Not a Drop to Drink (Not a Drop to Drink #1)
Editor reviews
Overall rating
4.3
4 results - showing 1 - 4
Ordering
Water, water, everywhere but...
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
What I Loved:
I've heard nothing but good things about Not A Drop To Drink and the reviews were right: this is a story you don't want to miss.
What sets this novel apart from other dystopian/apocalyptic novels is its tone. Often these kinds of stories are fighting stories, whether its against the evil government or some rebel leader who goes too far. Not A Drop To Drink is a quieter story about survival at its barest: protecting your only source of water, finding food to last through the winter, getting enough wood to stay warm. These are the thoughts that are constantly running through Lynn and her mother's minds.
Lynn is a fascinating character with a compelling character arc. At the beginning of the novel, she's just like her mother, her only concern survival and with an us versus them mentality. Her mother is the only person who matters in her life. When she's confronted with other people, she finds herself unexpectedly making a different choice than her mother: she lets them in, and it changes everything about her life.
What Left Me Wanting More:
While the fact that this is a close story focused narrowly on Lynn's journey is my favorite part of the novel, I still found myself curious about the world at large. I wanted to know more about the water shortage and how society devolved.
The Final Verdict:
Brutal, honest, and compelling, Not A Drop To Drink is a story that will keep you riveted from the first page.
I've heard nothing but good things about Not A Drop To Drink and the reviews were right: this is a story you don't want to miss.
What sets this novel apart from other dystopian/apocalyptic novels is its tone. Often these kinds of stories are fighting stories, whether its against the evil government or some rebel leader who goes too far. Not A Drop To Drink is a quieter story about survival at its barest: protecting your only source of water, finding food to last through the winter, getting enough wood to stay warm. These are the thoughts that are constantly running through Lynn and her mother's minds.
Lynn is a fascinating character with a compelling character arc. At the beginning of the novel, she's just like her mother, her only concern survival and with an us versus them mentality. Her mother is the only person who matters in her life. When she's confronted with other people, she finds herself unexpectedly making a different choice than her mother: she lets them in, and it changes everything about her life.
What Left Me Wanting More:
While the fact that this is a close story focused narrowly on Lynn's journey is my favorite part of the novel, I still found myself curious about the world at large. I wanted to know more about the water shortage and how society devolved.
The Final Verdict:
Brutal, honest, and compelling, Not A Drop To Drink is a story that will keep you riveted from the first page.
No Page Left Unturned: Couldn't Put it Down!
Overall rating
4.3
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Not a Drop to Drink is a phenomenal debut novel from Mindy McGinnis.
In the story, Mindy McGinnis has created a futuristic United States where access to water is limited. Cholera has decimated the population, spreading through a thinning water supply. The scariest part of the entire story- something like this could actually happen. It feels so real-it is scary. With past natural disasters and temporary shortages of clean water, the entire premise of the book seems eerily possible.
McGinnis creates a world that is very real. She uses frank narration that is straight to the point but at the same time very descriptive. The setting is just a small section of land in the United States but this adds to the realism. The entire story feels like it could be an average American’s recollection of a horrible time. The reader never finds out the whole story of what happened before Lynn steps into the picture. However, this being Lynn’s story, she didn’t have the all this information- many of the characters do not. Like many people in real life, Lynn accepts her world and needs to do anything she can to survive- the “why it happened” isn’t her top priority what she does within that world is.
What makes this story different from other Dystopian novels is that it focuses mainly on survival- not governments gone bad, companies poisoning the consumers, or secret societies and conspiracies. For Lynn and the others it is all about staying alive.
Survival in its truest form gets to the heart of every reader. It is easy to connect to Lynn. Although having never been in the same situation, we hear news stories all the time or may personally know someone, who had to fight for survival, had to protect their own. It can be the fight to survive cancer, a soldier fighting to keep people safe in a war torn area, they are people fighting to stay alive and to keep their loved ones safe.
If you read Moira Young’s Blood Red Road, Susan Beth Pfeaffer’s Last Survivors Series, or enjoy reading nonfiction stories about survival- you will definitely enjoy Not a Drop to Drink. Already have a waiting list for the two copies in my library.
In the story, Mindy McGinnis has created a futuristic United States where access to water is limited. Cholera has decimated the population, spreading through a thinning water supply. The scariest part of the entire story- something like this could actually happen. It feels so real-it is scary. With past natural disasters and temporary shortages of clean water, the entire premise of the book seems eerily possible.
McGinnis creates a world that is very real. She uses frank narration that is straight to the point but at the same time very descriptive. The setting is just a small section of land in the United States but this adds to the realism. The entire story feels like it could be an average American’s recollection of a horrible time. The reader never finds out the whole story of what happened before Lynn steps into the picture. However, this being Lynn’s story, she didn’t have the all this information- many of the characters do not. Like many people in real life, Lynn accepts her world and needs to do anything she can to survive- the “why it happened” isn’t her top priority what she does within that world is.
What makes this story different from other Dystopian novels is that it focuses mainly on survival- not governments gone bad, companies poisoning the consumers, or secret societies and conspiracies. For Lynn and the others it is all about staying alive.
Survival in its truest form gets to the heart of every reader. It is easy to connect to Lynn. Although having never been in the same situation, we hear news stories all the time or may personally know someone, who had to fight for survival, had to protect their own. It can be the fight to survive cancer, a soldier fighting to keep people safe in a war torn area, they are people fighting to stay alive and to keep their loved ones safe.
If you read Moira Young’s Blood Red Road, Susan Beth Pfeaffer’s Last Survivors Series, or enjoy reading nonfiction stories about survival- you will definitely enjoy Not a Drop to Drink. Already have a waiting list for the two copies in my library.
There May Not Be Water, But at Least There's a Good Book to Read!
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
What I Loved:
About a year ago, I couldn’t get enough of the dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels that were flooding the market. However, the sub-par offerings wore me down, and now I’m very wary of reading any of them. Positive reviews of Not a Drop to Drink convinced me that I needed to give this one a shot and I am very glad I did. Mindy McGinnis’ debut novel stands out from the crowd with its quiet focus and daring.
In an eerily possible post-apocalyptic future, potable water is scarce. The bulk of humanity has clustered into cities, where purified water can be purchased at punishing prices. McGinnis doesn’t really go deeply into the reasons why this has come about, but Lynn, the heroine, doesn’t know either. The scale of the world building is quite small, limited to Lynn’s own view, and she doesn’t venture more than a few miles from her pond. Though this narrows the scope, McGinnis does this very effectively.
Where most post-apocalyptic or dystopian novels are highly dramatic and jam-packed with action, Not a Drop to Drink is subtler and quieter. Though there’s a lot of darkness here, McGinnis creates Lynn’s world view so effectively that everything, terrible or boring, feels like an ordinary part of daily life. Herein lies the strength of the novel. When Lynn and her mother kill men who approach their house in the night, it’s NORMAL; it’s not a good thing, but done with the same grim determination as a family barely making ends meet from month to month. McGinnis doesn’t cover what the whole world is doing, but establishes how a single girl might make a life for herself under these circumstances. The focus is the day in and day out of protecting the well, preparing for winter, and fending off those who would take from her.
Lynn killed for the first time at the age of nine. Her mother trained her well, and together they defend the pond that is their reliable water source, the most valuable possession they have. They trust nobody else, except partially Stebbs, who has a small cottage across a wide field. What’s so wonderful about the opening is that Lynn and her mother put their survival above everything else. Lynn’s mother’s cold practicality is well-summed up by this harrowing quote.
“Just know that there’s bad men in the world, and dying fast by your mother is a better way than theirs.”
Central to Not a Drop to Drink is Lynn’s emotional journey from being as cold and hardened as her mother to a caring individual, capable of trusting when warranted. However, and this really makes Not a Drop to Drink different from the standard dystopian offerings, Lynn’s softening doesn’t happen as a result of a romance. Instead, the biggest influences on her are Stebbs, who is one of the best mentor characters I’ve read, and Lucy, a young girl that Lynn can’t quite bring herself to leave to the elements. There is a boy, but he has much less of an impact on her than they do.
What Left Me Wanting Just a Bit More:
The way that Mindy McGinnis ended things really surprised me, largely in a great way. Unlike most YA post-apocalyptic novels, she actually kills off some protagonists, which I always love. The epilogue, however, was the one thing that I wasn’t sure about. It jumps so far in the future, and I don’t really know what to make of it.
The Final Verdict:
Mindy McGinnis’ Not a Drop to Drink manages to be an original, beautiful read in an over-saturated genre. I highly recommend this for readers who appreciate good character arcs, a strong setting, darkness, and do not mind a slower pace.
About a year ago, I couldn’t get enough of the dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels that were flooding the market. However, the sub-par offerings wore me down, and now I’m very wary of reading any of them. Positive reviews of Not a Drop to Drink convinced me that I needed to give this one a shot and I am very glad I did. Mindy McGinnis’ debut novel stands out from the crowd with its quiet focus and daring.
In an eerily possible post-apocalyptic future, potable water is scarce. The bulk of humanity has clustered into cities, where purified water can be purchased at punishing prices. McGinnis doesn’t really go deeply into the reasons why this has come about, but Lynn, the heroine, doesn’t know either. The scale of the world building is quite small, limited to Lynn’s own view, and she doesn’t venture more than a few miles from her pond. Though this narrows the scope, McGinnis does this very effectively.
Where most post-apocalyptic or dystopian novels are highly dramatic and jam-packed with action, Not a Drop to Drink is subtler and quieter. Though there’s a lot of darkness here, McGinnis creates Lynn’s world view so effectively that everything, terrible or boring, feels like an ordinary part of daily life. Herein lies the strength of the novel. When Lynn and her mother kill men who approach their house in the night, it’s NORMAL; it’s not a good thing, but done with the same grim determination as a family barely making ends meet from month to month. McGinnis doesn’t cover what the whole world is doing, but establishes how a single girl might make a life for herself under these circumstances. The focus is the day in and day out of protecting the well, preparing for winter, and fending off those who would take from her.
Lynn killed for the first time at the age of nine. Her mother trained her well, and together they defend the pond that is their reliable water source, the most valuable possession they have. They trust nobody else, except partially Stebbs, who has a small cottage across a wide field. What’s so wonderful about the opening is that Lynn and her mother put their survival above everything else. Lynn’s mother’s cold practicality is well-summed up by this harrowing quote.
“Just know that there’s bad men in the world, and dying fast by your mother is a better way than theirs.”
Central to Not a Drop to Drink is Lynn’s emotional journey from being as cold and hardened as her mother to a caring individual, capable of trusting when warranted. However, and this really makes Not a Drop to Drink different from the standard dystopian offerings, Lynn’s softening doesn’t happen as a result of a romance. Instead, the biggest influences on her are Stebbs, who is one of the best mentor characters I’ve read, and Lucy, a young girl that Lynn can’t quite bring herself to leave to the elements. There is a boy, but he has much less of an impact on her than they do.
What Left Me Wanting Just a Bit More:
The way that Mindy McGinnis ended things really surprised me, largely in a great way. Unlike most YA post-apocalyptic novels, she actually kills off some protagonists, which I always love. The epilogue, however, was the one thing that I wasn’t sure about. It jumps so far in the future, and I don’t really know what to make of it.
The Final Verdict:
Mindy McGinnis’ Not a Drop to Drink manages to be an original, beautiful read in an over-saturated genre. I highly recommend this for readers who appreciate good character arcs, a strong setting, darkness, and do not mind a slower pace.
Dramatic & Compelling
Overall rating
4.7
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
What I Loved:
Spare, evocative prose quickly draws the reader into a harsh world where survival is the number one priority and human relationships are a distant second. There are no flowery, romanticized descriptions here, and that works to make the writing as starkly atmospheric as the setting of the story itself.
The characters are fascinating and come to live on the page in tiny details and small actions. The heroine, Lynn, is different from other heroines I've read in dystopian literature in that she is truly shaped by her upbringing and environment and has the scars to prove it, but she is able to grow tremendously throughout the story. She is a survivalist through and through, and is sometimes difficult to relate to for the reader because her emotions are so submerged beneath her staunch practicality and do-or-die mindset. When she comes in contact with other people halfway through the story, we see her mindset slowly shift--not *change*, but shift--as she slowly opens her heart to relationships. She is still a survivalist to the end, but now she extends her do-or-die mindset to include the survival of those she's come to love.
The plot is as much about survival against the elements and against the threat of bad people as it is about Lynn's journey toward learning how to be part of a small community. The balance between outside threats and relational growth is expertly rendered, and readers who prefer relationships and romance will be just as satisfied with that balance as readers who prefer harsh dystopian themes alone. This is an excellent book for reluctant readers, and I would recommend it for both male and female readers.
What Left Me Wanting More:
I think the author took a huge risk with the ending of this story, and I applaud her for it. I think the ending certainly remains true to the setting of the world, and some readers are going to appreciate that. Other readers are going to be upset and wish for a little bit more hope and happiness at the end of Lynn's journey. I fall into the "please give me a bit more hope" category, but I want to note that there *is* hope at the end of the book. There is a paradigm shift in Lynn's outlook and situation, and it's a topic worth discussing. I'm just a romantic at heart and wanted a bit more.
I also wanted more information on how the world got into the state it's in when the story opens. There are a few references here and there, but I couldn't get a solid picture of what caused the water shortage, how far ahead in history the story takes place, or what sort of government, if any, still existed beyond the one city Lynn knows about.
Final Verdict:
NOT A DROP TO DRINK is an gritty, compelling story that is as much about survival of the human heart as it is about beating the odds in a harsh, dystopian world.
Spare, evocative prose quickly draws the reader into a harsh world where survival is the number one priority and human relationships are a distant second. There are no flowery, romanticized descriptions here, and that works to make the writing as starkly atmospheric as the setting of the story itself.
The characters are fascinating and come to live on the page in tiny details and small actions. The heroine, Lynn, is different from other heroines I've read in dystopian literature in that she is truly shaped by her upbringing and environment and has the scars to prove it, but she is able to grow tremendously throughout the story. She is a survivalist through and through, and is sometimes difficult to relate to for the reader because her emotions are so submerged beneath her staunch practicality and do-or-die mindset. When she comes in contact with other people halfway through the story, we see her mindset slowly shift--not *change*, but shift--as she slowly opens her heart to relationships. She is still a survivalist to the end, but now she extends her do-or-die mindset to include the survival of those she's come to love.
The plot is as much about survival against the elements and against the threat of bad people as it is about Lynn's journey toward learning how to be part of a small community. The balance between outside threats and relational growth is expertly rendered, and readers who prefer relationships and romance will be just as satisfied with that balance as readers who prefer harsh dystopian themes alone. This is an excellent book for reluctant readers, and I would recommend it for both male and female readers.
What Left Me Wanting More:
I think the author took a huge risk with the ending of this story, and I applaud her for it. I think the ending certainly remains true to the setting of the world, and some readers are going to appreciate that. Other readers are going to be upset and wish for a little bit more hope and happiness at the end of Lynn's journey. I fall into the "please give me a bit more hope" category, but I want to note that there *is* hope at the end of the book. There is a paradigm shift in Lynn's outlook and situation, and it's a topic worth discussing. I'm just a romantic at heart and wanted a bit more.
I also wanted more information on how the world got into the state it's in when the story opens. There are a few references here and there, but I couldn't get a solid picture of what caused the water shortage, how far ahead in history the story takes place, or what sort of government, if any, still existed beyond the one city Lynn knows about.
Final Verdict:
NOT A DROP TO DRINK is an gritty, compelling story that is as much about survival of the human heart as it is about beating the odds in a harsh, dystopian world.
4 results - showing 1 - 4
Latest Additions
GET A YABC BUTTON!
We have all sorts of YABC buttons for your website. Grab one here and link to YABC!