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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.ca
Amazon Best of the Month, May 2008: Stephenie Meyer, creator of the phenomenal teen-vamp Twilight series, takes paranormal romance into alien territory in her first adult novel. Those wary of sci-fi or teen angst will be pleasantly surprised by this mature and imaginative thriller, propelled by equal parts action and emotion. A species of altruistic parasites has peacefully assumed control of the minds and bodies of most humans, but feisty Melanie Stryder won't surrender her mind to the alien soul called Wanderer. Overwhelmed by Melanie's memories of fellow resistor Jared, Wanderer yields to her body's longing and sets off into the desert to find him. Likely the first love triangle involving just two bodies, it's unabashedly romantic, and the characters (human and alien) genuinely endearing. Readers intrigued by this familiar-but-alien world will gleefully note that the story's end leaves the door open for a sequel--or another series. --Mari Malcolm

Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Good but Similar December 10, 2008
I was totally emotionally investing in this book and its characters. It was beautifully written as it was descriptive, imaginative, and entertaining. However, I will agree with the comment that the main character (Wanderer/Wanda/Melanie) was very similar to Bella from twilight. She was just too self-sacrificing (or altruistic as Ian put it). I found myself constantly think 'come on just stop being so pathetic and selfless.' It got a little bit much after 4 Twilight books. I think that this was balanced out by the other self-centered characters but it was still frustrating to deal with throughout.

But regardless of all that the book had me crying, laughing, smiling, and sighing. It was a very original and interesting story.

5 out of 5 stars

Creepy December 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This was a great book. The subject matter was different from anything else i've read. It was entertaining and well thought out. I wish the book was longer! It's science fiction mixed with some romance... it's perfect!! It brings up a lot of questions about humanity.

3 out of 5 stars

food for thought November 7, 2008
i found this book to be an easy read.
or at least, i found it easy to read as i read it. now that i've finished the book and am thinking back on it there are some interesting things that come to mind.

so the negative:
1. yes, Wanda is made on the same mold as bella.
2. yes, its intended as adult fiction, and as that falls flat on its face.
3. there is no "action" the whole book has a fairly steady pace that doesn't feel like it picks up even when the opportunity presents itself.
4. this is hardly sci-fi. this is fantasy stocked with a futuristic idea (aliens) there's a difference and it is a valid one.

and now for the positive:

1. i have recently discovered that women write sci-fi and fantasy in a fascinating way. being that i was indoctrinated in heinlein, asimov, arthur c clark, orson scott card, r.a. salvatore, terry pratchett, neil gaiman, it feels really refreshing to come to a book and not be able to guess where its going to go. not saying that male writers are predictable, merely that i, being male, find it easier to guess where a male author is going to go often long before they get there. having a female author with this level of fame in this male dominated genre can ONLY be a good thing. (i know its unfair to call it a male dominated genre, but really, if you can think of another female author who has gotten this famous i'd dearly love to know.)

2. when i said it falls flat as adult reading, it does NOT fall flat as Young Adult fare, and since i managed to read the twilight series, i honestly don't think thats a bad thing.

3. remember i said there's no action? well...at the same time, the CHARACTER isn't one that lends itself to action. remember this is first person writing here, and the character is essentially an absolute altruist/pacifist. it wouldn't make sense for there to be much action. if she suddenly jumped up waving a gun and screaming at the enemy, it would just be really confusing.

right, so i put in 4 cons and only 3 pros. but really, the cons have just so little actual value to the reading of the story that i think the pros still outweigh them.

anyhow, as i said before, the difference between male and female authorship is fascinating. that Meyer's is not scared to hurt her characters in the ways that she does can make male readers uncomfortable, and i very much doubt a male author would be able to do it without it being a catalyst for a total personality shift.

anyhow, those are my thoughts. the rating i gave this book reflects the fact that i think it totters on some invisible line between what many would call a great book, and just as many would call a sub standard book

5 out of 5 stars

Courtesy of Teens Read Too October 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The book THE HOST is a lot like Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT saga in the fact that the whole point of the story is that love is the most important thing. What's different though is (obviously) the storyline. Yes, that is right - this story has nothing to do with vampires; instead, aliens have taken over our planet.

The time is somewhere in the future and our world is not as we know it. Instead of mass murders making headline news, there are articles on the best type of flowers to plant. The most disturbing article is that the bridge near Maple Avenue is due for a repainting. The world is full of peace and love. No one argues, no one fights, and there is not even a hint of violence in this bizarre world.

Obviously, these are not humans we are talking about.

The aliens that came to Earth would capture a human to use its body as a host. (Hence the title.) They stretch their tentacles around the nerves and "control panels" located in our heads; thus gaining complete control of the body. Unfortunately for the human, this process eliminates them. The aliens were able to gain control of almost every person this way. By continuing their host's former habits they were able to go virtually unnoticed. Luckily for humankind, there are always a few observant people that actually see things the way that they truly are

Our story is focused on Melanie and Wanda. Melanie is (or was) one of those few humans that was able to escape. Unfortunately, she was caught and because she might have information on other fugitives stuffed in her head, Wanda is put inside her. When a soul is put in a human, it has access to every memory their host might have had. Well, at least that is what is supposed to happen. Instead, Wanda reaches some "walls" within her mind. She later finds out that Melanie is still in there and kicking. She is even able to communicate with Wanda, using her (or their) thoughts.

This starts a whole new thread of events. The most important being Melanie convinces Wanda to go and look for Jared, her true love, and Jamie, her little brother. They are both labeled as "wild humans." After getting lost in the desert and nearly dying, Wanda is found by the humans and is taken to their hideout, a large cave, as a captive. She is surprised to see so many other humans still without a soul within them and even more surprised to see Jamie and Jared have made it here.

Unfortunately many, including Jared, hate Wanda for what she is and what her kind has done to their world.

At first I thought the story itself was rather lame. I mean aliens...? Come on, can't she do anything better than that? Not to mention it had an extremely slow beginning. Once they reached the caves, though, things really heated up and Ms. Myer's amazing writing skills started to really shine through. Personally, I think that if anybody else tried writing a book with this specific topic it would go down in flames, but Stephenie Meyer was able to finish it with grace and in a way that made me want her to write a sequel.

Reviewed by: Abby - The Class

4 out of 5 stars

Very Good! October 8, 2008
This was a very entertaining book. If you are looking for a nice love story with likeable characters and an interesting story, this is the book.

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