I have to say, at first I was hesitant to pick up this book, telling myself I was not a "science fiction" fan. I had also heard from many people that the first 100 or so pages were very difficult to get into. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the book from the first chapter, and found the plot and characters engaging and intriguing. I definitely liked this book as much as I did the entire Twilight Saga.
A must read for anyone who wants a book that will make you think! ( )

This has to be one of the most moving novels I have ever read! It made me think and made me cry; made me laugh and made me scream in frustration. I love this book! ( )

Jun09:
Overall, I liked this one a bit better than the Twilight series. Mainly because the plot held together better. Still, the characters were just not quite as likable though.

Characters: Main chicks were awesome. I liked most of the guys, but they didn't seem to grow too much.
Style: Just awesome. The pacing was great and I really cared. She kept me strung along and I finished it in two days.
Plot: Nice and cohesive. The world seemed well built and plausible. The conflict was thought-provoking. More meat than Twilight in many ways. ( )

The Review

I must be the only person left in the book review blogging community who didn’t read Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Series. However, I’m not sure that I really want to read it as my children have read the series twice, each. They could most likely recite the story to me. A little part of me is, however, curious. When I saw that Hachette was doing a TOUR of The Host, I wanted to get involved. Well, I didn’t make the tour (but, you should definitely check it out…), but I figtured that maybe I’d find my love for Stephanie Meyer in this book, a non-related entity to the Twilight Series.

Let’s start with the things that I liked about this 600+ page novel… There were some great creative ideas in this book. The premise of the story is intriguing and has the makings of a really great movie. In fact, the book almost reads as if it were an actual movie. It’s filled with tons of dialogue that carries the story along. Wanda, the alien within Melanie’s body, has lived on 6 or 7 other planets (I can’t remember which). This gives Wanda the ability to share lots of great stories of the other planets and their species with the remaining “pod” of humans that she’s living with. Wanda touches on these planets and experiences as she develops her unique relationship with the humans.

Another concept that I really liked within the covers of this novel is the one of human love is so unique and different from anything else. The book suggests that the way humans love one another remains within us, down to the cellular level. Love is a memory, a feeling, and is irresistible to fight. Further, the story suggests that the way that humans love their offspring is so completely unmatched in any other species. I can, most certainly, agree with this!

What made this novel my “not-so-favorite?” Well, I truly believe that this book would have presented better had it been condensed. I think that many aspects of this story could have been introduced in a shorter fashion and the story-line streamlined. I believe that Meyer could have achieved a stronger piece of literary fiction had she attempted to do this. Another suggestion that I would have provided as an editor to this book is expanding upon the description of the other worlds and alien species that Wanda was once a participant in. As a reader, I would have preferred these tales to the overly present verbiage throughout the book.

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

Overall, I liked this book. It may be an interesting read for my twins and they may enjoy it more than I did. However, I did talk to Lisa’s munchkin about it recently. I think that she agreed with me that the book was too long. She seemed to like it. I also discussed the book with my friend, Danielle. She old me that she did finish the book, however liked it less than the Twilight Series. She expressed to me that it was just too “wordy.”

In summary, this book would make a good sci-fi movie, or made-for-tv-movie (or mini-series). However, as a read, I think the book needed some improvement. For the genre Fiction:Science Fiction, I am going to rate this book a 7 OUT OF 10. ( )

The Host
Stephenie Meyer
When you read Stephenie’s first adult fiction story you expect something else. What you get is pure brilliance. She has a way of making you fall in love with all of the characters even the “villains.” I wanted to be in that world, and I did not want the story to end! ( )