Review: The Host

Stephenie Meyer
Hardcover, 624 pages
Little Brown & Company.
May 6,2008

"It's not the face, but the expression on it. It's not the voice, but what you say. It's not how you look in that body, but the things you do with it.

You are beautiful"

The Earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of their human hosts while leaving there 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 difficultly 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 loved-Jared, A human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate her self from her bodies desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to find a man they both love. (goodreads.com)

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OK so this is not my first time reading The Host, but since I had already read it before I started I didn't have it with my reviews. So I decided to re-read it and let you guys in on one of the most spectacular and inspiring novels of our time.

The Host is by far my favorite book ever.

As a fan of Meyers "Twilight'' Saga I was eager to read The Host. I was immediately hooked. The Sci-fi aspect of the novel is unlike others I have read in the past. Wanderer, a "soul" who inhabits a human and takes control of her mind, was a very complex character. The "souls" are depicted as a gentile and serene race, here to take over the human race for their own good. As it turns out Melanie, The owner of the body Wanderer has taken route in; is not about to give up her body to an alien. She must constantly fight to keep hold of her self and not fade away forever.
The bond between Wanderer and Melanie is a strong love-hate relationship. They are forced to live as one and must both come to terms with that. Melanie is strong, independent and will fight for what she wants. Wanderer is, as most "souls" are kind, caring and is trying her best to deal with all of the emotions this new life brings.

Stephenie Meyer has a way of developing characters which makes you know like you know them personally, I felt a strong bond between myself and Wanda. She went through so many tough situations and still tried her hardest to stay true to herself. As the book progresses Melanie and Wanda must deal with, being hunted, being imprisoned and falling in love with the same man. This book is filled with characters a wide array of strong characters, each very unique. You will have a field day trying to figure out where they all end up.

I must say that Wanda was my favorite character, she was such a complex and unique character for me that I couldn't get enough of her. I do have to admit though I did have a small thing for Ian. I think that out of all of the supporting characters, he was the one I really enjoyed seeing grow throughout the book. It really is tough to only name a few characters I loved because of I did I fear this review may never end.

The Host, I must admit, had me in tears at more then one occasion. I felt that I couldn't turn the page quick enough. A must read for anyone who loves a novel that will jerk at all of your emotions. Stephenie Meyer's The Host is daubed an Adult novel but would be suitable for both adults and teen readers. The Host is an easy 5+ rating for me!