Publisher's summary: Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. But Wanderer, the invading "soul" who occupies Melanie's body, finds its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Soon Wanderer and Melanie - reluctant allies - set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, "The Host" is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

My take: I saw the movie preview and have wanted to try the book. I was a bit hesitant about reading another one of Meyer's creations because of the whole "Twilight" thing. But I dove in anyway.

Typical Meyer's writing is throughout: mundane details that add nothing to the story but word count, generally flat characters and shallow relationships with no real foundation (except for one), and a severely insecure, (oftentimes) annoying female main character. I should have abandoned hope that Meyer's writing would have improved drastically, but in the end, I'm glad I read "The Host" - it was an interesting concept, and I'm excited to see how the book was adapted to the movie and where (or if) the character development was improved.

It may sound like I didn't like this book, but I did. It's how Meyer told the story that I didn't like. The growing relationship between Wanda and a certain someone was very well done and organic. The love triangle (or rhombus) was very original and surprising. And despite the plethora of characters named, a few really stood out - Mel, Wanda, Ian, Doc and Jeb. Bottom line: Not a bad way to waste an afternoon.

My rating: Worth the read, or 3 out of 5 stars.