Reviews with content warning for Genocide - The Host

I know this book and its author have some deep-seated issues, which are worth discussion, but in spite of everything I love this book. Part of it is nostalgia; my parents are both Stephenie Meyer fans and took me and my cousins to see the movie in theaters when I was 11-or-so and it's become a fond memory. I've read this multiple times in the last several years and I cry every time. I think the premise is so unique and interesting (although to be fair, I don't read much sci-fi), the character relationships are so engaging, and the ending is so fulfilling. I'm a sucker for "what does it mean to be human?" themes in novels. Maybe it's not the deepest or most intellectually stimulating read, but not everything has to be, and this is just a for-fun kind of book.

Concerning elements to keep in mind:

the author is part of the LDS (Mormon) church
problematic age gaps featuring teenagers (minors) with 20-somethings
hetero- and cis-normative
subtle ableism with how souls determine which humans are fit to be host bodies (the others are "discarded")
the author is perhaps a little too forgiving of both sides: the souls are essentially the worst possible kind of colonizers but they are almost universally benevolent which seems contradictory, and even the most violent of the humans is forgiven by the soul he tried to kill

Maybe it's illogical for me to still rate this book so highly considering this list, but I rate books on enjoyability and I had a great time rereading this.

Content Warnings

mfrank's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was one of my favorite books when I was younger and I haven't read it since I was in maybe 7th grade. I decided to reread it, nervously, because I've recently noticed that a lot of the books I loved as a kid don't hold the same love and fascination for me as an adult. I love them for the nostalgia factor, but the story no longer holds up or makes me happy and excited in the same way. I am so happy to say that this is not one of the those books. If anything, I felt more emotional reading it this time around than when I first read it. I read this book long before I ever read any tragedies or books with sad endings, and reading this now conjured up a lot of those feelings. I felt more connected to Wanderer and her fear of losing everything and having to give up love and her struggle of not fitting in where she felt she should belong. I have always cited this book as the exception for my distaste of love triangles because although there are only three bodies involved in the love triangle in this book, there are four minds. I truly still love this book.

Content Warnings