Wednesday 20 February 2013

ARC Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0, #1) 
Author: Debra Driza
Series: Mila 2.0
Pages: 480
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Amazon Pre-order: Mila 2.0
Release Date: 13th March 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

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.

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

The gorgeous eye-catching cover of Mila 2.0 is what initially captured my attention of this book and the intriguing synopsis had me sold; I have only recently started to embrace the Sci-Fi genre and Debra Driza’s action-packed debut certainly kept me entertained from the beginning through to the end but also left me with a number of unanswered questions.

Sixteen year-old Mila believed she was a human living in a small town with her ‘mother’ after the death of her ‘father’ and was never meant to find out that she was an android, built in a science lab and kept hidden to avoid not only the person who helped create her but another group intent on using her for her abilities.

Mila was a really sweet likeable character, I adored her devotion, vulnerability and loyalty, and you wouldn’t have guessed she was a machine based on her emotions and feelings; she really grew in strength as the story progressed both in personality and physically but it took me a while to fully understand her and the reasoning behind why everything had been kept so hidden; I think there is a lot of information we are yet to find out.

The plot was quite intriguing; Mila was created as a military experiment in artificial intelligence and has been programmed to do the unimaginable and the group behind the experiment were brutal in their teachings and with the plans they had for her. The story was written well, the ongoing action and the information we are being fed kept the pacing consistent although at times I found it was information overload, scenes were being drawn out and sensory details seemed at times to be missing, it was enjoyable none the less but as the first book in the series, it didn’t truly wow me.

I liked the secondary characters but we don’t really learn a lot about each of them, I wanted to know more about Hunter especially but he didn’t play a huge role and I feel there is still a lot we haven’t yet found out about him. Lucas was wonderful but also quite mysterious and Mila 3.0 and the bad guys were each written well but needed to be further developed.

I would have loved more romance and initially I thought there would be an opportunity between Hunter/Mila but unfortunately nothing really progressed, although he seemed to play heavily in her thoughts there was no real outcome and he was absent for a majority of the book.

The ending was heart wrenching and I still have a number of unanswered questions so I am definitely eager to see how the story progresses in the sequel.

Overall, Mila 2.0 is filled with conspiracies, violence, intense action scenes and hopefully the possibility of a budding romance; it left me satisfied yet eager to learn more.

Thank-you kindly to Harper Collins Children, for the opportunity to read and review Mila 2.0.

11 comments:

  1. I was really pleased with this one. It's getting a TON of marketing, so I was nervous about it - sometimes that's a good thing, other times...I've been burned. But I liked it. I really agree whole-heartedly with all the things you said about it, Sharon. I kinda am left wondering too what's going to happen in the sequel/s. I was pleasantly surprised at the role Hunter ended up playing, and my heart just went out to poor Mila. She really is a fantastic lead character!

    (My blog has a new home, and I'm trying to get the word out. New link is below. :))

    Molli | Once Upon a Prologue

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    1. I agree Molli & despite having a few issues with this one it was quite enjoyable none the less, especially for a first book in a series.

      Heading on over to your blog! :)

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  2. The cover's initially what had me wanting to read the book and I'm starting to really grow and appreciation for Sci-fi now, I've mostly been a paranormal/Dystopian type of girl for far too long!
    I'm glad you liked this one Sharon! You've made March 13th seem like an unbearbaly far away! I want to read this book...Like NOW.
    Haha
    Great Review
    Lily

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    1. Thanks Lily :) I absolutely love the cover & I am thankful it was also an interesting read, I am curious to see how the story plays out in the sequel.

      I hope you enjoy it!

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  3. Oh no the ending sounds sad, I do not mind the lack of romance if the plot is good. Awesome review!

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    1. Thanks Kimba, I am terrible when it comes to romance, I need it in all of my books ;)

      The ending made me really teary!

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  4. I'm still having trouble getting into sci-fi unless it's got a fairly strong romantic element to it, or at least the promise of it. I like the idea of a Bourne Identity-style thriller, but it sounds like it might have been a bit much? I don't do teary endings anyway. lol I think I'm holding off on this one and waiting to see what the second book sounds like. Terrific review, Sharon!

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    1. Thanks Barbara :) there is potential for romance but at the moment it's pretty much zilch. The ending was sad but I'm quite keen to see how the story comes together in the sequel. Sci-Fi has been hit or miss for me lately.

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  5. The premise of this book reminds me about BETA a little bit (only what we have here is a machine, not a clone). I enjoyed BETA quite a lot (a whole lot more than most of others, from what I've seen, actually). Have you read it? MILA 2.0 has been on my radar for a while now, I am definitely going to pick it up at one point! Sorry you didn't quite LOVE it, but glad you enjoyed it enough to give it 3,5 stars! GREAT review, as always!!!
    Evie Bookish

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    1. Thanks Evie, BETA has been on my wishlist for a while now but I have hesitated because of the mixed reviews, I'm going to have to check out your review!

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  6. I haven't read many sci-fi books, but it caught my eye becuse of the cover! It's really stunning! It makes me want to read it, but I'm a bit wary :) Thank you for the honest review!

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