Title: MILA 2.0
Author: Debra Driza
Series: MILA 2.0 #1
Publisher: Katherine Teegan Books /HarperTeen
Published: March 12, 2013
Pages: 480From the Publisher: 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.
**An ARC was received from HarperTeen
but that did not influence the review**
My first thoughts: I have been on a serious sci-fi thriller kick lately so I was immediately drawn to this book. While I really liked it, I had some struggles with the fact that Mila was supposed to be a droid, but she truly seemed to have a soul. For me, those two things don’t go together. You just can’t create emotion in a lab. But after overlooking that concept I got on with the book and really did love it.
The story: Mila and her mother have just moved to Clearwater from Philadelphia after Mila’s father died in a fire. Besides missing her father, Mila feels so isolated, and to top it off her mother is over protective. While some girls initially appear to be friendly, as soon as the newest guy, Hunter, shows an interest in Mila the claws come out…..as does part of Mila! You’ll have to read the story yourself to see her wild journey.
The heroine: What I loved was Mila’s emotions. Her feelings were so real in the beginning when she missed her father. I just felt her sadness oozing out of the pages. I could totally understand why she felt so alone. Even when Hunter starts to be friendly towards her, she still feels so sad. However, it can’t be just about a boy and a girl and bad timing.
The boy: Hunter, oooh, now he is a a male lead that I wanted to get know more. He is a man of few words, and seems…..brooding (MY FAVE). He also sees through the BS of the other girls and seems quite smitten with Mila. However...I don’t think he is simply the “new guy”. It just doesn’t add up to me. Did that make me like him less? No. I just think his timing on being new was a little too convenient.
The romance: The romance is always what seals the deal for me and it started off with some sparks and so much potential….but then Mila was on the run. Ack!
Gripes? Well, the science in this is just too over the top. What Mila is supposed to be, well, I couldn’t buy it at all. There is just no way she could have all that emotion. Besides that, the story flowed so well and I liked the rest of it so much. The writing style made it so easy to just swallow the ridiculous sci-fi bit and go with it. With that in mind it was awesome. I would have just written Mila differently, maybe as an altered human. I could go on but will leave it at that.
The ending? Wow, my heart is racing and I loved it. What a ride! It was nearly to the point where there was too much action for my liking, but not quite. Any more and it would have tipped the scale for me. There was also sadness and at the same time hope. No cliffhanger, but what I was hoping for the entire book happened when Hunter came back on the scene. I’m hoping the next installment has a tiny bit of kissy time, if you know what I mean. 
To find out what happens next I NEED the next book.
Rec it? If you love sci-fi and action then absolutely YES! Buckle up because this is no drawn out drama and has more than it’s share of bad guys…but good ones too!
About Celeste
I recently read an amazing Scifi/AI book called The Mad Scientist’s Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke. I’ll be featuring it actually on my post this Friday at Bookish Temptations. Stop by and check it out!
Oooh! I have seen that book and have been dying to hear someone’s thoughts on it. I will def check it out. Thanks, Katherine.
Action and sci-fi with a romantic interest floating around?! YES PLEASE.
Very sci-fi. I think there’s so much to learn still so the rest of the series should be wicked exciting. Thank you so much for stopping by!