Review: Nil

Nil by Lynne Matson

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charley was distracted. She is walking across the Target parking lot thinking about her sister and best friend not being around, when a heat mirage appears on the ground and comes toward her. The next thing she remembers is waking up naked on a field of rocks. Now she is lost and alone. No one is around and she begins to wish she had taken some survival classes. After nearly two weeks she meets Thad. He is tall, gorgeous and the leader of a group of teens trying to survive on Nil. She is told there are only two ways to leave the island. First – you die. Second – you catch a gate. What is the catch? There is only one gate a day (at noon) and no one knows where it will appear. Any more catches? Why, yes! You have 365 days to escape. If you don’t, you die anyway.

Nil is an action packed drama that will keep the reader’s heartbeat racing and eyes flying across the page. Matson’s first novel is a thriller of read with just a touch of the supernatural. Throughout the book I kept thinking this was going to be a series as I anticipated twists and turns (some which came, some that didn’t and some I didn’t expect). Although from what I can tell this is a stand-alone novel, I can see where Matson could write companion books on this island of Nil. If readers are looking for a refreshing book that will grab them from the start, Nil is a strong recommendation.