Mila 2.0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Debra Driza's MILA 2.0 is the first book in a gripping Bourne Identity-style trilogy about a girl who discovers she is actually an android.

Mila was never supposed to remember her past, or know what lurked beneath her synthetic skin. She was never meant to learn that she was "born" in a secret computer science lab and programmed with superhuman skills. But when a group of hooded men show up on her doorstep, hoping to strip her of her advanced technology, she has no choice but to run for her life. In every direction there are dangerous people, hunting her down. They will do whatever it takes to capture Mila, including hurting the people she cares about most.

Filled with secrets, action, and even romance, MILA 2.0 is perfect for readers who love sci-fi thrillers like the Partials series and I Am Number Four.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Mila believes she's an average 16-year-old girl who has moved to a new town following the death of her father. An accident reveals that Mila is actually an android-specifically, a super-covert robot spy developed by a shadowy government project-and her "mother" is a scientist who stole her from the lab to save her from being destroyed after Mila developed human emotions. Hunted by both the government and an organization seeking to sell her tech to the highest bidder, Mila and her mother flee, and Mila will have to embrace both her abilities and her humanity to survive. Driza's debut is likely to hit the sweet spot for YA fans-it's SF set in the modern world with just enough romance, angst, and action to balance the improbably amazing technology. Many plot elements are laid out in this trilogy opener, but character development is skimpy. Cinematic and overly dramatic ("Why? Why even steal me in the first place if you were never really going to let me live?" Mila whispers), it's not surprising that Driza's novel is already in development as a TV series. Ages 13-up. Agent: Taylor Martindale, Full Circle Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up-Thirty days ago, Mila's mother moved them to the quiet Clearwater, Minnesota, to make a new start after the tragic death of her husband. Despite her grief, Mila is doing her best to find a place for herself, but it's hard to move on when she can't remember details of her past-including the fire that killed her father. When she injures her arm in an accident, she discovers a network of wires and tubes beneath her skin that hints at a history more incredible than she could have ever imagined. Mila doesn't remember her previous life because she doesn't have a past: she was created in a top-secret laboratory for the government. Now she and her mother are running for their lives and nothing makes sense-all she has are questions. Who is her mother? Did her father ever actually exist? Why was she created? And who is chasing her? In this cross between Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity (Richard Marek, 1980) and Mary E. Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Holt, 2008), Mila's identity crisis and the resulting questions about what it means to be human could be the start of an interesting discussion. And while this first book in a planned trilogy is nearly 500 pages long, the action-packed plot will quickly propel even reluctant readers to the end.-Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Everything seems normal as 16-year-old Mila attends a new school in Minnesota, hangs out with her new friends, and starts to get to know another new student Hunter, a handsome, quiet surfer from California. Suddenly, though, Mila starts to get flashes of visions that send shudders down her spine: she pictures men in lab coats conducting cruel experiments in a cold room. Who are they? Why does she keep picturing these scenes? According to her mother, Mila is suffering from trauma due to her father's fiery death. But when Mila discovers that her mother may not be telling the truth, core identity issues heat up the plot. Driza's fast-paced, action-packed science fiction/thriller debut about identity, will, artificial intelligence, nature versus nurture, and man versus machine will satisfy fans of the Jason Bourne series, the Hunger Games trilogy, and Jennifer Rush's Altered (2013).--Mack, Candice Copyright 2010 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Mila discovers she's an android, stolen from a military lab. She must rely on her spying and fighting programming when she's captured and forced into testing alongside other MILA (Mobile Intel Lifelike Android) prototypes. Though some premises (the government programmed her with emotions and memories?) are implausible, readers likely won't mind; there's plenty of action and suspense, and even a little romance. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

A fast-paced sci-fi adventure complete with artificial intelligence, military intrigue, secret societies and a hint of romance. Mila is shocked to learn--by falling out of a truck and discovering wires and high-tech gadgetry where blood and bones should be--that she is not a teenage girl, but a military weapon. Her mother is actually one of the scientists who created her; she then spirited her away when it was decided that Mila should be scrapped in favor of a newer model, as her too-genuine emotions proved an unacceptable vulnerability. When Mila and her mom are caught, Mila must face a series of tests to save her mother and herself from elimination. To survive, she'll have to figure out how to make the most of her military hardware and training as well as her human emotions. While it definitely raises interesting questions about identity and memory, this offering depends much more on the fast-paced plot to keep readers engaged. It eschews for the most part the deep philosophical musings on what it means to be human that elevate otherwise similar titles such as Mary Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox (2009), for example, beyond thrills. With likable characters and nonstop action, this one will please readers who prefer adventure to ethical exploration. (Science fiction. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.