Monday, May 16, 2016

Review: Nil (Nil #1) by Lynne Matson

Title: Nil (Nil #1)
Author: Lynne Matson
Published by: Henry Holt and Company, LLC
Released: 2014
Summary: What starts as a normal trip to Target, ends as being the newest resident to the mysterious island of Nil. Nil, while beautiful and scenic, is very cruel and dangerous. Charley has exactly one year to escape from the island or she's dead. This is the worst trip Charley's ever been on.
My Thoughts: The premise for this book really caught my interest. I was still on the Lost high, the television show that captured my attention for so many nights, and left me wanting when it was over. Anything that remotely reminded me of Lost, I was interested in. Nil had that Lost hook in the synopsis. A mysterious island that no one knows about, filled with hidden dangers. And then it hooked me with another juicy angle, the teenagers brought to Nil only have a year to escape or they're dead. So, I took the bait and requested this from my library. Sadly, the whole book just fell really flat for me. It wasn't what I wanted. It didn't live up to that Lost feeling I was yearning for.
My main problem with this book was the insta-love, and how everything focused on the romance. I wanted more danger and intrigue of the island, but instead I got Charley constantly thinking about Thad, and Thad constantly thinking about Charley. And there's no real build up to their relationship, as soon as they see each other, they're in love. I didn't want a teen romance, I wanted an island adventure. I mean, I'm not opposed to romance, I just want the build-up to feel believable. Having them decide they love each other after a day is just not believable.
I also wanted to know more of the whys about Nil. Like what were it's secrets and what was the point of all the kids, and animals, being sent there? There were a couple times where I thought Charley would figure out the big secret, but it never happened.
All the characters were just kind of flat too. They were interchangeable, just there. No real development was put in to any of them. That feeling of being really invested in the characters and their lives just wasn't there for me.
All in all, just a ho-hum read. I was hoping for the epicness and excitement of Lost, but I didn't get it in this one. Too much focus on mushy, teen romance, not enough crazy island adventure and discovery of secrets. I might read the sequel, I might not.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5
Mushy, gushy, and disappointing.

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