As I had read Meyer's Twilight Saga, I wanted to read her first novel for adults to see how different it was to her other three novels. Also the plot of The Host seemed to be very exciting and unusual. To me, the novel, however, turned out to be very boring. When I read Twilight, I was truly fascinated by the story and the easy read, so that of course I also read New Moon and Eclipse. But already New Moon showed that Meyer was trying to change her writing style from a simple one to a more sophisticated language style, which unfortunately did not work out. I was also disappointed with the way in which she developed the exciting love between Edward and Bella. To me, it looked like that she could not come up with better ideas (other than werewolves and Bella being comforted by Jake) to develop her story further. The Host appears to fall into that category that she started approaching with New Moon and Eclipse: namely that she tried to use a more sophisticated language (without managing to do so) and to have a great story but no ideas of how to develop a gripping plot. I have to admit that I just read 60 pages. I gave the book one chance after another, but boredom stayed with me right from the beginning. Before giving it up completely, I looked through the book a bit more and took a look especially at the last couple of pages, but they seemed to be as boring as the ones I had read. Meyer uses a lot of direct speech, which I do not like as much anyway, and does not really spend time on descriptions. Basically, those 60 pages that I read, consisted of dialogs between the Wanderer (which is the alien soul) and Melanie (which is the human body) or the Wanderer and others of his kind. Although it is true that through the dialogs, the reader finds out about the figures' personalities and about Melanie's brother and a guy she fell in love with, everything happens very slowly, so that I got the feeling that Meyer just wanted to fill her pages. I have given up on the book and I begin to think that especially Twilight was such a great book because of that fascinating plot and the excitement such an unusual and dangerous love causes. But I fear that The Host is the complete opposite and neither fascinating nor exciting.

I eally enjoyed this book! It was well written, easy to picture, but not overly wordy, and packed with literary goodies! I just wish it would have ended with a little more punch! I really love Stephenie Meyer! but she seems to work it to where every one wins! I wish she would have let us think that someone had died and brought her back in the NEXT book! I am also secretly hoping there really will be a next book :)
Thanks for a great read!

No vampires appear in Meyer's latest novel, instead an alien species invades our planet and eventually the bodies of the human population. In the end most of these host lose their personality but not all. Such is the case of the young human female Melanie. She fights to keep her own identity in spite of Wanderer the strong willed soul who now inhabits Mel's body.

Melanie's thoughts first come to Wanderer in dreams. These turn into a reality Wanderer can't ignore. Eventually the people Melanie love become Wanderer's loves as well. These two share one body as they seek a group of human resisters, those not infected with a host, where younger brother Jamie, and the handsome Jared are waiting. The characters are captivating and the story riveting. At 600+ pages that, for me, is saying a lot.

In desperate need of a good editor, "The Host" tells the classic body snatcher story from the view of the parasites. While the premise was interesting, nothing about the actual story is that engrossing. Apparently we are such emotional beings that our emotions cause parasites and humans alike to act irrationally at every turn. The characters are at best stereotypes. We have Jeb, the crazy yet kindly old man. The brothers, one who is kind and gentle and the other is hot-headed and mean. The women who are distrustful of the parasite because well, they should be! No one else seems too bothered by the fact that a loved one walked in all infected. She just becomes "one of the gang". The 90210 comment in the title isn't just idle banter. Seriously, all these people just needed to get a room and work it out. The audiobook's narration does absolutely nothing to help the book's cause as the narrator found it necessary to over-emote as well.

I picked up the book because I'd read the "Twilight" series. The "Twilight" books were interesting enough to keep me hooked, but were unnecessarily voluminous and overwritten. I picked up "The Host" expecting the story would be interesting (I like the genre). I was wrong. This book is plagued by, what I guess is this author's style, which is just too much writing and not enough substance: the book would have been better read if it were edited down by 1/3. In addition, I had no sympathy for Wanderer (the protagonist), didn't know where the story was headed when I was 3/4 of the way through the book, and wasn't even mildly interested in the outcome. I don't recommend the book unless you enjoy unimaginative, tedious reads.

Although I've never written a review on ANYTHING before, I thought this novel deserved an honorable mention from yours truly!

Ms Meyers was able to put me right into the story and hold me there. I could almost feel Wanderer's thoughts from the alien perspective and sympathize with this parasitic species. You could understand that to Wanderer, it wasn't a war but a way of life. I could sympathize with everyone and their point of view... even Kyle.

I highly recommend 'The Host' but suggest you start on a Friday night... you won't want to put it down!

I was wowed by the Twilight Series- never thought she would be able to impress me again. But this book was fantastic! So much detail- she has quite an imagination. Another 600+ page book that didn't last long enough. I'm just sorry it didn't last for 4 books, too!

I have to say the whole idea is not new ( Start Trek Deep Space Nine Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax)the story was ok, a little long and dran out and st times hard to push theu. I did not like the end with SM giving the Host a young Body to be with Ian but ( SM being a little twisted Like Jacbob and the Baby in Broken Dawn the Epic Fail) she likes to pair up young woman with older men no matter how creepy it is

As far as fantasy thrillers go this was very good. The characters were deep and enthralling, keeping your interest all the way through. There was enough suspense to keep you turning the pages, and plenty of action. If you enjoy Lee Child`s Jack Reacher books then this will please you. I`m a series fan and enjoy Child and Michael Connelly books immensely, if you like that kind of thriller read the `Soft Target` books by Conrad Jones. They are unputdownable!! Back to the review, ten out of ten.

I bought this book to go on a long trip to visit family and I must say I really did enjoy it. It kept me entertained on all of my flights and kept me from getting bored. I thought the concept was very unique and well thought out and something unlike I've ever heard before. The characters were well written and although it was a longer story, it went by fast. The ending I thought was also very well done. All around a very good novel. I'm curious to try the Twilight Series as well but I wonder if it's a bit too young for me, more for teens and people in their 20's? I would like to read other books by this author though!

I'll admit. The only reason I started reading this book was because I needed something by Stephanie Meyer to keep me alive until who-knows-when Midnight Sun comes out.

And wow.

I really loved the Host so much better than Twilight! The characters are amazing and I think the love triangle here is so much more bizarre and beautiful.
You may just transfer your Edward Cullen obsession to Jared or Ian. They're just as hot.

Melanie and Wanderer are awesome characters. They're sisterly love towards the end was just endearing. Kind of reminded me of G(a)linda and Elphaba but that's a different story.
Point is, in my opinion, Melanie and Wanderer are stronger characters than Bella would ever be. (Not that I don't love Bella but she needs to worry about something/someone else besides herself. Learn from Wanda, Bella.)

My friend mentioned that the first 100 pages were snail slow but I found them rather interesting actually. I think it includes Melanie and Jared's first encounter. Haha. Not to be missed.

Ian and Jared were lovely throughout the book although at times I just felt like whacking Jared on the head with this novel, (around 620 pages mind you) I totally understood his pain.
I mean the love of his life had just been taken over by a worm, yeah, I'll cut him some slack.

The descriptions are very vivid and it almost seems like I'm standing in the middle of the scorching desert with Wanda or splashing about in the black waters or surrounded by steam (Those who've read it, can pretty much guess which room I'm talking about). Gotta love it.

So overall, I think it is a fantastic book, stuck on the wrong shelf. It's not exactly science-fiction, it's romance.
Everyone has their own opinion but my advice is, don't compare it to Twilight and make sure you finish it before chucking it away.
Once you've finished it, you'll wanna read it again. =D

"Who's got the crush on a worm, bro? You gonna call me stupid?"

Hahaha. Best line ever.

this is one of the best books that i have ever read. it mixes so many emotions and types of books together that it is almost unpredictable. i love her mix of romance, love, science, and fiction. it is action packed and leaves you begging for more.

Definitely an interesting read- very different from her "twilight" series- slow paced but picks up and gets more interesting as you go along - good character development- would recommend if you like scifi!

This was my first experience with Stephenie Meyer, and it made me want to try her other books. The Host was nearly flawless. I enjoyed all of the characters, found the world she created to be entirely possible, and absolutely loved the authentic way she found to close the story. I'm not a big sci-fi fan, and so I was a bit apprehensive, but the focus is not on the sci-fi part - it is a story about how people in difficult situations learn to get along, and about possibilities for change. It is also about how even those who mean well might do harm, and how they might try to rectify that. I heartily recommend it.

Melanie has managed to evade capture for some time in this post-invasion story. Capture will mean that the alien forms, who are parasitic, will implant another being in her body. For almost everyone else, this implantation means the death of the self - that is, Melanie will cease to be, but her body will go on in perfect health, with someone else piloting it.

Wanderer is a Soul, which is how the aliens who have colonized Earth refer to themselves. She is implanted in Melanie's body after Melanie is captured, in large part because the Seekers need information from Melanie's memories on where to find other humans who have not yet become host bodies. This should be easy enough; in almost all other humans, the host bodies gladly take the Seekers to find their families. After all, then they will all be together again, albeit as hosts. But Melanie resists. Prior to her capture, she has managed to save her younger brother, and she is also passionately in love. She does not want to disappear; she wants to see her family again, and wants to be reunited with her love. But can she do that without endangering them? And can she regain any control of her body? And if she can, where does that leave Wanderer, who had nothing to do with Melanie's capture or her own implantation?

Really, really well done - I didn't want to put it down!

I am the biggest Twilight Saga fan... Saying that I loved this book a lot. I loved the ppl in the book. I am hoping that stephenie Meyer continues the series... I loved Wanda and Melanie. I love how Wanda is willing to give her life for humans which most humans won't give their life for anyone or anything. I love how strong Melanie is and she wouldn't give up for anything. Strong Female! Love that...

I do not typically read books about aliens, they're just not my thing, but I decided to try this one because I enjoyed Meyers Twilight series so much. And, once I started reading, I couldn't put it down! Meyers stories definately don't disappoint to reader. This books was a fantastic journey for my imagination!

I picked this book up on Friday and finished it on Sunday. Even though its almost 700 pages it was, as all Stephanie Meyers books are, a quick read. I went from reading all four of her Vampire "Twilight" novels to reading "The Host". I was worried about the transition, thinking that Vampires to Aliens may be a bit strange, thankfully I fell right into the book. I knew I was hooked with-in the first 3 chapters -- "Wanderer" the main Characters name, which is also referred to as a "Soul" is a alien to our planet.

Unfortunate for us they need to live inside our heads to survive, unfortunate for them when they do they adopt our memories and sometimes our thoughts. Wanderer is one of the unlucky Souls that is put into a human who is well aware of the invasion and proves to be a inhospitable host.

The first part of the book is the struggle between Wanderer and Melanie her host, Wanderer can't shake the memories or surreal dreams of the life Melanie lived before. Worst of all Wanderer hears Melanie's thoughts in the present and fills that at times Melanie is taking back control. Wanderer becomes overwhelmed by two memories practically which are of Melanie's younger brother and her love interest Jacob.

When a Searcher is assigned to the Wanderer things get interesting. The Searcher is dead set on finding the last remaining humans still in hiding and believes that the Wanderer can excess Melanie's memories in order to help. But the Searcher is also pledge with its own demons and becomes more and more overbearing. Wanderer decides to go back to the Healers and have herself removed and placed into another Host in a hope to rid herself of Melanie's memories and the annoying Searcher. Its during this time that Melanie talks the Wanderer into searching for her brother and lover meanwhile evading the Searcher. Leading to a intense underground Mad Max realm were humans still live and try to survive. This of course throws the Wanderer into a world were she is hated and despised, but the love of her host, Melanie, keeps her alive regarless. The remaining humans, Jacob and Malenie's brother included, fight the urge to kill her or to try and save her some how.

Spoiler : What's bad -- There are times that you feel like she is rambling. She really let her imagination go wild on some of the story. For instance the names of some of the Souls are a bit corny, i.e. Petals to the Sun, and Sings in Night. They reminded me of old hippy names. The way she described the other colonies or planets that the souls had lived on was childish as well i.e. dragons, ice bears, bats, and seaweed. The love triangle between Melanie, Jacob, and Wanderer is hard to believe...after all if Jacob loved Melanie at all how could he ever be happy with a silver slug living in her head, keeping Melanie trapped in some sort of paraplegic hell? Strange?

Still, I recommend this book regarless of its flaws, because it was fun to read. It was engadging and new.

I picked this up at the library since I'd read her other books, not knowing what to expect beyond the author's name. It was a different perspective on a typical parasite-alien story, and I really enjoyed it. Meyer is quite good at describing things as though she hasn't seen them before. But my opinion: I enjoyed it and would recommend it to my friends.

After reading all 4 of the Twilight series I am a avid reader of Stephanie Meyer. While I read those books I accepted Bella for the character she was.

When I started the host, I was glad it started out completly different than Twilight. The main character was more interesting and complex mostly due to her strange background. Melanie was also fun to learn about in the beginning of the book. However, when I first read the summary of the main plot, I was more excited then I felt after reading most of the introduction. I was looking forward to a book about a girl (Melanie) that would be a rebel against the humans using her abnormal "parasite" to help her. Instead, as I read on I discovered it was a similar theme to twilight. Love. Sound familiar?

As the story progressed, the action declined, and the romance inclined. A majority of the body of the book is focused on worrying about her "family" or fanatizing about Jared (who doesn't really like her, then starts to, then admits he only likes Melanie). It turns out the man she thought she loved is replaced by the true man Wanderer loves. After letting the reader feel attached to Jared one finds himself just "going along with the story." The other side of love, family, is just wanderer worrying about Melanie's family. This was okay at first, but after the ending you find yourself wondering why it was introduced while at the end it was just mostly the body that loved them.

The character that stephanie Meyer put in as the loving soul is basically just Bella in alien form. She doesn't care herself and cannot help loving everyone else and sacrificing herself (for no good reason) and loves someone she can't, while trying to love someone else she also can't love. Jacob and Edward are just to similar to the relationship of Wanderer with Ian and Jared. Didn't we just read a couple thousand pages about that sort of thing? I don't know about you but I'd like some real science fiction.

Overal, the phony character development, stretched plot that lacked action, excitement, and satisfcation made this book a disapointment.

I have just discovered Ms. Meyers books and I think that she has a real talent for expressing different views of souls. All the different types of souls. Anyone who has gazed up in wonder at the nighf sky knows that there is more to this life than our half closed eyes can see. This book moved me greatly because she shows you both sides and how one soul can learn from another no matter what or who we are. Shw makes you care about the characters and shows that love is love no matter wha you may see on the outside. Wanderer is an exceptional character and her humanity shows through no matter what shape or being she is. I am 59 years old and I LOVED this book. I apologize for the spelling this Kindle can be hard to type on.

This book is not what you are expecting. I almost did not read the book because it was about "aliens." The manner in which the book is written takes you to a land of fantasy mixed with the realites of our everyday lives and the suspence that fills the book will keep you up reading at night. Enjoy it I know I did.

I have been a fan of the Twilight series since I read the first book in 2005. So after three amazing books, I thought, there is no way Stephanie Meyer can top this series. When I heard The Host was going to be released three months before the last book in the Twilight series, I had to check it out. I was totally wrong. Stephanie Meyer BLEW ME AWAY with The Host.

There have been plenty of books out there dealing with alien invasions but the concept behind The Host is so refreshing. You begin to feel sympathy for the enemy but at the same time you want the Humans to prevail.

The love story, like The Twilight series, is not your typical love story. In The Host, the alien invading the body, Wanderer, falls in love with Jared who was the love of Melanie, the human which she is occupying. The best part is watching Wanderer grow from simply this "wandering" soul, passing from each planet to the next without any real connection, to come to care for the humans. Let's just put it this way, I have never reviewed a book on Amazon before and I felt it necessary to give this book five stars.

I felt myself getting more and more excited about this book as the release date drew closer. I've enjoyed the Twilight books, but I found myself pretty intrigued to see what Stephenie Meyer would do when she set out to do something different. Plus, I was just in the mood for some science fiction. I've loved sci fi ever since I picked up my first Ray Bradbury and, even though Meyer states it's science fiction for people who don't read science fiction, it certainly qualifies. What with the aliens and all. And there ended up being more (and a wider variety) of them than I was expecting.

You're undoubtedly familiar with the premise of this novel already, so I'll leave it at this: it's invasion of the body snatchers, but the body snatchers are benevolent and the humans are, well, human. Flawed, emotional, corruptible. You name it. And there are very few of them left at all. But the few there are are....tenacious. Especially Melanie, the human whose body has just been taken over by the soul called Wanderer. Known for her extreme skill at taking over a body, as well as her penchant for never staying on one world for more than one life, Wanderer has been hand-picked for insertion in the rebellious Mel in the hopes that she will be able to glean details from Mel's memory about possible leftover humans in hiding. As you might expect, all does not go smoothly for Wanderer. Or Mel.

The great thing about THE HOST is that the main character is one of the "bad guys." As a result, the reader's emotions (and loyalties) are wonderfully conflicted throughout the beginning of the story. It doesn't take long, though, to fall in love with Wanderer and I really liked the way Meyer interspersed Wanderer's narrative with flashbacks from Mel's life as she hurled them, one after another, at Wanderer's mind in a bid to save herself as well as the ones she loves--her younger brother Jamie and her human love Jared. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, contrary to the whole love story being central to the plot scenario I'd been prepped for, the book was not at all ruled by romance. It is a story about love, but it's more a story about what it means to be human and humane. The love in the story includes all forms: familial, friendship, platonic, and romantic. I was particularly drawn to Wanda's fierce love for Mel's little brother Jamie and the lengths she went to to protect him. THE HOST is in many ways (despite its length) a small, intensely personal story. I loved it, was sad when it was over, and will reread it again soon.

After reading the Twilight trilogy by Stephanie Meyers, I was hesitant to read another, fearing it would not be as dynamic as the series. But I was thrilled and delighted to discover this book, The Host, to be as fasinating as the series. It was amazing and as creative as I could have wished for. Truly outstanding. I am waiting for more books!!!!!!

This contains spoilers, so don't read if you don't want to be spoiled. As I started reading Meyers' first fiction novel for adults, I was hoping for a slightly less simplistic writing style than in the Twilight series. But, to my disappointment, it was written the same way, even the first person point of view. The first chapter was a bit hard to get into and I thought "Wanda's" far-out experiences on other planets were ridiculous. Then, there was no sex, which somehow didn't surprise me, but I know it comes from the author's religious beliefs. Couples in this book might have a kiss and cuddle and sleep together like kids away at summer camp but there can be no sex. (sarcasm). It didn't have to be graphic, but could have at least implied that they were adults attracted to each other sharing that kind of intimacy. I mean, it is a book for adults. IMO, her beliefs are rather limiting what she feels she can write in her books and it makes things a bit ridiculous at times, especially for an adult novel. What else did I dislike about it, let's see... I thought it was a bit too long; there were some things that could have been cut out to make it shorter and tighter. I was also surprised that they didn't have any problems with their hideout being discovered and the tension that could have come from that. I kept waiting for them to be discovered on their raids to get supplies or have something bring suspense to the story.

Having said that, what I liked about the book was the emotion it made me feel. I could barely put it down and stayed up late reading it. By the time I got to the end where Wanda was removed from Melanie's body, I could barely breathe. I was actually very sad for this creature, BUT I felt like the perfect ending would have been with Wanda's death. Yes, it would have been heartbreaking, but would have made the novel completely unforgettable to me because of the emotion and actual physical discomfort her death would have caused me in reading about it, like a kick in the ribs. Well, it wasn't the end of the world when she was put into another host, but like others have said, why in the world did it have to be a child-like body? I wanted her to have a strong body like she was used to when she was in Melanie. She seemed happy with that kind of body. The fact that she was put into a teeny tiny body really aggravated me. And then, the ending was just too happy. I like happy endings but everything doesn't have to be absolutely sparkling perfect. It somehow doesn't satisfy like leaving a thing or two sacrificed. But, that's all my opinion, and like I said, the story made me feel a lot. Oh, I recently watched the 70's version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and was amazed at some of the similarities to that story and this one. So there's another .02 on the Host.

The book THE HOST is a lot like Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT saga in the fact that the whole point of the story is that love is the most important thing. What's different though is (obviously) the storyline. Yes, that is right - this story has nothing to do with vampires; instead, aliens have taken over our planet.

The time is somewhere in the future and our world is not as we know it. Instead of mass murders making headline news, there are articles on the best type of flowers to plant. The most disturbing article is that the bridge near Maple Avenue is due for a repainting. The world is full of peace and love. No one argues, no one fights, and there is not even a hint of violence in this bizarre world.

Obviously, these are not humans we are talking about.

The aliens that came to Earth would capture a human to use its body as a host. (Hence the title.) They stretch their tentacles around the nerves and "control panels" located in our heads; thus gaining complete control of the body. Unfortunately for the human, this process eliminates them. The aliens were able to gain control of almost every person this way. By continuing their host's former habits they were able to go virtually unnoticed. Luckily for humankind, there are always a few observant people that actually see things the way that they truly are

Our story is focused on Melanie and Wanda. Melanie is (or was) one of those few humans that was able to escape. Unfortunately, she was caught and because she might have information on other fugitives stuffed in her head, Wanda is put inside her. When a soul is put in a human, it has access to every memory their host might have had. Well, at least that is what is supposed to happen. Instead, Wanda reaches some "walls" within her mind. She later finds out that Melanie is still in there and kicking. She is even able to communicate with Wanda, using her (or their) thoughts.

This starts a whole new thread of events. The most important being Melanie convinces Wanda to go and look for Jared, her true love, and Jamie, her little brother. They are both labeled as "wild humans." After getting lost in the desert and nearly dying, Wanda is found by the humans and is taken to their hideout, a large cave, as a captive. She is surprised to see so many other humans still without a soul within them and even more surprised to see Jamie and Jared have made it here.

Unfortunately many, including Jared, hate Wanda for what she is and what her kind has done to their world.

At first I thought the story itself was rather lame. I mean aliens...? Come on, can't she do anything better than that? Not to mention it had an extremely slow beginning. Once they reached the caves, though, things really heated up and Ms. Myer's amazing writing skills started to really shine through. Personally, I think that if anybody else tried writing a book with this specific topic it would go down in flames, but Stephenie Meyer was able to finish it with grace and in a way that made me want her to write a sequel.

Reviewed by: Abby - The Class

Not bad - Stephanie Meyer is a GREAT writer. It's hard to think about reading a Stephanie Meyer book that doesn't have Edward or Bella in it. I would definitely recommend this book.

I got this book after having read the Twilight series and was very shocked. I loved the Twilight series, but this, WOW. It was nothing like I expected it to be. Actually I was a little worried about this book from the description, but after reading a few pages I fell in love. I love the story and would be happy not having a second book to this, but if there is one I'll be in line to buy it.

I read the synopsis here on amazon and did not think that it was my type of book--I also read the first chapter on amazon and still thought it not worth reading. Well, my sister-in-law ordered it anyways and I ran out of things to read--so I ended up reading it and I LOVED IT!
I read the entire thing in a week (which is amazing because I am a single mom of a 1 year old with a full time job and in college full time!) It is scifi (which I usually do not like)with a love story to it. I also loved how the book went into great detail about the alien's planets and the humans past. The dialog was great and the book was full of action. I have recommended this to all my family, friends, and co-workers. Do not be fooled by the first chapter--this is a great read!

this book was absolutely amazing. it was kind of slow and a bit hard to understand in the first few chapters, but once you read through those...WOW! i actually cried toward the end, and i NEVER cry. my mind was blown!

I didn't know who this author was when I bought the book. I was not surprised when I found out because while this book does have all the flaws others have pointed out(too slow to start, 2 dimensional characters, and sophmoric desciptions,) Ms Meyers does have an engaging idea. It is fatally marred for me, however, when the main character is beaten multiple times by the man she loves. That, in a word, was sickening. Would I recommend this work to anyone? No. I think not.

It is rare that I read a book, then immediately turn around and begin again. That is how much I enjoyed this work of Stephanie Meyer. Very original, sympathetic, and beautiful. Wanda is by far Meyer's greatest creation.

Wow! A love story almost as compelling and epic as Bella and Edward.

I picked up The Host the same day as Breaking Dawn, but after being somewhat disappointed by the latter I wasn't exactly eager to read the former.

The description of The Host sounded like a very hardcore science fiction effort, one that I was afraid would not be able to support a credible love story. I am more delighted than I can say that I was wrong. This book has one of the most gut wrenching love stories ever put to paper. The sci-fi elements (despite being among my least favorite genres) didn't bother me in the slightest . On the contrary, I found them to be provocative and deeply emotional.

I found myself fully invested in all the characters (even the non-human ones) and even cried at the end.

*SPECIAL NOTE TO TWILIGHT FANS* ~ Meyers really seems to enjoy the dynamic of two men in love with different aspects of the same woman.

After reading the Twilight series twice I needed something a bit different so I thought I would give this book a try - boy am I ever glad I did. I loved this book so much. It was just a little slow moving at first but once you get a few chapters into it - wow did it ever take off. I'm recommending it to everyone I know who loves a good read. I truly hope that Stephenie Meyer will write the sequel and include more about Melanie and Wanda. I'd love to have more from Mel's perspective and maybe a love interest for Jamie. Anyway I'm SO glad I gave this book a chance - if you do - you'll be so glad you did!

The Host is bestselling author Stephanie Meyer's (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse) first foray into the world of adult fiction, and distictly different from her renowned Twilight series. This sci-fi flavored novel takes place in a not-too-distant future, where a species of parasitic aliens has seized control of almost every human body on earth, erasing their hosts' memories in the process. Not surprisingly, a small contingent of humans resists this invasion, fights back, and conceals their existence from this new order.

Interestingly, instead of these "rebel" humans, Meyer chooses to write from the viewpoint of "Wanderer", one of the aliens (called "Souls") who is implanted into the body of Melanie Stryder, a captured rebel. Her assignment is to probe Melanie's memories for clues as to her friends' whereabouts, but she soon learns that Melanie's consciousness is still present, and her memories are far too strong for her to betray those whom her host body loved. Eventually, instead of hunting for them, she ends up joining them, and her search for acceptance among Melanie's friends (as both a Soul and a human, sharing the same body) makes up the bulk of the novel.

There's a reason I called this novel "sci-fi flavored". Unlike many works of speculative fiction, Meyer chooses to focus on the emotional and psychological lives of her characters, as opposed to the futuristic setting and its backstory - just as she did in Twilight. If you were a fan of that book's intense romantic elements, have no fear - there's plenty of pining and yearning here too, though I think her depiction of love has become much more nuanced - I rarely found myself rolling my eyes this time around. Ultimately, though, this book is about what makes humanity beautiful, in spite of our flaws.

The main characters themselves are a bit on the simplistic side, but eminently likable. Most interesting are the thoughts of Wanderer herself, who, as an alien, views the human race with the eyes of an outsider, with alternating awe, sympathy, and disgust, even as she begins to develop a love all her own for her new "family". Perhaps the book's biggest problem is its length - more than 624 pages, some of which I felt were little else but filler to make the story feel more "epic". Still, Meyer knows how to punctuate her tale with genuine suspense in the right spots, and the delightfully ambiguous ending leaves room for a sequel, which I think I would very much enjoy.

In short, The Host is a nice change of pace in Science Fiction that made for some entertaining subway reading.

I was introduced to Stephenie Meyer through her other series, Twilight, which I absolutely love. When I heard she was writing another book I excited to read it and I wasn't dissapointed.

The Host is dynamic and intriguing, many times I didn't want to put it down because I had to find out what would happen next. It does take a few chapters to get into the book but it's well worth it to keep reading.

The characters become real and you find yourself loving Jeb and Ian and Jamie and Wanda and Jared and everyone else as you continue reading. I don't want to give too much away but the characters act human and they do change; it's such a journey they all go on.

If you are a fan of Twilight you might have a harder time seperating the stories, the only advice I can give you is don't read this and Twilight at the same time, that's the mistake I made.

This is one book that I will read again and again.

Oh my gosh. I love this book. It's strange really, for some reason, I never really had any particular interest in The Host. Like many, I've become addicted to the Twilight Series, but the book description of The Host never really perked my interest. Based on the fact that I knew Stephenie Meyer was an excellent writer, I decided to give it a try. Even up to about the first 30 pages or so, I still wasn't totally into reading the novel. Then... something changed. I don't know when, where or why, but all of a sudden I was frozen, with the book in my hands, unable to do anything else. It's 3:10am. I just finished. Being as there are about 700 summaries already of the book, I won't bore you with all of that. All I can say is that I think I like this book better than Twilight. Gasp! I know. It's true. Man, I love Ian.

I went in skeptical and loved the book. The only low point was when Wanderer went completely out of character in her "best story". Other then that the book was one of my favorets. I'm a very particular reader and have a hard time finding books I like. I would recommend this one as a must read.

So far the book is facinating and makes you think. I would recommend it to people who have an open mind.

I thought that after the "Twillight Series" that I wouldn't find another book to read that kept me in my seat for hours at a time, but "The Host" did not disappoint. Her writing style takes the reader with the character through the entire story and doesn't let go until Meyer's is ready to. Amazing. Lyn F

I became an addict of Stephenie Meyer's writing as soon as I read the first page of Twilight. I read all 4 books of the saga in 10 days and I wanted more. I purchased The Host and I found my life entangled with Melanie Stryder and Wanderer. These are two very vibrant characters and I was anxious every time I had to put my book down until I could pick it up again and continue to move forward with them. I can close my eyes and travel the dark corridors and rooms of the caves where the humans and Wanda lived. I can't wait for the next story that will come from Stephenie.

Stephenie Meyer does it again. A very enjoyable and engaging read, only thing it was over too quick. Maybe she will gift us with a sequel? Glad she is a young author hopefully prolific look forward to future books.

I originally read the entire Twilight saga so was not entirely sure what to expect from this "adult" book from Meyer. As a lover of science fiction though, I thought I'd give it a chance. I was not disappointed. It tells a tale of love, sorrow, alienation (no pun intended), tragedy, and ultimately, the coming together of beings based on the ultimate goodness of their diverse life forces. How great would it be if we could have that in our own world? If you like Meyer's work and like an interesting stretch of the mind in having a central character that is really two characters, you will enjoy this book. The leap you need to take is not great, yet it is enormous in that you must believe that within one person two beings can exist at once somewhat harmoniously. There are really no good guys or bad guys in this story, just a couple of races trying to make the best of the planet they have been given/taken. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and hope for a sequel to see what happens to these characters next.

im sure its a great book..i just never received it. ive ordered several things through amazon and never had this happen..im suprised and disappointed this seller is still on amazon.

I tried to have open expectations about this book, but what ever the expectations were, they were disappointed. I didn't find the story very enthralling. I love the Twilight Series (well especially books 1, 3 & 4), but it is only after reading the Host that I could really see in to Stephanie Meyers' moral system and religious beliefs which really define how the characters act.
In the books, people are either all good or all bad. Where is the nuance? Kyle goes way too far in his viciousness than is logical to persecute Wanda, and Wanda kneels down and "turns the other cheek" way too often to be believable.

Also, the characters don't change, they kept doing the same thing, and it very quickly became boring.
It's like ok, Edward is good and perfect, but that is excusable, he is a gorgeous vampire and the perfect guy to fantasize about. Except here she applies the same logic, Wanda plays the exact same role in this book. good and virtuous, but coming from a violent species so misunderstood and persecuted. where is the uniqueness? who is fantasizing after this submissive alien?

I just found it overall unrealistic with no redeeming qualities (such as the passion of loving a dangerous vampire).

What also annoyed me: every time information was revealed it was through the telling of a story. eeverrry time.; and the characters kept hissing throughout the book. what does that even sound like? is that like a snake sound? do people actually make that noise? again, it was ok when vampires did it... i thought it was unique to them.. i guess not...

The premise was pretty interesting, but I think that she could have gotten the same effect in just a short story, or anyway a really thin book.

This was so different from the other Stephanie Meyer books that after the first chapter I almost stopped reading. Then the whole story clicked in and I could'nt put it down, even during play off baseball. Terrific story.

I thought this was a very well written story! I can't wait to see if she does a sequel!

In my opinion, THIS should have been the book to make Stephenie Meyer the "phenomenon" she is today. For one thing, the writing is miles from Twilight. The plot and characters were also a lot more complex and I felt that you really got a feel for each of them. This story was so touching and sweet. It was hard to put down (that's high praise coming from someone who's not a huge reader), and even when I did I thought about it randomly through the day. This is a type of book that will never leave you. 5 Stars.

The Host is a fun twist on an old premise: invasion of the body snatchers. The world has been invaded by migratory aliens, known as souls, who use the bodies of humans to become corporeal. The consequence is that the human soul who formerly occupied the body is shoved aside and silenced forever, with the exception of one human soul named Melanie who is putting up a fight. Wanderer, the alien soul who is inhabiting Melanie's body, rather than finding a way to silence Melanie forever chooses to do something that has never been done among its society: Wanderer listens to Melanie's voice and defects from the alien society. What ensues is a long journey that has the potential to change the face of humanity -- again -- forever.

The Host is a engrossing story that is ostensibly about aliens and humans but is really about relationships between souls. Occasionally trite, it manages to not be too overwrought.

I enjoyed the take on aliens and the people resisting them. I did find Wanda to passive and nice and she annoyed me. But overall I found it a good story and found myself looking for extra time to read.