The Host, by Stephenie Meyer, is an exciting and thought-provoking post-invasion story.

It’s been years since parasitic aliens calling themselves “Souls” have invaded Earth and taken over. Once a “Soul” is placed in a human host, the alien takes over and suppresses the human’s mind. But when Wanderer awakes in her new body, she finds that her human host isn’t so easily overcome. Melanie, her younger brother, and the man that she loves have been in hiding; and she’ll do anything to get back to them, even resist the alien parasite that has taken over her body.

The parasitic “Souls” are easy to dislike at first. But Meyer has given the alien race such a rich and colorful backstory that is truly fascinating. And Wanderer is a unique “Soul” who soon finds herself caring for the same people as her host, and finding herself torn between ties to her own people and the humans.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read such a stirring, science fiction tale that has made me go through so many emotions. The Host is a deep and beautiful story, and very different from Meyer’s popular, young adult series. This is a rare story that made me stop and think about the choices that are made and what I would do in their place. Intense, exciting, dramatic, and inspiring, I’d highly recommend this novel to any reader, not only science fiction fans.

The Host releases in bookstores everywhere, May 6th from Little, Brown and Company.