Title: Not a Drop to Drink
Author: Mindy McGinnis
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Speculative Fiction
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: September 2013
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
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. (Synopsis from goodreads)
Did you ever pick up a book that didn’t have a lot going on but you just couldn’t put it down? Well this is that book. I picked up this book because Trina @ Between Chapters has high opinions when she talks about it. And Trina reads a lot of the same books that I do, that I thought I would give it a chance. I didn’t know what I was going to read. To be honest, I never really pay attention to what a book is about…I catch phrases and excitement. I do this because I really don’t want to be spoiled. So what did I get when I listened to Trina?
1. Dystopia 2. Post Apocalyptic 3. Realistic 4. Different 5. No fluff
Well, she was right. This story starts out with Lynn and her mother standing grown to protect their home. This is something they did every day of their life, because the world went to crap. Not because of zombies, but because of lack of water. It gives you a look into a world that fights to survive…but not in The Hunger Games way. A more day to day living.
Lynn was born in this post apocalyptic world where she had grown up learning to hunt, collect wood, cook game meat and kill to protect. Watching Lynn grow as a person was just amazing. This is a simple book that doesn’t have a lot of action and fancy stunts. It is just watching survival through a young girl. She comes off looking like she lacks emotions, but this is not the case. I would think she guards her emotions because of the way she was brought up. She is a tough and brave protagonist. But I also found her funny in a Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory kind of way.
There is a small bit of romance that might leave you laughing and crying. We don’t learn much about Eli, but there is something about him that makes your care for him. You may want more romance, but you don’t have to worry about having too much. This romance was just a blurp on the radar. But we do watch friendships grow into more and not the intimate kind. Trusting people was difficult for Lynn, which makes the growth of friendships much more heart warming.
The world building was amazing. It really gave you that feel of what it could be like if we were running out of water. Paired with the writing — all I wanted to do was keep turning the pages. For a book that had little action going on, it was really fast pace. I guess it is scary thinking about what you would do if the water started to disappear. The one thing that wasn’t overly clear was why the water was disappearing or how it really started, but it wasn’t enough that took the enjoyment away.
RATING: 
4.5 stars
Did I like it? Yes
Did I love it? Yes, in a different way than most books
Would I reread it? Yes I would
Would I purchase it? This is one book that I want on my shelf
Would I recommend it? I would recommend this so someone that is looking for something realistic, but if they are looking for something like The Hunger Games then this is not for them.
Beyond Opinions 