Stand-alone book
Publisher: Little Brown & Company
Format: Paperback
Pages: 829 pages
Source: purchased
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Dystopia Paranormal Romance
Buy it on the BookDepository (free shipping)
Synopsis
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.
The Host was associated a lot with Twilight and I still can't see why. In my opinion, it was a lot different from the Twilight series. I know the book has been categorized YA but it was more of an adult book to me - more than other series at least. The story that Stephenie Meyer built in this novel is breathtaking and exhilarating and extraordinary.
The world in which the story is settled is a post-apocalyptic one and I love dystopian books. The realism is well mixed up with magic and fantasy. The host is a parasitic soul implanted in human bodies to make them better people. Those parasites are mostly transplanted against Men's will and some rebel against it. Melanie, the main character, eventually has to give in and welcome Wanderer. However, Melanie is stronger than expected and they both have to live together whereas to live as only one person. The female characters are impressive in this book and their battle for love, for trust, for family and friendship is amazing throughout the whole story.
There is so much going on in The Host that you really have to keep up, but in a positive way. It doesn't make you wish you hadn't started it. It makes you eager to keep on reading. I was incapable of putting the book down, though it's quite long and action-packed and both slow and fast-paced. I enjoyed all of the characters, which were not whiny or childish. There was a certain jealousy I wasn't much fond of but all in all, they were great heroes and heroines. My favorite ones definitely are Jamie, the little brother, Jeb and Wanderer.
The book is filled with so many different emotions and imagination. I was immediately drawn to such a unique story and I would definitely recommend it. I can't remember it exactly as I read it so long ago but I know it had a striking impact on me. I was impressed by the grown-up style of Stephenie Meyer and how she led the fiction and where she led the characters in the end. It's one of those books that you have to read to understand the feeling and believe.
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