The Host - An Early Review
by Allison Fairbairn - Thursday Apr 17 2008 7:36 pm
Posted in: Reviews, Staff Pick, New Releases

Stephenie Meyer's first novel outside of the Twilight series

Hooked on Stephenie Meyer, but can't wait until August for Breaking Dawn, the next and final installment in the Twilight series? Look no further than Meyer's May release, The Host.

Veering away from the incredibly addicting vampire/werewolf world brought to life in Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, The Host introduces us to an Earth where the humans have almost completely been taken over by an alien parasite species. When Melanie Stryder, part of the human resistance, is injected with a parasite by the name of Wanderer, her spirit - unlike most humans - refuses to fade away. Wanderer and Melanie both exist in one head, and Wanderer falls in love with Melanie's partner Jared through Melanie's memories. The two personalities become unwilling allies, searching out the man they both love, and eventually find the underground group of resistors that Jared is a part of. What begins as a love triangle in two bodies becomes somewhat of a 'love square' as a second male love interest enters the picture. But Wanderer is the enemy, and both 'women's' lives are at risk the longer they stay with the group, both from parasite trackers and the distrustful humans they live with.

The Host will definitely not disappoint Stephenie Meyer fans, although it may not become the classic that Twilight has become. Billed as her first novel for adults, The Host nevertheless retains Meyer's sense of decorum when it comes to relationships - while the tension between romantic interests is strong and helps push the plot along, there is no graphic sexuality. But it's the threat of danger from both the parasite world and the human world that kept me turning pages, and makes The Host another quick Stephenie Meyer read - not because it's short (clocking in at around 630 pages), but because it's difficult to put down.

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