Review of "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer

Hello Fellow Readers,

While I'm waiting these last few weeks for The Cicadas to become available, I've decided to give some comments on books that I've read recently, beginning with Stephenie Meyer's latest, The Host. Later I'll review Stephenie Meyer's 4-book Twilight series, plus Stephen King's Just After Sunset and Duma Key, an older book called The Giver by Lois Lowry, and others. But now, on to Stephenie Meyer's fifth book, The Host.

I loved it. Now I know that most people, especially the Twilight series' almost cult following of young females will disagree with me but I actually enjoyed The Host more than the Twilight series (Twilight · New Moon · Eclipse · Breaking Dawn). Okay, before you flame me for writing it, you should understand that I really did like Twilight and I understand why the story moves so many people. I mean, what girl wouldn't want a perfect guy with superhuman powers and the ability to read a women's mind and anticipate her needs? Anyway, back to The Host.

The opening scene lost me briefly as the terrified and angry girl chooses to plummet to her death to avoid the alternative--having her body invaded and controlled by some alien entity. But my confusion cleared quickly as the story unfolded and took me on an adventure full of suspense, intrigue, and a little romance. Some of the back story reminded me of The Giver, but like Twilight, Stephenie Meyer manages to make everything fit together in a well designed plot that brings the characters and the fantasy world in which they live to a full and vibrant life.

Twilight was billed as a teen series, but I cringed a little during some of the scenes, knowing that my 13-year old daughter had read it already. The Host is labeled for the adult section, but in my opinion, it is tamer than the 4 books of Twilight, a PG at worst.

Bottom Line: If you haven't yet read Stephenie Meyer's The Host, then you are missing out on a great book. If you haven't read Twilight, you are missing out on a phenomenon.

Shawn Penning
author of The Cicadas