The Host

Reader reviewed by Brittany Gore

even the end of humanity... Even after Melanie has lost control of her body, she isn't going to give up against Wanderer, the alien who has made Melanie's body her "host." The journey that Wanda goes on to find Melanie's love, Wanda's love, Jared, is fraught with peril, death, and hope. I love the ending of this book. It's perfect. No one wants to see Melanie gone forever, never to have Jared in her life again, but no one wants to see Wanda gone, who has fallen in love mentally with Ian and physically with Jared. It's perfect. I recommend this to anyone who wants to see how good the human race is and how much love can go through and still survive. The first chapter is confusing, I admit, and hard to get through, but don't give up on it. I gave my book to 4 of my friends so far, and all of them have loved it.

Reader reviewed by Kate

Stephenie Meyer first caught everyone's attention with the colossal Twilight series and later released The Host which is radically different to Twilight although it does share some slight similarities: forbidden love.
Yet again, the female protagonist is torn between two loves in her sheltered cave life.
But that's all I can criticise.

Without giving away what happens in the end, here is what I love about the book:
The setting is quite imaginative, as are the additional species to Earth. The history of the "Souls" is very interesting to read and is also very creative.
What I really loved though, was the flashbacks and the very visual language. It truly did provide an image of both characters and the places the story took place in. Throughout The Host, Meyer writes so that you feel as though you're really there. You experience the thrills, the heartaches and the sadness that Wanda feels. Several times I came close to tears and at one stage I did start crying.

The Host is, in my opinion, her best book. I recommend it to everyone over the age of thirteen. It really is worth reading!
:)

Reader reviewed by Averie

I was very excited to read The Host after reading and loving the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. The story line was very interesting and the plot made me want to read it. I read the beginning knowing that it would take some time for the story to get started, and of course it did. The main character infuriated me from the start! But I  enjoyed the story when the character, Mel, come in from her POV. When the story was in full force I began to want to stop reading in the middle but know to never do that because it could get better. Unfortunately it did not. I'm sad to say the only charater I liked was the voice inside the main characters head, yet she had her moments of irritation too. Like I said the story line was good and it could have been great but sadly it wasn't. Some would argee and others disagree. If you have time to spare read it and see what you think.

Reader reviewed by Max

The earth has been invaded, people's bodies being taken over by creatures which call themselves Souls. They believe in peace, sharing, and an orderly life. One Soul, Wanderer, takes the body of someone called Melanie, who refuses to hand over control of the body, because she needs to make sure her love, Jared, is still okay. Wanderer and Melanie form an alliance, and they go out to find a group of rogue humans hiding in the desert. Wanderer starts to fall in love with Jared, which obviously creates problems, and she tries to gain the trust of the humans living there.

The Host is a book about humanity. Through the lifestyle of the Souls, we can see what's lost from humans, and how traits like passion and love make people who they are. It's an easy read, but it's enjoyable and it makes you think about what it means to be human. Strangely, it's easy to relate to Wanderer, and every character feels unique and dynamic. The Host was an amazing book that I would definitely recommend.

Reader reviewed by Izabella

In The host, the world has been taken over and humans become hosts for the invading "souls". The human's minds are taken over and there are very few "wild" humans left. When Melanie Stryder a "wild" human is captured, she is forced to share her body with Wanderer, the "soul" who has been given Melanie's body. But Melanie refuses to give up and fade away. Wanderer is supposed to probe Melanie's memories and find out where the remaining humans are hiding, but Melanie doesn't quit fighting to protect the rest of the humans. She has Wanderer thinking about Jared. Jared is the guy Melanie loves and Wanderer feels all of Melanie's emotions so she is suddenly wanting to protect him from the other "souls" and find him. Melanie and Wanderer learn how to work together to search for Jared. This book kept me interested from cover to cover, and I never wanted it to end. I would highly reccomend this book to any fan of Stephenie Meyer.

Reader reviewed by whatofwonderland

A wonderful book that tells a tale of our world, through the eyes of another. Another creature, that is. I loved this book for it's story line and thought it to be creative. It helped expand my imagination! If you enjoy happy endings then this will be a great read for you. The beginning starts off VERY slowly, so patience will be required to read this book. Also, it can be confusing at parts, so be sure you're reading dilligently, and not just skimming through!

Reader reviewed by Pally

Hooked on Stephenie Meyer, but can't wait until August for Breaking Dawn, the next and final installment in the Twilight series? Look no further than Meyer's May release, The Host. The Twilight saga has often been described as vampire fiction for people who dont like vampires. It is fair to say that with The Host, her latest novel, Meyer has once again managed to break the usual genre conventions - this time writing a science fiction novel for people who dont like sci-fi.
    The Host introduces us to an Earth where the humans have been subject to some unwelcome visitors, planet-hopping parasites who are in the habit of subtly taking over worlds by inserting themselves into more and more host bodies. Sound slightly familiarinvasion of the Body Snatchers, perhaps? When Melanie Stryder, an outcast-rebel, formerly part of a resistance group, is injected with an 'soul' by the name of Wanderer, her spirit refuses to fade away. On the other hand, Wanderer is an ancient soul has been around the galaxy a while, and is regarded by her species as a bit of a legend. However, Melanie is. A combination of the two, then, is clearly going to be a battle of wills. What surprises Wanderer is that Melanie refuses to be subsumed by her presence, managing instead to co-exist in the same body. Wanderer is enthralled by the passion and the emotion of Melanies personality, and so agrees to this co-existence, actually using Melanies feelings and memories to gain a greater experience of human life. This involves Jared, an old lover who still lives free, but in hiding. Melanie/Wanderer (soon to be Wanda) go in search of Jared and Melanies younger brother Jamie. In the thick of the Arizona desert they are captured, and&well, to tell the rest would spoil things.
    Unlike the most popular alien invasion movies and science fiction TV shows, The Host doesnt have Will Smith or Richard Dean Anderson to save the planet against a background of gun fire, secret weapons and loud explosions. Instead The Host envisions a time when humanity is lost, vastly outnumbered and stealthily overwhelmed by superior technology. There are tiny pockets of resistance left, just a handful of humans who havent yet been captured, but they dont spend their days plotting to retake the planet from the aliensjust surviving consumes all their time.
    All in all, the novel is a celebration of love, human experience as seen through the filter of an outsider and a plea for the acceptance and tolerance of outsiders. Although the narrative is straightforward and the plot perhaps a little predictable, Meyer brings new meaning to the term 'of two minds' and explores a more emotional level of science fiction.  Possibly the largest similarity between The Host and the authors Twilight series is the character of Wanderer. She has something Bellaesque going onit is the way that they are both enormously self sacrificing. In fact, Wanderers alien nature makes her even more self sacrificing than Bella which means that she needs others to look out for her and take care of her since she has little instinct for self preservation. If I was pushed to use a stereotype, I suspect that those who have read the Twilight series and are now looking for something longer, a little deeper and a little more complex (but not too deep nor too complex) and not too sci-fi, would enjoy this one. This is not Twilight, but the growth of a writer.
    The Host will definitely not disappoint Stephenie Meyer fans, although it may not receive as much acclaim as Twilight. Billed as her first novel for adults, the novel nevertheless retains Meyer's sense of decorum when it comes to relationships - while the tension between romantic interests is strong and helps push the plot along, there is no graphic sexuality. But it's the threat of danger from both the parasite world and the human world that kept me turning pages, and makes The Host another quick Stephenie Meyer read - not because it's short (clocking in at around 630 pages), but because it's difficult to put down

Reader reviewed by Lauren

From the author of Twilight, The Host is a science-fiction novel of an invasion of an alien species called souls. These souls can enter the body and completely take over their hosts, causing the host to just dissappear. And now, they have jouneyed to Earth.

Wanderer is a soul who has been to the majority of the planets avaliable to souls. When she is placed into a human body, a young woman named Mel, she thinks it will just be like any other host she's entered. However, Mel is strong and she will not fade away easily.

Wanderer soon succumbs to Mel's memories of Jared, her boyfriend. Being in such an emotional being, Wanderer falls in love with Jared as well, and instead of fighting back, she and Mel work together in the same body to find a hidden civilization of surviving humans. Wanderer and Mel make it to this secret haven, and instant confusion sprouts.

No one believes that Mel exists, but still, Wanderer is given a chance. When Jared returns, even more drama brews. Jaimy, Mel's little brother, instantly befriends Wanderer, believing that his sister is still there, while Jared hates her. Kyle and Ian, two other survivors, feel very differently about Wanderer. Things change when Jaimy gets an infected cut, Jared and Wanderer are forced to work together to get help.

What will happen to Mel and Wanderer, two beings in one body? Mel's body isn't big enough for both of them and in the end, one will have to leave. Which one? Read and find out. I reccomend The Host to any Twilight fans, and basically anyone else. It's probably best for teens and older as it is an adult novel.

Reader reviewed by Teanna

I love this book but not the part where jarrod thinks he can just go around slaping her that part was sad but jarrod is in love with melanie and wanda is in love with Lan but then the sadest part was where wanda wanted to give melanie her life back and lan was very upset he didnt want to give her up but i loved the ending where shes in another girls body and lans soo happy after that!!!

Reader reviewed by An_d

What would happen in a post-apocalyptic world that aliens have invaded homes, cities and most importantly, bodies?  What is the one thing that would give you hope and strength to go on?  LOVE.   This is a beautifully crafted story about one body with two voices.  One is a host body that is struggling to regain control of her own body and another is an alien being that has been injected into the host body.  I know, you're probably thinking that this sounds really weird and a little far fetched.  It is surprising an extremely tender and beautifully spoken story about keeping the ones you love safe and keeping your individuality while all things in your world seem hopeless.