Book Reviews of The Host

Has Stephenie Meyer done it again? I don't know! The relationship between Wanderer/Melanie and Jared was less immediately compelling than Bella/Edward, but I still read the whole book in one sitting and could not put it down. This is billed as her first book for adults, but honestly, it reads just like her YA stuff. The ending was obvious from a mile away, to the point that it was frustrating to me that the characters couldn't see what needed to be done, when it was so clear. (They do catch on eventually!)

However, flaws aside, one thing is for sure. Stephenie Meyer can tell a story. There is something about the pace of her writing that draws you in and compels you to finish. She takes an impossible situation (three people, two bodies) and keeps you wondering for a very long time how it can possibly be resolved.

A classic? No. Worth reading? Yes.

I stretched outside of my normal genre to read this sci-fi book. I find Stephenie Meyer's writing addicting! I really couldn't put the book down no matter how many dishes piled up. :-) This is an intriguing story about what it means to be human, to love in all ways, and to be a part of a family.

I am one of only a few people on the planet who can't stand Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT series. So I was a little leery of picking up THE HOST, afraid that I would dislike it as much as I did the first book in her other series. Thankfully, I gave it a chance, and now I'm very glad I did.

THE HOST is science fiction, but it's so much more than that. And it's also a love story, but, again, it goes far beyond the normal romance of many books out there today. I don't want to give away the entire story (to read what it's about, just check out the blurb), but I will say that THE HOST covers just about everything, from the invasion of Earth by a different species of being, to the ethics of mind control and morality of killing, to how far one person will go to be with the one they love.

My only complaint about the book, and the one that kept it from being a 5 Star read, is that the story drags on FOREVER. THE HOST could have been told, just as wonderfully, in about 150 less pages.

Overall, though, this was definitely worth my time, and I'll be happy now to at least give a chance to anything else the author publishes.

I am NOT a science fiction reader, but I read this because I love, love, LOVE her Twilight series. It took about 3 chapters to get into this book, but once I did I couldn't put the thing down! Stephenie Meyer has a way of making her characters so real, you become emotionally conntected with them personally and sit on the edge of your couch, reading as fast as you can to find out what happens to them.

She's one of the best authors I've read in a long time and look forward to her future works!

HHHMMM??? I am one of Stephenie Meyers biggest fans, and so I had to read the newest series, but I just couldn't get into the story. It was not compelling & really didnt make me care much about what happened next. I read about 1/3 of the way through & just totally lost interest. Very disappointed.

I enjoyed the Twilight series, but this book was so hard to get into. It's written the same way as the Twilight books, but it didn't even have a decent storyline to keep me reading. I have read 100 pages and have abandoned it. If I ever feel like forcing myself to read something, I'll come back to it. I maintain my opinion that Ms. Meyer is a good enough storyteller, but her writing leaves much to be desired.

Not my cup of tea. I don't even know why I dabble with Sci-Fi. I guess I did because alot of reviewers loved this book even though Sci-Fi wasn't a favorite of thiers. I also asked for this book as a gift while I was reading the Twilight Saga, figuring I'd love to try anything Meyers wrote. The first few chapters make me think "OK, I could get into this...it's kind of intriguing". After about 200+ pages...I was slogging through the pages hoping it would get better for me. It never did. I skimmed the next 200 pages and then absolutely SKIPPED chapter among chapter to the end. I'm sorry, but I truly wish I put it down at pg. 200!!

Oh well. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. I'm done with Sci-Fi no matter what!

This book was really,really,really good. I recomend it to the Twilighters (Twilight by Stephenie Meyer fans).

This book did not thrill like Twilight did. In fact after 138 pages, this book has lost my attention and I'm posting it on here. My friend (who tried to read this book as well and couldn't and is a Twilight freak like me) we have a theory that this was actually Stephenie's first book and that she could never get it published, so she then wrote Twilight, it became a hit, so then she repushed this book and because she is so popular, they printed it.

This book is amazing dull and the characters did not drag me in. In fact I just wanted to scream at them to shut up with their mental bickering and either get on with it or kill themselves as they kept thinking that thought. Such a boring book for such a wonderful author. I was highly disappointed.

wow. That is all I can say. Stephenie Meyer is one of my favorite authors. This book was amazing. It made me cry. just when you think everythings gonna go wrong and they're all gonna die, it gets all happy. My sad tears turned to happy tears. Bravo, Meyer. Bravo.

When it comes to the sci-fi fantasy genre, aliens usually aren't my cup of tea. However, I decided to pick this up mostly because I liked Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books. At first I was a little confused, not alot of explaining at the beginning I felt like I was thrown in not knowing anything. As the book went on I couldn't put it down though. Meyer's ability to describe people and places and the emotions of two different people in one body was amazing. After reading this I can't really even consider the souls (at least the ones like Wanderer) aliens.

I like it but it was kind of a slow read. I had a hard time getting wrapped into story until the middle of book.

The Host is an amazing sci-fi novel. Set in the note to distant future Stephanie Meyer has outdone herself again in an amazing genre.

The Host is an amazing work of art where the main Character Melanie Stryder has been taken by an alien race set to take over the human race and annihilate it and make it a perfect sibilant planet, to stop all wrong, make everything peaceful, and run smooth. Medical care is far improved and so far out of human understanding that most anything can be fixed except Melanie Stryder who is a host for one of the life forms taking over the earth, but Melanie is not giving up her body without a fight and leads her host on an adventure that shows it that not everything they have found is bad in a world that does not seem to really need a lot of fixing. Swirled into the adventure is Jared, Melanie’s love who is one of the people managing to dodge becoming a carrier of a host himself as he helps lead a group of people living deep in the Arizona desert between Tucson and Phoenix. While Melanie pushes the creature inside her with her strong emotional draw and care of her little brother and Jared she learns to work with and help teach these hidden people and learns how to help them survive, in the meantime the question always looms through out the book…. What to do with the creature buried deep in her neural net, how to possibly separate it from Melanie and allow her to reunite fully with Jared.

It’s a page turning, PG novel that is certainly a good read for anyone wanting a good novel without the need for the sex sells industry. I picked it up by chance seeing it on a shelf at a bookstore and thinking I’dd give it a go since its by the same author that brought us the Twilight Sage, and if you check the publish date it was published in the middle of the Twilight Saga. Pick it up give it a read and pass it on to a friend.

I loved this book. I didn't understand the first part but I held in. Then i finally got it. I hope she makes another book.

I bought this book 3 weeks ago. I read it at least 20 times since then. Of course not all of it but in parts, going back and forth. It is that good. What makes it so endearing? The relationships? The absolutely unusual setting? The completely human feelings, good and bad it shows and makes you understand? For me it's all of the above. This book is worth every penny (I bought it new). So if your wait will still be long I strongly recommend buying it. It's worth it.

My Favorite Book from my Favorite Author. This book was just great. It was suspensful, funny, romantic, sad, ...I can go on and on. I loved the lead Character so much I couldn't put this book down. I really hope she makes this into some kind of series because it was just too good to end.

What a different writer from the style of the Twilight series! Stephanie Meyer shows even more imagination in this one!
The story is of the takeover of Earth by the "Souls". An alien species that believe in love,kindness, working together for the greater good... everything that our news tells us that we humans do not embody.
However, Melanie is one human who stays present in her body instead of disappearing never to be heard from again. Mel communicates with and teaches Wanderer, the invading soul, that not all humans are awful. Some are good, and being human with all its messy emotions and conflicts is a powerful experience.
There were some twists I saw coming, and then others that really surprised me.
Highly recommended.

i am not usaul into science fiction books about aliens taking over earth but this is truly one of the the best books i have read. it will keep you on the edge of your seat and you will not be a bail to put it down until you have turned the very last page. i would defiantly read a sequel if it were to arise.

AWESOME!

The human race is now peaceful after the Souls have invaded Earth and inserted themselves into everyone's brains. The famous soul Wanderer, so named for her numerous adventures on various worlds with various hosts, is chosen to be inserted into the body of Melanie Stryder, a suspected human rebel, one of the few who managed to evade the Souls for a while.

Wanderer was told that being in a human host would be difficult, what with the influx of unfamiliar and strong emotions. What she wasn't prepared for, however, are the remnants of Melanie inside her head, yelling at her, talking to her, otherwise making her stay in Melanie's body uncomfortable. Melanie fills Wanderer with memories of her younger brother, Jamie, and the man she loves, Jared. Melanie believes that they are still alive out there somewhere, and pretty soon Wanderer gets caught up in caring about these strangers as well.

The two of them, in one body, set off to find Melanie's family. Wanderer finds them all right, but they get much more than they've bargained for. Instead of being happy that Melanie is alive, the human survivors are afraid of and angry at the "parasite" in her head. Even Jared is conflicted between his former love for Melanie and his disgust that her body has been invaded by Wanderer, whch sends Wanderer into a tailspin of torrid emotions at being hated by Melanie's love.

Despite Jared's coldness, though, Wanderer is not completely alone. Jamie takes to "Wanda" and Mel as separate and both good almost immediately. And there's Ian, who sees and loves Wanderer's goodness far before anyone else even trusts her. But how can Wanderer feel free to love Ian when Melanie's body and voice yearn for Jared?

While THE HOST will probably never be as popular as Stephenie Meyer's phenomenal TWILIGHT series, it is a touching story of love and survival in its own right. Meyer's strength comes from her portrayal of complex but real characters, and THE HOST certainly makes the most of it. This is a good choice for readers who are impatiently waiting for BREAKING DAWN to come out.

Great book. Great characters. Great story. Stephanie Meyer fans will not be disappointed.

An amazing, well-told story. I didn't know what to expect but this book was hard to put down. A fascinating plot with characters I easily connected with. Loved the ending. Don't miss this one!

Wonderful story. Not at all like the Twilight series, this book was written for adults. This is more science fiction, with wonderful characters discovering that not all "bad" things are really bad.

This book wasnt like her other series...and took a chapter to realize what was going on...once past that chapter i was hooked...and read it in one day!! I loved this book and hope that there are more to come!

this is a wonderful book maybe not as good as the twilight series but still really good and i recomend it to anyone

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and finished it in record time.

A book by the same author as the "Twilight" series. I did not like this book nearly as much as the Twilight books. It really took me a while to get into it.

I have not read the Twilight series, but, after reading this & seeing the movie - I certainly will now. When I started this book, due to the fact that I'm not a habitual sci-fi reader & the size of the book, I thought it would take me months to finish. But, once I got past the first 50 pages or so, I could not believe how quickly I flew threw this huge book. I really, really enjoyed it!! The characters were great & the way she puts the story together was fantastic. The ending had me in tears. That's how I can tell a good book is if I get so engrossed with it I can't control the water works. I definitely would recommend this one. Enjoy!

Great book! And the ending was amazing, one of the best books i have read 10/10.

Alien transplants, refugees without transplants, and a girl with a dual conciousness. The romance in this novel could have been more, but overall the balance of affairs within one shared body really makes you love the silver tentacle being.

I read about 1/3 of the book hoping that I would get into it, but I couldn't. I loved her other books so wanted to give it a fair shake, but had to give up.

I've seen other reviewers that said they felt this was really her first novel, it didn't sell, and only got through a publisher because of Twilight. I think rather she wrote much of it before Twilight, and then went back and finished it. It started off rather weakly, but was mostly solid near then end.

However, the ending really blew it for me. I am sure many might think the ending great, it made everything seem so very weak to me. By this I mean simply the last 2 pages, not the last few chapters. While not the shock as in the end of "Life of Pi" it is still a surprise, and not one I think helped in any way.

Stephenie Meyer can write an entertaining, fast-paced story, that is for sure! While neither the _Twilight_ series or this are particularly original, she does create nice, wholesome characters. I don't know why this is particularly aimed at adults - very little violence, no sex, no swearing (perhaps its length?) - it was entertaining. While it was, simply, another version of _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_, the P.O.V. was interesting and it added elements of characters that made it a lively and fun book. I am glad that I bought and I certainly enjoyed reading it. I would hesitantly recommend it to others who are not fans of hers.

I love how Stephanie Meyer writes and after breezing through Twilight, I thought I'd give this book a try after reading some reviews. After the first 5 or 6 chapters I really got into it, all that background story and trying to figure out who's "talking" or "thinking" is hard to figure out at first, but once you get there, it's addictive as usual with SM. I thought it was an easy read, not quite as easy as Twilight, it took me almost a whole week to read this one! But if you like SM, then I reco this book, she really knows how to tell a love story and even though it's a Sci Fi, it's really deep down a love story, just like Twilight.

Fell in love (like the rest of the world) with Stephenie Meyer's writing via the Twilight series, so I was skeptical about breaking into new territory. I was not disappointed. This is a great read. Well formed characters that you root for, vivid descriptions of scenery and actions in the new alien infested Earth make this a page turner.

I did not enjoy this book. It was a little too slow and confusing. I didn't finish it.

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