The Host by Stephanie Meyer 4 Stars!!!

I had first started out reading this book with about a few pages into it and I ended up putting it down to read another book that I had been waiting for eagerly. There was a couple of months in between before I finally picked it up again, and I've got to say, I have regretted putting it down the first time. After Stephenie Meyer's breakout success from the Twilight Saga, I thought to myself, "What could be better than this? Nothing could top it." I was wrong...

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. Most of humanity has succumbed.
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.

Using thought provoking, thrilling, and romantic characteristics, Meyer has created a stunning piece of art. She delves into the recesses of both their minds, literally and figuratively. Melanie and her incessant resistance to subconciously leave the remains of what has become of her is very fierce and strong of mind, though quite annoying with her unexpected remarks here and there. Towards the end of the novel it really starts to pick up on how both Mel and Wanda will have to find a way to be with the ones they love.

There were a few lows to this book but very insignificant to account on a major level. It does start off a bit sluggish, even towards the middle. The parts most intriguing to me were actually not the primary lovers but the supporting characters. Also, the life styles and "culture" of the Invaders and how they migrate from place to place to seek hosts to survive and sustain themselves.  Ian was my favorite character in my opinion... but that is all I'll say for those interested in reading the book.

Overall, it was worth the read. A job well done!

To view Stephanie Meyer's website click here!

 

Teaser Tuesday's!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.
Play along: Grab your current read; Open to a random page; Share two teaser sentences from that page; Share the title and author so other participants know what you’re reading.

Today's teaser comes from A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin:

"Three," he squeaked to Chett, "that was three, I heard three. They never blow three. Not for hundreds and thousands of years. Three means-"

     "-Others." Chett made a sound that was half a laugh and half a sob, and suddenly his small clothes were wet, and he could feel the piss running down his leg, see steam rising off the front of his breeches."

Let the Right One In Book Review! 4 stars.

I first heard about this title through a sneak preview of the film. There are two versions of the film, the original was released in 2008 (Swedish) and the new one in 2010 (American). The trailer alone was enough to get me hooked instantly. John Ajvide Lindqvist, the author, describes the tale of an isolated and lonely boy of 12, Oskar, who befriends a centuries-old vampire child "girl" named Eli. This books tends to focus more on the darker side of humanity: bullying, anxiety, paedophilia and murder.

Twelve-year-old Oskar is obsessed about the murder that has taken place in his neighborhood. Then he meets a new girl from next door. She's a bit weird though. And she only comes out at night...

Lindqvist has written what is cleary a classic in the making, in my opinion. There are very few chapters in the book which makes the novel seem to go by sluggishly slow: the time span in the story takes place in the course of about a week or two so you can imagine how much detail and information has to be squeezed into a 472 page book. Towards the beginning of the book, I found it to be slightly grueling to get through. The only thing really motivating me to finish it was because of the outstanding film. But once I started getting to the middle portion of it, it started to really pick up and the book gradually increased my appreciation for it. The struggles that are revealed by the characters made me feel what they felt, hurt when they hurt, and scared when they were put in danger. I could understand and condone the hardships Hakan had to go through, all for his loving affection for Eli despite how dangerous and life threatening they were. I'll stop talking about that because that plays a somewhat huge role in the story and I don't want to ruin it for those that do plan to read it. 

Overall, it was fantastic read and one I would definitely recommend to those literature and classic horror fans. Absolutely chilling and twisted, I believe this was a powerful and thought provking piece of art that deserves to be more well known to the world. So go ahead, give this book a try. You won't regret it.

Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.
Play along: Grab your current read; Open to a random page; Share two teaser sentences from that page; Share the title and author so other participants know what you’re reading.

Today's teaser comes from A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

"Something dark was dangling against the walls of Riverrun, Catelyn saw from a distance. When she rode close, she saw dead men hanging from the battlements, slumped at the ends of long ropes with hempen nooses tight around their necks, their faces swollen and black." (page 488, Nook Version)

24 Hour Readathon!!!

Dewey's 24 Read-a-thon!!! I recently came upon this awesome challenge and I am extremely excited to say that I will be participating in my first 24 hour readathon in two weeks-ish. The day and time it starts is on October 22, 2011 at 5 a.m. Yes, I did say at 5 in the morning. There are different time zones for readers in the various regions and ours unfortunately lands on an unfortunate time. I really encourage other voracious readers who have a passion for reading to greatly consider this task and those who do decide to do it, to commit yourselves to finishing the 24 hours. I will be counting the days until this event. Those who want more info about the read-a-thon click here.

P.S.  I will be posting more reviews on my books that I have already read. I've just been too busy with my academics that I don't have time to work on them but I will do my best to get as many done as I can ASAP.

Teaser Tuesdays!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.

Play along: Grab your current read; Open to a random page; Share two teaser sentences from that page; Share the title and author so other participants know what you’re reading. :)

HUSH, HUSH - by Becca Fitzpatrick

"Rixon laid his hand intimately on her thigh and grinned affectionately at her, and I felt my chest ache with envy. I averted my eyes, but it didn't dilute the envy that seemed to hang like a rock in my throat" (284).  Hardcover Edition

Book Review - A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin 5 Stars!!

     An author who's been proclaimed as the modern American Tolkien does not go unheeded. I simply had to see what this guy had to offer. And I've got to say, he has exceeded my expectations. A Game of Thrones has both a dark and cynical feel presented throughout many parts of the story. I loved this book mostly because the book isn't the cliche "...happily ever after" that most authors tend to aim for; instead, Martin replaces it with a tragic ending where anyone can meet their downfall, good or bad. With him, the good guys are hardly ever triumphant.
     I'm warning anyone who reads this now that this is a brief description of what the book is about so I'll try to be as vague as possible and TRY             not to add any spoilers.                                                                                  
     "Winter is Coming". Summer, after 10 long years, is finally coming to an end and the people of Westeros fear of the ensuing winter that is right around the corner. In the South, the king is losing the faith of the people he rules and at the heart of this omnipotent kingdom lie the Starks of Winterfell. Lord of Winterfell and the Warden of the North, Eddard stark is greeted by his old companion, the king of Westeros, Robert Baratheon. In this meeting, the king convinces 'Ned' to come to the South back with him to rule as the King's Hand. From there, events start to unfold as lords and ladies, soldiers and assassins join together to win the deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.
     I could go on and on about this book, but I wouldn't want to spoil it for those who are interested. This book was a real page-turner which was a surprise to me seeing as there are 7 books in the series and very close to 1000 pages for each one. Martin has a way of wrapping his literary finger around the reader in such a way that when the slightest hint of boredom is starting to creep into our minds, he knows just how to snap us back into the exciting parts of it.
     There are some cons to this story as well. Although I like the fact that Martin alternates between different characters each chapter to provide insight on the good and bad sides, I believe that there are way too many characters for a reader to follow. There are so many names presented in the book that it feels like I have to take notes to remember which is which and I try hard not to confuse them with someone else. Another flaw, which I seem to contradict myself in, is that there is literally no happy parts to this story at all. Although I do appreciate that it strays from the repetitive happy ending's, I would AT LEAST like some kind of good fortune coming from the good guys. It is very explicit in detail, and when I saw explicit, boy do I mean it.
     In conclusion, it was an amazing book that I would highly recommend for medieval fantasy lovers. Again, if anyone is in the least bit interested in this book, please take my advice and consider it. You will not regret it.

Check out George RR Martin's Website for more info about the author!