Rating: Four Stars—Great
I have mixed feelings about THE HOST—I really
do. For one thing, it’s Romance, and I don’t do Romance, so this happens to be
one of those rare exceptions. That said, though, I have a sort of love/hate
relationship with this book, because half the time I’m like, “THIS BOOK IS THE
BEST”, and half the time I can’t help rolling my eyes at the romantic side of
the plot. So I’ll do my best to list what sets it apart, in my mind, from the
rest of its romantic kin.
Parasitic
Symbiosis. Just so you know what I’m talking
about, Wanderer is a Soul, a parasitic alien that must live in a host body in
order to survive. Usually the host’s consciousness fades after insertion,
leaving the Soul to go about its existence unhindered. But in Wanderer’s case,
her host—Melanie Stryder—refuses to fade. And, unfortunately for Wanderer,
Melanie is willing to do anything it takes to rejoin her brother (Jamie) and
her boyfriend (Jared) in hiding, even if it means bringing Wanderer with her.
Indecisiveness is bad enough, but it’s
worse when you’re literally of two minds about something. Throughout the book,
Wanderer and Melanie must come to terms with each other as they struggle to
work together—Melanie with the knowledge the she can no longer control her fate
or her actions, that she cannot even communicate with her loved ones unless
Wanderer speaks for her; Wanderer with the understanding that, though she is
falling for someone, her host is in love with another man.
Talk about drama. I mean, it’s worse
than a love triangle—it’s, like, a love quadrangle, or whatever you want to
call it.
So, on the one hand, this could come
off as really awkward. But I was surprised by how well Stephenie Meyer deals
with this issue. And I love the bond that develops between Wanderer and Melanie
over time, how they begin to rub off on each other, how they learn to see the
world through each other’s eyes.
Human
Nature. If you’ve read many of my book reviews
or discussions, you’ll know I really appreciate stories that shed light on
human nature/humanity. Maybe this is because I love psychology—I enjoy peeking
into emotions and motivations and actions and everything else that makes up a
person’s psyche. So THE HOST automatically gains points with me on that end
when it begs the question, “What does it truly mean to be human?”
Wanderer,
Melanie, and Jamie. While Melanie is spirited and strong,
Wanderer is the exact opposite—submissive, fearful, and altruistic. Together,
they make for quite a pair. And the plot only thickens when they become reunited
with Jamie, Melanie’s younger brother. I can’t even tell you how much I love
Jamie—he is the most adorable, the most sweetest thing ever. Though he has
every right to hate Wanderer for what she has (inadvertently) taken away from
him, instead he welcomes her with open arms and accepts her because he cares
for her, not just because she wears his beloved sister’s face.
Jared
and “The Love Interest”. I can’t very well tell you who the
love interest is, now can I? Because that would spoil it for you. But these two
guys are the best, especially when they’re butting heads over Wanderer/Melanie like
two rams fighting over a lady sheep. Their jealousy is so adorable, and even if
they are a little unbelievable, I still half love them.
Uncle
Jeb. I haven’t decided yet whether I think he’s fully sane or
not. Effectively the dictatorial leader of his little tribe of surviving
humans—hidden away in pockets beneath the desert—he guides his followers with
wisdom and snark. He may not be blessed with an overabundance of kindness, yet
he can be incredibly gentle, and no one else in the group would make a better
leader. Also, he provides most of the comic relief, so there’s that.
The
Feel of It. I know, very specific of me, but I
love the mood and the tone—the scariness of the open spaces and the coziness of
the caves, the fear of the Seekers and the daring of those who go on raiding
missions. Also, I love how, while Meyer deals with invading, parasitic aliens
and spaceships and cool technology, the book doesn’t actually FEEL like a
Science-Fiction novel—the Sci-Fi aspect doesn’t get all in your face. (Not that
I would mind if it did, but I find it an intriguing and pleasant surprise that
doesn’t. Basically, it’s Sci-Fi for those who don’t do Sci-Fi, and if I’m any
indication, Romance for those who don’t do Romance. Pretty much your average
win-win situation.)
And if you’re doubting the emotional
impact of the plot, just put yourself in Jared’s shoes and imagine what it
would be like if you lost someone you loved but then had someone else return
wearing your loved one’s body. Yeah, I kind of wish I could send Jared a box of
chocolates and a “sorry your girlfriend got possessed by a space centipede”
card.
The
Souls. Okay, so the Souls are the bad guys, right? I mean, they’ve
taken over the world and everything. In fact, by inhabiting the bodies of
almost everyone on earth, they have effectively murdered billions of people.
And their Seekers continue to hunt down and dispose of the remaining
resistance. Don’t they sound so horrible?
But wait till you meet them.
No seriously, because they are
INCREDIBLY NICE. I mean, they are genuinely very nice little space centipedes.
They never break any laws—they don’t need a monetary system because they have
perfected communism (and not Stalin’s form of Socialism, but the dream Marx had
of a world where everyone shares equally and everyone pulls their own
weight—note: don’t try this at home). They care so much about each other, and
they are such softies. For the most part, they aren’t aggressive, and they are
so selfless. Let me stress this again, THEY ARE REALLY NICE PEOPLE.
And yet they’re the bad guys—and they’re
really, really bad guys, considering what they’ve done. So try figuring that
one out.
Now for the stuff I didn’t like as
much.
Kissing,
Ew. Okay, so there was kissing, and a good deal of it at that.
And I’m so unromantic, I would almost prefer it if the characters ignored each
other all the time and never fell in love, so you can imagine how I feel about
kissing. Also, there are a few eye-roll moments like the, “Help me, Jared, you
can only save Melanie by snogging me” scene. Yeah, no. I’m sure you could think
of something else, Wanderer, if you tried hard enough.
Where
Are the Promised Sequels, I Ask You? So a few years ago, when the movie
adaptation was just about to come out, US magazine interviewed Stephenie Meyer,
and she told them that she had two sequels planned: THE SEEKER, and THE SOUL.
At that point, she said she had already written about 20% of THE SEEKER.
Granted, she did also tell US that it’s been slow going because she’s busy and
she doesn’t work well with interruptions. But seriously, I needed the sequel,
like, three years ago. And people wonder why I have trust issues.
So, all in all, I definitely felt that
THE HOST was worth reading (actually, worth reading three times). Despite the
eye-roll moments, THE HOST presents an engaging plot, a cast of intriguing
characters, and 620 pages of well-paced prose.
