Tag Archives: Mindy McGinnis

Mar 25 2016
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Mini Book Review: In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

Title: In a Handful of Dust

Author: Mindy McGinnis

Series: Not a Drop to Drink #2

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach. When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust.

The Mini Review:

Not a Drop to Drink is easily one of my favorite YA novels, so I was understandably nervous In a Handful of Dust wouldn’t live up to my high expectations. But it did! And I’m thrilled. :-)

While Not a Drop to Drink was Lynn’s story, this one was Lucy’s. I think I enjoyed Lynn’s POV a tad more, but Lynn is so involved in this novel it hardly mattered. In contrast to the first book, we got to see more world building and how the lack of water affected more than just Lynn’s neck of the woods(which I liked) and that went a long way towards keeping the story fresh and exciting. There were also a couple of moments so poignant I’ll remember them forever. In a Handful of Dust was gut wrenching, beautifully written, and exciting from start to finish; a more than worthy sequel to one of my favorite books. Mindy McGinnis is a wonderful writer and I look forward to devouring anything she writes next (I’m currently working on A Madness So Discreet and am looking forward to The Female of the Species out September 20, 2016 and Given to the Sea releasing sometime in 2017).

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jun 18 2014
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Coming Soon: In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

In a handful of dustTitle: In a Handful of Dust

Author: Mindy McGinnis

Series: Not a Drop to Drink #2

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Release Date: September 23, 2014

The Overview: The only thing bigger than the world is fear. Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach.

When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust.

In a handful of dust

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

 I wasn’t anticipating this one until I read Not a Drop to Drink a couple of weeks ago and absolutely loved it. It was funny, heart wrenching, and all-around amazing and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.I am admittedly nervous about the change in protagonists (mostly because I liked Lynn so much), but I enjoyed the writing style and story so much that I have high hopes it will be just as good.

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

May 30 2014
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Book Review: Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Not a drop to drinkTitle: Not a Drop to Drink

Author: Mindy McGinnis

Series: Not a Drop to Drink #1

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn’t leave at all. Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it…. With evocative, spare language and incredible drama, danger, and romance, debut author Mindy McGinnis depicts one girl’s journey in a barren world not so different from our own.

Not a drop to drink

Thte Review:

Yeah, I totally understand the hype surrounding this book. This first line says it all:

“Lynn was nine the first time she killed to defend the pond…”

Oh, my, where to start? I picked this book up just to flip through the first few pages and before I knew it, it was 3 in the morning and I was more than halfway through it. It grabbed me right from the start and didn’t really let up until the end. I am not a quote-gather by any means, but there were so many beautiful and evoking passages that I was tempted to pull out a highlighter (okay, I wouldn’t have actually marked the book, but I wanted to…). I have been so immersed in the dystopian genre over the past year that I didn’t think it was possible to find another one I liked this much. It was a breath of fresh air and I rank it right up there with amazing books like Partials and The 5th Wave.

Not a Drop to Drink is a prime example of storytelling at its best. It didn’t spend a lot of time focusing on the broader scope of this apocalypse, but it didn’t need to. It was a beautifully contained story of one girl’s struggle for survival, made all the more poignant by its narrow focus. I was completely lost in this story, and I absolutely love it when that happens. The plot didn’t take the direction I thought it would, but it definitely wasn’t one of those books that sacrificed plausibility for the sake of being “edgy.” It was the perfect balance of action/reaction, and I was perfectly happy to go along with the ride. Even though it didn’t have a ton of action scenes, it was just as riveting and exciting as if Lynn were fighting off hosts of zombies. The world always felt dangerous, and McGinnis did an excellent job creating a great tone and atmosphere for her story.

Although the world building an atmosphere was were superb, the characters of this book really stole the show for me. They were relatable and vibrant, and I found myself stressing any time one of them was in danger. There were some fantastic dynamics between each of the characters, which made for some profound character growth arcs that are going to be among my favorites for years to come. It was beautiful and heart wrenching, joyful and sad – all at once, putting Not a Drop to Drink at the top of my recommendation list for the genre.

I’m super fired up about how much I loved this book, especially since McGinnis is one of the authors attending the Vegas Valley Book Festival in October. You’d better believe I’ll have pristine copies of both of her books ready to be signed – I am so excited! If you like dystopians with a bit of a frontier twist (more survival-driven than that futuristic), I recommend this novel highly.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes