Rating: 6 out of 10
Stephanie Meyer's The Host was a compelling tale of love, war, and, of course, aliens. The main character, Wanda, is an alien from a species known as the souls. The souls invade Earth and take the body of humans. Wanda takes the body of a young girl, Melanie. However, Mel is not totally gone. She can still think, but cannot control her body. Mel can only feel, hear, and see what Wanda does. During the mental conversations that Mel and Wanda have, they begin to become allies against a mutual enemy, the Seeker, who is another alien. Wanda escapes her society of aliens and finds a refuge camp of humans where she must gain their trust in order to survive. Mel's old friends and family are there, including Jared, her boyfriend, and Jamie, her younger brother. Wanda develops a strong love for these two characters, as well as some of the other humans at the camp, including a friend named Ian. Wanda deals with conflicting loyalties and feelings at the refuge camp as well as a struggle to survive.
Although they are very different, several aspects resonate in both Meyer's Twilight and The Host. For example, Wanda experiences forbidden love like Bella Swan. Jared is like Edward Cullen; Wanda loves him, but they could never be together. And then there's Ian. Ian is very similar to Jacob Black. Ian is Wanda's best friend, but he has stronger feelings for her that she cannot return, due to her love for Jared. Wanda herself is even like Bella. They are both stubborn and also choose to be with groups that they do not belong with. Wanda is an alien, yet chooses to live with humans and Bella is a human, but wants to join a family of vampires. Love acts as a strong theme in both stories, especially conflicting love.
Meyer's The Host remains unique just the same. Her story is interesting and very different from anything I've ever read. Also, the perspective of The Host sets it apart from all other novels. Readers see the world from an alien's point of view, but Stephanie Meyer should have pursued this more and went into more detail about Wanda's past, which is touched upon, but only for moments. Additionally, the story contained many boring parts. Meyer extended many scenes that tired out after a while.
This book will be a great read for anyone who enjoyed The Twilight Saga, or is interested in science fiction. But even for readers who are just looking for a interesting story, I strongly recommend The Host.
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