Friday Reads: ARC Review of In A Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis!!

Hello guys! Happy Friday!

This week Friday means the start of 7 days in a row of work, so not exactly as celebratory was when it's the herald of the weekend off, but I am finalizing all my details for my trip to the US next month, so there's always something good to look forward to!

For this week's Friday Reads I have the review of an ARC of a book that was one of my highly awaited ones, releasing this month and that I was very lucky to be approved for by Harper Teen on Edelweiss!

As an ARC it counts towards my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge, and I think I'm still doing quite decently on this one!

In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When I read Not A Drop To Drink last year I absolutely loved it, loved how gritty and plausible it was, and I loved the character growth of Lynn, the main character. So when I heard about In A Handful of Dust, the companion novel to that one, I was very excited to get to read it, and even more when I was approved for an eARC via Edelweiss!

In A Handful of Dust is a companion novel more than a sequel cause it takes place quite a few years after NADTD and although at first most of the characters are familiar to us, things quickly change when illness spreads through the community that they built and it seems like Lucy might be in danger. Lynn decides to go with Lucy and see if the rumours of desalinization plants in California are true.

The main story of the book is about Lynn and Lucy on the road, trying to stay safe in a world that's full of dangers from nature itself and even more from other survivors out there. In a tough world like the one we see here, a lot of those who are left are sticking to the survival of the most ruthless, something Lynn & Lucy have to keep in mind if they want to reach their destination safely.

Despite having Lynn in our story, this is mainly Lucy's story and this is why although I enjoyed the book, with appropriate moments when it made me cringe and fear for the human race, I never found myself really involved and engrossed in it the way I was with NADTD. I guess I never really connected with Lucy's voice the way I connected with Lynn. I'm not sure why it was, given that Lucy's perspective is a lil more similar to ours since she grew in a safe community protected from all the things she has to face on their journey.

I found Lynn to have grown into her older self very believably and very true to the Lynn we met, so she was the one that carried the book for me. It was great to see her shine as a survivor that won't back down and also learning to trust in the good intentions of some of the people she find in their journey.

The ending came as something slightly unexpected, Lynn really surprised me, even if as I think about it, the journey changed her a lot too, and her actions do make a lot of sense, even if it was unexpected if we think of the reason of the journey in the first place.

All in all, despite my lack of connection with Lucy, I managed to enjoy this one and feel like this is a very scary world that Mindy McGinnis has painted, even more when it is so plausible. 3.5 stars to this one.



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Friday Reads: Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis!!!

For starters in this week's Friday Reads I have one of my most anticipated books of this year and quite a brilliant debut!


Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Not A Drop To Drink has been one of my most anticipated books of this year and I'm extremely pleased to say that it has not only not dissapointed me but has exceeded my expectations!

This not a dystopian or postapocalytpic book per se, maybe a bit postapocalytpic, but not the big-crash-happened sort, mostly is a very disturbingly-probable-scenario-in-the-future.

I'm gonna be trying my best to not spoil the story in any way, even if I'd love to discuss and dissect the book and share all its wonders, but I still think this is a book better enjoyed with just enough information.

Water is scarce, a very precious resource that must be protected at all costs, that is what Lynn's mother always taught her and that's the only reality that Lynn ever had. Life is harsh, surviving is not easy even less for two women living alone, not even if they are alert, aware and armed.

The world the author builds in here feels so realistic, so possible that it's actually scary. It's a world were people are trying to survive and that doesn't always bring out the best in humanity and Mindy doesn't pull any punches on her story, so be ready to deal with very ugly sides of humanity and very emotional scenes.

The main character, Lynn, has always learnt hard lessons from her mother and she taught her how to survive, how to keep her pond safe and how not to trust anyone coming to the pond. She raised Lynn has a hard character, with very little empathy for other people hardships or situations, focused only on her tasks and the lessons from her mother. After her mother is gone she learns many other lessons, not less hard but that make her character grow and change without changing who she is really. She learns to look further than her pond and her world, learns that there is more to life than just surviving and that other people can help her to learn to live. It is quite a journey and one you totally ride with Lynn, even if you can see what she might be missing even if she isn't.

There's a bit of romance in this book, very understated, very important, very believable and very heartbreaking. I said it before, this is not an easy or fluffy book and they way the story progresses continues to show that.

Harsh but beautiful, this is a book I'd highly recommend to anyone. Highly deserved 5 stars!



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Waiting On Wednesday #8!!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine  that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!

This week the book I'm quite dying to read is Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis!

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."


Why am I eagerly awaiting Not A Drop To Drink? Well, since the moment I saw the cover with that title and then read the summary... It just captured my attention! So much that I decided to preorder it on my Kindle app there and then! And since I've been reading so many stellar reviews for this one, I'm even more excited to finally get to read it next week!!

What are you all (im)patiently waiting to read?