Oh, Stephenie Meyer, how thou grown since thy last published the crappy Twilight saga.
I must admit, I have been prolonging this book for YEARS. Twilight was a huge disappointment for me, but perhaps it just wasn't for me. I did enjoy the movies, though to be honest it was probably all because of Jacob (Woot Team Jacob!). I watched The Host in 2013 when it came out, so this book actually ended up being a "Movie to Book" read as well.
I re-watched the movie first and then started the book. Holy damn it was awesome. I had enjoyed the film before because of its unique perspective on alien invasion and how Meyer described the human soul so beautifully through her protagonists. The book only amplified it all, plus more.
When you read a book and then go watch a movie, it usually doesn’t go well because you feel so much has been taken out. However, doing it in the other order has been life-changing. Reading the book after watching the movie only made me love the storyline more. I learned more about Melanie and Wanderer through scenes that weren’t in the movie, and through their actions. The plot was so different though followed a similar layout. Some action sequences occurred differently, but the outcome mirrored what happened in the movie.
I enjoyed the slower pace of the character development once they reached the canyon caves because I learned so much more about all the side characters, and I ended up liking Ian, one of the side characters, a lot faster through the slower pace than in the movie. I remember thinking how in movies people always fell in love so quickly since it was literally in minutes, but with the book, it took days upon days, weeks, months. I truly loved that change.
I’ll be generous and grant Meyer a 5 out of 5 compared to Twilight. Although it held a good pace and contained deeper and more complex characters than in her past works, the book on its own, though entertaining, did not feel too memorable. It could be a fun book I once read, but not a great book that influenced and impacted me for years to come, therefore I have to give this book a 4 out of 5 when compared to other stand-alone books I have read.
Next book will be #17: a book a friend recommended; Partials, by: Dan Wells.
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