Just finished The Host by Stephanie Meyer. What a book! I felt… so awfully connected to the characters. My heart :(. It was the kind of book that made me feel anxious about the fact that it was inevitably going to end. 

Such a phenomenal read. I felt so invested in the characters, in the story, in the world. I felt emotionally connected to Wanda, to Melanie, to Ian, to Jared, to Jeb, to everyone. Their emotions were so palpable, so real. They all felt so real. 

What a beautiful thing literature is. 

This book… so much contained therein! It’s commentary on the beautiful mess that is the human experience. It is the declaration that one cannot have great light without proportional shadow, that the heights we are capable of are perhaps because of the equal and opposite depths. It is a warning on the pursuit of an ideal utopia. I am reminded of the saying that “every utopia is a dystopia.” I am reminded of the dangers that are presented by one feeling morally righteous enough to disregard the will of another, to view them as lesser because their morals appear lesser, that ends in this case justify means. 

It is a reminder of what a gift it is to be human and to feel. It is a reminder that authenticity can be ugly, but is so much more rewarding in the love it can produce than perfect, refined, dare I say repressed civility. 

Definitely one of my favorite books, the kind that leaves a mark, an emotional experience that feels transformative and sticks with you ❤