4.0 out of 5 based on 2 reviews. – Customer review on 02/12/2011

Hunting Lila was a little bit like watching a teen movie: a fun blend of romance and soft-thriller-action. I'm labeling it as a popcorn munchie type movie[book]: a little bit swoony, smiley, action-y and definitely addictive. It even features some twist-y turn-y plot revelations in the end, adding some unpredictability and a bit of oomph to the climax.

I actually pretty much read this all in one go. It completely suited my mood at the time. I read a fair few adult thrillers and while Hunting Lila had that thriller aspect, it felt more like a mash-up of YA contemporary romance with soft-sci-fi aspects. It felt kind of like a guilty pleasure as it was rather light and flirty to read.

In terms of plot my crude analysis is: the first 50% focuses a lot on Lila crushing on (22 year old, brother's best friend) Alex. It was smiley and full of all kinds of YA swoon. The second 50% was where the action kicked in and things veered to the "X-men" side of things.

I really liked the older YA vibe, the military base setting, and the British narration. And, I really liked Alex ;)

Expect something light, flirty and fun ~ don't take yourself too seriously with this one. Good fun, good times. I am definitely reading #2 :)

3.0 out of 5 based on 2 reviews. – Customer review on 17/09/2011

What is there to say about Hunting Lila? It is an interesting mix of paranormal, science fiction and romance (focusing heavily on the latter), featuring an exciting cast of side characters and a (sometimes a little bratty) heroine with a (rather cool) superpower she doesn't dare tell anyone about. Let's say X-Men meets romantic comedy.

I did like Hunting Lila, especially the second half, enough to be interested in reading the sequel. I did not love it, though, for several reasons.

First off, the standard "We can't tell you because it's too dangerous for you". No, thank you. I just can't stand it. Especially when it turns into "I will tell you a little bit so that you are even more curious, but I just can't tell you everything, sorry". Gaaah! It makes me want to bang my head against a wall.

Then, Lila herself. Sometimes, she had an affinity to sulk a little too much, to come across as a spoiled brat. She wasn't angry without reason, and I understood her frustration when not being told the truth, but some of the decisions she made just weren't that … thought through. They made her seem young for her seventeen years. Still, I felt with her and I can't say her faults made me dislike her in any way. They made me roll my eyes sometimes, but then a few pages later, I would be furious on her behalf.

Another thing – the romance. Okay, Alex is hot. He is swoonworthy (seriously, I think this was the first book I ever read that actually used the word swoonworthy itself to describe a character). He has a great chest. He has amazing blue eyes. Was it mentioned that he's hot?? Yes? Okay, just to make it clear: He is hot.
Eh, yes. Thank you. I got it. Not that I have anything against hot male characters in books, but please, I would like to see for myself. I do not want to be told every five pages. Lila and Alex definitely had chemistry, and I just love their kind of love story, but that killed the thing for me in parts. Also, slight evidence of "It is not right for us to be together" syndrome. But he got over it pretty quickly ;). All in all, as I might add, the book was a just bit too heavy on physical description. And of course everyone was beautiful. Tsk. What else.

You notice that I have quite some things to complain about. Still, I was thoroughly entertained. I loved some of the side characters introduced towards the end, and I was definitely glued to the pages during the fast-paced last third of the book. This book is not particularly deep, but it was positively a lot of fun to read.