Book Review | Nil by Lynne Matson

 

Format: ARC

Source: Won

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co

Publication Date: March 4, 2014

Goodreads

 

 

 

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.

　

 

My Thoughts:

When I first heard about Nil I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy because the summary sounds absolutely amazing. So, I was ecstatic when I won a copy and once I received it, I immediately picked it up because I couldn't wait to immerse myself in this unique world of Nil. But unfortunately, this book didn't blow me away like I was expecting it to.

Nil is an island that no one knows about until you wind up on it, buck naked with no idea how you got there. Charley is just one of Nil's many victims. She is in a Target parking lot one minute and then on a mysterious island the next with no idea what happened. It takes her a while to get her bearings and to find the others that are on the island and once she does, she learns the cold hard truth about Nil. She has exactly 365 days from the time she arrived to catch a gate and make it off the island, or she dies. No one knows what waits for them on the other side of the gate but they do know that a person doesn't live over the 365 days that Nil allots them.

I think the main reason why this book wasn't what I was hoping for it because I didn't feel a real connection with any of the characters and the first part was kind of slow. Both Charley and Thad were really good people and the genuinely cared about the others in the City and each other, but for some reason I just didn't personally feel a connection with either of them and unfortunately, if I don't have that connection then most of the time I don't enjoy as book as much and I think that's what happened with this book, which is a shame because it has such an interesting premise and I'm sure I would have really enjoyed it otherwise.

Overall, I think a lot of people will really enjoy this book, but it was just one of those that I didn't connect with personally. If you're a fan of the TV show Lost then this will probably be a book that you will love so you should definitely give it a chance.