The Host Article By: Aastha Kannan

The Host

Article By: Aastha Kannan

          Written by Stephenie Meyers the author of the Twilight Series, The Host is a novel much like her others. She captures the enigma that is supernatural forces and manages to weave what we consider to be their way of life, into ours seamlessly. In The Host, the story follows a character named Melanie as she undergoes the taking over of the Earth by supernatural organisms called Souls. Souls are small silver worm-like organisms that travel from planet to planet and can live for thousands of years as long as they have a healthy host. They have taken over several planets and are in the middle of doing the same to Earth by using humans as hosts and getting rid of their original subconscious to take over and use the body as their own. One particular soul who has lived seven lives on many different planets named Wanderer comes to Earth only to be inserted into Melanie’s resistant body. Melanie, a human whose whole family has been captured and killed by the souls except her younger brother Jamie,  is noncompliant to what is happening to her. She has to protect Jamie and her boyfriend Jared, both of whom she sacrificed her life to protect on the night she was captured. The story goes on to show a raw relationship between Melanie and Wanderer (Wanda), nothing is sugarcoated or hidden. It shows how they learn to love each other in an impossible situation and manage to save one another and their loved ones. The story is beautifully portrayed, using both Melanie’s and Wanda’s minds to narrate a story that at its core is a love triangle and a plot around saving one’s family as well as being accepted as an outsider. Overall, for the writing and the sculpting of the novel, it should be given a 5/5. Of course it is a rather lengthy writing but, the story is captured gracefully in every word Meyer has written. Anything short of the numerous pages she wrote would be injustice to such a story. Lastly, The Host should definitely be on your reading list if it is not already!