The Host by Stephenie Meyer

The Host is a science fiction novel, in the most basic, body-snatching-aliens way. Our narrator is an alien, "Wanda" who is on earth after having lived lives on many other planets - and earth throws her for quite a loop. Our emotions and relationships are made more challenging by the fact that the person whose body she is living in isn't giving up very easily and often argues with Wanda from inside her head.

Those relationships are really at the heart of this book. As Wanda becomes a part of a human community, the book revolves around her "host" Melanie, Melanie's boyfriend and another survivor. The love square (or whatever you'd call it) was a stretch for me - while I liked the characters, and wanted to know what was going to happen to them, they felt a bit static and predictable (especially if you've read any of Meyer's other books).

It is true that I couldn't put it down. While I knew how it would end about one third of the way through, I was interested in how she was going to pull it off. I enjoyed the science fiction aspect of the book - the alien race she created, their characteristics and history as well as the parts of the book that dealt with what our world was like after their invasion.

When she philosophized or waxed contemplative on the foibles of human nature, it felt forced to me. But the story of how aliens and the humans they need as hosts could somehow make peace, that I liked.