Book Review: The Host

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"Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans, is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love."


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This month for my book club we read The Host by Stephanie Meyer (Author of Twilight). First of all, it was hard for me to get into this book but I have said that about all of the book club books that I've read so far. I have pondered why it has been hard for me to get into the book club books and have come to the realization that it is my mentality. I think that most times I feel like I have to read the book as opposed to wanting to read it. I am going to try and get over that personal hump and focus on reading these books so that I can connect with the other people in my book club rather than thinking that it's just another book that I have to read. If you like a little bit of love, a little bit of Sci-Fi, and a little bit of fun banter I think that you will really enjoy this book and it won't be hard to get into it at all.

Once I got into this book I couldn't put it down.  I HAD to know what would happen. The two main characters, Wanderer and Melanie both existed within one body and both of them were very different. While they both longed for Jared, Wanderer had a very logical way of thinking, she loved everyone and was filled with guilt if something happened to one of the other humans. Melanie on the other hand had eyes for only two people, Jared and herself. Melanie reminded me a lot of Bella from the Twilight books, she was a little whiny, clingy and very stubborn. Melanie was trapped in her own body, unable to speak or do anything for herself, all she longed for was Jared and she made sure that Wanderer knew it. LOL

I really loved the banter between Wanderer and Melanie since they were so different. I thought it was funny how they would silently argue with each other, their personalities clashed but did so very well; it made for a very interesting and fun dialog. Sometimes the dialog between them was a little hard to follow since Stephanie didn't use quotation marks when they were talking to each other but it was fun nonetheless. Plus you did get used to it after a while. :)

I really connected to Wanderer. She was pulled in so many different directions. She was very literally stuck in the middle of a love triangle. She came into the human's cave knowing that some hated her, some liked her, some loved her for the alien that she truly was and she in turn loved everyone. She was selfless. I am selfish and can admit it. She inspired me to want to be more selfless. To stop thinking only of myself and rather look at those around me; think about what my actions do to everyone.

This book had a wide range of emotion. It made me laugh, made me frustrated, made me mad, made me happy, made me cry, and made me cry. Oh did I mention that it made me cry?! LOL It was a great book and definitely worth reading. :)

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Your Book Reviewer,
Jessy <3