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The Host rant part 3

Even I myself can't believe it, but I'm going to rant about The Host again after reading the translation of the book.

You might wonder why on earth I was re-reading this book again. here're a few reasons: (1) I found the translated version of the book in library so I decided to take full advantage on public resource, (2) I can read faster when the book had been translated into my first language, (3) since I skipped parts and sometime chapters to make it through the English version, I decided to give The Host the benefit of doubt.

So, after reading The Host from page to page till the end, here's my opinion.

*plot-spoiler warning*

1. The translator, whoever he or she is, had done a fine job to transform the originally dry and dully English writing by Stephenie Meyer into some pretty descent writing. Yes I had done the comparison, so………good job Translator! Even though it is not the best translation ever but I still appreciate the effort.

2. Despite the translator's effort, still nothing can redeem the tiresomeness and boredom of this overly lengthy novel( the translated version contents 622 pages).

3. Jared, now I noticed that the first time he met Melanie, the very first thing he did after realizing she was a human, was to kiss her on the lips, without consent. Such a nice way to greet a (frightened) girl whom you barely know. What a jerk.

4. since in the past I tended to skip whenever Mel's flashback about Jared came up, now I noticed that during one of those flashbacks, Jared said he would not give up Mel if it meant saving the entire human race. It's a line that bound to make people LOL, right?

5. Ian, when he was first being introduced to us readers, he was actively assisting his brother Kyle to murder Wanda/Melanie. But once Kyle left the hideout, and after only five chapters later, also after Wanda spent sometime getting familiar with everybody else and did some helping. Ian admitted that he thought it was okay to have an alien wandering around in the hideout and he started being nice to Wanda, to a point that he was concerning himself whether she felt pain or not. The transformation of Ian from a would-be murderer into a nice guy is just too rapid, that's just not believable. His sudden change of heart isn't quite believable.

6. Sharon and Maggie, Melanie's cousin and aunt; who hated Wanda from beginning to the end even after the others slowly changed their view toward the all good, self scarifying *throws up* alien Wanda. The two of them were presented as two mean bitches, but we are never given the reason to explain their hatred toward Wanda. Unreasonable hatred is just as tiresome/boring as unreasonable love.

7. the ending: I noticed for the second time that Mel and Jared's resolution of saving Wanda is to capture a girl, removing the 'soul' within her body and offered the now empty body to Wanda to hack into; claiming that there was no one to claim the girl's body back so it's right to give it to Wanda. Argh, I wonder can they sleep well at night after doing this to the girl.

8. the alien race was being described over and over as good and peace-loving, to a point that I really started to think SMeyer wrote this as a satire; unluckily she wasn't.

9. Back then I thought that the aliens in the story could be written into more interesting characters. But now I realized I was wrong. Despite still being two dimensionals, most of the alien supporting characters(Wanda doesn't count) are indeed more vivid and interesting than all of the human characters in the book. Still Wanda had claimed that humans have more personality and emotion than her own race. That's strange.

10. To be fair, The Host has its bright spots e.g. interesting (if not original) setting and ideas on describing the alien's race, a little touching moment of sibling love between Mel and her younger brother here and there. Still it can not cover up the boredom, the lack of suspense and true crisis, and the cheesy romance that haunt the entire novel.

*end of plot spoiler*

Okay…I swear that that will be the last time I rant about The Host, tomorrow I'll return the book to the library and forget about it.

Description
The Host rant part 3

Even I myself can't believe it, but I'm going to rant about The Host again after reading the translation of the book.

You might wonder why on earth I was re-reading this book again. here're a few reasons: (1) I found the translated version of the book in library so I decided to take full advantage on public resource, (2) I can read faster when the book had been translated into my first language, (3) since I skipped parts and sometime chapters to make it through the English version, I decided to give The Host the benefit of doubt.

So, after reading The Host from page to page till the end, here's my opinion.

*plot-spoiler warning*

1. The translator, whoever he or she is, had done a fine job to transform the originally dry and dully English writing by Stephenie Meyer into some pretty descent writing. Yes I had done the comparison, so………good job Translator! Even though it is not the best translation ever but I still appreciate the effort.

2. Despite the translator's effort, still nothing can redeem the tiresomeness and boredom of this overly lengthy novel( the translated version contents 622 pages).

3. Jared, now I noticed that the first time he met Melanie, the very first thing he did after realizing she was a human, was to kiss her on the lips, without consent. Such a nice way to greet a (frightened) girl whom you barely know. What a jerk.

4. since in the past I tended to skip whenever Mel's flashback about Jared came up, now I noticed that during one of those flashbacks, Jared said he would not give up Mel if it meant saving the entire human race. It's a line that bound to make people LOL, right?

5. Ian, when he was first being introduced to us readers, he was actively assisting his brother Kyle to murder Wanda/Melanie. But once Kyle left the hideout, and after only five chapters later, also after Wanda spent sometime getting familiar with everybody else and did some helping. Ian admitted that he thought it was okay to have an alien wandering around in the hideout and he started being nice to Wanda, to a point that he was concerning himself whether she felt pain or not. The transformation of Ian from a would-be murderer into a nice guy is just too rapid, that's just not believable. His sudden change of heart isn't quite believable.

6. Sharon and Maggie, Melanie's cousin and aunt; who hated Wanda from beginning to the end even after the others slowly changed their view toward the all good, self scarifying *throws up* alien Wanda. The two of them were presented as two mean bitches, but we are never given the reason to explain their hatred toward Wanda. Unreasonable hatred is just as tiresome/boring as unreasonable love.

7. the ending: I noticed for the second time that Mel and Jared's resolution of saving Wanda is to capture a girl, removing the 'soul' within her body and offered the now empty body to Wanda to hack into; claiming that there was no one to claim the girl's body back so it's right to give it to Wanda. Argh, I wonder can they sleep well at night after doing this to the girl.

8. the alien race was being described over and over as good and peace-loving, to a point that I really started to think SMeyer wrote this as a satire; unluckily she wasn't.

9. Back then I thought that the aliens in the story could be written into more interesting characters. But now I realized I was wrong. Despite still being two dimensionals, most of the alien supporting characters(Wanda doesn't count) are indeed more vivid and interesting than all of the human characters in the book. Still Wanda had claimed that humans have more personality and emotion than her own race. That's strange.

10. To be fair, The Host has its bright spots e.g. interesting (if not original) setting and ideas on describing the alien's race, a little touching moment of sibling love between Mel and her younger brother here and there. Still it can not cover up the boredom, the lack of suspense and true crisis, and the cheesy romance that haunt the entire novel.

*end of plot spoiler*

Okay…I swear that that will be the last time I rant about The Host, tomorrow I'll return the book to the library and forget about it.