{Review} Nil - Lynne Matson

Nil by Lynne Matson
Genre: YA Dystopia
Release Date: Mar 4 / 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt

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.

*A copy was provided by the publisher for review*
Thank you to Raincoast Books and Macmillan!

The Review

I didn't really know what to expect from Nil. I was thinking some kind of survival type book with monsters out to kill them. Of course, they have that and other things. Nil (the island) just kind of pluck people from the real world and put them in there. They would then have 365 days to catch an outbound Gate to return to the real world. If they don't, they're toast.

My favourite part about Nil is probably the unrealistic beauty of the island. Even though it sucks to be on the island, the people should just take a second to appreciate how beautiful it is. Also, you get to meet some pretty amazing people there. They build their own community and they form bonds that are still there when they make it back to the real world. Of course, the unfortunate part is that some of them don't make it back.

The whole story is basically centered around the islander's escape. They go on a Search and they hope to catch one of those outbound Gates. Charley, our main character, got flashed to the island and meets the people there. She's slowly exposed to the cruelness of Nil and she finds friends (and even a boyfriend) through her time there. Due to the community they build on there called the City, there's quite a large cast of people. Some I liked more than others but it's actually quite easy to remember all of them. Some of my favourite side characters are Rives, Li, and Ahmad.

I do wish that the author explained more about the origin of Nil or at least have the characters offer theories. No one seems to know what Nil does except the basics. Like, dropping people on the island, wish them luck, and kill them if they don't make it out in 365 days.

Nil was a pretty average dystopian book for me. Nil is a cruel and weird island. Dystopian book lovers might want to check out this one since it has a different idea than most books. It's definitely for fans of the Maze Runner!

Let's move on to the discussion where I'll talk as I please.

The Discussion

*There will be spoilers and the occasional swear words*

Just warning you now, I may sound a bit crazy in the discussion section. And tons and tons of spoiler! I'm discussing the book, of course there's gonna be spoilers. So first of all, I NEVER KNEW SPORTSCHEK WAS CANADIAN. I feel like the dumbest person now. What do y'all have in the States? Dick's Sporting Goods? Like what the heck.. 

So Charley lands on the island and then she goes survival mode by herself for 12 days. And then she sees two boys walking toward her. They're from the City. What annoys me is that the first thing she does is to check them out. She was "captivated" by the taller boy. Like, girl, you do not check the fuckers out.. what if they're coming to kill you they could be serial killers. Another creepy thing is that after she gets into the City and takes a bath, the boy offers to brush her hair. What. The. Fuck. What boy offers to brush a girl's hair after she took a bath?

And then I heard Thad was Canadian. He's from BC too!!! #BCpride He's a pro snowboarder from Whistler. He is really tall with sandy blond hair, high cheekbones, and blue eyes. And broad shoulders like OMG. Why the hell is everyone like a model on the island. I CANNOT.. But the fact that he's Canadian.. 

The fact that everyone is a sexy model on the island is beyond me. They literally eat two fish wraps, some pineapple, and coconut milk for a meal. Any boy I know can clear off two plates full of food in 10 minutes. Where the hell do they get all the abs if they are starving? Then Bart, the most shady character of all, ended up dead. I called shady on that little shit. THAT UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SHIT. If he didn't like the rules, why doesn't he leave the City? He's pussy that's why. But then along the way.. my favourite side characters died. 

And the ending where Thad tossed Charley into a gate like a pro on his last day..

I wasn't all that sad though. I knew they would both survive and get back together for a happy ending. I CALLED IT, LITERALLY. That is all my ramblings for this book. I'm not even sorry for my craziness and if you can't process this part, just ignore it :D

Let me just make it clear, I would never want to land on that island. I don't care how many sexy boys are walking around half-naked there, I will not set foot on that island. I'm pretty positive that I would die there before Day 365. I'm blind as hell without my glasses and I'd probably trip over a coconut and die like the loser that I am.

One last thing worth mentioning.. BURTON THE CAT <3 

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