[Review + Giveaway] Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Be sure to check out the end of the review for a chance to win my ARC of Mila 2.0!

Release date: March 12, 2013
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 480
Format: ARC
Source: Borrowed
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

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 has a fascinating premise, one that calls to mind Marissa Meyer's Cinder but on a more extreme level. The only problem is that Mila 2.0 doesn't quite deliver on that premise. While there are a few definite strong points here, I found myself struggling to get through the middle of the book, and I don't know that it will leave much of a lasting impression on me.

I think my main qualm with Mila 2.0 is that there are so many people, places, and ideas thrown at us that it's hard to discern what's supposed to be important and what's not. Along with that, I found there was no time for us to learn much about the characters past a very general sense of their purpose in the book. At almost five hundred pages, I think there could have been quite a bit more development of those characters important to this and future books.

Also, for all it's touting as a fast-paced thriller, I got bored for close to two hundred pages in the middle there. What happened could have been important to the future books, but I only remember the broadest bits of what went on, and had to power through that bit. It did finally pick up again and I was immersed for the last fifty to a hundred pages, but it was difficult for a while.

While I'm spewing these negative things, I do think Mila 2.0 is an engaging and well plotted book. I felt the tension during the fight and chase scenes and was definitely nervous for Mila. I think the idea is a good one and that there's a lot of potential, especially now that the story base is established. I believe Mila has a lot of room--and necessity--to grow, but that she has the makings of a great heroine, one readers can really root for.

Giveaway time!

To make you more excited for Mila and because it's Valentine's Day and I just love you guys THAT MUCH, I'm giving away my ARC to one lucky US reader! You must be 13 years or older or have express permission from your parents to enter. Unfortunately I must make this US only because of shipping costs. At the end of the giveaway, I will contact the winner by the email provided in the FREE ENTRY, to which they have 48 hours to respond. Your information will only be used for the giveaway and will be deleted at the end of the contest. Happy Thursday and good luck! :)

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