The Host

The Host is a science fiction/romance novel by Stephenie Meyer. The novel introduces an alien race, called Souls, which takes over the Earth and its inhabitants. The book describes one Soul's predicament when the mind of its human host refuses to cooperate with her takeover.

Melanie is a rebel human left after the invasion of the souls – aliens that are able to erase the spirit of humans or any other life form after placing themselves within said form. Wanderer is a soul who has lived on eight other planets previously, Mel being her ninth body. Wanderer is plagued by Mel’s memories, emotions and senses and quickly learns that she cannot fully claim Melanie's mind. Wanderer cannot control the urge to find Mel’s love, Jared, and remembers a place the her Uncle Jeb once told her about. Wanderer – Wanda - sets out to find the hideaway, with a vague sketch of the path from Melanie's memory. Wanda – Mel – is found by Jeb on the verge of death in the desert. She is taken to the hideaway, a complex of caves in which a group of rebel humans live, After the remaining humans find out that Mel’s body now belongs to Wanda, many of the them believe she should be put to death and attempts are made on her life, most notably by Kyle. Over time, Wanda, becomes a part of the group's routine by working, eating, and becoming an unofficial history teacher by telling stories of her former hosts on other planets. During this time, Ian, Jamie, and many other humans befriend Wanda. A Seeker, still not convinced that Wanderer was killed in the desert, returns in a helicopter, but is unable to find the caves. Ian's brother Kyle attempts to murder Wanda but is unsuccessful. Ian and Jared defend her on several occasions. Ian who is falls in love with Wanda and Jared who still loves Mel.
Jamie, another human survivor, gets an infection and Wanda realizes that she can be used raids for supplies because she trusted by other souls. After injuring herself in order to get treated by Healers, she takes the necessary medicines. Following a raid in which the Seeker is caught and Wes is shot by the Seeker, Wanda decides to reveal her biggest secret: how to remove a soul without killing either the human or the soul, a procedure that Doc had been attempting unsuccessfully. She promises to teach Doc under two conditions: first, they must send the souls to new planets without harming them, and second, Doc must remove Wanda's soul from Melanie's body and bury Wanda, because she does not want to be a parasite any longer. Wanda successfully removes The Seeker and sends her to another planet, and the body the Seeker was in is revived. Ian is enraged at the idea of Wanda ending her life so that Jared can have Melanie back. Wanda has Doc remove her from Melanie's body, believing that she will die, however, she awakens in a new human body whose original owner was possessed as a baby and therefore has no suppressed human personality. Ian and Wanda become partners, leaving Jared and Mel with the same life as before. The book ends with the rebels discovering another group of humans who also have a soul among them. This discovery suggests that humanity and souls together may still have hope for the future.

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