Review: Not a Drop to Drink by: Mindy McGinnis

Not a Drop to Drink by: Mindy McGinnis (Sept. 2013)

320 pages

Genre: YA/Survival

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Goodreads Summary: Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water.

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 than our own.

My Review

     

A tough heroine who fights daily to keep her pond safe at all costs is a girl I would rather have on my side than against me. With the world running out of fresh water Lynn struggles to survive the only way she knows how, by relying on herself to keep her water supply safe from anyone and everyone that isn’t her.

I want to give a big round of applause to McGinnis for writing such vivid descriptions that put me right inside the novel with Lynn. This is a very dark book and from the very beginning my mouth was hanging open in shock when I visualized a young girl holding a rifle and killing anyone that gets close, and that isn’t the only shocking moment I encountered. There are plenty of twists, death scenes, and more unique and interesting aspects in Not a Drop to Drink that make this a unique young adult survival book worth reading.

I loved all the characters. I loved Lynn and enjoyed getting to see her start to think for herself and grow from the beginning of the novel to the end. Her mother is pretty bad-ass and very interesting. Their neighbor from afar, Stebbs, and all the other characters which I don’t think I’ll mention because it may ruin part of the novel, are all unique and bring something to the table. Oh and the evil people (there are always some in a survival story) are super horrible and make me cringe. Yet I love every single character just because of how real they all seem and no matter how small of a scene they may be in they always add something significant to the story.

I enjoyed the overall plot line of the story but the ending fell a little flat. I just didn’t feel like I got any closure, and let's just say it was upsetting. Plus the last part of the novel seemed to be so rushed and it made me a little frustrated since the rest of the story is slower paced (and not in a bad way mind you). Don't get me wrong, even with the ending the book is definitely worth your time, I just needed to put my two cents in.

I must say that Not a Drop to Drink is a book worth checking out. It’s a unique survival story. It’s dark but has some lighter moments that will make you chuckle. Most importantly, it’s well written and has a really killer heroine. Plus, you should really never pass up a book with a cover as awesome as this one!