Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Book No. 8 - May 2010

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of their human hosts, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading 'soul' who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too-vivid memories. But she did not expect that Melanie would refuse to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with vision of the man she loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding.
Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

3 comments:

  1. Finished The Host for the second time this morning. I love this book. the first time it took me a little while to get hooked but once i was i counldn't put it down. I think i liked it more the second time cause i wasn't trying to guess what it was all about. i'm glad i'm done i can study again lol

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  2. This was a book I was unsure I'd like, though once I got caught up in the complex story - there was no way I was going to put it down! It had stirred so much intrigue within me... I have been have dreams about it. Bizarre that a book has filtered through my psyche so fervently.
    All in all, I did like it. It was probably the longest read I've had in a while - I wasn't buzzing to 'get through it' - I took my time.
    I bawled my eyes out in the last chapter (before the epilogue), and found the way it stirred emotion beautiful. I was so wrapped up in the scene, the tears just kept flowing.
    I recommend it, though prepare to be patient, enjoy a complex story and more than likely let it stir your dreams... although maybe that's just a 'me thing'.
    Happy reading! What's next?

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  3. Sigh. I can't agree. Stephanie Meyer is a great writer in the way that she manages the twist and turns that keep you flicking that page.... but remind you of Twilight anyone?!? For all the complexity, and originality she has invested in a classic aliens take over earth storyline, I couldn't help but think of Bella and the Cullens the whole time.

    Wanda (Bella), in all her worlds,never found somewhere she fits and ends up most at home within a community of a completely different species. She is prepared to die for the humans, a sacrifice Bella is prepared to make time and again for the Vampires.

    The love triangle seems to only further perpetuate this. Wanda/Melanie love Jared (Bella loves Edward). But Wanda's relationship with Ian almost exactly mirrors that of Bellas and Jacobs (minus all the werewolf vampire details of course). It is Ian who gets Wanda in a way Jared fails to understand. Jared seperates himself (being human) as something different to Wanda,and even as their relationship grows throughout the book, he cannot fully remove himself from those prejudices (like Edward). Ian does not make this identification, and does not care (Jacob).... Blah blah blah all the way to the end when Jared and Melanie can only truly be together when they're both the same species. And Ian finds love in the new manifestation of Wanda(Jacob imprints on Renesme), which kinda feels like settling for second best to me, but thats the way the story goes.

    I was disappointed, maybe it was the hype, maybe it was I'm not that interested in alien stories, maybe it was that Twilight swept me off my feet, and it was read in its shadow. i don't know, but not one of my favourites :(

    Janelle

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