In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis #BookReview #BookTrailer #Giveaway

Title: IN A HANDFUL OF DUST (Not a Drop to Drink #2)
Author: Mindy McGinnis
Pub. Date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 384
Formats: Hardcover, audio, eBook
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The only thing bigger than the world is fear.

Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach.

When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust.

In this companion to Not a Drop to Drink, Mindy McGinnis thrillingly combines the heart-swelling hope of a journey, the challenges of establishing your own place in the world, and the gripping physical danger of nature in a futuristic frontier.

In a Handful of Dust is the companion novel to Mindy McGinnis's Not a Drop to Drink. Which I thought having the story take place ten years after the original is a perfect fit. These books are not for the faint of heart, so don’t expect to get people skipping through prairies with glee on their faces. The thing that I love about the books, about this book is that it’s about relationships and people's interactions. If something horrific happened, how would we be around each other. Would be ban together as neighbors or attack one another. We see a lot more of what is going on in the world since our adventures take us way beyond the pond.

Okay so for some reason I kept picturing everyone wearing 1870s era clothing. I don’t know why, maybe it’s how they talk. Maybe it’s because they have to struggle in the same way. I had to keep looking at the cover of the book to remind myself that this an alternate future. People did at one point have water that came out of facets and vaccines for diseases. Which is another thing I really like about the book. That is part of the plot and it makes sense. It’s kind of like there being an outbreak of whooping cough. If we can’t vaccinate anymore how do we stop things from coming back. Also when medicine and things have always been easily accessible people forget how/where they came from. I just think it’s one of those books that makes you think and consider what would happen. Which makes it really cool.

It also still speaks to the fact that the world can be cruel. Not just because of other people making it that way but just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The book opens up sad so in a way it can only get better...right…. Lynn and Lucy end up taking a cross country hike and we see both the good and the bad. Some very bad flipping crazy stuff as well. I’m still kind of like, this reminds me of a horror movie I saw as a kid. Just so many heart breaking things but great things too, like for instance Fletcher. I loved him the minute he stepped onto the pages. I didn’t care if he was bad or good.

I really loved Lucy. She is like a different version of Lynn. She’s managed to maintain a little bit of innocence and softness. That doesn’t mean she is stupid, she is still a survivor. She changes and develops throughout the whole book and I love how she has this faith and hope in things turning around. I just wanted things to turn out for her.

It was fun to be with an older Lynn. I didn’t expect to have so much interaction with her but I really liked it.

I like how the book ended. It might have not been perfect but it’s right. I enjoyed how the world was bit out across the united states. I like that they travel through the midwest. You don’t often get to see what’s out beyond in a book like this so I thought it was a little more unique and pretty cool. The writing is great and absorbs you. A good mix of characters both good and bad. I think if you are a fan of the first book you won’t be disappointed.

I also think that you can read this book without reading the first book. This is really Lucy’s tale but you are not really filled in on Lynn’s backstory just snippets. So that can go the way of you should read the first book so you understand Lynn. To you can read the second book on it’s own and don’t feel like you are left out on an inside joke.

Mindy McGinnis is an assistant YA librarian who lives in Ohio and cans her own food. She graduated from Otterbein University magna cum laude with a BA in English Literature and Religion. Mindy has a pond in her back yard but has never shot anyone, as her morals tend to cloud her vision.