Review Losing Lila by Sarah Anderson

Title: Losing Lila
Author: Sarah Alderson

Published: August 2nd, 2012 (Simon & Schuster UK)

Pages: 320

Source: for review
Series: Lila #2

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads: Alex and Lila are on the run, desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the Unit, which is somehow tracking their every move. While Alex is determined to keep Lila safe and her ability secret at any cost, Lila's only thought is of finding a way back to California so she can rescue her brother and mother from the military base where they're being held. Struggling to control both her growing power and her deepening feelings for Alex, Lila decides the time has finally come to stop running and start fighting. Together with Alex, Demos, and the others she's come to think of as family, Lila plans not only to save her brother and mum, but also to completely destroy the Unit and everything it stands for. But the plan requires Lila to return to California alone, and to make friends with the enemy - and in doing so, she risks losing everything: Alex, her family… even her life.

Most of the time it takes me a while before I read the second part in a series. And although I wasn't completely thrilled by Hunting Lila I read Losing Lila just a couple weeks after and it was a lot better!
I liked Hunting Lila (just not at much as I thought I would), but Losing Lila had so much more!

First of all, Lila has changed, in a very good way. In the first book I thought she was a bit soft at times. Always waiting on her brother and Alex. But not in Losing Lila. She's way more kick-ass and finally thinks and decides for herself! She will, almost literary, does anything to get her mother and brother back, and at the same time trying to protect the friends around her, including Alex. 

Alex and Lila are so sweet together. I was so happy that Alex finally admitted that he really loves Lila, he evens stands up for her! 
What I loved most about the story is that the characters feel very real. Alex is the only one in a large group of people without a "special" power and, like the tough guy he is, he's insecure about it, but doesn't want to show it. 
And with Lila, it's the same. She's this incredible power and she can fight, but she still shows fear to do it. It made me connect more with them!

There are quite some funny parts in the book. I loved that! Sometimes books are so serious! Especially Suki is so funny! Because she can read minds and can't really keep her mouth shut there's some cool, and mostly embarrassing, moments!

Sarah Alderson has a great writing style and I especially like the way she put unexpected turns in the story. Some things I didn't see coming! 
I'm not a big fan of the covers! I know it's a bit shallow to judge a cover, but I think we all do! I'm just glad this book points out that there can be a great story about a not so great cover. 

I enjoyed reading the Lila series and I'm actually a little sad it's over! I would have liked it if there were a third book! 

Review Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

Title: Hunting Lila
Author: Sarah Alderson

Published: August 5th, 2011 (Simon & Schuster UK)

Pages: 318

Source: borrowed
Series: Lila #1

Rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis 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…

Before I started reading Hunting Lila I had heard so many good things about it. So I jumped at the occasion when someone asked me if I wanted to borrow the book. 
When I've heard a lot of things about a book (positive or negative) it begins to live a life of it's own in my head. I thought this book would be full of action and tension and that it would keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time. But it turned out to be a bit different. Which is not necessarily a bad thing! If you start a book with the idea of immediate action, Hunting Lila starts a bit slow. Lila has the biggest crush on Alex and she thinks a lot about him. Especially since she's around him again. I love reading about a hot guy, but since I expected action I had to switch my reading mind (does that sound stupid? Everyone else doing this?). 

Expectations are just the worse sometimes, because that's also why I would've loved it if Lila was more a kick ass heroine. She has this amazing gift! Moving things with your mind is pretty awesome, but she barely uses it. And I thought that was a shame. She turns a lot to other people, mostly her brother and Alex. At the end of the story she gets a bit more tough and that's when I started to love, instead of like this story!

But the ending! Sarah Alderson had me there! I really thought it was a setup and expected it to go wrong any minute. And it did, but just not in the way I imagined it would. Maybe I'm weird, but I think it's amazing when an author manages to put me on the wrong foot and it all turns out to be completely different. That's writing! 

Ever since I was a little kid I get so excited if different powers are involved! And I still haven't grown up, so in every book where powers are mentioned I get all jumpy and giggly and I can't wait to read it. Somewhere in the story Lila's reads a file were different people like her are mentioned with their powers. I think I read that fragment about five times. I love powers! And yes, I wish I had one (or more), but unfortunately my only power now is reading books and that's not dangerous at all. 

So overall, I thought this book was pretty good! It has great characters and an awesome idea behind the story. And once the tensions picks up, you won't be able to put this book down!