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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed what was essentially a clean romance novel. The characters were intriguing, and the story pulled you in from the very first page. The plotting was a little slow, it took about a hundred pages to really pick up. Also, Meyer really has the proclivity to place really dumb girls in inter-dependent relationships, which is trying. Overall, an enjoyable and easy read.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The Host left me staring into a wall for a few minutes when I was finished before i snapped back to reality. This book made me laugh, cry, think and then cry some more. Amazing book. Just read it okay..? *tears everywhere*
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
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:
Yes
This was a four star book (at least 3.5) until the very last scene. The premise had me easily agreeing to a coworker’s recommendation, and she lent it to me with a warning that she hadn’t read it in years but remembered it fondly. The story is good, the premise just as interesting as I thought it could be, the characters enjoyable and relationship believable enough to root for, even if it seemed to lean a bit YA at times (which the author stated this book was not). The problems they encounter are interesting, the solutions not so simple or easily earned that they don’t feel satisfying. Pacing is good, especially once the exposition is done. Frankly, if the book sounds interesting, I’d highly recommend reading it and just pretending the last chapter doesn’t exist. I think that’s a much more satisfying ending than the one that’s written.
here’s the ****MAJOR SPOILERS****, if you don’t want it stop reading now. I’m going to SPOIL THE ENDING.
At the end, they put Wanda, the main “soul”, into a new body so that her host, Melanie, can take hers back over, but neither of them die. Now, personally, I think the tragic ending you think you’re about to get, in which Wanda sacrifices herself so that Melanie can live and the family she’s fallen in love with can be happy, is a more beautiful ending. Wanda didn’t want to continue being a parasite in a body, she could have died happy. But humans are selfish, and they didn’t want to let her go, so they found her a body that had been inhabited by another soul since birth, that didn’t have time to develop into the human it could have been, so there was no one for Wanda to be taking over. And that’s okay too. Very happily ever after, and I’m sure that sells better, and is certainly more palatable for the vast majority of consumers. That’s not enough to knock it down to two stars. That rating was given because of the incredibly strange and uncomfortable emphasis on the fact that Wanda’s new body is biologically 17, and she knows it, and intends to lie about it because she wants to have sex. Why is that included? I get that mentally Wanda is probably hundreds of years old. Anyone who made it to the end of the book gets that. So why are we emphasizing that “the body is 17 and Wanda knows -partner- would be uncomfortable if he knew, so Wanda is not going to tell him.” It was wildly uncomfortable, completely unnecessary, and soured the entire book for me.
However, the rest of the book is certainly worth more than one star, so the final rating is a two. Proceed at your own risk, but I highly recommend pretending the last chapter doesn’t exist. It makes for a much better book.
here’s the ****MAJOR SPOILERS****, if you don’t want it stop reading now. I’m going to SPOIL THE ENDING.
However, the rest of the book is certainly worth more than one star, so the final rating is a two. Proceed at your own risk, but I highly recommend pretending the last chapter doesn’t exist. It makes for a much better book.
How can a book about body snatchers (with romance!) be SO BORING? Nice idea, horrible execution.
I actually quite liked this one. The world was so unique and the world building was so strings I've read so many books about alien invasions but until now I've never seen one where the aliens were portrayed as kind and well intending at the same time as the humans were portrayed as the good guys. It was kind of refreshing and I found myself liking both Wanda and Mel. I even liked both guys. I had a soft spot for the seeker too.
Also liked how there was this love square but it didn't harm or take away from the plot. It wasn't overwhelming and aggravating to read.
Basically I have no idea why this book wasn't as popular as Twilight. It's a much stronger work and shows what Meyer can actually do!
Also liked how there was this love square but it didn't harm or take away from the plot. It wasn't overwhelming and aggravating to read.
Basically I have no idea why this book wasn't as popular as Twilight. It's a much stronger work and shows what Meyer can actually do!