3 Nov 2014

Review: Nil by Lynne Matson

Nil (Nil #1) by Lynne Matson
March 4th, 2014 · Henry Holt
Source: Won
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 384
From Goodreads:
On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. 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 lying 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 to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.
Nil is quite the genre bender of a book. As I was read, I tried to put my finger on what it fell under exactly. It has all these interesting, cool elements, but one thing is for sure, Nil is definitely an adventure.

Quickly upon starting, you're flooded with all these questions, which is a common occurrence with books that are shrouded with mystery and are set in unknown, new worlds. We do get some answers, but I think a lot more will be revealed in book two. Even then, I wouldn't expect Nil to tell you all her secrets, she's not one to share and tell...

I'd had pretty big expectations for Nil and they definitely lived up. This book came along at just the right time, when I needed to get away and be sucked into a whole other world, and for that I'm so glad. Another thing, Nil is extremely addictive. I started it on a Sunday night, having only wanted to read a few chapters, but then I didn't want to stop. I read it whenever I got the chance and loved every minute I had with this book.

Nil switches between Charley and Thad's perspective and I have to say, the author did an absolute fabulous job with their voices and giving them life. Their voices felt like they belonged to a teenage and were realistic. Before I read Nil, I'd just finished a book that was also told in two perspectives, so considering that, Nil had some competition - it definitely kept up. In fact, I think I'd have to say Nil is the best book I've read containing multiple POV's. I don't think it's an easy thing to pull off (establishing two voices, instead of just the one), but Lynne did it with such ease. I never once wanted to hurry back to the other character, which is such a rare occurrence. I was perfectly content and happy reading from both Charley and Thad. I definitely don't think it would have had the same effect had it been told through just the one voice.

If I had to nitpick, there were a few cheesy moments. But hey, the world can always use some cheese. There is also a slight case of insta-love, which I'm not a fan of, but I didn't really notice it until someone pointed it out a review. The circumstances on Nil are definitely not normal - if you don't get off the island in 365 days, you're dead. Bonds tend to be established pretty quickly, as the people of Nil only have each other to rely on for support and friendship, in this world where nothing is what it seems.

As you can tell, Nil made a great impression on me and I definitely recommend it to readers wanting to escape into a unique setting and captivating book. I absolutely can't wait to see what Nil Unlocked brings - you can definitely count me in.

4.5/5

12 comments:

  1. I haven't heard about this book in so long. It blew up ages ago and then seemed to disappear so YAY, thanks for actually reminding me about it. I've been wanting to check it out but I keep forgetting all about it because apparently I'm old now and have memory issues :P

    I'm so happy the perspectives both stood out individually! Always good when an author can handle switching POVs well :)

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    1. You are welcome for the book reminder! I totally get what you mean. There are so many books and with so many releasing each month, sometimes books just get lost in the crowd. Memory issues? Oh, me too! Like you would not believe. I now have to write lists to remember everything... Hope you enjoy Nil.

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  2. I haven't heard about this book! May have to give this one a read myself soon, it sounds so interesting! Not wanting to hurry back to one character is actually really rare! I ALWAYS find myself doing that haha. It's so hard to find a book with multiple perspectives which manage to still be unique and interesting!

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    1. Very rare! Yes, it was so great to finally find a pair of equally awesome POV's. Hope you get to read this one soon!

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  3. I so definitely want to read this! A friend kind of said it wasn't so good, so it kind of sunk on my tbr...but it look sooo super chilling and AHHH! I want to try it! I haven't read anything by this author yet, so I'm thinking to start here? I'd love to read 3:59 too, though. XD
    Thanks for stopping by @ Notebook Sisters!

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    1. Well, this is the authors debut, so you kinda have to start here ;) 3:59 is written by another author. I wouldn't say it's super chilling, but it is mysterious, intriguing and makes you want all the answers ASAP. I hope you like it!

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  4. I'm always personally iffy about books that are written in two POVs, just because I've had terrible experiences with the voices melding together as one. But I'm super glad that the perspectives in this one are distinctive and well done. A book that you can't place in just one genre? Now that's got me intrigued. I'll definitely have to check this one out a bit more. Fantastic review, Rebecca! x

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    1. Thanks, Jess! I totally get why your iffy about multiple POV's. The majority I've read tend to be very 'meh' inducing.

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  5. The premise of this book sounds crazy! There is nothing better about an addictive book, not being able to put it down for anything short of bathroom breaks (: Great, detailed review girl. I added it to my TBR pile.
    Morrighan @ Elysian Fields.

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    1. I hope you like it!
      Thanks for stopping by :)

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  6. I love the premise of NIL and you're review has me itching to grab a copy now too. I think being on the island and only a year to escape before you're dead, you can excuse the instant love in this case. They've all each other has really, and you can imagine in that kind of situation that bonds would be made pretty quickly. Thanks for sharing, absolutely brilliant review. Adding this to my Goodreads now! <3

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    1. Exactly, those were my exact thoughts on the insta-love, too. All the emotions are definitely running higher than usual on Nil. Aw, thanks Kelly for your sweet words about my review! I've been away and this is my first review back and it means a lot to hear (see?) those words. All these lovely comments from you guys have made me very happy. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

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