Customer Rating: 
Summary: One of the most original reads I've come across
Comment: I bought this book after reading the first two books of Meyer's Twilight Series, and after reading on the author's site that The Host was "science fiction for those who don't like science fiction."It may well have been the best decision I made all summer.
To begin with, the premise of the novel is itself more original than Twilight and its sequels, or even much of what is on the shelves today. We've all seen movies and read stories about invasions, of extra-terrestrials and the like--they are always bad and always a threat to our way of life. But Meyer offers us the chance to see what such an event would be like from the perspective of the "invader," who might not be so bad after all.
The dual perspectives, emotions, and thoughts of both The Wanderer and her host, Melanie Stryder, present readers with a complex, but remarkably real conflict that focuses not on science fiction and fantasy, but rather on the existence of our souls, our consciences, and our humanity.
Survival is a major theme here, not only in terms of the physical body, but of our too-often taken-for-granted ways of life. Melanie and the Wanderer are thrust into a world which neither is accustomed too, and yet they must both learn to live, love, and exist together in order to make it through each day. The Host is also a story of acceptance and unconditional love, both of which must exist in order for humanity to go on.
I found I could not put this 600+ page novel down, not even for a second. The content does focus primarily on emotions and thoughts of the characters, but it is also interesting to see how Meyers chooses to juxtapose the bare-minumum world of her strong-willed survivors with the technologically-advanced world they managed to escape from.
I highly recommend The Host to everyone, as it is an interesting statment on the human condition, allowing us as readers to ponder "what would we do?" if we were in a similar situation. I laughed, I cried, I prayed for a 'happy' ending. Meyer has the wonderful ability of presenting the gray matter of an issue in what, at first glance, would seem to be solely black and white. Despite all of the characters' flaws--or maybe because of them--you hope for the best case scenarios for each of them.
I must say, this book is better than all of Meyer's other novels, put together. Five stars for this one, hands down.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I could not put it down!
Comment: One of the few books I've read that I literally could not put it down. It starts off a bit hard to follow, but stick with it and you go on quite the journey. I would love there to be a part 2!
Customer Rating:
Summary: An imaginative and layered story
Comment: In The Host, Stephenie Meyer has written an imaginative and layered story. On the surface, it's about aliens and the human struggle to survive against the odds, but it goes much deeper than that. This book had me thinking a lot about what makes us human, both the good and the bad, the destructive power of hate, and the power love has to change and heal. Even in terrible circumstances, we can choose our response. Do we give in to hate or choose love in spite of it? The characters drive the story, and Meyer has developed characters that I grew to care about deeply as they struggled with external circumstances and internal questions. What makes us who we are? What is humanity? Simply being human or is it more? What would we do for the ones we love?
Customer Rating:
Summary: A fun and engrossing read
Comment: I love fantasy and science fiction, I don't like science fiction that has so many technical terms that you don't quite grasp half the novel... Stephenie Meyer creates an alternate world that is intriguing and complex, but doesn't require the reader to have various PhDs to fully appreciate what she's created. A real page turner, I couldn't put it down. It's cliché, but I laughed and cried and was very very sad when it was over. I am a Stephenie Meyer fan, and was a little worried that I wouldn't like this as much as I loved her Twilight series but was not disappointed at all, I loved this book!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Even better than the Twilight Saga
Comment: I couldn't stop reading the Twilight Saga--read all 4 books in less than 3 weeks. I must say that The Host is better than the entire story arc of the Twilight Saga. I am looking forward to the sequels. I read on Stephenie's website that she already had 2 sequals in mind for The Host. Sadly, I will have to WAIT till she writes them!
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