Review of The Host

In short

The Host tells the story of planet earth being overtaken by another species, a parasite-like alien who instead of destroying us, uses our bodies to stay alive.
This tale starts when most of humanity is already under control of the parasites, so-called Souls, and a human rebel has been captured. A seasoned "soul" is being put in her body and is supposed to be helping the others to find the last remaining humans.

Wanderer, as this soul is called, struggles to adapt to her new body. Melanie, the woman the body belongs to, isn't giving up without a fight and tries desperately to protect her loved ones.
This results in the Soul being overwhelmed with feelings of love for people she doesn't know. Instead of helping her own kind find the humans, she goes off by herself and tries to find Melanie's brother and lover.

She succeeds in her attempt when she stumbles upon a small community of humans. As relief washed over her that she has found the ones she was looking for, she realises that the humans aren't believing her and threating her with the utmost contempt for she is what has been taking over their lives. In the weeks and months that follow both humans and souls will realise that not everything is always as it seems.

My two cents

Expecting an adult novel from the praised Twilight author Stephenie Meyer, I wasn't in a very happy mood, when again I found myself wasting my time with something I'd much rather have read 15 years ago.
Still, I couldn' put it down either. I wanted to know what was going to happen, and now that I know, I'm feeling quite ambivalent about it. I'm glad I know the ending, but it wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be. No grand finale, just kind of giving it the happy ending we all know from the nineties.
It could have been giving a little bit of depth if the ending had been different.

Nah, I'm not a fan of this novel. Too longwinded, too childishly written and again a heroine whose afraid of her own breath and then turns a 180 and helps the lot in a life jeopardising manner.
Another Bella, but from another planet.

Page count: 619 pages
First published in 2008

Review of Breaking Dawn

Author: Stephenie Meyer
First published in 2008.
Thickness: 756 pages
Personal rating: 4 stars

In short
The fourth and last installment of the Twilight Sage thus far, depicting what happens after Edward gets what he wants and can marry Bella, and what happens after Bella gets what she wants, a passionfilled night with Edward while she is still human.
Bella gets pregnant of a half human, half vampiric child and dies delivering the baby. Not exactly dies, but is restored to full immortality and all the benefits that come along with that. Although there are drawbacks, Bella adapts to the new way of life like she was born to be a vampire.

Happily living with Edward, their daughter and still having Jacob and Charlie in her life, her new life becomes threatened when the Volturi decide to stop by and kill their lot, because of the accusations of someone not knowing what she saw.

Facing ultimate destruction, the Cullen clan try their best finding a way out.

My two cents
My second read of this novel, I have to say that Breaking Dawn is my most favourite novel of the Twilight Saga. Many would disagree but I find it much more interesting having a Bella character that can decide and act for herself rather than having to depend on her 'superhero' boyfriend.
It makes for interesting debacles and situations, otherwise would have been much of what I've read in the previous novels. Bella always clumsy and always having her knight in shining armour helping her out, whether in Edward or Jacob form.

Also the addition of a child was a wonderful idea. Love is completed when a child comes from it, and Renesmee is surely an interesting little creature, more so because Jacob imprinted on her. Gives the whole Bella-Edward-Jacob triangle finally a reason and an ending.
The only one I feel sorry for is Leah, it seems like she is the only one left hanging, although she would snarl if you would ever put it like that when she was near. All of them having a purpose and she not truly belonging amongst the wolves nor vampires.
Before the imprinting, I could've seen something in the very far future between her and Jacob, but that's out of the question now.

In the end, the only thing I do regret is the anticlimatic battle with the Volturi. I'm not saying I'm not glad they won and because of Bella, but this novel could've been much better when the ending hadn't been so happy. At the moment, I know that the novel will be pushed back to the outer realms of my memory fairly quickly,  while with a slightly lesser happy ending it would have lingered a little longer. Maybe I'm just a sucker for drama, but just saying.

Review of Eclipse

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Published in 2007
Thickness: 629 pages

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob —- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which? (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/428263.Eclipse_Twilight_3_)


Seems like I'm handing out only 3 stars lately. Am I in a rut? God, I hope not! Maybe I need a break from the YA for a while. 
Eclipse got read finally, even with the Sookie breaks in between I managed to finish up this third installment of the legendary (good or bad, you fill in the blanks) Twilight series. I myself don't find them tremendously good, but not bad either. It passes the time and sometimes that's what reading is for me. Not an investment, but an enjoyment. 


Eclipse has much more to offer than the previous novel New Moon. I didn't like that moaning and falling apart, way too dramatic, even for a highschool girl. Twilight still is my number one, but I do find Breaking Dawn the second in command, even though almost everyone in the twilight-universe isn't backing this up. 
This is my second read of Eclipse, but while I breezed through it the last time (read all four of them in a weekend), I don't seem to have the same feeling about them. But I promised myself to read them all again once and by god if I don't respect my own promises. 


My thoughts in short, is that Twilight is a path for Bella and in Eclipse she has come upon a fork in the road and she isn't sure which way to take. Is Edward the one for her? After he abandoned her once and after him clearly not wanting her to become a vampire herself. Jacob was there for her while she was hurting from his sudden departure and in that time he has found a way into her heart, albeit in a less obvious way that Edward gained entrance. 
Is Jacob the one for her? Sometimes it feels like he doesn't 'want' Bella, for being with her, but mainly because she will get to live and Edward won't have her. I feel the pathetic little part of love more palpable in Jacob, than I do in Edward. Jacob is too immature to know what love really is and he is doing what most do of his age, putting their first love on a pedestal and be warned to one who tries to shake those foundations. 


Bella herself is torn between Edward and Jacob because, like in the previous novels, she seems to be guided by the current instead of choosing herself. She is a selfcentered little person, but most girls are at her age, so what can we expect. The only thing that seriously aggravated me is the continuous low self esteem and the guilt trips she constantly has. Lighten up Bella, you've got two gorgeous guys wanting you. Nothing wrong with the way you look and enjoy it while it lasts. 


In the end she chooses obviously for Edward and an eternal life with him. I felt sorry for Jacob, but life isn't always fair. The fork in the road wasn't really a choice she had to make, as it both would have led to the same end, but one directly and the other with a serious heartbreaking detour. I guess Bella had her walking shoes on. 


And now enough with the metaphores and I'm ending this review. One left to reread and since it is my second favourite I will probably like it better.