The Host

The Host (The Host #1)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86  ·  rating details  ·  352,307 ratings  ·  31,047 reviews
The author of the "Twilight "series of # 1 bestsellers delivers her brilliant first novel for adults: a gripping story of love and betrayal in a future with the fate of humanity at stake.
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has suc...more
ebook, 574 pages
Published May 6th 2008 by Little Brown and Company (first published 2008)
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Jenne
Okay, so I was reading along, and thinking all, hey, this is pretty interesting! Not bad, Stephenie!

And then I got to about page 80 or so, and OH MY GOD THERE IT IS AGAIN, THE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE SAPPINESS OH MY EYES MY EYES

I just can't do it. CAN'T DO IT AGAIN! Not the older man, and the younger woman, and the 5-page discussion of why they can't have sex yet because NO DEAR YOU'RE JUST NOT READY EVEN THOUGH YOU REALLY WANT IT BECAUSE LOOK, YOU'RE A GIRL AND YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY MAKE YOUR OWN DECIS...more
Britt
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Nataliya
Apr 04, 2012 Nataliya rated it 1 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Nobody. Except for people I dislike.
I must be a masochist. Why else would I pick this book up in the first place, let alone finish it? And it was so NOT worth it. To sum up my impressions of this story - WAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! WHYYYYYYY??? *
* This refers to the pointless waste of an entire tropical forest on the printing of this 600+ pager in which NOTHING happens. I kid you not. **

** Well, what else did I expect from a woman who created sparkly virgin vampires??? Hanging my head in shame. ***

*** In my defense, here is the quote fro
...more
Ariana


“It’s not the face, but the expressions on it.
It’s not the voice, but what you say.
It’s not how you look in that body, but the thing you do with it.
You are beautiful.”

I give this book 5 stars because is just such an amazing book. I really, really love it!

At first sight it looks like it's a book about aliens, but in reality it's about the human kind and it's questioning how much humanity remains in us all.
It's a book about survival, about love (so many types of love: loving yourself, loving th...more
Annalisa
May 22, 2008 Annalisa rated it 2 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to Annalisa by: Melinda
I wanted to like this book more than I did--to see that Stephenie Meyer can pick a topic not meant for shallow teenage girls and write on a deeper level--but I think this book is more of the same, sans the vampire excitement. I liked the idea: an alien soul inhibiting the host body of a girl who doesn't want to relinquish her control and the conflicts that arise, particularly in romance. There are some interesting topics, like what defines humanity and are we living worthy enough for the planet...more
Holly (2 Kids and Tired)
It's no secret that I did not jump on the Twilight bandwagon. I put my name on the hold list at the library for The Host, however, because I wanted to see if Stephenie Meyer had improved in her storytelling. I'm happy to say, "Yes, she did. To a point."

I would like someone tell me what her fascination is with sappy, overly dramatic dialogue, 17-year old girls and over-protective older men who carry them while running? Because there are some definite similarities here.

I find it interesting that t...more
Saniya(Will Herondale is mine)
OKAY. I TAKE ALL THAT BACK. IAN WAS EPIC. I LOVE LOVE LOVE JAKE ABEL. OMG. THE MOVIE WAS SO EPIC! I CRIED LIKE THREE TO FOUR TIMES. I CAN'T EVEN- *Breath, Saniya, breath.* ...*Sighh.*
Okay. This movie was freaking awesome and I just want to hug somebody right now. :'3

I am so sorry Jake baby. You were awesome in it. I misjudged you. Now I will love you forever. *Creepy fan-girl smile*

Did You Know?
1)Dianna Agron auditioned for the role of Melanie Stryder.
2)Shiloh Fernandez, Liam Hemsworth, Kit Har...more
Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!*
Okay, so I read this book when I was ... 15? So, that was almost four years ago. When I reviewed it, I was a bit of an idiot. (Or, a lot of an idiot.) My review consisted of a lot of exclamation points and OMG's and rather stupid statements like, "STEPHENIE MEYER IS LYK DA BEST WRITER EVAHHH." And yet, as idiotic as I sounded, this is my third most-liked review (probably because it's such a popular book, and probably everyone who "liked" it was also a 15-year-old who couldn't punctuate and who t...more
Lissa
“Did you have a good bath?” he says as I come out after only an hour.
“No,” I say, recognising that my tone is petulant.
“Why not?” he asks in surprise, as the answer is usually the opposite.
“I hate the book. Nothing is happening. Nothing has happened. And the aliens who invaded still make junk food. This doesn’t make sense. They don’t earn money or pay for anything, but they still make junk food. An alien invader who could read the mind of its host would learn to only make food with essential nut...more
Andrea
Mrs. Meyers and I can no longer be tortured friends. Maybe someday I can finish this poor excuse for a novel, but I'm going to relieve myself of the misery for now. The premise was fine, but the dysfunctional psychological processes of every single character has me truly sick. Not to mention that Melanie Stryder, (i mean, Bella Swan...) is essentially the same pathetic female character that we've seen in the Twilight series. I'm done.
I have been mystified by this writer because so very many peo...more
Caroline
I was pretty iffy about this book going in--I've read all of Stephenie Meyer's other books (the Twilight series) and they're decently good, but nothing amazing. I'm not big on sappy romances, and I was concerned that this would just be one big huge romance like the others.

I was surprised, definitely. While it does have romantic elements to the story, it didn't feel like the romance took over the plot and didn't allow for any real story to happen.

What I liked the best about this book is how much...more
Sparrow
Apr 19, 2013 Sparrow rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: I'll keep it for myself
After a couple of nightmare slogs, it's time for some comfort food.

______________________________

2010 Review

My brother is moving to New York in a couple of weeks, and it breaks my heart more than a little. I totally love that guy, and New York will be lucky to have him. It’s really far away, though. I went to pick him up in Bend a few weeks back so that he could use my car for a weekend, and I got the audio version of this book at the library on my way there. I picked it up because I totally fre...more
UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish

Edited after seeing the movie:

I went with my daughters to see the movie adaptation of The Host this evening, and was reminded of how much I loved this book. That said, it's as it was with the Twilight books-to-movie adaptation and the movies didn't do the books justice, and neither did it for The Host, which is one of my favorite stories.

My point is, please don't let the movie scare you off. If you go see it and find the story compelling but the acting not so much, please pick up the book and r...more
Shannon (Giraffe Days)
Aimed at the adult science fiction crowd, as opposed to the Young Adult Twilight fanbase, The Host isn't about science or where the human race is headed, but about what it means to be human, here and now.

Earth has been quietly, non-aggressively conquered by a kind, pacifist species unable to lie or deceive, who go by different names on different planets in different languages. Here they call themselves "souls", while the rebel humans who have slipped through the net call them "parasites". They a...more
Kristalia
FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★



I cannot describe how much i love this book. Even though it was long, i still loved every page of it. I never read Stephanie Meyer before, but i love this book. She really is a good writer. The only downside that i had was that i watched the movie first - therefore i knew what was going to happen. But book was so much better, with more informations about Souls, and better characterization. And, one important thing: you will either love or hate this book.




One thing also th...more
Rai
Talk about an emotional roller coaster!!!! This book was very difficult to rate. If someone were to ask me, "Was it good?" I'd have to think for a long time and then say, "No.... Well... yes, sorta.... No... It was ok." But if someone were to ask me if I'd enjoyed it, I'd instantly reply, "Yes!" Would I read it again? Probably not. Was it exciting? On occasion. Was in interesting? Very much so, in my opinion. Was it weird? YES! Were the characters well-developed? ... After the first half of the...more
Vivian
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Karin
Wanderer has just arrived on Earth and been implanted into her new host. She has lived on seven worlds before coming here. She is arriving toward the end of the alien invasion when very few humans remain. The aliens are known as “souls” and are a peace loving type that don’t know of violence or lying.

Very few humans remain on Earth. When the remaining humans are discovered, they are captured by Seekers - the closest thing to a police force the “souls” have. Once captured, they are prepared for i...more
Sella Thorne
Nov 25, 2009 Sella Thorne rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE MUST READ IT OR DIE!!! XD
GAH!!!!

AAAAGGH!!!

SODTODSHT!!

AHAAHOSHDTO!!!!!

DSODHTOHDTOHTOSDHTSHHHHHHTHIDSDOIOSHDTOIH!!!

Those are more accurate phrases, more fitting descriptions of my reaction at the end of this book. Unfortunately, those cannot be precisely translated into the English language.

Holy Crap. HOLY CRAP!! I can't even process my thoughts to write a review for this. This book was so stunning, so amazing, so crazy good that I can't even describe it. XD I'm extremely impressed of Stephenie Meyer. This beats Twilight...more
Kris
I am having so much trouble reading this book, and who am I to judge? I am just a lowly reader and spender, not a publisher. But there is just something about the writing in this book that is making the voices in my head scream. I had the same experience when I read "Twilight."
Ms. Meyers is over-the-top descriptive where there is no need to be. If I had to count how many times she wrote, "I winced." or, "I flinched." or, "I sighed." or, "Ian sighed." I bet it would be in the hundreds. She has a...more
Becca Jane
Let me start off by saying that I wanted to like this book sooooooo very much. But unfortunately I was disappointed. I was excited about Stephanie’s description of a love triangle with only two bodies, and that the book was advertised as an “Adult” book. But when the main female character, Melanie, is 17 and the main male character, Jared, is 26, I was put off. I do not have a problem with the age difference just how young she is. It would not have detracted at all from their relationship or the...more
Brenna
I freaking LOVE this book! Completely exceeded my expectations!



It is so hard to explain my love for this book. It is really long, but for me it went by so fast. I had expected it to drag in the beginning, but it didn’t feel that way at all. I enjoyed every single second, every page. I was completely and totally consumed by this story. I must go see the movie now!

Even though I think this is classified in the sci-fi genre, Stephenie Meyer describes this book as “Science fiction for people who do...more
Famin
Feb 25, 2009 Famin rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to Famin by: J-boo
It's no secret that I have a love/hate relationship with Stephenie Meyer's Stephenie Meyer writing. I've read three of the four Twilight books (with plans to read Breaking Dawn at some point). I haven't quite decided if I like them or not. I love the plotting. The action scenes are good. The line writing reads fast and is clearly well-edited. What drives me crazy is any emotional scene; any internal dialogue in a character's head, the dithering back and forth over an issue, because it goes on an...more
Infinite Playlist
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Tatiana
I just can't comprehend why so many people are rating this book 5 stars. Seriously, why? I understand we are in love with Twilight, but it's not a good enough reason to support this mediocrity.

I was extremely disappointed by Breaking Dawn, but decided not to be a hater and give SM another chance. So I opened The Host. I have to say, I have never had to put this much effort into reading a book in my life. If I didn't know who SM was, I wouldn't even bother to read after page 10, it was that bori...more
Elizabeth (Liz)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
K.D. Oliveros
Mar 26, 2009 K.D. Oliveros rated it 1 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: no one
I struggled to finish reading this book. The only reason why I forced myself to finish this is that I bought this brand new from Fullybooked and I thought that there could be some surprises that will be worth knowing at the end. It was 700 or so pages and this book is not worth my time and money. I think the main reason is the shifting of dialogues or thoughts from the alien (Wanderer) and the original human being in the heroin's body (I already forgot the name and I am not surprised).
Oceana Fern {Assorted Insanity}
4.5

Why must Stephenie be known for Twilight?

The Host was so much better. There's just something about it that I adore. besides Ian

And Jake Abel is not what I imagined Ian at all. It was Ian Somerhalder. As usual. But still.
Heather
May 25, 2008 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: late teens/ adult
Before I get into details, let me just say this: Stephenie Meyer is an excellent author and i would gladly recommend ANY of her novels. She posses the ability to pull the reader into the story and allow them to feel like they are actually there with the characters, experiencing what they experience and feeling what they feel. She paints a vivid picture of the characters and their lives in the mind of every reader who is fortunate enough to be touched by the worlds that she creates. Reading one o...more
E.B.
I loathe the Twilight novels on principle, and I can't stand Stephenie Meyer for getting rich by creating such sentimental trash targeted toward preteens. I must have gone temporarily insane when I decided to read The Host.

Of course, it wasn't good, but it really wasn't that bad either. When I say it wasn't that bad, I mean that it was better than I had expected, and I wasn't expecting much.

The writing style lacks...well, it lacks style. However, I read the novel for what it is: a mind-numbing...more
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This has nothing to do with the host i just really like it but....just read my comment it explains lol 2 22 May 20, 2013 07:14pm  
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Will there be a second movie? 7 61 May 20, 2013 08:53am  
The Host (The Host, #1)
The Host (Paperback)
The Host (The Host, #1)
The Host with Bonus Chapter (Paperback)
The Host (The Host, #1)

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I was born in Connecticut in 1973, during a brief blip in my family's otherwise western U.S. existence. We were settled in Phoenix by the time I was four, and I think of myself as a native. The unusual spelling of my name was a gift from my father, Stephen (+ ie = me). Though I have had my name spelled wrong on pretty much everything my entire life long, I must admit that it makes it easier to goo...more
More about Stephenie Meyer...
Twilight (Twilight, #1) Eclipse (Twilight, #3) New Moon (Twilight, #2) Breaking Dawn (Twilight, #4) Midnight Sun (Twilight #1.5)

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“It's not the face, but the expressions on it. It's not the voice, but what you say. It's not how you look in that body, but the thing you do with it. You are beautiful.” 2,584 people liked it
“I, the soul called Wanderer, love you, human Ian. And that will never change, no matter what I might become.” 942 people liked it
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