The story of The Host starts off confusing, distracting almost as we are introduced to the Wanderer, a soul who has invaded a human host named Melanie. As it stands, the world has already been inhabited by 'souls': Alien-like creatures of mystic beings (we never truly find out) who have invaded human bodies to create a civilised, orderly world.

Melanie, however, proves to be a rather feisty human host, and the Wanderer eventually falls into the wonder that is the human being. The plot goes on to chronicle the battle between them as Melanie struggles to gain control - a very risky business, since she holds the secret to the location of the last group of 'uninhabited' humans.

Stephenie Meyer's incredibly successful Twilight series may have eclipsed this surprisingly decent sci-fi effort, and may even turn this sceptic around as to the writing prowess of this author.

Having read Twilight, I thought the writing was clumsy, ineffectual, awkward and amateurish - absolutely befitting of a story that was equally so. However, upon reading past 20 pages of The Host, I was pleased to see that perhaps Meyer had enlisted the help of a brilliant editor, or at least improved her writing skills.

Here, it is still simple and never really quite elegant, but it is not clumsy or cringe-worthy. It does what it does (tell the story) in a clear, precise manner. The story, while meandering at times and frenetic at others, is quite intriguing, even though some concepts seem borrowed somehow (souls inhabiting human bodies? Invasion of the Body Snatchers, anyone?).

I have only the lowest opinions of Meyer as a writer, but this book may have just changed my mind. It proves that she is competent, if not brilliant, and I look forward to less-sparkly future efforts from her.