I like repetitive dystopian YA novels as much as the next person. Scratch that, I like them even better, however, when I'm promised a Battle Royale meets Lost I get to say I'm somewhat disappointed with what I got.

 

Let's start with the good thing: I found it to be an incredibly fast read, and therefore it didn't feel like a punishment to read it. On the other hand though, it had me facepalming in public, usually not a good sign.

 

So, since I'm always in for some bloodthirsty island survivor books I couldn't wait to read Nil, where teenagers for some reason are teleported to an island naked and they will have to find a way of within a year or face the ultimate penalty: death. Sounds good, doesn't it? Wait till I come at the point of them making soap. That's as much excitement as you'll get.

 

What bothered me most in the end was not the insta-love, and not the gigantic disproportional amount of time spent on the stupid relationship between the two main characters, and not even the alternating POVs between the two, although admitted, it annoyed me a lot. No, it had to do with the completely unexplained event of Nil. What is going on? 

 

I do expect some answers at the end of a book! Nil is being talked about as if it is a person/god all the time, so why does it do what it does? Why are these children teleported? (Is it broadcast on television perhaps?) Why do the people on the island don't try harder to get of the island? Why do they after a year? How come no one notices a bunch of disorientated naked teenagers? Why did the ending have to be such a cliché?

 

If you would like to have an answer to any of these questions, I suppose you'll have to keep looking, because Nil isn't offering them. Besides all this, somehow I do want to know how it is ending and I'm willing to read the sequel to try and find answers to the questions I still have, hence the 2.5 stars.

 

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This review was originally posted on One Curvy Blogger

Warning: If you have not read Nil, I do not recommend reading Nil Unlocked until you have. While the story would work okay as a stand alone, its best to experience this story as a sequel as some of the important aspects of the setting will probably be lost to you.

Boy, what an emotional roller coaster! Lynne Matson took me on a nail-biting, action-packed adventure that I could never have dreamed up in a million years. Nil Unlocked was the perfect sequel to Nil, and I regret that I put off reading it for so long!

"The ground shook like Hadies had lost his temper.
Or his favorite toy. Or both."

Nil Unlocked began on Nil in the exact place we left off in the previous book, with a stunned Rives and an angry grizzly bear. It was wonderful to be back on the island, but it soon became clear that Nil has changed in scary, unpredictable ways. As exciting as it was for me to be back, with Rives as Leader of Nil City, fear and anxiety soon warred with my excitement as my concern for the characters grew. Nil is no longer what it used to be and all the rules that the teenagers learn to survive by seem to be changing drastically. While I was overjoyed by the happy ending of the first book, it brought about some irreversible changes to Nil that the teenagers have to survive, along with Nil's unexpected and seemingly deadly reaction to Skye's sudden presence.

While Nil Unlocked is very similar to its predecessor, it's very different in the best of ways.

For one, the island felt like a completely different place. The havoc Nil wrecks in this book made Nil island of book one look like cake compared to this one. It was like coming home one night to finding your house changed into a huge ass mansion, and you have to learn how to navigate it all over again. It's not a bad change, but its a hell of a surprise that makes you wonder if you're really just going insane.

Unsurprisingly, the edge-of-your-seat danger sky rocketed (no pun intended) and the complex and impossible mission Skye an Rives faced made for a slower building romance than the first book offered, which I totally understood. They had a few more concerns that were more important than playing kissy face. It gave me more time to get to know Skye and Rives as separate main characters and I began to question who really was the bigger bad ass; the new Leader of the city that is determined to make sure every one of his charges survive or the newest addition to the group who seems to have more skill, bravery, and self-awareness than any teenager in her place would?

Not only is there more danger and romance, but a new group of Nil inhabitants are revealed to the survivors that adds more complexity to the mysterious existence of Nil (as if it weren't complex enough to have a random island that doesn't show up on a map that magically kidnaps teenagers) and with the new inhabitants, came new questions about the origins of Nil. So much happened in Nil Unlocked that I would have felt lost and confused with a less talented author, but Matson managed to reveal answers, new challenges, and more questions in crazy complex world-building, but easy to follow writing. It couldn't have been an easy feat and I'm mightily impressed!

Also, I'm more than slightly book hung over and worried that this review makes absolutely zero sense. (Oh, well. What's new?)

This is the second novel I've read from Matson and its becoming clear that she enjoys creating heroines that are bad-ass but down to earth enough to enjoy. Skye recently moved in with her astrophysicist father after her mom left for a new dig in Africa. Her father is also a survivalist obsessed with the weird and unexplained, which so happens to help Skye adapt to living on a nonexistent island where your days are literally numbered fairly quickly. She understands Nil and it was nice to have a main character who knows what she wants and has a no-nonsense attitude about going after it.

"I'd now spent 241 consequative days in this deadly arena, more conseqative days than I'd spent in any place ever. Staying in one place so long implied roots, at least to me. But I damn sure wouldn't call Nil home."

Rives has been a fast favorite of mine since I met him in Nil. He's a handsome devil who has a wicked sense of humor that is unfortunately dampened a bit in Nil Unlocked. I wasn't disappointed, because who wouldn't find face a personality change in a new and intense responsibility. Oh and don't forget that impossible new mission that he's supposed to help with - before his 365 days are up. He is dealing with a painful loss and a new, and fierce attraction to someone who seems to have more secrets than Nil. This boy does not have it easy, I'm afraid.

As you can tell, I really loved this book. I loved the crazy new changes that I didn't see coming, the character development, the world building and most of all, I loved how personified Nil became as the story developed. I learned a lot about the characters and the island and I'm impatient (and terrified) of what Matson has planned for the characters in Nil on Fire. This book was fantastic and I recommend it to any and all readers who love adventure, danger, romance, and adversity.The year has just started but I can already tell Nil Unlocked is making it on my 2016 Top Ten Favorites list!

This review was originally posted on One Curvy Blogger

I knew this book would be hard to put down, but I never thought it would get so creepy so fast. Not sure why, since Nil is not only an eery non-existent island that kills you in 365 days. Of course it would be creepy! Fair warning readers: do not start Nil at bedtime. You will not get any sleep.

things to know about Nil

You have 365 days to leave the island or you die on the island.

There is only one way to make it off the island, by shimmering gates that seem to appear at random locations on the island every day at noon.

No, you can't leave on a boat or a raft. That would be too easy.

Nil isn't just an island. She's the omnipotent overseer of the island. When things are going to well, she likes to throw new and ridiculous and dangerous situation at you.

Nil doesn't want you to leave the island.

Humans aren't the only creatures living on the island. Any warm-blooded animal can be caught in a "gate" and brought to the island. Surviving on Nil is hard enough, but add in warm-blooded predators looking for food ... you're left with some sticky and weird situations.

don't be intimidated by the insta-love

The characters of Nil are a unique cast, each with their own personality and strengths. Sure the romances that ignite on the island happen super fast, but can they not? They each have 365 days on the island from the time they arrive. Makes for some short romances since nobody on the island knows what happens when you leave.

When it comes to Charley and Thad, the sparks fly the moment they spot one another. Charley is a tough chick. I mean, she survived 15 days by the time she met the survivors of Nil City. She's also incredibly observant, has a knack for directions, and hut-making. She's also incredibly blind when it comes to her looks and doesn't handle compliments well. But we all have our weaknesses, right?

Thad's weaknesses are clearly feeling responsible for everything that goes wrong to the survivors (where the survivors call home) he believes he's responsible for. His time on Nil is coming to an end and he's feeling the brunt of it in a bad way. Now he's finally met the girl of his dreams, and it just had to be on an island where everything is temporary.

the writing was addicting

Nothing says "I'm hooked" like reading an almost 400 page book in one sitting. The world Matson imagined made it feel like I was right on the island fighting for my life along with the characters. I felt like one of them, which is not particularly settling on an island like Nil. I would be lying if I said I didn't have trouble going to sleep that night, but I would be disappointed if I hadn't been spooked. Yes, at times I was creep-ed out but the world building was spot on - clearly the plot was as well!

I have to say, I didn't hate the dual POV because I like knowing what both main characters are thinking, but at this point I feel like authors are cheating they use this technique.  The object is to give us well-round characters without the need to be in both of their heads. However, I will say that Nil is unlike any other book I've read in the genre. In fact, I had a hard time pinpointing what genre the book even fit into, outside of survival. It's a genre bender if I've ever read one.

The one question I'm left with at the end of the book is this: if every one on the island is a visitor, who the hell figured it out that you only get 365 days? It's not like you have the chance or the time to test the theory out and pass it on and Nil sure as hell doesn't give them a survivors guide.  I'm hoping these questions are answered in Nil Unlocked.

I was surprised by the ending!

And I didn't hate it. Somehow, the author went a predictable route but somehow still managed to catch me completely off guard. I'm not even sure how it happened. At the end the characters appeared to be so focused on one thing that I didn't see the plot twist coming! I recommend Nil to fans of survival themes with a heavy dose of romance. Even if YA isn't your thing, you should definitely give Nil a shot. :D

You’re fortunate enough to land on this beautiful tropical island but unlucky enough to be one of the ones chosen to be a part of Nil. I thought there would be so much more to this book as I loved The Lord of the Flies and teens arriving on a strange island sounded like a great synopsis to me. I was hoping there would be more suspense and drama but this book was so different than what I expected. The feeling was uplifting, urgency and hope as the characters counted off their days living on the island.   Sure, there are negatives about living on the island and stressors for the occupants but for the most part, the characters try to remain hopeful and encourage one another as they go about their days. I enjoyed their how they built a community atmosphere, how they worked to pass on their knowledge to future islanders and how they each performed a job to make The City successful. As things got intense, the occupants gathered together and bonded to try to overcome the issue at hand, some individuals more willing than others. There is romance but to think that their time is limited on the island and how can this romance survive if they survive the island. What would do, if you only had a limited amount of time and found true love? It added pressure to those involved. How they arrive and how they get off the island was just a speculation but as more people arrive, the individuals try to find the logic behind Nil’s game.   Everyone’s time is ticking on the island and the author’s constant reminder of this deadline, creates an urgency for everyone involved. Readers and islanders are on constant alert. You want them to survive, to find their ride home before their time is up because to mark their destiny on the wall is truly a celebration to those remaining.

NIL is a story of survival and self-discovery. When Charley is mysteriously transported to the unmapped island of Nil she must learn the rules and survive a year of deadly animals, gate-hunting, and new romance. Nil is a beautiful island paradise, haunted by the ghosts of those who have gone before and the howls of whatever dangerous beasts have been dropped in by gates. Charley is taken into Nil City by Thad, the current Leader, and initiated into the tribe of teenagers Searching for their personal gates out of there.

“The bright blue sky remained cloudless, and the aquamarine ocean still crashed gently onto the white sand beach, but the scene was suddenly warped. Twisted, as I processed Thad's words.”

What I loved: The characters. Lynne Matson is a master at character creation and development. All of the Nil tribe were great people, fully rounded characters, believable, and people I would actually want to be friends with. Except for Bart and Sy. I mean, they were kind of shifty. But they were real guys, and they were very well done.

Thaddeus Blake. This boy is everything I typically don't go for in guys, but I loved him so much. The way he talked and thought - so well written. His dialogue was perfect. And I mean perfect. I don't use this word lightly. Dialogue is something that I think can make or break a book, and Lynne Matson blows it out of the water with Thad's skater-kid drawl and unique humor. Add his glorious lazy grin to that, and you have a perfect protagonist.

Charley is a great girl. Charley is, quite frankly, a badass with a vulnerable side. She's also the kind of girl I can't relate to; the sporty girl I would never have been friends with in high school; a tall and beautiful girl I wouldn't have given a second look in the hall. She's not my type, just like Thad. Despite that, I loved her. I wanted to be her friend, I cheered for her and cared about her.

The romance between Charley and Thad is so real. There was fiery insta-love between them the first time they saw each other.

“I didn't want to leave Charley tomorrow. And part of me-the terrified part that kept me awake at night-whispered that I didn't want to leave Charley EVER.”

But then they worked for it. Love sure as hell isn't easy, and this couple had to fight really hard to make a friendship work, let alone a relationship. Nil is one of the worst places ever to start a new relationship, and Charley and Thad have to compensate for that. They make mistakes and they hurt each other. And then they work it out. They try, so very hard, for each other. I was really impressed with their relationship.

What I wanted more of: Everything. And there's going to be a second book, so I have that to look forward to!

NIL was a fast-paced page-turner that kept me up late at night until I finished it. I very highly recommend it! Lynne Matson's debut is a masterpiece of survival science fiction!