Truly Amazing
I first loved SM for her Twilight Saga, but I enjoyed The Host just as if not more. While it took me a while to get started, once I was into the book, there was no putting it down. The characters were engaging, the plot was interesting, and the message was profound.

After seeing SM's comment about sections of the book store I have to agree. This was marketed as her first "adult" novel, but then Amazon puts it in the list of the best "teen" paranormal novels. As SM said, a good book's a good book. Read it.

Not truly adult fiction
This book was hyped as Ms. Meyer's first "adult" fiction. Assuming you mean adult as those between the ages of 13 and 20, ok. If you mean adult as someone that is capable of following complex plot, complex character development and reading a book that isn't totally predictable, then not ok. Cute little story that could have been told in about 250 pages instead of the almost 600 it is. Interestingly, she develops the character of Uncle Jeb much more deeply than the main characters, Melanie and Wanderer! We know almost nothing about Melanie, except that she tried to kill herself to avoid implantation...and for someone that traveled all over the universe, we learn almost less than nothing about the Soul in her. Also, the struggle for "control" of the body/mind complex is pretty superficial until after they become "buddies".
Story cute, predictable and really fits more with her younger readers than truly adult science fiction.

The Host is not the same type of book as the Twilight Saga...
... However it is exceedingly well written; not in the fashion of Twilight, where an exciting story is just presented straight up, but more in the fashion that it's thought provoking and presents us with truly unique material and situations.

The Host is a science fiction novel in the truest sense, and takes the reader on a journey through a 'cornered rat' mentality of humanity being oppressed by altruism rather than by dominance or violence. The only violence is on the part of the humans, yet they are still the ones being eliminated in a depressing fashion. As long as you don't try to read into this in a political sense, it's a very, very enjoyable read.

Again, please do not read this expecting Twilight; you will need to proceed slowly at the start of the novel so that you truly understood the world view, and the world, that Meyes is presenting you with in this great novel, rather than just diving into a story. I promise you that the back story to understand exactly what it is you'll be told in the remainder of the book is well worth the time to read (Not to mention, it's of course pleasurable in and of itself). That really seems to be the main complaint of most folks, but in the world of science fiction (generally) one of the first things you have to do is establish the world and boundaries a story will be operating under, and this is no exception.

Great Book
I have never read the Twilight books, but since reading this one I ordered them. Science fiction is not one of my favorite reads, but I could not put this one down and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a great story.

ZZZZ!
While I like the Twilight Saga this one emphasizes just how little depth Meyer's story have. Host was horrendously boring, made absolutely no sense, and constantly contradicted itself. I didn't finish it, it was just that unbearable.