The Host: A Novel

Dear Stephenie,

Please stop writing.

Please?

Or stop bragging about never taking a writing class, and take a writing class.

That's all. kthx.

Over the summer I read the Twilight series, as all of the girls I teach couldn't stop talking about it. I was horrified at the weak central female character, who seemed to think that being controlled by men was acceptable, and that suicide was a great option when a relationship worked out. A friend recommended The Host to me, saying that this "adult" book by Stephanie Meyer would be more to my liking.

Instead, this book has all of the failings of the Twilight series, some of which are exaggerated. The female protagonist is still weak, content to be controlled by men, unwilling to make any decision unless it involves suicide. The supposedly "strong" female character, Mel, turns into a babbling moron every time her loved one is near, and picks fights with Wanderer over Jared, instead of focusing on more important issues. Other than Mel, every female character is depicted as tiny and helpless, while the male characters are strong, able leaders. Even Kyle, a two-dimensional male character for most of the book, grows by the end. But the female characters stay disappointingly the same: they are the pining weak lovers or (in a few cases) the grumpy, sharp mouthed harpies that no one likes.

I hate that this book, as well as Meyer's others, is devoured by young girls who might buy into this model of womanhood. Women can be strong, and women don't have to be beautiful, or frail, or self-sacrificing. However, this is a truth Stephanie Meyer apparently never learned.

Not what I was expecting... Once i got into the book I just couldn't put it down I hope there is a sequel to this novel. The story was very different but I loved every bit of it..

Well, I read the reviews on Twilight and I do agree with many of the reviews. The book was an easy read and it went against many of the norms of the ideas we have of vampires, however, I like a little imagination and something new...so that brings me to The Host!! which I thought was a great book which took me into a genre I have never thought I would enjoy, SciFi, not that it's completely SciFi, but it's really more SciFi than I'm used to reading, (I'm in Law School, so when I read for leisure I DO take it easy...lol) but i really did enjoy this book even though I thought it was a slow read at first it did get better so it was worth it in the end. The one unfortunate thing, about the book is that Wanderer is a bit like Bella, she "shudders" at many thoughts, mainly her love interest being away from her or being hurt..not sure what all that is about...but I think that was the worst part of the book, at least for me it was...I honestly want a second book to come out because as you may have read it seems that Wanderer is not so unique within her kind as she thought she was. So...it's a good read after all and I can't wait to see if there is more to come in connection with The Host. Thx!

After reading the Twilight Saga, I HAD to read The Host. I really like how this book is completely different from the Twilight Series and still is a romance novel. Stephenie Meyer uses a lot of creativity in this book that I respect. If you like Fantasy or Sience Fiction, you will probably like this book. After reading it I was hoping for a sequel.