Series: Lila #1
Publisher: Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster UK)
First published: August 5th, 2012
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 318
Goodreads Summary:17-year-old Lila has two secrets she’s prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she’s been in love with her brother’s best friend, Alex, since forever.After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust—her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they’ve found them.In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone—there are others out there just like her—people with special powers—and her mother’s killer is one of them…
My Rating: 4.5 / 5
First thoughts:
With very unique paranormal elements and a love story that will make you swoon, Hunting Lila turned out to be just as awesome as so many other bloggers already told me. Lila's a character who is easy to relate to despite her paranormal problems and with her narration I was inevitably pulled into her world and didn't want to leave it once I got to the book's end.
I caught sight of the top of Alex's head and inhaled fast, my heart rate skyrocketing. I missed my footing on the next step and went tumbling forwards. In the split second before I hit the wall all I could think was that this wasn't exactly the reunion I'd fantasised about in my head every hour of every day for the last three years. (p. 21)*
More detailed:
Even though I had read many very positive reviews for Hunting Lila, I took much longer than necessary to finally read it myself. And now I can just say that I'm regretting to have waited so long and can only advise anyone who is thinking about reading it, to do so as soon as possible.
The love story is definitely one of my favorite aspects about Hunting Lila. Even before we get to know her, she was in love with her brother's best friend Alex and when she sees him again after a few years, all her old feelings come rushing back. And while my teenage crushes might not have been as intense as hers, I could completely sympathize with her feelings.
But not only Alex and Lila's relationship is lovely to witness. Sarah Alderson has created many characters that are so realistic despite being "only" secondary characters and make reading this so much more fun. Their relationships are almost just as complex as the main love story and that's what makes a book special for me.
As I've already said above, I really liked the paranormal elements of Hunting Lila as well. Powers like Lila's telekinesis are usually connected with being a certain supernatural creature and I liked that this wasn't the case in this book. And finding out more about the organization and groups that were created based on the problems such powers might come with was very interesting as well.
All in all, I wish I could force you to read Hunting Lila if you haven't done so already. My only criticism is that I wish it were longer which would have given me a chance to spend even more time in this intriguing world. Be sure to have a copy of the second book Losing Lila near when starting this series, because you're going to crave it.
The love story is definitely one of my favorite aspects about Hunting Lila. Even before we get to know her, she was in love with her brother's best friend Alex and when she sees him again after a few years, all her old feelings come rushing back. And while my teenage crushes might not have been as intense as hers, I could completely sympathize with her feelings.
Bachelor pad? Of course. It was absurd that Alex wouldn't be dating girls. He was beautiful, and yes, I was blinded by bias, but it was still an undisputable fact. By anyone. (p. 15)*
But not only Alex and Lila's relationship is lovely to witness. Sarah Alderson has created many characters that are so realistic despite being "only" secondary characters and make reading this so much more fun. Their relationships are almost just as complex as the main love story and that's what makes a book special for me.
As I've already said above, I really liked the paranormal elements of Hunting Lila as well. Powers like Lila's telekinesis are usually connected with being a certain supernatural creature and I liked that this wasn't the case in this book. And finding out more about the organization and groups that were created based on the problems such powers might come with was very interesting as well.
I knelt on the floor, breathing loudly. I had to get this under control. No more using my ability, for anything. That was the rule. (p. 17)*
All in all, I wish I could force you to read Hunting Lila if you haven't done so already. My only criticism is that I wish it were longer which would have given me a chance to spend even more time in this intriguing world. Be sure to have a copy of the second book Losing Lila near when starting this series, because you're going to crave it.
Buy this book:Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Have you read Hunting Lila? What did you think about it?
Do you plan to read it?
I'd love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to leave a comment below.
Carina
* These quotes are taken from a finished copy of Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson, published by Simon & Schuster UK.
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