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March 10, 2013

Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0, #1)
Title: Mila 2.0 (Mila 2.0, #1)
Author: Debra Driza 
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date: March 12, 2013
Genre(s): Young Adult (Sci-Fi)
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Pages: 480
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.
Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza is one hefty book at 480 pages. However the way Debra Driza divided the book into four sections makes the reader feel like the book is actually four short books. Something I appreciated, especially since this book did feel like it had a TON of things going on. If it weren't for the divided sections, I think we would all agree that one book shouldn't contain so much. From a normal high school girl, to a sudden romance, then a government conspiracy where the main protagonist finds out she is a machine, to fight scenes, running away, getting caught, not trusting people, betrayals and so forth. 
My heart really went out to Mila. I mean, imagine someone tells you that you're a robot.. built just to become a fighting machine and to be used in wars and you are basically the property of the government's military. It is like "Will I ever wake up from this nightmare? please, I need to wake up now!". When Mila found out, she just couldn't digest it (not because she is a machine!). She seems to breath, eat, experience a wide range of human emotions, cry, feel happiness, feel her heart on overdrive when the cute guy looks her way, and dream. All the insecurities and depressing feelings Mila started experiencing were all, in my opinion, warranted. I know many readers didn't enjoy her monologues and revolving thoughts about humanity, but this shows that she really is a human just like everyone else. 
I do have to point out that the romance was something I didn't enjoy. It was a bit too insta-love for me, and even with the addition of a third person to complete the barely there love triangle, I do not have strong feelings about either guys. Hunter seems to be a bit too interested in Mila while Lucas was too conveniently placed and easily persuaded to be on Mila's side. I hoped for more resistance and mistrust, especially since Mila IS running away from the government and any other militias or organizations that want her as a weapon. 
Moving on to the other characters, such as her mom and supposed friend Kaylee. At the beginning, I didn't care much for her mother, but with the progression of the novel I felt how much her "mother" loved her as if she is her daughter. Kaylee... was another story. She is one of those fake friends that like you and pretend to be friendly with you as long as you don't cross them or get in their way of getting anything they want, namingly hunter. She was a psychopath! I am glad she was only in the first section of the novel. The action and running away was very thrilling. I loved every bit of that and loved the duo Mila and her mom formed. As for the ending, don't expect a cliffhanger, because there isn't one at all. Also, expect a bit TOO much cheesiness, it might also leave a bitter taste when you finish the book. I personally wished they ended it a chapter before the last one. That would have been a great ending. All in all, Mila 2.0 was an enjoyable and great novel. I will definitely be waiting for the second installment to find out what will happen next.
  

17 comments:

  1. I am really dying to read this one :) Awesome review Juhina! I've been hearing some pretty awesome things about this book lately. I hope you enjoy the romane a tad bit better in the next book though :) lol And I've been seeing a lot about Mila's horrid friend. I will definitely be picking this one up when it releases :)

    Janina @ Synchronized Reading

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  2. I had the luck of reading this one early because it was on NetGalley. It was really good. Mila was surprisingly human, more human than most characters in YA. She felt... real, if that makes any sense. And yes, Kaylee's character was so awful, she gave me a headache :X Absolutely despicable.

    I also agree about the romance in the book; practically non-existent. I didn't really like Hunter, because we know nothing about him. I hope there will be some info on him in the sequel, though.

    Great review! (You summed up everything I liked and didn't like about the book perfectly! haha)

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  3. The romance would ruin this for me. Insta love is a definite no no. And the fact that you couldn't build up enough affection for either guy would be a turn off for me. Great review though Juhina :)

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  4. I've been looking forward to this book for the LONGEST time, and I'm quite glad to see you enjoyed it. I'm a bit intimidated by the size, but I'm curious to see these "sections" play out and do the job. I hope I don't get annoyed of Mila's monologues, as they seem like great ways to connect with her as a character. The romance sounds a bit painful to read about, since the love interests don't seem particularly likeable in any way. Kaylee sounds awful! Aside from those flaws, I'm still interested in reading this book. Thanks for the brilliant review, Juhina!

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  5. What a great review Juhina!
    I'm so excited to read this book. I'm also curious to see the sections you're talking about.
    As for the insta-love... I don't care anymore about the romance in books... It's almost always badly written. Now I just care how creative the author is and how the author's mind is thinking wide, or not.
    :)

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  6. Great review! I'm heard mixed reviews on this and hopefully I will like it since I've wanted to read this for a long time. And damn, the instalove just might as well killed the whole thing for me <-- That is the only thing I can't stand in books..

    -Ariella @ Secrets of Lost Words

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  7. I'm really excited to read this one, mostly due to the fact that I've never really read a story about robots. Also, I tend to really love long books for a reason xD I guess its the fact that you get to be in the story for a longer period of time. However, the mention of insta-love has me cringing ab bit. If theres anything I cant stand its INSTA-LOVE. Great review! :)

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  8. I think this one really sounds interesting now, after reading your review! I didn't really know too much about it until now, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
    ~Erika

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  9. I got this from Goodreads First Reads and am excited to read it. Glad you felt for the MC, I love characters that are easy to connect to and make you root for them! Nice review!

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  10. I'm not a fan of insta-love, but I think I'll enjoy Mila enough that I can get over the romance part. Great review! I've been hearing so much about this, so I'll really need to pick this book up very, very soon.

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  11. Ahhh too bad! I was hoping you like this one better. I really enjoy it. Thanks for being honest and sharing your thoughts.

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  12. Ah, our reviews are pretty similar (we even gave it the same rating)! I felt the same way about this book. I mean, I didn't really think this book was all that large, but other than that, it's like you read my mind! I felt for Mila, despised Kaylee, thought the romance was really rushed, etc. Lovely review, Juhina! I hope the sequel is even better.

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  13. It's a shame about the insta-love (I really hope YA authors quit doing it!) But other than that, it sounds like a GREAT read!

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  14. nooooooooooo not instalove! D:
    Not sure if I want to read it... maybe one day when my TBR list isn't quite so long.
    Thanks for the honest review Juhina!

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  15. I enjoyed this book. I would like to know more about Hunter though. Great review!

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  16. I love the sound of Mila and her mother :D I like it when there is a good mother-daughter bond. I have this book on Netgalley and I can't wait to read it. The concept sounds definitely like something I will enjoy :D

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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  17. Honestly, I'm pretty wary of insta-love these days and fro such a hefty book, one would expect the romance to be deeper in the book. Also, I've been reading some psycho things about Kaylee, too.

    So even though I love sci-fi, I think I'll put this one lower on my to-read list. Great review, Juhina!

    Sana @ artsy musings of a bibliophile

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