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Nil on Fire

(Nil #3)

Lynne Matson (Goodreads Author)

3.89 · Rating details · 904 ratings · 111 reviews

Despite Rives and Skye’s attempt to destroy Nil, the island remains. And back in this world, Nil won’t let Skye go. Haunted by a darkness she can’t ignore, Skye wrestles with Nil nightmares that worsen by the day and threaten to tear her apart. As Skye fights to keep her mind intact, she realizes that to finally break free of Nil, she must end Nil’s vicious cycle once and ...more

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Hardcover, 416 pages

Published May 31st 2016 by Henry Holt and Co.

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Jun 24, 2015 Lynne Matson rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Okay, so I love this book.:) I also wrote it, so I'm totally biased and can't be trusted. lol ;) BUT SERIOUSLY--I CAN'T WAIT FOR Y'ALL TO READ IT!!! Prepare for all the feels!:) #noregrets

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Jun 11, 2015 Alyssa rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016-releases

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Nil on Fire by Lynne Matson
Book Three of the Nil series
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: May 31, 2016
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Despite Rives and Skye's attempt to destroy Nil, the island remains. And back in this world, Nil won't let Skye go. Haunted by a darkness she can't ignore, Skye wrestles with Nil nightmares that worsen by the day and threaten to tear her apart. As Skye fights to ke ...more

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Dec 16, 2015 Stacee rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2016, acknowledgements

This whole series has been an amped up roller coaster and this book doesn't relent. It's filled with new characters, old favorites, action, heartbreak, and one hell of an ending.

**Huge thanks and squishy hugs to Lynne for sending me a copy of the book**

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Feb 12, 2016 Paula Stokes rated it it was amazing

GIVE ME ALL THE LYNNE MATSON BOOKS :D

Real review to come.

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Jun 24, 2015 Brittany S. rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, from-pub-macmillan, ya

Initial Impressions 4/18/16: 3.75 - 4 stars
I've been a fan of the NIL books for a long time and I loved the feel of them from the start. I think my biggest issue with the book is that I felt like there were a couple of places (including the beginning) that there was a whole lot of nothing going on. Because I read each of these books as a review copy (aka, before they were out), there was a lot of space between them and I had a hard time connecting some of the characters or events. The lulls real Initial Impressions 4/18/16: 3.75 - 4 stars
I've been a fan of the NIL books for a long time and I loved the feel of them from the start. I think my biggest issue with the book is that I felt like there were a couple of places (including the beginning) that there was a whole lot of nothing going on. Because I read each of these books as a review copy (aka, before they were out), there was a lot of space between them and I had a hard time connecting some of the characters or events. The lulls really killed parts for me but once we got back to, uh... well, I won't flat out spoil it but once we got to what I was waiting for, the pacing really picked up and things got interesting!
A very solid ending to the trilogy overall and it was a fun series from start to finish! I think book one is still my favorite, though.

Review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 6/3/16: I’ve been a big fan of the NIL books since the very first book came out and I totally got those Lost vibes from it! The series has continued to be so much fun, complete with a creepy island, tough teens, and a neat kind of science-fiction that doesn’t rely so much on technology. NIL ON FIRE completed the trilogy and I was lucky enough to read it a little bit early thanks to a review copy from Macmillan!

I will admit — NIL ON FIRE started off a little bit slow for me. One (personal) problem that I had was that I read each book as an advance review copy, meaning I read them before they came out and that put so much time in between each book. I really did enjoy each one but it seemed like the further I got into the series, the harder it became to jump back in without a refresher! Again, a personal issue but if it’s been a while for you, it might be best to peek back into previous books to remind yourself about characters and the last events!

The other issue I had when starting NIL ON FIRE is that it felt like a long time before the action really started to pick up. My thoughts on the progression are kind of spoilery so this may be a big vague when I say that I felt like I was waiting kind of a long time for everything to really start coming together and to move past the introductory part of this book. There was a lot of time spent with feelings and intuitions but I would have loved to see the story move forward as all of that was going on and I felt like it was just standing still for a bit too long. Some of that could have easily been cut down and brought the readers back into the fast-paced excitement!

After those minor speed bumps, the rest of the book was fun and curious in true NIL fashion! I did find myself still missing more of the spotlight on Charley and Thad but I really grew to love Rives quite a bit over the last two books! Skye had a lot of spunk but she wasn’t my favorite character so I wasn’t quite as interested in her chapters of the book. The supporting cast of characters remained fantastic! I love the diversity with Nil-connected characters from all over and I really just love seeing a new team of people coming to work together.

NIL ON FIRE is the final book in the series so it was exciting to really see everything come to a close! It was interesting to see the sort of battle against Nil as the island really came into play (it even had its own POV!) and how the characters went up against it once and for all. The ending was satisfying and exciting and I still have such a fond place in my heart for these books! I think the first book is still my favorite of the series but I think it’s solid all around and one I’ll continue to recommend! ...more

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May 15, 2017 LEAH⇢ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mindfuck, young-adult, coming-of-age, fantasy, mystery, survival, love-and-stuff, read-2017, action-and-adventure

OVERALL RATING: 4/5 STARS
GRADE=B+

♪♫My Pick For Book Theme Song♫♪

♫SAVED (Charlie's Song) from LOST w Lyrics The Bangkok Five --Yeah, that Charlie from the TV show Lost…because I loved that show and this book brings back my memories of loving that show. Honestly, the mystery, the existential feelings it evokes, remind me so much of that show.♫

⇝My Thoughts⇜

This book took almost two weeks for me to finish, which wasn't entirely the books fault, it was mostly RL. That being said, while I was reading ...more

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Jul 09, 2015 Lea (drumsofautumn) rated it it was ok

Shelves: most-anticipated-2016

Sigh, I don't know where to beeegin. This review is so hard for me to write.
I really, really enjoyed the first and second book and I've been on this Nil journey since pretty much the beginning, so it definitely does not feel great so give this book a low rating and tell you how much this disappointed me. But that's why I wanna go into full detail. This is gonna hurt. Sorry #NILTribe!

My biggest problem was probably the main character Skye. I'm not gonna spoil the actual outcome of this but this s ...more

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Feb 04, 2016 Collin Thompson rated it it was amazing

Let me start off by saying this is one of the best endings to a trilogy that I have ever read in a long time. The last book in the Nil Trilogy follows the 4 main characters that we know well and love, Charley, Thad, Skye, and Rives.

SPOILERS AHEAD***
As the book started off, I had low expectations due to most trilogy's ending horribly wrong. But I am pleased to say that this book was totally different. As the book started off with showing Skye and Rives life after the island and what Nil had done Let me start off by saying this is one of the best endings to a trilogy that I have ever read in a long time. The last book in the Nil Trilogy follows the 4 main characters that we know well and love, Charley, Thad, Skye, and Rives.

SPOILERS AHEAD***
As the book started off, I had low expectations due to most trilogy's ending horribly wrong. But I am pleased to say that this book was totally different. As the book started off with showing Skye and Rives life after the island and what Nil had done to Skye and Rives lives, it started the book off with some well needed information that guided Skye and Rives to return to the island. We got to see PTSD on both playing fields with them, but something I wish to have seen was Charley and Thad's side of it as well. As the beginning part of the book seemed boring and like it was going on forever, I had a sense of closure from the second book that I never had. With Rives, Skye, and Thad returning to the island, I thought I would actually get some Thad action back that I loved so much in the first book, but that was simply not the case, but in the end, it worked out. Through the story many more characters were introduced. Some were very irrelevant that I could have done without because they didn't change the stories outcome at all, but it did help break up the book from seeing just the same two point of views the entire time in which we had in the second book. All in all, those have to be my only problems with this book. While continuing the read I got moments where I got attached to two certain characters and then got to see them develop and right after their story ended or started to drift, I fell in love with another two. (Molly and Davey FTW!) After finishing the book, I still feel like I didn't get the full closure as I was hoping for with Thad and Charley, as we never really get to see what happened between the years of Nil and Nil On Fire, and this actually makes me happy. It lets me create something in my head for them, in ways I didn't think would happen. As for Skye and Rives happy ending, I enjoyed how the couple ended up bringing their lives full-circle if I can say that. Starts off with PTSD ends with love and no regrets. I would go way more in depth about how I loved the ending and how the characters all developed very nicely. But I have a feeling I will be able to do that better when a spin off or a novella I sense coming appears. I def. recommend this series! Well done Lynne! ...more

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Jun 24, 2017 Maraia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2017, g-mystery-thriller-horror

2.5 stars

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Jun 09, 2015 Tyler Wilson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-favorites

And alas, the trilogy comes to an end. I'm sad. I very much enjoyed this series. The first book, Nil, was one of those books where I enjoyed it when I read it, but didn't think it was amazing. And then for several weeks, I could not stop thinking about it, and realized that it indeed was another kind of amazing, an even better amazing. My favorite part of these books has always always always been the characters. They're all so different and unique and real. And the books just got more complex an ...more

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Mar 19, 2016 Shelley rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult-science-fiction, borrowed-library, 2016-release

*Source* Library
*Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3-3.5

*My Thoughts*

NIL ON FIRE is the third and final installment in author Lynne Matson's NIL trilogy. Just when Skye Bracken and Rives thought they had finally left the island of NIL behind them for good, NIL reaches out and makes their lives rather unpleasant. Skye believes that something came back with her from NIL, and that darkness is taking up every moment she should be resting. She's even seeing a girl in every nap, and every ti ...more

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Mar 17, 2016 Sydney Opera Howse rated it really liked it

Nil is my favorite book of all time and when I learned there were more I freaked out! Nil on fire was a little slow at the beginning with a lot of mysterious events. I enjoyed getting to know each and every character including the island through Nil's point of view. Thad and Charley in Nil was and is the most epic passionate love story I've ever read. Skye and Rives story was amazing it just shows how strong you can be and how you don't always need approval as long as you have yours. The ending ...more

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Aug 05, 2015 Alyssa Cassar rated it it was amazing

Currently, there are tears streaming down my face. This is the best trilogy I have ever laid my eyes on. I can't even drop a hint in this review because it will give too much away. If you haven't read this beautiful gift of a book yet (or the trilogy), what the hell are you waiting for!!!!!!

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Jun 11, 2015 Lily Dammann rated it it was amazing

well that was amazing it was just great and I have no words and I need more books

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Oct 24, 2015 Jill marked it as to-read

Shelves: top-books-to-read

May 31st 2016

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May 13, 2019 Myreadbooks rated it really liked it

Since I wanted to know the end of this series that I loved, that's done.

Rives and Skye thought they had destroyed Nile, but she resisted. Back on this island they will not be quiet until it is completely destroyed. She will have to face her own nightmares to do so, but with help. New arrivals are coming, who will survive? The stakes have never been higher in this third part of the saga.

A third and last book read almost all at once, so much I was eager to know the end, so addictive, captivating, ...more

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Jan 01, 2016 Haley rated it really liked it

Nil on Fire in the final book in the Nil trilogy. If you have not read the Nil series, it’s worth reading. It has a tropical island setting and has romance, action and survival. The island of Nil is only traveled to and from by gates. There are lot of deadly animals there, and some people. You only get one year to try and catch a gate, or you die. I would recommend this series to fans of shows like Lost, Naked and Afraid, Man vs Wild and other shows with survival and islands. Also fans of books Nil on Fire in the final book in the Nil trilogy. If you have not read the Nil series, it’s worth reading. It has a tropical island setting and has romance, action and survival. The island of Nil is only traveled to and from by gates. There are lot of deadly animals there, and some people. You only get one year to try and catch a gate, or you die. I would recommend this series to fans of shows like Lost, Naked and Afraid, Man vs Wild and other shows with survival and islands. Also fans of books like Madman’s Daughter, Lord of the Flies, Catching Fire, and The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse. Spoilers on the previous two books ahead.

Skye and Rives may have escaped Nil, but Nil is still haunting Skye. She hears Nil calling her in her dreams. She thinks Nil wants her to end the islanders’ tradition of crossing through the gate. Skye, Rives, Thad and Charlie go the island that holds the gate to Nil. Nil pulls Skye through the gate to the island she never intended to return to. Rives and Thad end up going through the portal to. Also, Paulo’s cousin, Lana goes though, and another ex-Nil resident, Zane.

Nil isn’t the same as when they left it. It seems crueler. The only one they left behind was Paulo, who says he lost time and that’s why he didn’t go through. More teens have showed up on Nil since them. The Icelandic guy, Hafthor, the fierce Amara, the running-back from Alabama, Calvin, two Australians who already knew each other, Molly and Davey. And that’s just the ones Paulo met. It seems Nil’s been busy. Skye, Rives and the other have 3 months until the stationary gate opens and they working on solving the mysteries of Nil and form a plan on how to destroy. This book in on fire and stuff trly goes down in this awesome finally.

This final book is told in alternating perspectives on Rives and Sky mainly, much like Nil Unlocked, but it have 3rd person point of views of other characters as well as the island’s POV itself. The island is alive, almost like it’s a goddess or something. Having these other POVs adds to the story telling and lets us see what’s going on elsewhere. I really wish we got Thad and Charlie’s 1st person POVs too, like in the first book. The first book felt more like a standalone and the next two like a companion duology.

I do like that there’s more paranormal stuff added to the story. Skye and Rives can communicate telepathically ever since they left Nil the first time. Some other characters share connections too. There’s also this ability called the Sight. Lana says that it’s only gift to women. Ramia had it.

All in all, I enjoyed this series and really would love to read more books with awesome island settings. I’ve never been to any tropical islands or even the ocean. Nil is definitely not an island I’d like to visit.

Cover Art Review: Okay cover. Fits with the rest of them. I like the fire on the title.

~Haley G

My blog:
http://breathlessbookreviews.blogspot...
...more

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Feb 15, 2017 Kimberly Vanderbloom rated it it was amazing

I can't believe that this series is over. I've spent so much time thinking about Nil and being on Nil that I'm going to feel a lonely without it. What I just loved most about this book was all the point of views. We have been used to two point of views but this book we had just about all the major players. The best point of view ever was Nil. Oh yes you heard me Nil has a point of view in this book. I nearly passed out of joy to hear this mysterious point. I always thought Nil was a major player ...more

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Jun 10, 2016 Collin Thompson rated it it was amazing

Let me start off by saying this is one of the best endings to a trilogy that I have ever read in a long time. The last book in the Nil Trilogy follows the 4 main characters that we know well and love, Charley, Thad, Skye, and Rives.

SPOILERS AHEAD***
As the book started off, I had low expectations due to most trilogy's ending horribly wrong. But I am pleased to say that this book was totally different. As the book started off with showing Skye and Rives life after the island and what Nil had don Let me start off by saying this is one of the best endings to a trilogy that I have ever read in a long time. The last book in the Nil Trilogy follows the 4 main characters that we know well and love, Charley, Thad, Skye, and Rives.

SPOILERS AHEAD***
As the book started off, I had low expectations due to most trilogy's ending horribly wrong. But I am pleased to say that this book was totally different. As the book started off with showing Skye and Rives life after the island and what Nil had done to Skye and Rives lives, it started the book off with some well needed information that guided Skye and Rives to return to the island. We got to see PTSD on both playing fields with them, but something I wish to have seen was Charley and Thad's side of it as well. As the beginning part of the book seemed boring and like it was going on forever, I had a sense of closure from the second book that I never had. With Rives, Skye, and Thad returning to the island, I thought I would actually get some Thad action back that I loved so much in the first book, but that was simply not the case, but in the end, it worked out. Through the story many more characters were introduced. Some were very irrelevant that I could have done without because they didn't change the stories outcome at all, but it did help break up the book from seeing just the same two point of views the entire time in which we had in the second book. All in all, those have to be my only problems with this book. While continuing the read I got moments where I got attached to two certain characters and then got to see them develop and right after their story ended or started to drift, I fell in love with another two. (Molly and Davey FTW!) After finishing the book, I still feel like I didn't get the full closure as I was hoping for with Thad and Charley, as we never really get to see what happened between the years of Nil and Nil On Fire, and this actually makes me happy. It lets me create something in my head for them, in ways I didn't think would happen. As for Skye and Rives happy ending, I enjoyed how the couple ended up bringing their lives full-circle if I can say that. Starts off with PTSD ends with love and no regrets. I would go way more in depth about how I loved the ending and how the characters all developed very nicely. But I have a feeling I will be able to do that better when a spin off or a novella I sense coming appears. I def. recommend this series! Well done Lynne! ...more

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Sep 25, 2016 Christina (Ensconced in Lit) rated it liked it

After very much enjoying the first two books in the Nil trilogy by the wonderful Lynne Matson, I knew I needed to pick up this book. The last book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger in that we know that Nil is not finished, and that not that everyone escaped.

I was a bit worried because it seemed like the story was done with the last book and just kept it open for another book, so I was interested what Lynne would do with this installment.

Charley and Thad join Rives and Skye to try to end Nil's ter After very much enjoying the first two books in the Nil trilogy by the wonderful Lynne Matson, I knew I needed to pick up this book. The last book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger in that we know that Nil is not finished, and that not that everyone escaped.

I was a bit worried because it seemed like the story was done with the last book and just kept it open for another book, so I was interested what Lynne would do with this installment.

Charley and Thad join Rives and Skye to try to end Nil's terrible reign forever. There are wonderful things about this book-- it's clear Lynne has talent, and I loved seeing these four characters that I've grown to love to finally get to interact with each other. In particular, seeing Thad and Rives reunited, made my heart swell. Some final questions I had about Nil are answered, and I thought those were nicely done. I wasn't sure about having a Nil perspective, but when I realized where Lynne was going with it, I ended up really liking it.

However, there are problems with this installment. Because the story is basically done, to fill the rest of the story up, we have the introduction of 10+ characters to the island. Because of the huge number of new characters and it being the end of the trilogy, I found myself not really caring for them, and they seemed like they were only there to both serve as filler and as tools to further the plot. Skye also becomes like a new much less sympathetic character under the control of Nil, and it makes it difficult to stay in the story and see it to the end. Charley gets lost in the story (and is basically not in it), and her part seems manufactured just to keep her in it.

Overall, I enjoyed seeing some of the characters I've grown to love in the previous installments and loved how the end of Nil, the island, was handled, but felt that the third book got lost in the number of new characters. Regardless, I'll be picking up every book Lynne writes, because she definitely has the talent and chops to continue to write wonderful books. ...more

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Oct 30, 2015 Krissy rated it it was amazing

Nil On Fire is a beautiful ending to a book series that I enjoyed greatly. What I loved most about the Nil series is that it isn't predictable in the least. With most books I try to solve the riddles and problems that the characters face. Most of the time, to my dismay, I succeed. The solutions that the characters find are so off the wall that I can't help but admire the level of thought that went into this book. Seriously, you'd have to be trying to dislike anything about these books. The chara ...more

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Jun 20, 2015 Melissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: must-read, favorites, crack-books

Looooved this book and this series as a whole!! Great ending!

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Apr 02, 2016 Christina Farley rated it it was amazing

What an epic conclusion to this trilogy!

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Jul 01, 2017 Kayla rated it liked it

A let down for the last book!

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Apr 25, 2017 Jeffrey Grant rated it liked it

This book is, in my opinion, the weakest of the three in the series.

It returns to focus on Skye and Rives, but also gives voice to a number of other characters, because some of the action occurs on Nil, including input from Nil itself.

Details are in the spoiler section, but a lot of this book felt like a repeat of the earlier novels, and the middle of the book stalled hard, in my opinion. The introduction of the much more significant ethereal/supernatural elements also, I think, added more con This book is, in my opinion, the weakest of the three in the series.

It returns to focus on Skye and Rives, but also gives voice to a number of other characters, because some of the action occurs on Nil, including input from Nil itself.

Details are in the spoiler section, but a lot of this book felt like a repeat of the earlier novels, and the middle of the book stalled hard, in my opinion. The introduction of the much more significant ethereal/supernatural elements also, I think, added more confusion than anything. There wasn't the sense of discovery and excitement I necessarily felt with the first two. Still, it nicely wrapped up the series by the end of it and didn't leave many unanswered questions for me.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Feb 04, 2019 Sthefany Monestime rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 26, 2019 Jessica rated it it was amazing

5 ⭐️ This trilogy was great! I thought the story concept was super unique and refreshing. Such a good story about dark vs. light, good vs. evil, love vs. hate, and what side you choose, and the path you choose to take. In the beginning the story seems somewhat simplistic. Teenagers lost on an unknown island. Trying to find their way home before 365 days run out. Young love and life struggles. But the story deepens. The third book has a strong message and wraps the trilogy up with a very satisfyi ...more

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Dec 18, 2016 Tracie rated it really liked it

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Sep 12, 2017 Shawn rated it did not like it · review of another edition

The island gets a POV? Seriously!?! Skye has to be one of the most annoying and unlikable heroine ever to be found in a novel. The focus should have been Charlie not Skye. This series should have stopped at one.

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Dec 11, 2017 Griselda Alvarez rated it liked it

Shelves: own

This book brought in all the characters from the first two books. I liked the diversity aspect of this book. It was a meh read and thought the story could have been shortened some. It did pick up in pace 40 pages to the ending.

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About Lynne Matson

Lynne Matson

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I love books--both reading and writing them. When I'm not reading or writing, you can find me hanging out with my husband and four sons. At any given time, at least one of the 6 of us is up to no good.:)

My books: NIL, NIL UNLOCKED and NIL ON FIRE are out now; NIL REMEMBERED is a recently released free ebook prequel. Join the #NILtribe...we have cool snacks.:)