling themselves Souls have effectively invaded earth, bringing with them not devastation and destruction but peace and tranquility. The earth they now inhabit is virtually free of strife and has a feeling of global community.
But there are still a few humans left who value their freedom of choice and are willing to fight for their individuality.
One of these humans is half of our protagonist Melanie Stryder.
Who has been captured and the soul Wanderer has been inserted, however Melanie has no intention of fading into the background. Much to Wanderers chagrin and dismay, she is still quite active in "their" head.
Almost immediately Wanderer has trouble distinguishing Melanies feelings from hers and helplessly becomes entangled in her feelings of love and protection for her younger brother Jamie and her lover Jared, who are still hiding out there somewhere waiting for her or mourning her.
Stephanie Meyer does a stellar job of making you car about these characters.
As we've proven, humans by nature are a violent race and they have had to become more so in this society in order to survive, but the souls believe themselves to be benevolent and non violent. And essentially seized an opportunity to exist and improve on a world that we as humans had ceased to value.
I agree with previous reviewers, it does start a bit slow. But when it picks up (about 1/3 or the way in) it becomes riveting, entertaining and just plain fun to read.
The evolution of the characters is believable and raises some valid questions about love and the choices we make based on emotion and experience.
In the end, I found that this book both celebrates what makes us individuals, and gives us an opportunity to see just how successful we can be as a community working for a common goal.
Plus without giving anything away..it really is a kicker of a love story/love triangle.
Book Review: The Host, A Pleasurable Read
Summary: 5 Stars
It was after reading 126 pages that I began to warm up to Stephenie Meyer's The Host. And when I did, it was very difficult to put it down. I literally suffered two sleepless nights trying to finish the book. I was absolutely entertained. Hands down, I am a fan of this writer! It is to be expected after all her Twilight series got me back into the reading bandwagon. Now, I could not think of a time when I did not have a book on my hand, my purse, by my bedside table, and anywhere else I would be. I have re-captured this passion for reading novels and found absolute entertainment in fantasy fiction.
The Host is not your typical science fiction. While it is from that genre, it does not contain too much technical details that most science fiction readers crave. Rather, it is a science fiction book for non-science fiction readers, such as me. Therefore, I enjoyed the focus of a love story that reveals itself with every adventure the protoganists (Yes, there's two of them sharing the same body!) have.
In the beginning it was difficult to grasp the concept of `souls', `hosts', and the state of our planet years after the alien invasion. But once I understood, I was quite fascinated with how Ms. Meyers was able to conjure up such an interesting story. Twilight is easier to phantom because vampires have long been fictional characters. But to have a soul as the lead character, who is an alien using a human body as its host, and complicate it with a believable love triangle between the soul, the human host, and the man whom the human host left behind seems impossible. However, Ms. Meyers accomplished telling this story rather exceptionally! Towards the end I was craving for a sequel. Certainly she has one in the wings. There are a few more interesting characters whose stories I would love to know!
Sometimes when I critique a book I do wonder what other reviews say. Not that I care so much if my candid thoughts are in line with theirs, but when I heard The Host would be adapted into a movie, I was quite elated. It feels good to know that my opinion mirrors those who are willing to invest in bringing this story into the big screen. And when it does, I'll be one of those first in line.
Book Review: The best novel I have read in years!
Summary: 5 Stars
I started reading The Host with excited trepidation. I love Meyer's Twilight series. I never seem to get enough vampires and werewolves, from books and movies. I have read her series, thus far, multiple times. I was thrilled to find out Meyers was writing another novel in addition to continuing her Twilight series. However, when I saw that it was about aliens, I was worried. I typically find alien fiction boring and repetitive. So, I was prepared to be disappointed with The Host. I was especially nervous after reading a few reviews that talked about the beginning and other sections being slow and losing their interest. I am not sure what book they were reading. The Host sucked me in from the first page and never slowed down. Literally. As I haven't read much alien fiction maybe that is why some of the ideas in The Host caught me as so original and fascinating. The Host quickly became one of my favorite, most enjoyable books I have ever read. Even more than the Twilight series. The areas that I find lacking in that series are strengths in The Host. While I love the story lines and details in Meyer's first books, I often find some of the characters weak or one dimensional (Bella and Edward, namely--even though I still love them). All the characters in The Host are phenomenal, constantly changing, struggling, real. Even the ones you hate, you can understand and sympathize with. Often when I am reading a novel, I have a few possible endings or conclusions that float through my head. Most of the time, one of those are the ending that actually occurs. With The Host, it wasn't until the last fifty or so pages that I was able to form any type of conclusion that made sense, I had no idea how it could possibly end up, until the story actually started to wind down. It made the reading process so much more enjoyable to me. Truly the mark of excellent writing and story telling. While Meyers could definitely write a sequel, I hope that she doesn't. This is one of the few stories that I really find to be nearly perfect in the state it is in. This will be a novel that I read again and again. I can not wait to see what else Meyers brings us. Her talent is growing and solidifying with every undertaking.Book Review: Good, made me think, but too long
Summary: 5 Stars
Rarely do I read fiction, but this one kept my attention despite its length (probably because I like space alien shows). The parasite in the neck thing reminded me of the Stargate TV series where parasites (symbiotes) take over hosts. It also had a taste of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but better.
What interested me was the allusion I thought Meyer was making to real world groups. Since Myer is Mormon and I grew up with that as well, I kept wondering if she was hinting that the "souls" (alien parasites) were like church members... oddly calm (like in the sleepy, boring church meetings), peace loving, desirous to push their views on others even though most don't want it, all of the same mind, and robot-like conformity. I know this isn't a perfect comparison, but I wondered if she was implying this.
Others have compared Mormons to the Borg on Star Trek, though that alien group is too militant for a truly good comparison. The "souls" of this book are closer. My thought was: Could she be making a subtle hint to Mormons (and other groups that think uniformly) that they should try to think outside the group at times, rather than thinking so uniformly?
I thought this partly because the "souls" were the nice beings who brought order, peace and goodness to the universe, to "improve" species like humans who were were emotionally ravaged and violent. (Sort of reminded me of Mormon missionary efforts to convert people from their evil ways to the peace of the gospel)
Plus, it is a rare person from any group that is able to see the error of his/her group and really do something to alter the group's course. So, when the "soul" in the girl's body came to realize its invasion wasn't really moral, "it" thought for a long time about whether to do the right thing even if it meant going against its kind, and it took action to reverse the invasion (conversion)....similar to what some dissidents from religions (exMormons) or political movements do.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book, but some people I know had a tough time following the first couple of chapters where each paragraph flip-flopped between thoughts from the host and the "soul".