[2] An international version of the novel was released on April 2, 2008, in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia and Hong Kong by the UK publishing division.
A species of parasitic aliens called "Souls" have invaded Earth, deeming the humans too violent to deserve the planet.
When a Soul is implanted into a host body, the consciousness of the original owner is erased, leaving their memories and knowledge.
When Jeb comes across Melanie's dying body, he realizes what had happened to her but still leads her to his hideout: a network of caves housing more than thirty people.
Shortly after recovering, Wanda stumbles across a slew of mutilated bodies that cause her to hide by herself in terror for three days.
After coming to a conclusion about the Seeker's life, Wanda decides to tell Doc how to properly remove Souls from human bodies.
In her new body, Wanda gains wide acceptance from the humans and is free to be in a relationship with Ian while Melanie goes back with Jared.
Initially only interested in enjoying her new life, Melanie's love for her brother and boyfriend spills over to Wanda and she finds herself abandoning her kind to seek them out in the desert.
She slowly develops sympathy for humans, eventually acknowledging that they have a right to their own lives, and attempting to sacrifice herself so that Melanie can have her life back.
Like all Souls, she is naturally altruistic, horrified by violence, and finds it difficult to believably lie (to humans).
Despite initial anger at Wanderer for stealing her life, their shared love of Jamie and Jared turns them into unwilling allies.
Their relationship grows to the point where Melanie tearfully begs Wanda not to give her body back, knowing the alien plans to kill herself once removed.
Melanie is described as having hazel eyes, dark hair and tan skin and is half Latina on her mother's side.
Jared met Melanie while they were both stealing food from the same house, each believing the other to be a Soul; when he realized he had found another human he was so excited he kissed her.
Unlike most characters, he holds no animosity towards Wanderer for stealing his sister's body or life and quickly comes to view her as a substitute sibling.
Despite his apparent innocence and naivete, Jamie wants to be treated like an adult; he yearns to go on raids with the others, and is uncomfortable with the coddling he receives when he is injured.
A paranoid survivalist before the invasion, Jeb had constructed an elaborate hide-out in caves beneath the Arizona desert.
He is calm and deliberate in his decision-making, and despite being one of the most welcoming towards Wanderer, nonetheless does not hesitate to explain and justify the human perspective to her.
She is unusually irritable and edgy for her species, at one point even shooting a human in cold blood, despite most Souls not being able to even pick up a gun.
A man of his word, Doc is only stopped from letting Wanda die like he promised her because Jared threatens him with a hunting knife.
[6] Other themes Meyer explored were the mother/child bond, the need to change our lives for the ones we love or because our community expects of us something other than what we want, and not fitting in.
[7] In other interviews, various themes were noted including the value of the Soul and faith in a world that has been destroyed,[5] tolerance, forgiveness and understanding.
The poem, by May Swenson, is titled Question, and ties into the idea of the mind's reliance on the existence of the body, just as Melanie experiences when inhabited by Wanderer.
"[11] In a review of the book for The Guardian, Keith Brooke wrote: "When it's good, the novel works well, and will appeal to fans of the author's hugely bestselling Twilight series, but it is little more than a half-decent doorstep-sized chunk of light entertainment.