Hunting Lila

Review Time! Hunting Lila written by Sarah Alderson is a 2011 YA Debut. I hadn’t heard anything about this one before it arrived unexpected on my doorstep, I’ve seen the cover floating around here and there but I never took the initiative to Google the blurb ;) Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the review copy!

(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. Or thereabouts.After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and 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. Trying to uncover the truth of why her mother was killed, and the real remit of The Unit, Lila becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Struggling to keep her secrets 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...

The Short Story? – Absolutely amazing! Hunting Lila is not only one of my favourite debuts of the year but one of my favourite books all time! I love it! Exciting, engrossing and action-packed, Hunting Lila is supernatural thriller that’s mind-blowing! Fantastic characters, edgy and original plot and a refreshing YA voice! This one’s a must read!

The Long Story? – I honestly had no idea about the novel before it turned up on my doorstep, I had no knowledge about the book besides the fact that the cover is rather striking. It’s wasn’t until I read the Media Release did the first seeds of interest plant themselves in my head. ‘With X-men-style talents, hot action and even hotter boys’ …see how good it sounds!

The plot was amazing! It’s original, fast-paced, action-packed and intriguing! It’s starts of a little slowly but it soon picks up before turning into a grip-the-edge-of-chair non-stop action filled storyline! There’s even a high speed chase (every good book needs a high speed chase right?) Add in some awesome fight scenes, some dirty secrets, supernatural powers and hot, sexy boys and you have… Hunting Lila! For fans of I Am Number Four, Superheroes and action-packed novels with a great romance Hunting Lila is a must-read!

I think this is one of the few novels I have read where the ratio of male leads outnumber the female leads. So the main protagonist is a girl, her name is Lila and she’s got special powers. I always get these confused but she’s either Telekinetic (I think it’s this one) or Telepathic. The whole novel is based around this superhuman ability of hers and how it leads her to escape to California where she find her brother and the love her life (and my life) Alex. Alex is everything, he’s hot, sexy, kind, considerate, smart, protective and ticks all the other requirements for perfect boyfriend material. I’m only highlighting two of the many great characters in the novel. It’s really a fabulous cast!

Sarah Alderson writes brilliant books for teens – fact. Sarah Alderson needs to finish the sequel to Hunting Lila ASAP – opinion. Alderson is a talented writer with a unique style and a strong YA voice. Her words are powerful and her writing is comfortable to read. The novel is a good length and what more can I say? I just want to gush on about how good it is!!!

Hunting Lila is a refreshingly original debut filled with superpowers, hot boys, non-stop action and a high speed car chase (sorta)! Well written, exciting, captivating and absolutely fantastic! I can’t wait to read the sequel to this astonishing debut! It’s a keeper :)

Rating – 5/5


Badass Bookie xx