The Host

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.  

Reader reviewed by sarhahahahaha

This.Book.Is.Amazing. i mean even if you dont like alien movies this book is worth checking out. Especially if you like twilight. it has the same heartache as twilight and has an even better ending the the twilight series. this book leaves you speechless and will even make you cry if your a sap like me. definetly take a look at this. its like one of the best.

Reader reviewed by Yan

I love this book! I found it so much better than Twilight in both the romance part as well as overall content. It was a much more believable romance than the rather stalk-ish, creepy romance between Bella and Edward. The sci-fi aspect is very faint and would have noticed it at all if the word alien hadn't kept popping up here and there. To all the Twilight fans, read this book as you might enjoy it much more than Twilight itself and to all the non-Twilight lovers, you just might enjoy THIS book by Stephenie Meyer!

Reader reviewed by Dede

The Host is a novel about alien invasion very different from Hollywood versions. Small "souls" are imbedded in humans and take over the body and mind. It happens fast, and most of the earth is "taken" and implanted before they realize what is going on. You can tell from surgical marks on the back of the neck and a reflection in the eyes. There are a few survivors that must live in hiding. Melanie is one of these until she gets caught by seekers and is implanted with the soul Wanderer. But Melanie doesn't give up and fights for control of her body and mind. Wanderer has never had to deal with this and is confused, scared and embarrassed. Wanderer can see all of Melanies' thoughts, memories, etc. and starts to fall for Jared, the man Melanie loves. They set off "together" to try to find him and Melanie's younger brother. They find them with Melanie's uncle in a hidden maze of caves. At first, they don't trust her, they believe she is an alien spy because she is obviously infected. As Wanderer tries to deal with her emotions - curiousity, anger, fear, understanding, compassion, the humans begin to accept her and believe that Melanie is still fighting. Melanie and Wanderer bond and try to live with eachother and the different emotions they must share. The talk about the Wanderer being so innocent, sincere, perfect, etc gets old at times and some things she thinks/does don't make sense but it is a really good story with a really good ending.

Reader reviewed by Sara E.

Despite the fact I love Stephenie Meyer, I was skeptical about this book. It sounded great, but I'm really not a fan of sci-fi. I am to a point, but I'm very particular about it. However, I loved this book, even the sci-fi elements. Stephenie created such a wonderful, scary world in this novel. It's in the point of view of the "alien" Wanderer AKA Wanda, as she takes over her host body, Melanie. This is the most hilarious, heartbreaking, and unique love triangle in the world. If you liked Twilight, you should definitely give this a shot.

Reader reviewed by Mrs. C

The Host is an interesting exploration of love and all the different ways it can manifest in relationships. The main character is an alien who has been implanted in a human host. Though she is in control of her new body, the original inhabitant isn't giving up without a fight. In addition to that struggle, the alien also must learn to deal with being human, including strong and sometimes overpowering emotion.

The device of telling the story from an alien perspective is effective in the exploration of human relationships. Meyer successfully defines emotional situations with objectivity. She skillfully demonstrates that we as humans can sometimes be barbaric and confusing in our passionate pursuit of what (or who) we desire.

Highly recommended for mature readers interested in the nature of interpersonal relationships.

Reader reviewed by Booked Books

Humans' worst fear have come true: aliens have won the invasion against Earth. These aren't just aliens; they are parasitical aliens also known as "souls". These souls need to invade humans and take over their minds in order to survive. When Melanie's mind is taken over by a soul named Wanderer, Melanie refuses to vanish. Instead, she still lives within her mind, while Wanderer is occupying it at the same time. Through browsing Melanie's memories, Wanderer learns of two humans who have yet to succumb to the souls; in other words, these two humans have yet to be invaded. One of these humans is Jared, the love of Melanie's life. Because Wanderer is in Melanie's mind, she falls in love with Jared as well. Melanie and Wanderer then set out to find Jared as well as Melanie's brother, Jamie.


When I first read the summary for this book, the first thing I thought about was Animorphs. Growing up, I love to read Animorphs, a series about a group of kids fighting mind-invading aliens called Yeerks. The idea of aliens taking over human minds is not a unique one. It has been done many times before in various science fiction stories. What I like about The Host is how Stephenie Meyer presented it from the alien's point of view rather than the human's.


One thing I noticed about The Host is its similarity to Twilight some of the characters' personalities are so alike, I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same. Wanderer, without a doubt, reminded me of Bella. They're passive, altruistic, and don't fit in with their own kind - to sum it up, just dull weak characters. On encountering Jamie, the first Twilight character I thought of was Jacob Black nice and easygoing. Jared definitely reminded me of Edward with his fierceness, strength, and handsomeness. Doc's Twilight twin would be Carlisle, of course. As if the parallel characters weren't enough, even the storyline was almost alike two guys fighting over one girl with a slight twist.


The souls are not inherently wicked creatures. In fact, they are making the Earth a better place to inhabit. They were able invade because the invasion was gradual, and the souls outnumbered the humans. Wanderer's character really irritated me; I preferred Melanie over Wanderer. Wanderer's character is really too predictable she always, always does what's right for others. She has no sense of survival instinct, even when others are trying to kill and hurt her; all she does is whimper and cry. I had trouble grasping the fact that a member of an Earth-invading species has trouble defending herself.


A lot of reviews I read about this novel complained about how dull the middle is. I didn't mind that so much, though I thought some parts were really unnecessary. Melanie's initial reaction to Wanderer's and Jared's kiss was really melodramatic for me. I do think the last chapter and the epilogue should have been taken out entirely. The happy ending was too overdone corny, to be blunt.


I'm not sure why this is considered an adult novel, since it's tamer than Breaking Dawn (from what I've read so far). I actually like The Host better than the Twilight series though. When I looked past its flaws, it really was an excellent story to pass the time. It was interesting enough to keep my attention even through the melodramatic and slightly boring parts. I especially love how the aliens seem more humane than the actual humans.



Reposted from: booked-books.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by book_reader_anonymous

I personally love stephanie meyer.
Her twilight books are AMAZING
especially cuz i never read before i got her books

and i was so in love with her writing, i decided to get The Host

And i was very confused at first with having 2 characters talking in the chapter
but after a while u get the hang of it

I would say its a little slow at first, but once you get how everything is then it's pretty interresting
her chapters go by making the beginning interresting, rest of the chapter is to inform you and then the end of the chapter she leaves you hanging for more so you just keep reading

and i sat down reading and thinking im only going to read 2 chapters and ended up reading about 8 chapters in the end

i was, in the end, hooked on this book

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

Earth has been invaded by parasitic souls. The souls think they are helping the humans by purging the Earth of violence; the resisting humans see it differently. Humans have become hosts for these parasites and been forced to relinquish control of their bodies and minds to the souls. The resisting humans see this as bad as murder, if not worse.

Wanderer is a soul who has chosen Earth as the setting for her ninth life. She is given the body of Melanie Stryder, a recently captured resister. Wanderer has been informed about the increased difficulties of a mature adult host, but she never expects for Melanies mind to still be there. Melanie, always a fighter, refuses to give up. Instead, she tries to protect the humans she loves from Wanderer, lest a Seeker find them and make them into hosts for more parasites. But Melanie slips up and Wanderer gains knowledge of the existence of Jared, the man Melanie loves. Strangely though, Wanderer finds herself unable to completely separate her bodys desires from her own, and she begins to fall in love with this human shes never met. Soon, an annoyingly persistent Seeker unites Melanie and Wanderer, and they set off to find the man they both love.

I will admit that after reading the slightly disappointing Breaking Dawn, I was afraid that Stephenie Meyers writing had gone downhill, but after reading The Host, my faith was restored. Firstly, the idea behind this story, a science-fiction romance, was so unique that it immediately captured my interest. On top of that, the characters, especially Wanderer and Melanie, were so well developed that they actions were always easy to understand. Plus, the sense of desperation added in some action. I loved how everything fit together perfectly in the end, even thought that doesnt leave room for a sequel. The ending of the story, probably the last fifty pages or so, was my favorite part of this book, because that was when everything really came together; every character realized their importance and other conflicts were unexpectedly resolved. I dont think I couldve asked for a better story than this; it was all I was hoping for from the incredible author of Twilight and more.

I loved this story and recommend it to all readers, whether they be fans of Stephenie Meyer/science-fiction/romances or not. Length shouldnt be an issue either; those 600 pages really flew by. I suggest everyone find a copy of The Host so they can read this amazing story for themselves.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by stebat

The book "The host" is a one of a kind book, i really liked it even though i don't enjoy reading science fiction, this book is about the time when the souls, creatures from other planets envade our planet, and the worst part is that they take away human bodies and transfer their souls into them, but Melanie didn't want to fade away, she resisted and stayed in her body even after being occupied by a soul named "The wanderer", but the soul decides to corporate with Melanie so that they can both find their true love "Jared" and their little brother "James"... I don't want to ruin the book for you...just check it out, it's the most touching story ever.. it made me sry.. so check out the ending of the book.. you won't be dissapointed!