The Host by Stephanie Meyer
Gah, I might have to change my Bringing Up Book from Wednesdays to Saturdays. Either way, my goal is to bring you a book review once a week. Here is for this week. 🙂
I have to start this review off by first giving a brief of Twilight. I read Twilight, I thought it was ok. I prefer my vampires to be non “vegetarian” and not sparkly. However, I think that Meyer’s series adds some interesting aspects, like vampire powers and the Volturi are interesting. Her story behind the “werewolves” is also unique, although they are technically shape-shifters, I think that makes it better. Anyways, Twilight was not particularly written well, until you get to Breaking Dawn. It still has issues, but her writing definitely develops. Meyer put out The Host while around the same time as Breaking Dawn and readers will appreciate the improved writing as well as a better story.
The world has been taken over by “souls,” alien life forms that travel from world to world to experience different ways of living. They individually insert themselves into a host and live life similar to us. When only small groups of humans remain, the souls begin to use the root through the minds of the hosts in order find the rebellious remaining humans. Wanderer is one such soul, inserted into Melanie, a young strong willed girl. When Wanderer starts searching through her mind, Melanie begins to push back, pushing her emotions onto the soul. Wanderer begins to sympathize and even miss Melanie’s brother, Jamie and her boyfriend, Jared. Winning more control over the emotions Melanie is soon able to control her limbs to some extent. With the help of Wanderer they find her family and a small community of people hiding in caves. As much as Melanie wishes to reconnect with them, they do not accept her into the community because as revealed through her eyes, she is no longer Melanie, but a soul. However, Wanderer begins to show her compassion for the human race and Melanie begins to show everyone she is still in there.
I really enjoyed this story. I thought it had a unique perspective, giving both a human side to being taken over and the souls exploratory side. Although it is classified as a sci-fi/romance, it is not overly saturated with the love story. It’s also about survival and understanding. The setting is also great, timed after the initial invasion, with only small communities of humans hiding from souls. For anyone who loves Twilight, you’ll enjoy the nearly triangulated love scenario, and for everyone else who thought Bella was a hormonal wishy-washy schoolgirl, you’l like the complication that it is really 2 girls in one mind, sharing emotions and not understanding how to deal with the people they both come to care for. The characters handle things in a more adult manner.
The movie comes out March 2013, starring Diane Kruger and Saoirse Ronan, two actresses I absolutely love. Read the book first, trust me, even if you hate Twilight, you’ll probably like this.
Lizbeth Wright 