the host - Stephenie Meyer

I wanted to hate this book. Frankly, I only read it because it was by Stephenie Meyer and I did end up really liking the twilight series. The thought of a parasite in my body, much less an alien taking over your body, is pretty repellent. Yet, I did like the book and I came to love the characters, especially the main character, you guessed it: a parasite. I am more impressed by Stephenie Meyers after this book since she was able to take a pretty toxic premise and come up with a book that kept me interested right up to the last page.

In summary, the book is told primarily through the eyes of an alien creature, a Soul. Souls are creatures that rely upon host bodies to survive. After insertion, they erase any mental presence of the being there prior and establish a claim over the body and mind. Upon waking inside her new body, Wanderer (or Wanda as she is eventually know by the humans) is shocked by the vividness of human emotions, memories, and senses, and the discovery that the host, Melanie, is not willing to give up her mind. Melanie is one of few "wild" humans - rebels who have evaded the alien souls that have taken over the Earth. With her younger brother Jamie and the man she loves, Jared, Mel is on the run from souls who hunt down host bodies for use.

Wanda, bombarded by Melanie’s memories and feelings, learns to love the humans, and eventually they make their way to the rebel hideaway of Melanie’s uncle, where Jamie and Jared are living. She lives with the rebels, initially treated spitefully as a “parasite,” the humans come to appreciate Wanda as an individual in her own right and an ally. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I could not figure out how the story would end without an end to Melanie or Wanda. However, the ending although feeling a bit abrupt, was quite satisfying.

The female characters are a bit passive, which seems common with Stephenie Meyer’s work thus far. However, the women are still strong and compelling and the themes of selflessness, community, and kindness toward one's enemies are prominent throughout the novel, which makes for an interesting take on what makes one human.