Books The Host: A Novel
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - Disappointment
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.

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Rating: - The Host
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.

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Rating: - Liked it a lot! :D
I thought this was a very well written story! I can't wait to see if she does a sequel!

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Rating: - Stephenie Meyer's Come a Long Way
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.