Nil by Lynne Matson Review

Title: Nil
Author: Lynne Matson (Twitter)
Publisher: Henry Holt
Publish Date: March 4, 2014
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher

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.

Science fiction is one of those genres that will never grow tired, simply because there will always be some incredibly, far-fetched but eerily tangible idea to fuel a new adventure. Nil by author, Lynne Matson, is an intriguing new addition to the world of young adult science fiction. Without warning, we and our characters are thrust into a sort of alternate dimension or world in which an invisible clock is ticking. Teens that land on the mysterious island of Nil have exactly 365 days from the time of their arrival to find a way off the island and back home - but it might not be as simple as it seems. 

I think that science fiction, while an endlessly interesting genre, is also probably one of the trickiest to write, as well. Authors ask us to take their worlds and their events and accept them in their entirety. In theory, this is great because if it's done well, we find ourselves completely enmeshed in a culture, a world, or a time that is so vastly separated from our own, yet we still find it entirely plausible. If, however, the world is not built correctly, we find ourselves lost within a world that feels a bit too distant from our own. Nil was a bit complex in this regard. The world Ms. Matson has created is unique and a bit Lost-esque. It was rich and vivid and accessible, but it wasn't altogether explained either. As much as I enjoyed it, I did feel as though we're forced to take this world at face value and not really ask any of those questions we're desperate to find answers for.

Charley was, at first, the heroine I had been searching for. She was brave and strong, and had no qualms with standing on her own two feet. Adding the others into the equation though, especially Thad, stripped her of some of the magic that made her such a strong heroine. She began to doubt herself, and as she fell for Thad, her persona waffled and self-doubt crept in. I wanted so desperately to see her own her theories about the island. I wanted to see her truly believe in herself, but she began to lose herself and her identity in Thad. I thought Thad was a strong, vivid character with the weight of Nil on his shoulders, but I wished that the insta-love between them could have simmered a bit in the background, simply amping up the tension.

Nil gives us a countdown clock from the start, so we know it's going to be a fast-paced novel, and it's one of those books that you can comfortably read in one sitting. However, this is one of those books that I think might actually have benefited from being the first installment of a series. There were so many unanswered questions at the end of the novel that I closed the final page feeling a bit unsatisfied. We were given a pretty conclusion to the story, but there was so real answer for me as to what on the island made the end results tick and, while that intrigues me, it also made me feel a bit slighted.

Overall, Nil was a good story, but it was lacking that extra oompf that would have made it great. It's a classic example of a fantastic premise and strong writing that simply lacks a little bit of extra detail, instead asking us to simply play along. Nevertheless, despite the flaws, it was a pretty solid story. I give it a 3.5 out of 5, and I recommend it for all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy science fiction.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.