Just thought I'd get this one particular review out of the way, since I don't know how useful it will be in terms of opening your eyes to a new story

The Host by Stephenie Meyer - see what I mean? By now, Meyer is a household name in the genre and tons, if not all, of you have probably already heard of this title. Yet, I'm still sometimes amazed by the number of people I come across who are wary of reading The Host - I'm sure it's partially because the Twilight saga is such a unique thing and now enjoys a very distinct reputation, that some people are nervous picking up something by Meyer that has nothing to do with vampires. Meyer proclaims The Host to be "sci-fi for people who don't like sci-fi." I'll admit its very different from Twilight, but I really did love reading this, and have so far read it twice and I will be purchasing the paperback edition when it comes out this month (April 26). So here it is - the story opens up at some unnamed point in Earth's history, although it doesn't seem to be too far into the future, possibly present day, and nearly all humans inhabiting Earth have been implanted and taken over by an alien species called 'souls' - hence the title the Host. Wanderer, the protagonist, is a well-traveled soul, maybe the most traveled, having started on the mother planet, simply called the Origin, and having lived lives on at least 8 other planets (totalling to hundreds of years of life). She is placed into the body of a young lady named Melanie, part of a dying rebellion against the invasion of the souls. Melanie, however, refuses to fade away as normal humans due upon the insertion of a soul, a reflection of her strength and independence (a quality Bella haters will relish), so essentially two people with two distinct consciousnesses reside in one body. Interesting huh? Well, let's just say it's frustrating initially for both females. The story continues as Melanie tries to harbor secrets of some consequence from Wanderer, and Wanderer finds herself being saturated by Melanie's feelings for Jared, the man Melanie loves and so begins a journey, against her nature as a soul, to find him. The story starts kind of slow because initially the dialogue and the main rapport is between two people living in one body, but by the end I was sitting on the edge of my seat, completely sucked in. Like I wrote before, different from Twilight, but just as enjoyable and satisfying (maybe more so since it's a stand alone novel and resolution is reached at the end, so you're not dying for more - although that too is a great sensation). I loved the characters, and for me that can make or break a novel, so if I'm crying or laughing because of something they do or because of something that's happened to them, then I think the author has done something right (and this did happen for me with The Host). Read it!

***** 5 Stars (I know, I know.....don't smirk!)