Nil by Lynne Matson

Nil

Nil by Lynne Matson

Published March 4, 2014 from Henry and Holt BFYR

*Thank you so much to the kind people at Henry Holt/Macmillan for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for a review!*

Hello! I have for you today a review of Nil by Lynne Matson! Enjoy 🙂

On Nil, you have 365 days to escape—or else you die. The only known way to get off of Nil, an island that isn’t on the map, is a gate at noon. If you’re lucky.

Enter Charley, a seventeen year-old, going to return something to Target. All of the sudden, a gate rolls over her, and after a burning feeling, she opens her eyes in a new place. On Nil. Charley finds ways to survive for 12 days, and then meets Thad—a super cute boy of her dreams. Thad takes her to Nil City—a settlement where 20 or so people live; a makeshift city built by Nil inhabitants, and maintained years later by others. Now Charley and Thad must find a way to catch a gate, and come to realize that they love each other. But Thad doesn’t have much time to catch a gate. He has been on Nil for about 250 days, and time is what you don’t have on Nil. Will he and Charley find a way out of this beautiful terror, or will it be an unhappily ever-after? Half survival, half love story, Lynne Matson’s debut novel is an exciting, tense read with a great plot.

My thoughts:

I loved Nil. From the idea and concept of it, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Lynne Matson did not let me down. This book has a great plot—365 to escape or you die. It was executed wonderfully, and I really loved how the author made Nil feel alive—the island had a voice, an ever-present voice in their heads; Nil was the game, and the inhabitants were her pawns. It was like she could decide your fate with a snap of her fingers. I loved Charley and Thad’s love story—it added a nice touch to the plot, and emphasized the “No Regrets” theme in the book. THE ENDING. Whoa. That ending was crazy. *shuts mouth* Eeeeep! Oh, and that cover. SO pretty. Don’t you want to just pet it?!? *strokes gritty Nil cover* Overall, this book was a great read for survival and love fans. I can not wait for the sequel!

Overall: 9.5 XanderStars

Here is my “finished” Tweet:

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” lang=”en”><p><a href=”https://twitter.com/LSMatson”>@LSMatson</a> I HAVE CONQUERED NIL! (The book, not the island. 🙂 SO AMAZING! ! But the ending. Holy moly. *heart attack*</p>— Xander (@xandersreviews) <a href=”https://twitter.com/xandersreviews/statuses/483585014693900288″>June 30, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src=”//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

Until next time!

Xander