Mila 2.0 (Mila 2.0 #1) by Debra Driza

Author: Debra Driza
Publication: March 12, 2013
By: Katherine Tegen Books
4 Stars


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.

Thank you Edelweiss and Katherine Tegen Books for this ARC.

What I liked: The cover is really cool. I first heard about this book back in September at the Baltimore Book Festival where one of the authors on the YA panel was discussing upcoming books and current manuscripts she was reading.  The title alone was intriguing and when I read the description I was really excited especially since I'm a big fan of The Bourne series.  This is well written and fast paced which is always a plus for sci-fi books and I enjoyed Mila - I thought she was an interesting character with a surprising amount of depth considering what she is. I found the relationship that unfolds between she and her mother to be a positive one despite the occasional bumps. 

Hunter's character was appealing and while we don't get to know him very well in this book, I'm hoping we'll see more of him in future installments. I have a hunch that there is more to him than meets the eye as well. 

What left me wanting: This is very fast-paced and there were times I had trouble keeping up with all that was going on.  It reminded me of a little bit of the T.V. show Alias but with a twist. The inclusion of not one, but two means girls was distracting and a bit annoying.  This was also very light on romance and I would've liked to have seen more Hunter but as I said, I'm guessing he'll play a bigger role in the upcoming sequels.

Final verdict: This entertaining debut packs a punch and a leg sweep!

Also posted at YABC.