Review: Losing Lila (Lila, #2)

Author: Sarah Alderson
Publication date: August 2nd 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Paperback, 332 pages



One can always count on Sarah Alderson to amuse, entertain and accelerate heartbeats. Losing Lila is no different.
In my review of Hunting Lila, I described Alderson’s debut as deliciously shallow, and it was. In comparison, its successor is far more layered and emotionally demanding. There is plenty of action, yes, but we also get to peek underneath and see dilemmas and insecurities, especially Alex’s. Alderson really allowed her characters to fly free, even when they refused to fly in the right direction.

Lila and Alex are on the run, desperate to hide from the Unit and rejoin their friends. People important to them are being held and tortured by Alex’s former employers and they must find a way to rescue them. While they’re running, Lila discovers that her telekinetic power isn’t nearly as limited as it originally seemed. She can move people and even control elements to a degree. She is also steadier, more self-assured and entirely focused on her goals. (Oh, don’t worry, one of those goals IS getting Alex naked at first opportunity.) She‘s come far from the lighthearted girl with a desperate crush we were introduced to at the beginning of Hunting Lila, and maybe, just maybe, this new and improved version has a chance of bringing down her enemies – with a little help from her friends, of course.

Let’s talk about Alex for a bit, shall we? You all know you want to! Finally the man shows some flaws, and I’ll admit it, there were times when I just wanted to smack him upside the head, but a part of me is glad that we finally saw different sides of him too. Before, all those swoon-worthy moments disguised his imperfections and now they surfaced under pressure. It made Alex more real and accessible, not so much a fairy tale prince, but still an exceptional young man. Who is also hot. Did I mention he’s hot? Here’s some brain candy for you guys:

His breath was getting faster, his hands running up my spine, tangling in my hair while my fingers were grasping at his T-shirt even as my mind was one step ahead and lifting it up so I could run my hands over the hard planes of his stomach.

Once again, Alderson’s strength lies in her secondary characters. They are the source of both humor and heartbreak and they are not just cardboard cutouts designed to further complicate the plot. It is clear that she cared about them and really invested a lot of energy into every one of them. I think I’ll miss Suki, Demos and Nate much more than I’ll miss Lila, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some sort of spin-off in the near future.

This is supposed to be the last book, but there is room for more if Alderson ever decides to go back to the series. She did say she might write about these characters again at some point, and oh, boy, I really hope she will. But even if she doesn’t, I’m sure her next project will be just as entertaining.