Grade: A+

The first thing you should know is that I am a huge fan of Stephenie Meyer and loved the Twilight series. The second thing you should know is that I had a lot of reservations about reading her other book, The Host, and even after I bought it, I waited a long time to read it, picking it up and putting it down several times. The third thing you should know is that when I finally sat down and read it, forcing myself to get past that first chapter and dispelling my disbelief and ignoring that part of my brain that said, “A love triangle / body snatching story, really?” … after all that, I loved it. I did.

This story is unlike anything I’ve ever read, except maybe Twilight. Meyer’s writing style really shines through in this and if you think about it, a love story with a super natural twist? Yeah they are similar. It takes place right here on Earth, except things are a bit different now as we’ve been taken over by an alien planet who have literally snatched our bodies out right from under us. But who is the bad guy in this story? It depends on whose point of view you are reading. And in this one, we get both points of view, often at the same time. Because something has happened to the main character and her body  that has almost never happened before – the host’s mind and soul have not left the body. Cramped quarters, am I right?

I expected myself to relate to and find myself sympathetic to the poor girl whose body has been snatched, but Meyer’s writing is so phenomenal that by the end of the book you really do find yourself rooting for and cheering on the soul, or the alien who took over her body. And it doesn’t really take that long to be honest. The love story in the book is intriguing and at times just utterly impossible, but Meyer really fleshes out the whole thing and ends with a solution that works – but not without tormenting your (the readers) feelings the whole way. I also love the details she gives of all the other worlds that these souls have taken over, why they took over Earth, how they take over … basically she leaves no stone unturned, hence the enormous size of this book. And yeah, it’s a long book – and alot happens, the story constantly evolving, but after a couple of chapters I don’t think you’ll mind the length. I got really sucked into this one and loved spending time with it every night. And now… here… on the other side? Having finished this book, I find myself in a similar place as at the end of each Twilight series book – wishing I hadn’t finished reading.

I loved The Host by Stephenie Meyer and would recommend it to guys and gals alike – my husband is starting to read it right now in fact.

Have you read The Host? Are you planning to? Why, why not, and if you did read it, what did you think?