Hunting
Lila by Sarah Alderson is about seventeen year old Lila who is suddenly taken
to London by her father after her mother’s murder, separating her from her
brother Jack and his best friend Alex – the guy she’s loved all her life
(though she’s the only one who knows this). Shortly
after her mother’s death Lila discovers that she has telekinetic
abilities. For four years she carries
this secret until a mugging exposes her to others. Lila leaves London behind and runs to
California, into the arms of her best friends and protectors; Alex and
Jack.
Happy
to be with the people she loves best, Lila tries to simply forget what happened
in London and enjoy the time she has with them.
Jack and Alex have both joined the marine corps, and work for a secret organisation called The Unit – though Lila has never discovered what it is they
do; only that they hope to track down her mother’s killer. Lila doubts her decision to come to
California when she starts suspecting that Jack doesn’t want her there; but when
she realises that Jack and Alex never leave her alone and that men from their
unit are always watching their house, Lila starts suspecting that Jack and Alex fear for
her safety.
Lila
then learns that Jack and Alex are trying to capture a band of very dangerous
criminals, who have now discovered that Jack has a sister. They hope to kidnap Lila in order to have
collateral with which to bargain with The Unit.
Content to be in Alex’s company, Lila doesn’t worry about the situation
overmuch, but Lila soon discovers that there are others like her; people with
special abilities – and that Jack and Alex’ job is to hunt them down, and
“contain” them. The only people she
trusts to keep her safe, are actually the very people whose job it is to
capture her. Lila then discovers that
her mother’s murderer is also a like her, only he’s the most powerful of their
kind – and it is he and his cronies who want Lila.
Can
Lila trust Jack and Alex with her secret?
If they were to find out, would they still love her? Can she trust them to protect her when they
have been trained to despise and dispose of her kind?
Hunting
Lila is the most gripping read I’ve had in a really long time. The story is very well plotted and written,
the characters are wonderfully developed and the intrigue of it all won’t allow
you to put the book down until you’ve finished it.
Especially
Lila’s fears about being considered a freak and her feelings towards Alex are
wonderfully written – you as reader feel what Lila feels. Anytime an author can awaken such deep
emotion within you, you’ve got a winner in your hands.
Hunting
Lila and its sequel, Losing Lila, came highly recommended by my best friend, Erika –
so automatically I bought both at the same time. What a relief. When I finished Hunting Lila I immediately
picked up Losing Lila. This story is so
gripping I couldn’t wait to read more.
I enjoyed this book every bit as much as The Hunger Games trilogy and the Twilight saga. One of my favourite books I've read all year.
Product information:
Title: Hunting Lila
Author: Sarah Alderson
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Year: 2011
ISBN-10: 0857071955
ISBN-13: 978-0857071958
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