The Diva Review:
This review is from our own guest reviewer, Lore. As you may have guessed, Lore. is our sci-fi guy. Trust him, he knows of what he speaks.
When I first read Twilight, I thought that Stephenie Meyer had a nice, simple, imaginative style and she could grow into an excellent writer. As I progressed into the rest of the Twilight Series I was enamored with that style and her growing skill as a writer. So when "The Host" hit the shelves I was ecstatic for a couple of reasons. First, a Sci-Fi novel from an author that I respected, and secondly this wasn't aimed at "Young Adults" like the Twilight Series is.
The story is told from the point of view of Wanderer, an alien whose race has all but wiped out mankind from Earth. Yes, that is right...humans are almost extinct! They don't kill humans per se, they take over the bodies of their human hosts adopting the lifestyle of humans but in a more subdued nature.
I have to say, I fell in love with Wanderer from the very beginning and she only becomes more lovable throughout the rest of the book. Through Wanderer we learn about not only her culture but the cultures of other races that have been conquered. You see, Wanderer is named based on having inhabited the hosts of nine different species, making her a bit of a celebrity among her race. And she truly appreciates each of the cultures in which she has existed.
At the start of the book, Wanderer comes to Earth and is implanted into the host body of Melanie, a rebel that tried to kill herself in order not to be captured. The alien equivalent to our police, Seeker, questions Wanderer about the memories that Melanie had in order to possibly find more rebels. Most host personalities go extinct after implantation leaving only memories of the past, but Melanie seems to still be fighting Wanderer for control of those memories. Why is Melanie still fighting so hard? She is protecting her little brother, Jamie and the man she loves, Jared. But the Wanderer finds out about them soon enough but does not tell Seeker. Instead Wanderer decides to seek them out on her own. How will the humans react to an alien that is falling in love with them based on Melanie's memories?
The Host is a thought-provoking story about what it is to be human. It is odd that the best understanding of humanity is from the eyes of an alien. Ms. Meyer surprises us with the depth of her writing. Where I would have said Twilight Series was Young Adult but fit for adults, I tell you that The Host maybe be considered Adult but I see no reason why young adults would not love it too. It is emotionally evocative and stunning in its literary value. I think that Ms. Meyer has progressed beyond excellent and straight to brilliant as an author.
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