Title: Nil
Author: Lynne Matson
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Science Fiction Adventure
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Source: ARC received by publisher in exchange for honest review

Purchase:
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On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have exactly 365 days to escape—or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that she has to find a way to beat the clock, and quickly.


The premise of this book was amazing and I think that is why I wanted to read it. It was so different from all the other YA books I had read in its genre and I am happy to say that this book did not let me down. It was a great read that was fresh and original.

Nil, at its core is a mystery. Why are these kids on this island and how do they get off and back to their lives. I loved this because it gave me a reason to keep reading. I wanted to know how the island worked and if there was indeed a method to getting on and off the island. The main characters in this book were fantastic, I loved Charley because she was strong and independent and she really strived to figure out what was going on on the island and how to get everyone home safely.

Writing dual perspectives in a YA novel can be very hit and miss because you are running the risk of your reader liking one narrator more than the other, and when that happen the reader tends to skim over the one they do not like. I know this because I have been known to do this, and trust me it can ruin a reading experience. But Nil was very different. We got to see Charley and Thad, Charley was very new to the island and Thad who's time is running out. I loved that we got to see these very different perspectives of people on the same island.

The only thing that I didn't love was the focus on the love story. Although I am a sucker for a great love story I wanted more focus to be on the island and how it worked. That was what I was most interested in and i felt that the love story was overshadowing it a little bit.

Overall I really loved this story and I really hope that more people read it because it is a great adventure story that kept me reading well into the night. I seriously cannot wait to see what this authors brings to the table next, I know i will pick that book up right away!