Customer Reviews

Host: A Rogue Mage Novel

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Throughout this series, Thorn often lusts after men because they are seraphs or the progeny of seraphs. I understand that she can't help it and I think the idea is intriguing. However, all this lust never culminates or amounts to anything. Books don't require sex in order to be good but if Thorn is repeatedly throwing herself at guys, I come to expect something to result from it. I expect her to find a guy (human, mage, kylen, seraph, WHATEVER) and pick him AND end up with him. When I finished the epilogue, I felt incredibly disgusted but not at all surprised. It seems like all three books so far have ended somewhat abruptly with loose ends, just a few pages after the battles are over.

That being said, the characters are well-developed and likable, my favorites being Audric and Eli. And, of course, my favorite aspect of the books is the world-building; I'm a huge fan of seraphs vs fallen/spawn in a post-apocalyptic setting.

The end leaves a lot unsaid and afterwards I went to Ms. Hunter's website, hoping for news of a fourth book though I had a sinking feeling that I wouldn't find anything. One page on the site calls the series a trilogy but I would still love to see what happens to Ciana, Thorn, Cheran, Rose, Audric, and the seraphs. Hopefully there's some evil left for them to fight.

In the beginning of the book, there is one long and boring battle scene which takes close to 50-60 pages. In my opinion, it's too much, it's overkill. This battle with darkness could have taken maximum 20 pages.

Reading the book, sometimes I stopped understanding what is going on: too much religious and unnecessary references; who kills whom; who is on whose side; and in general -- what is happening, etc. As usual, there is no definite ending to several plot lines, the books leaves many questions unanswered.

Author's writing was erratic and illogical (even assuming that this is a Post-Ap Sci-fi, some logic is required).

I liked much more another book by this author, "Skinwalker" released summer 2009.

Not overly good but the story arch for the whole series is actually intriguing. This is probably my least favorite book in that there are a host of characters that never seem to build into anything more. The ending feels a bit rushed also in that Thorn finds her sister and then after the next chapter the book is done. She had been looking for her for years and all we get is exchanged glances. And what about the High Host? Are they really aliens trying to take over the world or are the actually angels? So, many possibilities with characters and ideas that have been brought up never get flushed out. I don't know if this is the last book and this is only going to be a trilogy but that's what I've heard and that is aggravating if it is true. If you don't mind books not really tying up any loose ends then give these a try but if you like stories to come to a conclusion then stay away.

...is the angel when you finally stand face-to-face. And yet, it isn't mere beauty staring you in your eyes. It's fury leashed, chaos controlled, might masterfully guarded.

This is the 3rd book in perhaps the best post-apocalyptic fantasy. Faith Hunter simply continues to grow as a writer, to enrich her character with strength and beauty and to paint a universe novel, bright and entertaining.

The village our hero lives in has been cut off. Rescue will not come. And the Big Bad Uglies are on their way. Thorn has to unite her friends, unite the town behind her, pull her forces together and find a way to survive. Without calling the Angels, who may just turn out to have nasty little genocidal streaks all by themselves...

I finished in 2 days. Simply couldn't put it down. Please... More!

I tend to judge books on whether or not I can escape into the story and forget the real world for a while. The Thorn St. Croix series is one that draws the reader into the story. It is clear that a lot of thought went into the the creation of the universe of 'Host' and Thorn St. Croix. The story draws the reader in and makes them care about the characters in the book.

The series also has some issues that may or may not bother every reader. Logic errors. Every time I came across them, they threw me out of the story and made me grind my teeth in frustration. The errors weren't huge, but - to me - they were glaring. Everything from the colors of horses to the realities of living in a very cold environment. If this type of thing bothers you, I strongly suggest that you don't read the series.

After every book, I swore that I wouldn't buy another, but in the end, I wanted to know what happened. For a brillant new concept/universe and ability to draw the reader in, I would give this book a '5'. For glaring (to me) logic errors.....a 2.5

Before you buy the books, decide if your education/life experience is varied enough to catch a host of details that are simply not logical. If you an put up with the illogic (or not even notice it), this is a series that pulls you into a new universe and won't let you go until you turn the last page.

I haven't read the rest of this series. I was sent this book to review as a stand-alone, and I must say that Faith Hunter has captured my imagination. She has built her post-apocalyptic world meticulously, and has taken great pains to present her characters in a way that brings out both their human and not-so-human qualities believably. Throughout the book Hunter questions our ideas about faith, and what it means to be human. She holds a magnifying glass up to bigotry and hatred, and shows the reader that even against the evils of injustice, some things are worth fighting for, be it other-worldly, or right here at home.

My only beef with the book, and one assumes Hunter will take care of this in later volumes, is that the reader is left hanging on a couple of key points: first, there's the whole battle set up between Elan and Thorn . . . and nothing really comes of it. Next, I would have liked a little more than just questions about the origin of the seraphs, cheribum, and the One True God. She hints that perhaps these are beings whose motives may be a little less than holy, and then she lets it drop without further exploration. One only hopes that she addresses these important points in the overall story-arc at a future date.

A good read, and I reserve the right to change this to a higher rating once I read the other books in the series; Hunter has hooked me.

bw
4 stars
6/28/08

Hunter continues to be deliberately cryptic with her readers when it comes to her world. It's a post-apocalyptic blend of religion, fantasy and science fiction that is as fascinating as it is incomprehensible. One is drawn to it, wittingly or unwittingly, and yes, I will read the next book when it comes out. In this third volume of her series she advances the battle between Light and Dark, dropping more bits of revelation about her characters and her world but still only grudgingly. So grudgingly that she has to fill her book with seemingly endless chapters of battle description which, while undoubtedly well written, just go on and on and on until the reader chafes for the story to move forward. Which it eventually does, but still not far enough to satisfy - the entire book is only about two battles. I suppose an author has to make money by stretching out her story as long as she can, and it works too. The addition of Thorn's sister Rose into the mix at the end makes one want to read the next installment. While I'm enjoying the read so far, this series does not make it to my keeper shelf. I'm glad I just got this from my friend in e-format.

She is, you know, a magical writer. She makes the hours you're reading her book disappear. She unclutters your mind of the daily things and plunges you into the mind of another young woman solving her problems. Faith introduces you to imaginary people in your mind that are so real you care for them, feel their emotions and pain, and shout for joy when they conquer and win. You care so much you're heart broken when the book ends. Thankfully it is one of three books. There's more!

As a result of her new Seraphic visa and station her birth Enclave sends a metal mage emissary named Cheran to train Thorn. However, she immediately realizes there is more than meets the eye to the pompous Cheran, and she senses a underlying current of danger from him. While she is trying to juggle the demands from the different organizations due to her new position, and trying to figure out how to rescue her twin, the Succubus Queen makes a reappearance threatening the ones she loves. When the attack turns deadly, the trapped uses that death power to escape his prison, and he has his sights set on Thorn.

Once again the evil darkness led by the Dragon does all it can to get a hold of Thorn and her power. Its up to Thorn to stop him as she cannot call for Seraphic help without risking the town as humans always die whenever a Seraph draws their sword. While she may not always handle diplomatic situations well, she never once flinches when it comes to duty and honor in protecting others. She would rather allow herself to be gravely injured than risk the human's deaths. A character with less strength and determination could not have survived her perils. Through the battles she learns some distressing truths about her past and who she really is, as well as what her birth prophecy really means. These revelations are bittersweet and many came as a shock to Thorn as well as myself. I knew many things were hidden to her in her past, but some of them just completely floored me. The book ended with most things tied up, but still left open the possibility for more books. The series had a slow start but did not disappoint me as it went on. Thorn is really admirable character and her "voice" makes for a good read.

It draws you in and won't let you go. This is the third in the series thus far. In this post-apocalypse time where most of the human population has been destroyed and the war between good and evil continues even 100 years after the apocalypse, there is a new population of people that are not quite human anymore. They are mages and they can manipulate the magic left over from the creation of the world. The ability terrifies the normal people which created a mass murder of the mages until they are placed in enclaves to protect them. They are placed there by seraphs, the holy angels from God the Triumphant.

This book is action packed and fascinating. Thorn is strong, yet doubtful. She has her weaknesses and guilt, yet she never gives up. The author, Hunter, does a fabulous job of showing real, logical emotion in her characters that can easily be related to. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.