Review of MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

Title: MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0, #1)
Author: Debra Driza
Published by: HarperCollins
Pages: 480
Source: Publisher/Edelweiss
Format: ebook
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads : Mila was living with her mother in a small Minnesota town when she discovered she was also living a lie. 

She was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was never supposed to remember the past—that she was built in a 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.

Evading her enemies won't help Mila escape the cruel reality of what she is and cope with everything she has had to leave behind. However, what she's becoming is beyond anyone's imagination, including her own, and that just might save her life.

Futuristic, fun, and filled with action; MILA 2.0 is a book you wouldn't want to miss.  

What a wild ride.  While this book started out a bit slower, it ended with a spectacular fireworks.  Looking back I can't believe how much was crammed between the pages.  Seriously, by the end of the story there were games, explosions, high speed chases, crazy androids, and murderous scientists.  I flew through the pages trying to figure out how it was going to end and who was going to live.  It was a bit exhilarating.      

While Mila was just trying to be a normal teenager, things soon go south for her when she realizes she is a artificial being who is highly coveted.  Even though Mila is not human, she does have the emotions of a teenage girl making her both weaker and stronger for it.  This really plays out towards the end of the story as she uses her emotions to not only fights to save her own life, but also those of people she truly cares for.  

The one area of MILA 2.0 that I wasn't sold on was the characters.  Yes, I liked them, but I didn't connect with them.  Maybe it was due to the fact that Mila isn't human, but I never felt like I got to understand her or some of the other characters.  But I have to say that Debra Driza did a great job at creating the villains.  They were so creepy and scary people that I would not want to find myself alone with them...ever.  

While part of Mila's story came to a close, there was a lot left open which I think will lead nicely into the next book in the series.  

Review of Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Title: Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky, #2)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Published by: HarperCollins
Pages: 352
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

What an adventure.  Veronica Rossi sure knows how to demand your attention; I couldn't put this book down.  It was so jammed packed with action, deceit, and unknown that one more page turned into one more chapter, which turned into staying up way too late to finish the story.  The Aether is still building and destroying the Tides along with other settlements, so not only does Aria need to find the Still Blue but so does everyone else and they'll stop at nothing to discover that secret.

Through the Ever Night introduces us to some new characters.  Some of these characters are wonderful and will earn a place inside your heart.  Others will make you cringe and make you want to channel your inner warrior to take these people out and to do it painfully.  At times there was almost a mob mentality, especially among the people of the Tides.  Not only does it put Aria's life in danger, but also puts Perry in an intense and complicated dilemma. 

I forgot how much I missed Aria and Perry until I started reading Through the Ever Night.  Personally I think they are one of the best YA couples because their feelings seem so pure and their relationship so uncomplicated.  Don't get me wrong, their lives are one battle after another, but when they are together everything seems perfect.  I wish there were more couples like them.  So often we get the dreaded love triangle or a bad relationship...not with Aria and Perry, they have this calming and serene quality that puts a smile on my face.

Through the Ever Night definitely lived up to it's predecessor.  While the novel does connect the series as a whole, it still had it's own plot and overall story line.  I'm highly impressed with Veronica Rossi and only wish that she would write a bit faster.  I want to know what's going to happen next!