The Host - Stephenie Meyer

I have absolutely no shame in saying that I loved the twilight books, which I read a few years ago now, and after reading them I was desperate to read other books by Meyer and I was not disappointed by The Host. It was brilliant.

Now disclaimer, this is a sci-fi novel and involves aliens, space and all that jazz but it is a fantastic gateway book into the whole sci-fi world and would be brilliant for anyone that wants to try the genre without jumping straight into a star ship out of this world alien planetarium war.

Looking at the book it is a monster, really thick and a bit heavy, but trust me you do not feel it whilst reading the story. Its effectively a love story but with unconventional twists and turns (thank you sci-fi) and not one that will leave you thinking 'hey haven't I read that before?' like so many romance stories do now a days. Unusual, unconventional and leaving you firmly divided in yourself as to what you want to happen as the story progresses.

Its easy to assume that this book would be terrible because of the twilight stigma that surrounds it, (side note: the twilight books are REALLY GOOD, granted the films are a bit rubbish but give the books a try!) but I love Stephenie Meyer's writing style and she crafts a beautiful book out of a story that is at great risk of being wildly confusing. If twilight was written for a younger teenage girl audience, this is seemingly more grown up and eloquent young adult fiction and would be suited to teenagers and adults a like. I certainly read it for the first time relatively young and have re-read it as an 18 year old (as well as lending it to older family and friends) and enjoyed it just as much.

Like so many book adaptations, the film does not do the book justice (granted I do also love the film) and its so worth picking up the book if you like young adult fiction, romance or even just want to try sci-fi; its a great story and really gripping, full of twists and very original ideas, settings and characters and is totally relevant for todays world.