Monday, February 6, 2012

BOOK REVIEW - HUNTING LILA by SARAH ALDERSON - LILA # 1

By: Sarah Alderson
Published By : Simon & Schuster
Released : Available Now
Details : Paperback, 306 Pages

RATING : 5 SMOKIN' GI JOE BOYS, ALEX AND JACK!

Book Blurb : Taken From Goodreads

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…



RED LIGHT ALERT!!

SERIES TO WATCH OUT FOR

BOOK REVIEW:



I started reading Hunting Lila after I read the prequel novella, short story, ‘Catching Suki’. I had stayed away from reading any spoilers or even really knowing what Hunting Lila was about as I wanted to read it totally fresh. ‘Catching Suki’ is this irresistible teaser short story that had me hooked. I cracked Hunting Lila open, got told off by hubby at 2am for having the light on and finished it off later in the morning. In other words this book is hard to put down.


This book has momentum. It is fast paced, exciting and you just love all the characters whether they are the goodies or the baddies, cause sometimes it’s hard to tell who is on the bad side of the fence.


Lila is a wonderful, smart character who is almost as stubborn as her brother Jack. She is carrying around a secret with her, well two, but one is written all over her face. She has fled London to see her brother and Alex and lands herself smack bang in the middle of a situation. Her father is not impressed.


Jack, her 22 year old Special Ops brother and Alex his best friend, are on a mission to ‘contain’ people of interest in the death of Jack and Lila’s mother, but it is much bigger than that. This Unit, is so secret that even the President doesn’t even know about them.


Jack and Alex are the two swoon worthy guys in this book, built like GI Joe dolls, all muscle and tightness in all the right places, totally loyal to the cause and to each other. They are total babes and Jack knows it.


Jack is the more volatile of the two, stubborn and totally focused on containing all persons of interest, following orders to the letter.


Alex is the calmer, easier to reason with who can come across as the more wise of the two when sometimes you have to sit back, take stock and question where you are headed.


Did I mention Alex rides a motorbike and knows how to ride fast?


Demos, Amber, Alicia, Ryder, Nate, Suki, Bill and Harvey are great sub characters. In ‘Catching Suki’, you really get a feel for these characters and they hooked me into wanting to know more.


Nate is sweet and funny. Suki means well but manages to let go of a few faux pas and Amber and Ryder are totally in to each other.


Sarah has a wonderful YA voice. She has great word power. Scenes get described so well that you feel like you are the one with your arms wrapped tight around Alex’s waist as you hang on while he gets you to safety on the back of his bike ( or here’s wishing..hehe). I felt like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. This is how good her word power is. Everything she writes flows so well in this book. It is this massive fast paced ride from start to finish and I want another ticket for Losing Lila.


Sarah has left us on the edge of our seats.


FAVE QUOTES:


‘Come on let’s get you to bed,’ he said, when he came back in.
‘No, really, I’m fine here on the sofa,’ I protested.
‘Listen , if I have to pick you up and carry you in there, you’re sleeping in my bed.’
The words sounded so good --- it was a shame they didn’t mean what I wanted them to.






“When you came down the stairs and fell into me, that was the moment.” Then his lips pressed against mine.




‘He was like , “Dude, what the hell with my sister?” And Alex was all “I love her”, and Jack was “No way, man,” and Alex just turned round and said “That’s the way it is . Deal,” and that was sort of the end of it. You know, I totally get why you’re in love with him by the way. He’s totally gorgeous.’ He rolled his eyes as though he’d just licked his favourite ice cream.

I have to include this link for Brodie's page this is a most excellent poem for Hunting Lila, I loved it!

http://eleusinianmysteriesofreading.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/why-you-must-read-hunting-lila.html?showComment=1328437575504





Michelle

13 comments:

  1. Love, love, LOOOVE your review Michelle! I'm SO glad you loved this so much. I agree with EVERY single thing you said and couldn't have said it better myself. I devoured this in one sitting too. I'd almost feel sorry for your hubby if I didn't know how good this was! Awesome review! <3

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    1. Hehe! He is normally very patient with my reading until the wee hours, but he was being a little cranky pants...I was really struggling to put the light off as I wasn't tired..but I did:(

      Awww thanks! This book was wonderful and wonderful books are easy to review:D

      Michelle

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    2. Lol. Well, we'll forgive him then if he's usually pretty good ;) Hope I find someone who understands or at least supports my excessive reading habbits. Or I foresee some problems in the future. Think you snagged a good one there Michelle!

      Oh, I know. Sometimes it's just so hard to tear yourself away when the books so great!

      <3

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    3. Team Paul, is a very good hubby. He usually just snores along happily mext to me, but he was a bit of a Potter cranky pants on this particular night..hehe! Usually he just wakes up goes come on Mishelly put the light off, I go ok in a minnie and then he starts snoring again, usually works a treat:D

      He was such a good sport and came to Becca's signing with me, so I got a good one:D

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    4. Aw, he sounds like such a sweetie :) Ha good thing he's such a content sleeper---I imagine you read a lot in that situation. Lol.

      Yes! Any man that braves all those fans with you is top notch in my eyes!

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    5. Ha! He knew I was as happy as pie and he was teling me to have pics with the Angel boys who were lovely guys. Caroline from S&S wouldn't be in the pic for me ( I felt a tad old) In the end I went granny coming thru ( I was just embarrassed as Caroline told me I was going to be in pic) The boys were really nice. Hubby was laughing at me. Considering 5 days later he was having a big mass the size of my hand out of his back, and we didn't know if it was the big C, which it wasn't in the end, but we had both been so stressed, anyhoo that's another story.Point is he came, he wasn't feeling the best and he loves that after being a mum I now have something to keep my brain active and happy:D So he is top notch:D I have even got him reading..a bit...slowly.

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    6. Lol! Aww, you're not a granny, but it's hilarious imagining you saying that to a room full of people! It's fantastic he was such a great sport about it all. Most me, regardless of their age, would get grumped and flustered in the midst of all that.
      Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm glad he's okay! Ha! Right. With the Hunger Games book. Hopefully they'll only be the beginning...

      <3

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  2. YES. YES. AND YES!!! I am SO happy you've finally read this because HELLO AWESOME. You totally nailed everything I love about this book and uh... any intel on whether Alex and Jack will actually be made into GI Dolls? Because I'd very much like to put two on preorder :D

    You are so write about Sarah's voice, it fits perfectly in YA and it's so ADDICTIVE. Easy to see why you stayed up until 2am to keep reading it. Fantastic review, Michelle! CAN LOSING LILA PLEASE HURRY??

    Hahaha aww and thanks for linking to my wonderfully lame poem <3

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    1. Oh. Oh. Ooooooh!! I want two of those dolls too!!!

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  3. OH Brodie, I LOVED your poem. I love to sometimes write poems as reviews, sometimes my brain makes me do a poem, I break every rule, I have no idea of the rules of Poems, but I have fun.

    Just think how much money an Alex and Jack dolly would make!!

    And thanks...I was a bit late to the Hunting Lila party..but I got there in the end...just makes the wait for Losing Lila shorter:D:D

    MIchelle

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  4. Ooh I didn't know about Catching Suki! I must get that ASAP! I really enjoyed this too it was so much fun with wonderful characters! Lovely review my dear!

    Giselle
    Xpresso Reads

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  5. Giselle, I have the links just click on catching suki in my left side bar:D

    Marissa has already read Hunting Lila and Fated, I was just a tad late to this party:D


    ..and thanks!

    Michelle

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  6. That last quote is most definitely my favorite. Although pretty much the whole book was amazing. Great review :)

    Jesse
    Pretty In Fiction

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