Books I've Read: The Host

"The Host" is a science fiction novel by the ever famous vampire novelist Stephanie Meyer. After reading the drivel that she spit out in the Twilight Saga I was pleasantly surprised when this novel wasn't terrible.

In "The Host" a parasitic alien race called "Souls" have taken over Earth. The main character, a Soul named Wanderer, is still aware of her host Melanie's personality and shares her thoughts, feelings, and memories. Wanderer starts to sympathize with her host which poses problems since Wanderer was only placed inside Melanie to retrieve information about other possible surviving humans. Wanderer, with Melanie inside her head, ends up finding her uncle Jeb and a clan of surviving humans. Among the humans are Melanie's brother and boyfriend. Nobody wants a parasite to live among them but with time they come to accept her. Wanderer starts to realize that humans are not the violent bloodthirsty beings she thought and starts to love them. Wanderer makes the hardest decision of her life when she decides to give Melanie back her body and sacrifice herself for the greater good.

While this novel is technically science fiction is it easy to forget and get lost in the human-like emotions of the main character. This novel focuses on love, mother/child relationships, and the conflicts of right and wrong in ethically grey areas. Although it wasn't my favorite book, I did enjoy it enough to recommend it. One of the things I didn't like was when Meyer broke her own rules. She did it in the Twilight Saga also. She needs a little post it note next to her computer that says "Vampires don't breathe, so don't have them inhale sharply when surprised or angry" and "Humans who have been taken over by Souls have different eyes, so having the main love interest look into her eyes is pointless" and so on. I also didn't like the ending of "The Host" but I don't want to spoil it for you so you'll have to read it and see if you agree.