What happened in Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson - Recaptains

The basics

Title: Hunting Lila

Author: Sarah Alderson

Series: Lila #1

- Hunting Lila (2011)
- Losing Lila (2012)

Add it: Goodreads

Goodreads Summary:

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 organization 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 realizes 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…

Read a full summary of Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson below. If you can’t remember what happened in Hunting Lila and you need a refresher, then you’re in the right place.

Rachel is once again saving the world!

in short

Lila has telepathic abilities – she can move objects with her mind. She moves, temporarily, in with her brother who works for a mysterious military group called the Unit. Turns out that they are hunting down a group called of psygens led by a man named Demos. Jack and Alex are using their job to help them avenge Jack and Lila’s mother’s killers – coincidentally (or supposedly, rather) Demos’ group. Alex and Jack learn about Lila’s abilities. She gets kidnapped by Demos but it turns out that they are good guys so she sides with them when a fight breaks out between the Unit and Demos’ group. Lila and Alex become a “thing” after many, many long years of crushing from Lila’s side.

what happened in Hunting Lila?

• Lila Loveday is attacked by muggers and accidently uses her telepathic powers to scare them off.
• She returns to her new home (she’s American but how lives in London) and finds her father is still at work. It’s revealed her mother was murdered five years prior and Lila’s father moved her and himself to London afterwards. She has an older brother make home in America.
• She decides to fly to stay with her brother Jack and his best friend Alex Wakeman – who she has been in love with her whole life – in California. Her brother and Alex are marines who work at a base on the coast. Lila continues to hide her feelings fro Alex at the start of her visit and doesn’t say why she left England.
• The next day, after a morning run, Lila sees a strange Japanese woman looking through her brother’s letterbox. Lila talks to the girl quickly but she runs off. She shrugs it off as angry ex-girlfriend of Jack’s. Jack gets angry and paranoid when Lila tells him of the incident. That night Alex and Jack’s girlfriend Sara come over to dinner.
• The next day, Alex takes Lila to the Marine base and they go for a run together. Alex reveals his and Jack’s real purpose in the Unit and that they are hunting down her mother’s killers. Lila meets members of the Unit – including a girl named Rachel who is interested in Alex – upon their return. A siren starts ringing in the base so Alex drops Lila off home.
• Lila runs to the convenience store, angry about Rachel. A weird man asks for her help. Lila walks away and Alex picks her up. She stays at his house for the night.
• The next day is Alex’s birthday. Lila, Sarah and the Unit, including Jack and Rachel, take to a club in town. Lila confides in Sara about her feelings for Alex. Sara tells her to own up about it to Alex. Lila refuses.
• In the toilets, the strange man from before is there. He tells Lila he is the Key. He pleads with Lila to help him find his son, Nate, who was kidnapped by a group called Psygens. Key is also a Psygen – he has the ability to project himself from his body. Lila agrees to help him. Takes a cab back home.
• On Jack’s computer Lila learns about her mother’s killers: a group of psygens led by a man named Demos. Key arrives at Jack’s house. Alex attacks him initially. Lila reveals her powers. Alex is shocked. Key tells them Demos is on his way and they have to escape. The three of the drive off as Demons and his crew turn up.
• Key leaves Lila and Alex a little alter to fin out what Demos is up to. They escape to a motel where Lila reveals her true feelings. They kiss.
• The next day, Alex arranges a meet with Jack at the Joshua Tree. he explains what’s happening. Lila reveals her powers to Jack. He is angry at first. The Unit has been training Jack and Alex to believe that psygens are all evil sociopaths. Alex has to remind Jack that Lila is his sister and isn’t evil to calm him down. Alex tells Jack to take Lila and run away.
• Demos arrives and kidnaps Lila before that can happen. Demos demands that Alex and jack return Alicia – a psygen who the Unit is keeping hostage.
• When Alex and Jack leave, Demos exaplin to Lila that the Unit are false. Psygens are not dangerous, just misunderstood. Think X-Men. Demos also reveals that he used to be in love with Lila’s mother and that they were a couple before Lila’s mother meet Lila’s father. Lila realises she has to help Demos.
• Alex and Jack return with Alicia and Rachel – who they kidnapped. Rachel reveals that the Unit was actually set up to capture and experiment on all psygens. Again: think X-Men. She tells Lila that her (and Jack’s, oviously) mother is actually alive.

how did it end?

A fight ensues between the Unit and Demos’ followers. Alex and Jack side with Demos. Ryder – one of Demos’ psygens – is killed. Jack is injured and captured by the Unit. The others escape and plan to free Jack and Lila’s mother.

anything else

psygens = people with superpowers (Lila, Demos, Ryder etc.)

the Unit = the military group that Jack, Rachel and Alex are part of. Their mission is to capture and experiment on psygens.

This is a full plot summary of what happened in Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson. Check out our recap list for more recaps. If you can’t find what you need, you can request a recap from us!