Imagine yourself in a world you don’t know anything about, even though it was once yours. Now imagine your body being taken over by an alien force, or as thy are by their kind, souls. You’re stuck there, trapped and unable to speak for yourself. Scary, right? Well, this is how Melanie Stryder feels in Stephenie Meyer’s The Host.

Melanie Stryder, Jamie, and Jared are runaways, and not because they are criminals. Because of their very makeup, they are seen as evil, and they ‘need’ to be rounded up, so a soul can be inserted in their bodies. Having a soul inserted in them will either erase them, or trap them in a corner of their minds. Melanie is Jamie’s older sister, and a very brave one at that. She has lightly tanned skin from being in the desert so much, long brown hair, muddy green-brown eyes, and is stronger than normal, due to a hard life. Jamie, a boy that is of a mere ten years, and scared out of his mind 24/7. His eyes, which used to be alight with joy, are now devoid of cheerfulnees, and more like a deer’s , frightened and confused. Jared is Melanie’s true love. His intelligence and stealth has allowed him to stay human for seven years, although he has been alone for the better part of it. His smile is ever present, as is the sparkle in his eyes. At least, that is, until his world it turned upside down.

Meet Wanderer. Wanderer is a sould that has braved nine lives, taken down beasts, and pondered the loneliness of her lives. Melanie Stryder, though, is a monster that cannot be tamed by her. When Melanie is caught, Wanderer is placed inside her, and her duty is to collect information to used against the rest of the ‘wild’ humans. But Melanie is still there, fighting to keep her loved ones safe, and her secrets as they should be. Jared pops up in her mind though, and Wanderer reports his existance. Melanie is furious with her, and fights to take her body back over. While battling Wanderer, she leads her to the caves in the middle of the desert, where her family stays alive. They are anything but happy about her appearance, and threaten to kill her. Kyle, a particurally vicious human, attacks her many times, only to be saved by Jamie or Jared. There is another problem with Jared, too. Wanderer is in love with him, and not just because of the body that she is in. It is because of her, herself. After Jamie brushes arms with death, Wanderer ventures out into the world for the first time in months, stealing medicine for Jamie. At first, the humans are angered, but they eventually see that her acts were right. The humans finally love her, and trust her, even though she is what she is.

The lesson in this book is most likely to fogive your enemies. This book tells us about two enemies that eventually love one another, and try to set the world right again.