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| The Host: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $25.99
Buy New: $13.48
You Save: $12.51 (48%)
New (64) Used (20) Collectible (5) from $13.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  528 reviews
Sales Rank: 69
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 624
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.5 x 2.1
ISBN: 0316068047
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780316068048
ASIN: 0316068047
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Different May 10, 2008
16 out of 26 found this review helpful
I read this book because I enjoy the Twilight Series. She did a great job there of simply letting the reader become immersed in the variety of characters that she offers. If that were an expectation for this novel, then it would be left completely unfulfilled.
Almost all of the characters are completely one-dimensional. This could be considered understandable because this book is about Wanderer's self-discovery, but even this lead character doesn't show much of a personality. I think that in this book, Stephanie Meyer mistakes changing philosophy for depth of character. It seemed like the only thing heard about the characters was about how they grew more accepting of each other. This becomes boring, and without an interesting lead, the book falls flat. It can only be so interesting to listen to a character who is completely passive.
I will admit that the concept for the story is interesting and that is where the two stars came from, but it seemed like the story was dragged on just to make it longer. It would probably have been better fit for a short story than a full novel. This can easily be seen because the story doesn't pick up any pace until half way through. Even then, any interest in the story wavers because the book focuses too much on just one character. The back story and relationship triangles are the parts that cause the reader to feel a connection with the novel, but this is kept to just a few brief scenes.
Another problem with the novel is the lack of action. It seems like nothing ever happens. There are only really internal problems from the rebellion. The souls, which should be the biggest instigator for drama, were only present for a few brief and easily successful raids after Wanderer reaches the rebellion. Everything that should have been a big obstacle for Wanderer was easily solved within a hundred pages. The book even managed a nice happy ending where every conflict throughout the novel is just brushed away. It seemed like an answer was given to every problem, even if the answer was what had been rejected throughout the whole book.
If you are looking for something similar to Twilight, don't read this. It is boring, drawn-out, and written like a nice happy fairy tale. Good books are full of conflict and don't necessarily have to finish with everyone happy or all loose ends tied.
The book just doesn't seem to progress realistically.
 Just Didn't Like It June 21, 2008
15 out of 20 found this review helpful
I am glad there were so many who enjoyed this book, as it's always great to find a book one loves.
As for me, however, I have to agree with the other one-star reviewers who found "The Host" to be incredibly slow and boring. I did think the very end got a tad more interesting, but it didn't make up for the previous 3/4 of mind-numbing boredom through which one has to wade to get to that point. I found it impossible to be interested in the story and didn't feel much or any empathy for the characters. In fact, Wanda/Wanderer's incessant stories about her previous lives with Bears, Claw Beasts, and all the rest got very tedious and annoying after a while.
Finally, as another reviewer alluded to, I thought it totally ridiculous when Wanderer took such personal offense at the humans' attempts to remove her parasitic family members from other humans. It seemed rather hypocritical to call the humans "monsters" for trying to save themselves when Wanderer and her kind had effectively taken over and killed entire species for their personal benefit.
So, sorry to those who loved "The Host", but I really did not enjoy this book at all. I found Meyer's "Twilight" series very entertaining, but wish I had passed on this one.
 Who wants a whimper when you need a bang? May 17, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
No Stephanie Meyers books seems complete without a few things; A beautiful heroine, a moderately (to very) controlling male lead, and a martyr. On those counts 'The Host' doesn't disappoint. Set in a world invaded by aliens, our heroine 'Wanderer' finds herself in an odd predicament, the original owner of her body just wont leave! So here comes 400 pages of inner monologue. Seriously the book was MUCH longer than it needed to be. Kind of like the roaming in the woods part of HP 7. I don't know about you but 600+ pages of a book with very little action got to me. Also, much like the 'twilight' series the climax happened not with a bang, but a whimper.
It's not a bad book. It does have it's touching moments. Obviously it was good enough for me to get through the whole thing. The last book I read that was that long was Deathly Hollows. It just seemed to take a very long time to get to the exciting parts. I found myself skimming whole sections where 'Wanda' (I found it very hard to take her seriously with that name) fought with the inner trappings of being human. The sad part was that even the exciting parts weren't all that exciting. There never seemed to be any big threat. No real antagonist. Everything just seemed far to easy. Maybe she's setting it up for sequels, maybe not, I don't know. It left me feeling very unsatisfied in the end. Like eating a salad when you really want a big mac.
In the end, Stephanie Meyers has become literary crack to me. I know it's bad, and I KNOW I should just walk away,but I keep coming back.
Dreadful prose, poorly written, couldn't even finish it June 5, 2008
14 out of 26 found this review helpful
I enjoyed the Twilight books sort of. They are not well written, or well told stories. They were a guilty pleasure--but I still read them. The Host is bilge and I could not get through the first 100 pages without rolling my eyes at the very bad writing. Meyer is TELLING me what happens, instead of just showing me what happens. Because I'm being told how to feel and what to think about her characters I really don't care about them at all.
I laughed at some of the melodrama and badly constructed phrasing. So far that is the only joy this book has brought to me. I wish I could get my money back. UGH.
Too many pages, too little content July 6, 2008
14 out of 22 found this review helpful
Honestly, I read the first 100 pages and the last 100 pages. The basic story was somewhat interesting, but the filler was way too tedious to stick with through 600+ pages. I don't get what all the fuss is about Stephanie Meyer. Having read the Twilight Series (again, way too much filler), I feel this book is still young adult fiction with a smaller typeface.
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