MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

Mila 2.0 is one of those books that can hook you just based on premise: Teenage girl finds out she is actually an experiment in artificial intelligence.  Now, there's a concept with tons of possibility!  I mean, teenager-dom is hard enough without introducing AI into it.  But Mila turns out to be one tough cookie J.

Then you look at the beautiful cover…

And it's like, "Wow, I must have this book!"  Or at least, that's how it went down for me.  There was a lot of hype surrounding this one, and I'm happy to say Mila does not disappoint.  In her debut, Debra Driza knocks it out of the park.  Mila was a great main character who I felt for throughout all of her discoveries (about herself and the people who created her), and I could never really figure out what would happen next.

This is what made the book so fantastic imo.  The unexpectedness.

Here's the rundown: Mila's scientist mother steals her away from the lab after discovering Mila has developed human feelings.  The two attempt to hide out in a small town, and Mila's mom keeps her daughter's secret from her--until a freak accident involving Mila being thrown from a speeding truck bed makes that impossible.  Then baddies come to the town in search of Mila, hoping to steal her tech and sell it to the highest bidder.  But as Mila soon finds out, there is a bigger threat to her survival--and he will do anything to get his creation back.

There were several times when I thought I knew where things were going.  But Driza never took the cliché route.  She kept the story fresh by not leading Mila down the road so many Sci-fi/paranormal stories travel.  The story and Mila's journey was unpredictable, and I loved that.

Another thing I loved was Mila.  This heroine read surprisingly human for being created in a lab.  A lot of times when authors write AI/aliens/cyborgs they lose what makes the character essentially human, and in the case of YA, what makes them teenagers. 

But Mila and her voice couldn't have been more perfect.  Loved the humor.  I really loved how she struggled to accept herself.  The way Mila thought that accepting her tech would make her somehow less human was believable and endearing.

And the tech!!  This story was action-packed, you guys.  The story had several changes in setting; we never stayed in one place too long.  It gives the readers exactly what they want: kick-butt fight scenes, high-speed car chases, a girl who slowly discovers that she is a force to be reckoned with J.

I tried not to give any spoilers, but I'll just say this: Lucas Webb FTW! 

Loved this book, totally recommend it!  I'll definitely continue the series (and probably watch the ABC television show as well :-)).

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl