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