McGinnis is not afraid to kill off characters or place her protagonist in real danger. I found the scenario the author imagined to be interesting and well thought out. My only real criticism might be that the romance between Lynn and Eli is rather forced and seems unnecessary. Though the pace is a little uneven, it builds well to a climactic and satisfying conclusion. Her emotional growth is believable and her journey is interesting. Yet this is necessary to survive in the broken world she grew up in.

Lynn is an incredibly strong heroine who leans toward being ruthless at times. The writing is straightforward and unsentimental yet possesses a complex heart at its centre, much like its protagonist. McGinnis’ prose is compelling with characters that are fully realised and anything but stereotypical. This is an extremely competent debut novel. Those processes are detailed and fascinating. The family relationships and the bonds Lynn develops with fellow survivors are also interesting, enriching the story. If Lynn isn’t collecting and purifying water, she’s stockpiling wood, canning food or performing any number of tasks to prepare for the winter, all the while ready to shoot enemies at a second’s notice.

The author goes into great detail about the amount of work that goes into the simple business of keeping alive. She can either live like her mother or learn that there is more to life than just surviving. Lynn has been taught not to trust anyone, but when a clueless family from the city sets up downstream she has to make the decision to help them or let them die. After losing her mother suddenly, Lynn is left alone to face the dangers of the only world she has ever known. Life is dangerous the two women are surrounded by threats of drought, coyotes, starvation, dysentery, hard winters and from other human beings who want what they have. They live isolated protecting their only source of water, a small pond. Lynn lives with her mother in the countryside far from the problems in the cities. Despite its well-trodden subject matter, McGinnis brings a fresh perspective, choosing to focus on a small set of characters in a rural setting. It is the first in a series taking place in a dystopian setting where clean water is scarce and large companies strictly regulate it as a resource in the cities. Not A Drop to Drink is a Young Adult Science Fiction novel by Mindy McGinnis. Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Not a drop to drink by mindy mcginnis