Audience: High school. While not as graphic as Breaking Dawn (there are no sex scenes), the theme of physical passion is pretty prevalent. One of the main conflicts is that Wanderer (the alien soul) and Melanie (her host body) are in love with the same man because they share the same body and their shared memories and physical yearnings are too strong to ignore. I didn't like that the relationships in the book were so based on physical attraction (there is a lot of "he kissed me and my whole body was on fire" kind of stuff), but by the end I was satisfied that everyone loved who they loved for the right reasons. There is also a lot of violence, as one might expect from a world-take-over-rebel-resistance-love-triangles-up-the-wazoo kind of book, so just be aware of that before you read.
The Plot: Tiny creatures called "Souls" have taken over the planet earth (as well as many other planets) by inserting themselves into human bodies who became their unwilling "hosts." Wanderer, a soul who has lived in many hosts on various planets is tasked with living in the body of a rebel woman named Melanie to sift through her memories and find the hiding place of Melanie's younger brother Jamie and Jared, the man she loves. However, Melanie is stronger than most hosts and her consciousness stays in the back of Wanderer's head, fighting Wanderer and desperately trying to protect her family. But of course, she can't hold out forever, and soon Wanderer and Melanie are grudgingly working together to protect their families and find their places in the world.
What makes it great?
First of all, it's a page turner. Second, the psychology is cool--the whole idea of two minds in one body is really interesting. Third, there are some great over-arching themes and a lot of depth. I have to admit, from reading the jacket cover I was expecting "I'm an alien, and he's a human who is in love with my body but not with me, and life stinks" to be the main crisis. While that is one of the problems, Wanderer is also trying to keep herself alive, gain the trust of humans while not betraying her own race, learn to love and be loved with a whole new range of emotions, and reconcile her perception of the universe with that of her host. I can't promise that you will love this book, and it still doesn't make my list of all time favorites, but if you are refusing to give it a try because you aren't a big fan of Twilight then clear your mind of current opinions and give it an objective read because I can honestly say that it is worth reading.
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