The Host by Stephenie Meyer: Book Review

 The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Amazon Description:
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST
is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

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My Review:
I have never been a fan of sci-fi books before and I only wanted to read The Host because Stephenie Meyer is the author and I am a huge fan of The Twilight Saga. I was surprised at how little of the book can actually be considered sci-fi when the main character is a soul. Stephenie Meyer describes the book as "Sci-Fi for people who don't like Sci-Fi" and I couldn't agree more.

The best part of The Host is the may different aspects of love it explores. Love of family, friends, humankind, and the earth are all weaved in throughout the story. Wanderer is a soul incapable of hatred, even for Melanie who refuses to fade away and it is their relationship that is the most interesting in this novel.

I have read The Host many times since its release in 2010. It is my favorite book of all time. I was surprised at how easily I could relate to both Melanie and Wanderer. The emotions in this book always feel true and the relationships are all complex and beautifully developed.

I rate The Host by Stephenie Meyer 5 stars and recommend it for anyone looking for a good read.

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Certainty by Eileen Sharp

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After reading the synopsis of Certainty by Eileen Sharp, I had to read it. Ren can see the future through ghosts who speak to him. When he meets MacKenzie, the girl he knows he's going to fall in love with, things are complicated because of the information he knows about her brother's tragic accident. The cover made the synopsis even more intriguing and I really thought it would have a creepy type of storyline and a forbidden love thrown in for flair, but I was wrong.

 

Unfortunately, the story was weak. I was shocked at the amount of filler in this book.  A ton of unneeded information that built up to nothing. You are halfway through the book before anything actually happens.  Certainty is told in first person through the perspective of Ren and MacKenzie.  While I like this idea, it just didn't work out so well.  There were no defining characteristics between the two and when the internal personal monologue went on, I had to think about who's perspective it was.  In all honesty, it felt as though maybe this was meant to be a short story but the author decided to put more information than what was needed just to make the book longer. You could read the first 10, middle 20 and last 20 pages and not be lost as to what the story is.

 

Certainty needs an editor as well.  There weren't too many spelling or grammar errors but certain characters' actions were repetitive and not described any differently. Also, some of the language was not really convincing for any 16 year old.  I don't know any teen who's used the word "derriere" in today's society.

 

All that being said, I did see a glimmer of promise in Certainty. There were a few descriptions (mostly when there was raw emotion) that were flawless and the actual story without the filler is pretty good.  Really what this book needs is an editor not afraid to hurt the author's feelings and willingness to chop off about 100 pages of this 220 page book.

 

Overall, I rate Certainty by Eileen Sharp 2 stars.