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
