Review: Mila 2.0 - Debra Driza

(Goodreads) (Amazon UK)

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity–style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

My review of Mila 2.0 (5*):

Before reading Mila 2.0 I was really looking forward to it and really hoped it would live up to my expectations, which were high; and it definitely did. Mila 2.0 is an extremely enthralling, completely captivating and gripping YA science fiction story that had me glued to each page and on the edge of my seat in anticipation. It was action packed and full of drama, suspense and intrigue that instantly had me hooked.

We meet Mila, a young girl grieving for her father after a devastating house fire and having to come to terms with her new life in a strange town with a new school and new friends. Events of that fateful night haunt her dreams and her strained relationship with her mother does little to help. A new boy, Hunter arrives at school and they are both instantly attracted to one another. But her life is turned upside down and everything comes crashing down as it is revealed that she is not just a normal teenage girl but an android, a machine, programmed and wired. Her life starts to unravel as her family, her memories and her very self are revealed as false creations. She is forced to grow up fast, face her demons and do terrible things to survive.

I loved the characterisation within the novel and admired how Driza was able to breath life into an android protagonist. Mila is presented to us as a young teenage girl just like any other teenager with normal teenage problems but there is one slight difference. Mila finds out that she is an android and her whole world gets turned upside down in the process. She was so full of depth, emotion and empathy and her struggle to hold onto her humanity after finding out the truth about herself was both inspiring and heartbreaking. She embarks on a journey of survival, to try and prove that she is more than just a machine but a young girl with feelings, emotions, wishes and dreams. As her android senses/powers kick in we see another side to her. She is feisty, full of attitude, tough and able to defend herself in a fight. She is unexpectedly thrown into the deep end and I enjoyed seeing how she handled herself.

Hunter was an instantly likeable character with his quiet and brooding attitude. He is definitely mysterious, with not much known about his past and I hope there’s more of his character revealed in the next book. I just feel that he is more than just the new mystifying guy at school. I want more; more of Hunter, more of his relationship with Mila. Hunter and Mila’s relationship was a little too love at first sight for my taste but I did enjoy the chemistry between the two. I thought it was sweet and touching like they were there to lean on one another, a shoulder to cry on. I hope that their relationship develops more in the future because I really want to see more of them together.

I really enjoyed seeing how Mila's relationship with her mother changed and developed throughout the book. Mila has to come to terms with some life changing revelations and seeing how the two interacted after such events was touching. She must overcome the lies and secrets that define her life and learn to trust the woman who she calls mother again. I just loved seeing their relationship progress in front of my eyes. The other characters within the book were all well rounded and full of personality also and helped move the story along.

The story got off to a slow start and I thought that it would turn out to be a stereotypical story (new girl in school, crush on the cute guy; all cliché stuff) but I was completely wrong. Mila 2.0 has an action packed, original and fast paced storyline. I loved the pace of the book with its heart racing plotline and nail biting, dramatic fight scenes. The whole concept of androids had me hooked. Mila was made to be the ultimate fighting machine and her struggle to hold onto her humanity was heartbreaking at times and enthralling at others. The novel makes you question what makes someone truly human as Mila is revealed to be more compassionate and full of feeling than some of the humans depicted. It is filled with some bloody fight scenes that were equally exciting and shocking. Driza writes such gripping fight scenes and car chases that it is as if its happening right in front of my eyes.

Mila 2.0 is truly a breathtaking, striking and kick ass debut with a whole ton of action, intrigue and drama. I adored this book with its depiction of a young girls journey of self discovery, acceptance and struggle for survival in a harsh and deadly world. I devoured its fast paced action scenes, shocking, nail biting plotline and its amazing realistic characters. It had me turning each page in fervid anticipation late into the night. I loved the whole sci-fi, android concept and I’ll definitely be looking for similar books in the future. Mila 2.0 is an exciting science fiction book with an ending that leaves you wanting more and more. What a book, I urge you all to read it!