Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

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:

Mila 2.0 was a fascinating and engaging story.  I haven't read very much science fiction, but, since I loved this, I'll be sure to try to read some more books in that genre.  I loved the characters in this book, and the plot as well.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Mila is a great main character.  The book was narrated through her 1st person perspective, so we got to hear her thoughts and feelings on everything that was happening to her.  Though she wasn't really human, she always seemed human.  She felt things that humans feel, and she thought she was a human for the beginning portion of the book.  Something that this book really shows through Mila's thoughts is how much she really doesn't want to be an android.  She is not comfortable with her android aspects, and she wants to be a normal human.  As the book progresses, she learns to use some of her android abilities to her advantage, instead of avoiding all of them.

The relationship between Mila and her mom is done very well.  Early in the book, Mila learns that she is an android, and her mom isn't really her mom.  She is a scientist who helped create Mila.  When Mila finds this out, she is mad at her mom at first, but she forgives her as the story progresses.  By the middle of the story, it is clear how much Mila cares about her mom.  There is a great scene with the two near the end, but I won't say what happens because it would be a big spoiler.

Romance isn't really an important part of this book, but there are a couple guys in it.  Hunter is the guy who went to school with Mila.  They only knew each other for a few days, but there seemed to be a connection between them.  Unfortunately, Mila's best friend liked him too, and she got mad when she saw Mila talking to him.  I look forward to seeing what role he plays in the next book.  Then there's Lucas, a guy who is working for the military on the MILA project.  Sometimes he seems to only think of Mila as a machine, but by the end, he seems to think of her as a real human.  He was a sweet guy, but there wasn't actually a romance between him and Mila.

If you like YA sci-fi, read this book.

Katie