When I heard that there was a new book by Stephenie Meyer coming this fall, my first thought was that FINALLY there will be a sequel to The Host. But sadly, that was not the case... But it made me think about The Host again and realize that I’ve never written a formal review of it. So, I therefore decided to reread it and I am so happy to say that it was still as amazing. I definitely think that this is Stephenie Meyer’s best book.

The Host is a romance-sci fi novel, with just the right balance of sci fi to not scare the romantics away, and not too much romance to bore the sci fi fans. Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, humans have been invaded by aliens known as ‘Souls’, who take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. When Melanie, one of the few remaining wild humans is captured, she refuses to give up possession of her mind to the ‘Wanderer’. Instead, they have to share Melanie’s body as she slowly starts to push the Wanderer to save her love Jared and little brother Jamie.

Even though it might sound like it, this is not another Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it is so much more than that! It’s much more complex and focuses more on the relationships of the characters and the intriguing dilemma of two lives sharing one body. Not only is there the issue of Melanie loving Jared and the Wanderer loving Jared because of Melanie’s memories; we also have Ian, another member of the rebels, who starts to have feelings for the Wanderer for her beautiful soul. The story of Ian and Wanda is honestly one of the more beautiful things I've ever read because it was a totally emotional connection and not about the physical aspect at all.

All in all, I absolutely love this book and am so emotionally involved with the characters. It’s a very clever and addictive story that, even though it’s young adult, is definitely a recommended read for any age. It is an emotional ride from beginning to end and I really, really, hope that there will be a sequel after all soon. There is so much left to discover about this world and characters!

Find out more about the book and the author here: Stephenie Meyer

I was on vacation last week and read a lot of books then. Amongst others, Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer.
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I bought this book at the airport and read it during the flight. A very fast read! This book is a ten years anniversary edition of Twilight where Bella and Edward are replaced by Beau and Edyth instead.

I’m really not sure what I think about the book to be honest. I liked the idea of a gender swap and a retake of the story, but reading it, it felt a little bit... boring. Like re-reading Twilight without that much difference. I didn’t feel that the gender swap added anything really new to the story. I can’t help thinking that it would have been so much more interesting and refreshing if it had been turned into a LGBT story instead, like between Beau and Edward, or between Bella and Edyth. What I really loved about the book was the foreword and afterword, you could really feel how much fun Stephenie had when writing it!

Find out more about the book and the author here: Stephenie Meyer