The Host by Stephenie Meyer (book review)

              To be honest, I've been a fan of Stephenie Meyer's work for a long time already. I loved the Twilight series so I really couldn't wait to start reading The Host. You would think that I recently just bought the book but, in truth, I've had a copy of it for quite a while. I just didn't have the time to start reading it. However with the soon release of the movie, I couldn't help myself from finding out what the story was really about so I started reading it.

               The Host surprised me a lot and made me even like it more than I liked the Twilight series. The reason for it was because I found the story quite unique and very compelling. It might have been because I haven't really read much books on Aliens (except maybe for Daniel X by James Patterson), though I would think even one who has read a lot of Alien-based story books would find this book very interesting. Anyways, just a brief background (in case you weren't familiar with the story), Wanderer is an alien inhabiting the body of this human girl, Melanie. Usually when an alien inhabits a human body, they keep the memories and past emotions of the human body, however, the human soul that used to live in that body dies. In Wanderer's case, Melanie didn't die and she is very much present inside the body. This poses a lot of problems for Wanderer, especially when it comes to controlling the body's emotions and longing for the boy named Jared. This longing for Jared, leads both characters - Wanderer and Melanie - to journey through the desert in the hope of finding Jared. Now, I will stop here because I would like you to read the book so you'd understand why I liked it a lot.

             So, just to enumerate, these are the reasons why I loved the book:

1. The realistic feel of the characters. I really liked how these characters are very different but at the same time, very diverse. Take for instance, the character of Jared. When Jared meets Wanderer, in Melanie's body, (spoiler), he presents a mix of emotions. He is happy to see the face again of the girl he loves, however, he is both sad and angry that she is inhibited by this alien. This makes it hard for Jared to physically hurt Wanderer because what he sees is Melanie or her body, to say the least. This is a very human emotion to long for a loved one that might not even be there, but it makes it all the more realistic. You could just imagine that pain Jared feels in seeing Melanie (Wanderer) again.

2.  The theme of love. Throughout the book, Meyer presents different kinds of love such as a Mother's love, love for one's kind and the romantic kind of love. These different themes of love can be seen in how the characters of the story interact with one another. Melanie protecting Jamie at all costs shows a familial bond that can be associated with the love of a mother for her child. The way the human community protects one another from any alien intruder (as seen in their reaction to Wanderer's presence). The way Ian cares for Wanderer shows the romantic kind of love; the love that can surpass all things. All these kinds of love were presented throughout the book, which made it so much more understandable and different.

3.The gradual element of the story. I have read some books, where the characters instantly jump into a relationship after one day. In this story, all the relationships developed gradually like Wanderer's love for Ian and Jared's acceptance of Wanderer. This, again, made it all the more believable because all relationships require time to develop and it cannot be solidified in just a day.

4. The unique premise of the story. I found it really intriguing that Melanie remained alive in the story, despite being possessed by an alien. Also, by the fact that through Melanie's memories, Wanderer also kinds of falls in love with Jared. It poses the question if Wanderer really loves Jared or is it just the memories of him that make it so? This question will be answered once you have read the book. This is also the reason why I like it more than Twilight (also because the story of a vampire in love with a human has been used before).

5. The message that you can't really judge anyone based on what you see. Throughout the story, the humans come to terms with this message as they see Wanderer's true self. It also reminds us, not only as readers but also as human beings that we shouldn't judge others based on what we see. There is more to a person than just the physical and this book seemed to have exemplified this point.

          These are the reasons why I loved this book and I really urge you all to go out, get yourself a copy. Lastly, I hope the movie will be just as great! Here's the poster in case you didn't see it yet.