Title: Not a Drop
to Drink
Series: Not a
Drop to Drink, #1
Author: Mindy
McGinnis
Publisher: Katherine
Tegen Books
Publication Date: September
24, 2013
Genres: YA,
Dystopian
Reviewed by: Angie
Edwards
My rating: 5/5
SUMMARY
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….
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….
REVIEW
For a
very long time I absolutely refused to read this book simply because I saw it
as yet ANOTHER dystopian novel which is probably built on a predictable, swoony
romance foundation, following a tired and overused post-apocalyptic plot
formula. It only took a single review from one of the many blogs I follow to
change my mind. And probably also the news that it has been optioned for film
(read more about it, here).
Whichever way, I have no regrets for giving this book a chance. It turned out
to be not what I expected at all.
First I
have to say that this is a character-driven novel. There are only a handful of
characters to keep track of, and every one of them brings something new to the
story. Let’s start with our leading lady, Lynn. Lynn is an enormously
fascinating character and one I believe McGinnis wrote exclusively for me
seeing as I’m always carrying on about weak female protagonists in the YA
genre. Having been raised for the past sixteen years of her existence in a
rural part of the countryside, Lynn has never had contact with any other human
being other than her mother, Laura. All she understands, because of her
upbringing, is that she has to defend her only source of cholera-free water
with her life. Shoot now, don’t ask questions at all.
But
what makes Lynn so fascinating? Well, there are certain human emotions which
are completely foreign to her, such as compassion, gratitude, humor, flirting,
falling in love, and so on. With the rest of the characters steadily entering
into the story, each one of them contributes to helping Lynn experience and
understand different kinds of emotions. Furthermore, I absolutely loved the
fact that Lynn is such an incredibly fearless character. Most emotions which
influence our decisions are foreign to her, so when she has to make life or death
choices, it is - in the early stages of the story – relatively straightforward
decisions void of the emotions that might make her hesitate and second-guess
herself.
The
rest of the supporting cast is made up of similarly charming characters (with the
exception of Neva). There’s Lucy, the five-year-old bundle of energy Lynn is
forced take under her wing and keep safe from the harsh elements and
starvation. Stebbs, Lynn’s neighbor who is the first person Lynn has contact
with aside from her mother. I just want to say that apart from Lynn, Stebbs is
a terrific character who teaches Lynn the things her mother has never taught
her, and who ended up being a few characters’ saving grace. He brings a certain
warmth to the story which leaves a void when he isn’t around. That’s the best
way I can think of describing it.
When
Eli’s character was introduced, I started worrying that this is the point where
the storyline will revert to the typical dystopian romance backbone to further
the plot. In some ways it did, but then there’s that unexpected twist just
before the end which made me realize the author brought him into the story for
a different purpose than I originally thought (about which I was quite
relieved). Turns out I was wrong about the romance aspect also, and the story
continued to be about Lynn’s survival in the wild and defending her only source
of water as well as the handful of people to whom she’s offering shelter.
Vera,
Neva, and Eli play relatively smaller parts than Lynn (obviously), Stebbs and
Lucy, but their roles aren’t less important. The pacing is quite slow and if
it’s an action-filled plot you’re after, this is not going to satisfy that
need. The little action there is, is more towards the end of the story and it
isn’t much. Although I’m happy with the ending, I did wish the chapters where
Lynn’s little three-man army overtook the neighboring village could’ve been
more fluffed out.
All in
all this was a superb read. Strong characters, a memorable story, a little
tongue-in-cheek humor, a few hair-raising moments, and lots to contemplate, Not a Drop to Drink is inarguably one of
the better dystopian novels I’ve read in a while, and I can’t wait to get
started on its sequel!
ABOUT the AUTHOR
I'm an avid blogger,
posting six days a week to my personal blog, Writer, Writer Pants on Fire,
which features interviews with agents, established authors, and debut authors.
Learn how they landed their agents, what the submission process is really like,
and how it feels when you see your cover for the first time. I also do query
critiques every Saturday on the Saturday Slash for those who are brave enough
to volunteer.
I also contribute to the group blogs From the Write Angle, Book Pregnant, Friday the Thirteeners, The Lucky 13s, The League of Extraordinary Writers and am a member of the Class of 2k13.
I also contribute to the group blogs From the Write Angle, Book Pregnant, Friday the Thirteeners, The Lucky 13s, The League of Extraordinary Writers and am a member of the Class of 2k13.
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