Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

The past month for Mila has been coming to terms with the lose of her father and the new life her mother has made for them in the sleepy little town of Clearwater.  It is a quiet existence in a quiet town, where a trip to the local Dairy Queen is a big night out for Mila and her new friends.  Nothing ever really happens, until Hunter appears on the scene and changes everything just because he shows more interest in Mila than her friends.  It is all normal teenage dramas and teenage cattiness, until the accident - the accident that makes Mila realise that everything she knows is a lie, everything about her mother, her life, and herself.

Now Mila and her mother are on the run, desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the people hunting them.  It is a tense time as Mila tries to come to terms with the truth about who and what she is, something complicated by the rapidly increasing changes in her body and her memories.  Mila is more than she has ever known, more than she could ever have dreamed of being and that may just save her life - but it could also be her undoing.

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an explosive trilogy that blends together action, thriller, science fiction, and a little dash of conspiracy with a splash of romance.  Mila is a well created character, well crafted with surprising depth and relatability, a clear voice that tells her story without pulling punches or pausing for breath.  Her story unfolds at breath taking speed as you learn about who and what she is, and then speed towards the inevitable confrontation with the people who are after her - her humanity is loud and clear, as is her reluctance to turn into what she was developed to be.  The surrounding cast is sketched pretty lightly, but that is partly because of the fast paced action and the need to keep the pace up - you can easily see the action unfolding as a high octane thriller, and I can see why the blurb touts it as a Bourne Identity style thriller.

This is one for readers of all ages who enjoy an action packed read with a convincing voice for the main character, and a plot that leaves you glued to the pages as you race towards the end.  This is an ambitious read for an afternoon, being 470 pages long, but once I picked it up I didn't want to put it down and managed to devour it between lunch and dinner in a single sitting.  Looking forward to the sequel so I can see if Driza can keep up the tension, drama, and action through the next two books in the series.  One of the star reads of my year so far.

If you like this book then try:

• Adaptation by Melinda Lo
• Variant by Robison Wells
• Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• Agent 21 by Chris Ryan
• Revived by Cat Patrick
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• Virals by Kathy Reichs
• Unremembered by Jessica Brody
• When we wake by Karen Healey

Reviewed by Brilla