Wanda is unbelievably selfless, sacrificing herself at every turn, first to make others’ lives better and later to save Melanie’s life. It is clear that the protagonist is a metaphor for Meyer’s views on motherhood. However, as the story progresses, she comes to understand her error and becomes less humane but more human as the plot continues. Her flaw is that she perceives her species to be morally superior and this justifies the theft of the Earth. She’s more “human” than any human in the sense that she demonstrates great humanity throughout the story. There have been many previous bodysnatcher novels, but this must be the first time that the alien was the heroine of the story.īut, of course, Wanda is a sympathetic character.

Instead, Meyer makes Wanda a parasite - an alien bodysnatcher. Usually, the protagonist in a romance is a sympathetic character with whom the reader can easily identify. The great thing about The Host is that the female protagonist is so unexpected. If you don’t want to know what happens in the story, you should stop reading now.

I believe Meyer learned her writing craft while writing the Twilight Series and then put her newfound skills to good use when she wrote her two later books. The Host is in a completely different class. If you previously read Twilight, you may be reluctant to risk picking up The Host. I know Meyer received much criticism for the perceived poor quality of her prose, but I wish she would write more books. It remained so until 2016 when Meyer published The Chemist.

After I read The Host, it immediately became my favorite book. That is exactly how I felt the first time I read The Host by Stephenie Meyer.Īs you can see from my well-worn copy above, I have read The Host many times since it was first released in 2008. A review of my favorite book - The Host, by Stephenie Meyer.ĭid you ever hear what happened when Thackeray read Jane Eyre for the first time? He complained to the publishers because he became so absorbed in the story that he lost a whole day when he was already behind on his work.

Stephenie meyer books the host