Origins: The Fire

MILA 2.0 #0.5

by Debra Driza

Heart-stopping and electric, MILA 2.0: Origins: The Fire contains a short prequel story and an excerpt to MILA 2.0, the first book in a riveting Bourne Identity–style trilogy by Debra Driza.

Mila can't remember anything before the fire that took her father's life. It's normal to have some memory loss after traumatic events, but Mila doesn't remember if she's ever learned to ride a bike, or if she's ever been in love. Nothing.

What she doesn't know is that she isn't supposed to remember—that she was built in a computer science lab and programmed to forget. Because if she remembers, she might discover her true identity.

The question is: If she relived the fire, what would she see?

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Novella, Dystopia, Ebooks, Fiction

15 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 8, 2013

About the author

I'm the author of the MILA 2.0 series and the owner of the messiest purse on the planet, aka: the black hole of doom. I think bow ties are cool and when I grow up, I want to be Veronica Mars.

I rarely check my account at Goodreads, so if you need to get in touch with me, try twitter or Debra at debradriza.com.

Reviews

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Download this freebie short here: http://t.co/4ciPh7YR

3.5 stars This does exactly what these freebies are supposed to do: whet your appetite for the book. This one does so particularly well in setting up an immediate and exciting action sequence; showing the protagonist's character, smarts, and values; providing some context for her background and relationships; and finishing with a great (if you didn't already know the premise) surprise. It also showcases strong, descriptive writing.

My only quibble is that it's very short, even as far as these novellas go! Just 16% of the Kindle download (the rest is a sample for MILA 2.0) and just one chapter. But what a great opening chapter it was! I'm glad I already have the book to dive into soon. This seems like a promising debut.

[Kayleigh {K-Books} · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. I have to say for something so very short I am real impressed with it. This novella is only 15 pages long but it is so good and really sets the scene for the upcoming novel Mila 2.0
I personally cannot wait to read more after that short prequel novella. It did exactly what a short novella should do, it set the scene for the novel and really grabbed your attention and left you wanting more. I am so glad I have Mila 2.0 to start straight away. Cannot wait to find out what happens next!

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah!!!!! WTF!!!!!

I didn't expect that - I NEED MORE!!!

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok... το διαβάζεις ευχάριστα, αβίαστα και υπερβολικά γρήγορα (άλλωστε, 15 σελίδες είναι μόνο), αλλά δεν καταλαβαίνω σε τι ακριβώς εξυπηρετεί το συγκεκριμένο short story. Πιθανολογώ πως δεν βοηθάει σε τίποτα την πλοκή, αλλά πως η συγγραφέας ήθελε με κάποιον τρόπο να κρατήσει ζωντανή την ιστορία στα μάτια των αναγνωστών, οδεύοντας από το δεύτερο στο τρίτο βιβλίο.

[Armina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 stars.

Strong, impressive writing. Too short. Excellent finish(great surprise if we didn't already know the premise)! Fulfills it's purpose to stir our appetite for book 1 perfectly.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading this novella and it was great!

The actual novella is really only 12 pages and the rest is about 7 chapters of Mila 2.0 but this is so good!

From what I've read, it's like a YA Terminator.
The story is pretty interesting but what really captured my attention were the characters. They were fleshed out and I want to read more about them.

Plus, I really want to know what happens next!

I will definitely be reading Mila 2.0, eventually.
I just have to graduate. And find a job. And then find time to actually sit down and read.
But yeah, eventually.

[Jill booksandescape · Rating 5 out of 5]

Origins: The Fire by Debra Driza is a prequel novella to the MILA 2.0 series by Debra Driza. In this story, readers experience Mila's memory of the fire that she often remembers in the first book, MILA 2.0. This story is very emotional and gives readers a greater insight on Mila's memories.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but she should really know that you should NEVER GO INTO A BURNING BUILDING!
Not a good example to be setting there Mila.

[Anorielt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erster Satz: In the back of my head, a voice urges me to wake up.

The Fire ist die Vorgeschichte zu dem im März erscheintem Buch Mila 2.0. Mitten in ihrem Traum über das Meer, wacht Mila auf und stellt fest, das ihr Zimmer voller Rauch ist. Obwohl erst halb wach, erfasst sie die Lage sofort. Das Haus brennt und da die Flammen direkt vor ihrer Zimmertür wüten, ist ihre einzige Möglichkeit zu fliehen das Fenster.

Doch was ist mit ihren Eltern? Sind sie noch auf ihrem Geschäftsessen, wie normal um diese Uhrzeit, oder sind die schon Zuhause? Erst als sie es selbst aus dem Haus heraus geschafft hat, sieht sie den Wagen ihrer Eltern in der Einfahrt. Mila macht kehrt und bricht wieder in das brennende Haus ein, erfüllt von Panik und Angst das ihre Eltern durch den Rauch in ihrem Bett ersticken. Doch dort sind sie nicht und für Mila beginnt der Kampf ums eigene Leben.

Ich fand das ganze wirklich sehr gut und intensiv beschrieben. Mila ist ein sehr mutiges Mädchen über das ich gerne mehr erfahren würde. Leider sind 15 Seiten nicht gerade viel wenn es darum geht einen Charakter richtig kennen zu lernen, aber es handelt sich hierbei ja auch nur um einen kleinen Einblick in die Vergangenheit.

Ob ich mir den ersten Band der Reihe jetzt schon holen werde weiß ich nicht, der zweite Band erscheint erst 2014 und ich könnte wetten, der dritte erst 2015. Da warte ich doch lieber noch ein wenig.

Fazit

Sicherlich viel interessanter wenn man den ersten Band der Reihe vorher gelesen hat.Macht allerdings neugierig auf mehr.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I downloaded this novella from Amazon for free a few days ago, and it must be the shortest short story I’ve ever read on kindle. No seriously, it’s short! The entire story of Mila reliving a memory of her trying to save her parents from a house fire, comprises an entire 15 percent of the kindle version of this novella. The rest of the 85 percent that’s left are the first few chapters of Mila 2.0 – a Bourne Identity-style trilogy.

Debra Driza’s debut, Mila 2.0, has been receiving a lot of hype and loads of positive reviews on Goodreads and Amazon alike, and I’ve already added it to my tbr list. The novella was too short to give me any insight on whether I’d enjoy the full-length novel, but it did give me an idea of the author’s easy-flowing writing style which had me connecting to Mila’s character in no time. Very little happens to really give the reader the full scope of Mila, other than that she’s fearless and determined. Those are definitely two of the qualities I look for in female protagonists, and after reading the first seven chapters of Mila 2.0 (excerpted in this novella), I’m more excited than ever to get started on this promising novel. All-in-all, if the novella doesn’t help you decide, maybe the first few chapters of the full-length story might. It took me about an hour or so to read the entire kindle version of Mila 2.0: Origins: The Fire, and as it’s free for download, it’s a good way to see if Mila 2.0 might be a read you’ll enjoy. So I say go for it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Origins: The Fire is a very shot prequel to Mila 2.0 but even though it is only about 15 pages long it certainly packs quite a punch! If I hadn't already been wanting to read Mila 2.0 this would have convinced me I needed to. I don't want to go into too much detail because it would be so easy to spoil the story for you but this is Mila's memories of the night of the fire that killed her father and it was edge of your seat stuff. It feels like you're right there in the fire with Mila, struggling to breathe through the smoke, terrified that you can't find an exit and worried that your parents are trapped somewhere inside the house. For Debra Driza to make me feel so much emotion in such a short story just proves to me how much skill she has as a writer.

This short story is currently free to download from Amazon and it includes several chapters of Mila 2.0 (which I didn't actually read because I already have a copy of the book) so it is a great way to test the series if you're not sure about buying it or not. It definitely left me needing to know what happens next and I'm looking forward to learning more about Mila.

[AH · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/19/13 - Kobo free download. Also available for free on Amazon and other online bookstores.

I often wonder why publishers do this. This is essentially a 15 page prequel to MILA 2.0 and contains the first 7 chapters of the book. I know it is to entice readers to purchase the book, however a 15 page sample of the writing only made me more confused about the plot. All I know is that there was a house fire. I did not continue to read the preview chapters as I have the ARC of the book.

So based on the sample I will give the book a chance and hope that the lines at the end of the prequel were just a Kobo formatting glitch.

[Ivana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, to be completely honest, I didn't get much from this novella. I've had my eye on Mila 2.0 for a while now, but if the purpose of this novella was to get us excited about the book, I'm not sure it succeeded. Not with the writing, nor the story...

The actual novella is only fifteen pages long, the rest is a few sample chapters from Mila 2.0. I like these much better. Instead of this novella, better read a sample from Amazon or such.

Not bad, but rather pointless if the sample chapters do it much better.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just bought Mila 2.0 and thought I would read this novella first. Yes, it is very short, but I did find it interesting. It is basically a story about Mila and a house fire she was in.

I didn't read the chapters from the book since I just bought the ebook for my kindle.

My only complaint (other than the length) would be that while it sets up the story, it doesn't really give the reader any idea what the book Mila 2.0 is about. So not sure if readers are meant to read this before reading Mila 2.0 or not. It is listed as a #0.5 so it should stand on its own.

[Book Sushi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a short novella, only a few pages. It also had some excerpts of Mila 2.0 but I didnt read it as I am waiting for the full book to come out.

Mila wakes to a fire in her home, how the fire started, we dont know but she finds courage to try and locate her parents and save herself but it ends on a cliffhanger...so wait and see what happens in the full book! RD 12 March 2013.

[Yolanda Sfetsos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I grabbed this for free the other day and decided to check it out.

It's actually a prequel short story but it packs quite the punch. It's atmospheric, tense, fast-paced, and totally sucked me in. And that ending... OMG. I'm going to have to buy the book now.

Great short story! Couldn't put it down.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice little introduction to MILA 2.0. Although I have to say you wouldn't really understand why this is necessary if you haven't read book #1 first. I do love Driza's writing. It's very clean. I think she goes into way too much description, tho and it actually makes it harder to picture what is happening. But this is short and sweet and to the point.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: Downloaded for free from Amazon.co.uk)
Really short story about a girl who is trapped in a house fire, and gets out, only to realize that her parents are still trapped inside. Also contains several chapters from the forthcoming full-length novel Mila 2.0.
An okay short intro, but I wouldn't call it essential reading.
6 out of 10

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read that explains a lot of thing for the series itself. I liked visiting this world again and really can't wait to pick up the final book in this series next year.
Origins: The Fire is a quick, and dramatic read, but is one that also leaves you wanting to pick up the first book again.

[Lottie Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great freebie that makes me excited for Mila 2.0 The The protagonist is smart and the writing it great. I hate how short it is though. Only 16% of the Ebook. The rest is an excerpt from the full novel

[Lisa Mandina · Rating 3 out of 5]

As another person on here said, really short! Probably as short as the one that went with the Chemical Garden series by Lauren DeStefano. So, I liked it, but it was really disappointing that all it was, well, was pretty short and didn't really tell anything extra.

[Kim at Divergent Gryffindor · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the author did an amazing job in writing this blood pumping prologue, I do believe that creating another book for something this short is hugely unecessary. This prologue could have been included athe start of the first book because it was just a chapter long.

[Melissa (thereaderandthechef) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this novella was way too short. But it sure gripped my attention. And then I loved the long excerpt of Mila 2.0 (first 7 or 8 chapters). Now I need to get myself the book. FYI, I already love Hunter :D

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short prequel to Mila 2.0, which I yet haven't read. I don't know if reading that first would have helped or not, but I am curious to see where the story goes...especially with the way it ended.

2.5 stars

[Mischa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. Just too short.
(anyway THAT COVER OMG)

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intro into Mila 2.0. Quick read and informative.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short story, but a remarkably good teaser for what promises to be an exciting YA series.

[Ilsse M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitivamente esto puede mejorar mucho, sin embargo el concepto está interesante.

[Wendy-Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This prequel sample was great. Can't wait for the actual book to come out in March.

[Robert Negut · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a strange choice, to add a preview of the first actual book in the series consisting of its first no less than seven chapters, out of 40, after a very short story. It makes it difficult to decide what to comment on, but I'll go with the whole package just as it is and say it doesn't have much going for it. The writing's all right, I guess, but the short story doesn't actually seem to say much, generating more confusion than anything else, and that preview actually needs to be this long to get to the first possibly interesting bit. For six and a half chapters, there's nothing there but some silly teen drama, and I'd actually emphasize the "silly" part, with a trace of past tragedy and just a few hints of something a bit more interesting. And those hints may be too little, too much, or simply pointless either way, since the reader already knows what the main character is, whether from the end of the short story or simply from the description.