Wow, I’m still dizzy and reeling from the extremely exciting roller coaster ride also known as The Host, A Novel by Stephenie Meyer. Her first attempt at a made for adults tale follows a very different story line than her super successful Twilight Saga; though it holds a similar romantic draw. This science fiction-slash-thriller-slash-romance tale is about the last cell of wild humans surviving on an Earth that has been taken over by parasitic but peaceful and dispassionate alien “Souls.” They are surgically implanted into their human host bodies, completely erasing the original owners from existence. Or at least that’s the plan.

Melanie Stryder is one tough cookie in that she’s not going to award her invader, Wanderer, a peaceful takeover. My kind of girl! Melanie is the epitome of why the human species is the dominating force on this planet and she fulfills that role through her vengeful hatred of the beings that have overthrown the human species. But as this beautifully crafted story comes to pass, her fight evolves from pure hatred into an inner struggle to not accept Wanderer’s presence. Eventually she realizes she really doesn’t have a choice and with every little bit of acceptance, the barriers of hatred start to crumble. Mel begins developing sister-like feelings for her. Could she be growing compassionate for the enemy? Is she a traitor to her human family?

If you’ve read the Twilight Saga and are going through serious withdrawals from Edward Cullen, then you will definitely want to meet Jared. The hot and rugged human survivalist who is devastated at the loss of Melanie, his one true love. He is conflicted with the love he still feels for the body of his former mate but is painfully aware that he is no longer able to trust her. Mr. Jared is raw and full of hatred at first which definitely leads us to consider his potential for the most harsh, even rough, love scenes therein. But, as is with Stephenie Meyers, those love scenes never come completely full circle. I just took it as an opportunity to exercise my imagination skills and find the optimal version of my very own satisfying conclusion to these teasers.

This blend of science fiction and “pull at your heart-strings” tragic romance will draw some serious emotions out of you. Emotions like love, lust, fear, despair and utter devastation with a smidge of hope and optimism thrown in for good measure. Make sure you have ample Kleenex and eye drops available before you get into the last 150 pages where true love and self sacrifice are the theme. I swear my eyes are still swollen. I was going to give this novel 5 pumps but I’m inclined to take one away for the blatant contradiction of the story’s moral during the last 30 pages. However I’m inclined to forgive half a pump after polishing off the last three. End score: 4.5 outta 5 pumps – definitely a page turner!