Book Review: Nil by Lynne Matson

Title: Nil
Author Lynne Matson

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. 

My first thought as I was reading this was - if you liked The Maze Runner you should check this out! Or if you enjoyed this book - you should try The Maze Runner.  It definitely has some similarities, but it also has some unique plot points that make it really stand out and different from any other book.

I loved the concept of the book - how you are swirled up and dropped on this island with only one year to escape.  That ticking clock really added a level of tension to the story.  I also really liked that it alternated between Charley and Thad.  It gave you a much fuller sense of what was happening in the story.  I will admit every once in a while I got confused about who was telling the story at that point, but it didn't happen very often.  Charley was a pretty cool girl.  She was very level headed and calm in a situation I would've been in full panic mode about!! Instead she stepped up, accepted it and found a way to try and figure the whole island out.  I questioned at a few points if her reaction was realistic.  I mean she as very calm about it! But I thought that different people handle things in different ways.  And a few other characters didn't handle it as well so that balanced it out!

The relationship between Charley and Thad was great too.  In any other situation I'm not sure I would've bought how quickly they connected, but the situation was not normal.  And with the clock ticking I completely accepted it! 

The ending was great! Loved it.  Not at all what I thought would happen when I started the book.  I'm curious to know what happens in books two (and three since I just saw the cover release for it), because of how this book ended.  

Over-all it was a fast read filled with action, mystery and some romance as well!