Review: The Host

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Science Fiction, Adult

Rating: 3.5

The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. But Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves--Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

In the futuristic world, Aliens have taken over. They are small silver parasitic creatures that are placed inside the host body, and take over the body. Most of the human race has been taken over and made into hosts, except very few. Melanie and her brother are one of the few.

But when Melanie is caught and has a soul placed inside her, she fights the whole way. She refuses to give herself up and to disappear.

The Host is an amazing adventure with a peculiar cast of characters: two of which share the same body, thoughts, and memories.

I read The Host a few months after it came out, and it's one of my favorite stories. The concept is so original and intriguing and I devoured it within hours. The plot is fast paced and keeps you reading, with wild twists every which way.

There were a few things that bugged me, though. One of these is that Jacob from the Twilight series and Jared from The Host are essentially the same character, although different people. They are the same in their traits, mindset, attitudes, and general mentality, and I recognized this almost the second Jared was introduced, which made me feel almost cheated, like I was being fed the same thing I had just read.

Another thing is… well, Meyer can't write. She's a great storyteller, and she has wonderful insight on human nature, but her writing is nearly horrible. She uses a lot of fragments and repetition.

However, the story of The Host makes up for these weaknesses, and is an overall satisfying read. I've found that most people who are either "Team Jacob" or just didn't like the twilight series that much loved The Host (including my mom). I however, loved both series.

I liked the extra chapter that was included in the back of the paperback version of The Host. (It was the chapter that Meyer wrote to learn how Melanie felt after a major event took place in the book. Those of you who have read the book know what I'm talking about, but we'll try to keep this one spoiler-free.) I liked it, but it didn't quite answer all my questions, and it didn't quite feel long enough. It was an extra, however, and didn't impact the rating.

Content/Recommendation: Ages 16+ for some romance (no sex) and violence.