The Host by Stephenie Meyer

(Cover picture courtesy of Stephenie Meyer’s website.)

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy.  Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining “wild” humans, is captured, she is certain it is her end.  Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too-vivid memories.  But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie’s thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance.  Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer’s mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding.  Unable to separate herself from her body’s desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing.  When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

One of the most compelling writers of our time, Stephenie Meyer brings us a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the very essence of what it means to be human.

I received this book as a late birthday gift (coincidentally, it was from the same friend who gave me The White Queen) and after I’ve read it a few times, I’m glad I didn’t spend my hard-earned money on it.

The Host is supposed to be a novel about love, loss and what it means to be human.  It is none of these three.  It is a long, rambling novel that could have been written in less than 300 pages, rather than the 600+ pages of my hardcover edition.  The plot is slow, with many pointless subplots that go nowhere.  Wanderer would have been a decent character if she was stronger and well-developed, but she was not.  She is your stereotypical gentle alien who is horrified at human barbarism.  She practically went catatonic when she saw some of the experiments conducted by the “wild” humans on souls.

The idea that the aliens (or “souls”, as they’re called) have taken over other planets and live through the natives is an interesting one.  However, it is at the height of hypocrisy that the souls are depicted as good, despite the fact that they take over people’s bodies and extinguish their host’s soul, killing them.  Humans are depicted as horrible creatures even though all they want is freedom from the souls.

I give this book 1/5 stars.

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Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

(Cover picture courtesy of On the Bookshelf.)

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit in to Jessica Packwood’s senior-year “get a life” plan.  But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchanged student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth and he’s her long-lost fiancé.  Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess.  But Jessica has never even been kissed—how can she possibly commit herself to a long-term relationship?  Or an eternal relationship, for that matter?

When I first started reading this book, I thought it would be another YA novel that jumped on the Twilight bandwagon.  Boy was I wrong!

Beth Fantaskey’s novel is the thought-provoking, yet semi-hilarious story of Jessica Packwood, a high school girl just starting her senior year.  Her plan is to get a life and become popular, but things go horribly wrong when the European exchange student, Lucius Vladescu, shows up on her doorstep, bringing back dark secrets from Jessica’s past.  Jessica is really a Romanian vampire princess who was betrothed to Lucius at birth.  Throughout her senior year, Lucius helps Jessica build up her confidence and they slowly fall in love.

Jessica’s  Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is a wonderful novel that stands out from the hundreds of other vampire novels.  My favourite part of it is when we get to see Lucius’s correspondence with his uncle back in Romania.  They offer a great insight into his personality, especially his rapier wit.  Although there are many great things about this novel, there is one thing I do not like.  Jessica takes a very, very long time to believe Lucius is a vampire, even when there are huge clues all around her.  Maybe it’s just me, but when someone shows you fangs that weren’t there before and the people who have taken care of you since birth tell you this person is a vampire, I would clue in to the fact that things are not all that they seem.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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The Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer

(Cover picture courtesy of Teacher Girl’s Book Blog.)

1763.  Gideon Seymour, thief and gentleman, hides from the villainous Tar Man.  Suddenly the sky peels away like fabric and from the gaping hole fall two curious-looking children.

Peter Schock and Kate Dryer have fallen straight from the twenty-first century, thanks to an experiment with an antigravity machine.  Before Gideon and the children have a chance to gather their wits, the Tar Man takes off with the machine—and Peter and Kate’s only chance of getting home.

Soon Gideon, Peter and Kate are swept into a journey through eighteenth-century London and form a bond that, they hope, will stand strong in the face of unfathomable treachery.

The Time Travelers is pretty much your typical time traveling story, but with much more interesting characters and more complicated science behind the actual traveling through time (especially considering this is a YA novel!).  Linda Buckley-Archer uses archetypes for her characters, but lets them grow and develop at a natural pace.  She also twists the plot until you are left breathless and wanting the second book in the trilogy by the end.

I received this book for my birthday one year and immediately fell in love with it.  Linda Buckley-Archer is an excellent writer who obviously did massive amounts of research to bring 18th century England to life.  She stays true to major historical events and places, but it is the little details that make the world of Gideon Seymour come to life for readers.

Not only did I enjoy this book with its wonderful characterization and historical accuracy, I also learned a lot from it.  Therefore, Linda Buckley-Archer has done her job as a writer of historical fiction.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

(Cover picture courtesy of tabbed books.)

Cast out of her own home after her mother’s death, Meg is a drifter, a troublemaker.  But after a botched attempt to rob an old man, Meg ends up in a very sticky situation.  Her soul is up for grabs as the divine and demonic try every underhanded trick imaginable to claim it.  Meg’s only chance to redeem herself is to help the old man she robbed fulfill his list of last wishes…before time runs out.

Eoin Colfer is probably best known for his Artemis Fowl series, but The Wish List deserves equal recognition, in my opinion.  It is a wonderful, occasionally hilarious tale of forgiveness and redemption.  The Wish List is a book that can be enjoyed by the young and old alike.

It starts off with Meg, the protagonist, and Belch (her accomplice) robbing an old man, injuring him badly.  When Meg hesitates and wants to stop the burglary, Belch fires a shotgun at Meg, which explodes the gas tank behind her and kills them both.  This may sound like a horrible beginning to a YA book, but it gets a lot better.  Meg’s list of good and bad deeds is completely equal, which means she has to go back to Earth and help the old man she injured fulfill his bucket list (aka, his wish list) in order to get into Heaven.

While Meg helps atone for her bad deeds, we learn more of her story as well as why both the devil and St. Peter are battling for her soul.  Of course, Eoin Colfer uses his creativity to create very interesting versions of Heaven and Hell.  He also uses his writing prowess to make a plot twist and turn in such a way that the ending will leave you pleasantly surprised.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

(Cover picture courtesy of In Between Writing and Reading.)

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys and keep on being ordinary.  I don’t even know what that means anymore.  It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won’t leave me alone.  To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a “special home” for troubled teens.  Yet the home isn’t what it seems.  Don’t tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my classmates than meets the eye.  The question is, whose side are they on?  It’s up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House…before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

Do you like urban fantasy but are sick of all the clichés that usually come with it?  Well, have I got the book for you!

The Summoning starts out as a typical urban fantasy novel: the protagonist, Chloe, seeing something no one else can see.  But soon the plot twists and Chloe ends up in a group home where all is not as it seems.  When Chloe learns the truth about Lyle House, she decides to act, but is betrayed by someone she thought was her friend.

Chloe is a realistic and believable character with flaws that will help readers identify with her.  She can be kind and caring, but also selfish and petty.  It is these seemingly contradictory characteristics that make her such a complex, believable character, which is what Kelley Armstrong was going for.

The only thing I think fell short was the fact that there was never really an adequate explanation for the source of Chloe’s powers.  It may just be me, but I like it when writers explain the source of magic in their books.  It makes the world-building seem a bit more complete.  What do you think?  Do you like it when writers explain magic to you?

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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