Once Upon a Twilight!: Blog Tour: In a Handful of Dust | Mindy McGinnis | Review | Trailer

Welcome to our stop on In a Handful of Dust tour for Mindy McGinnis. This tour is hosted by Rockstar Book Tour.

In a Handful of Dust
Not a Drop to Drink #2
Author: Mindy McGinnis
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Post Apocalyptic
Released: September 23rd 2014
Review Source: Katherine Tegen Books

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.

After reading Not a Drop to Drink last year, I always hope to get more of Lynn. I loved her dearly. Lynn is that type of character that you wish you were like. A character with such a strong attitude that you wouldn’t mess with yet respect. At the end of Not a Drop of Drink, you get a glimpse of another side of her, the one of her caring and willing to trust. I always thought it was such a tease the way it ended. So when In a Handful of Dust was announced, I was over thrilled.

As a fan of Lynn, I was wee bit disappointed that In a Handful of Dust is not her point of view. Yet, we do get to see her and how Lucy, the protagonist of this story, has made a huge impact in her life. Lucy is completely the opposite of Lynn. Lucy is able to bright a room with her smile. She is fun, sweet and very trusting. Even with such depressing setting, this girl will always smile. Being force to leave the land she loved, due to an outbreak of Cholera, Lucy was always hopeful. Even in the face of dangerous situations. Very admirable. You follow the path of both of these characters in hope for a better future.

Not a Drop of Drink and In a Handful of Dust are both brutal. It makes you think of what this world would turn out to be if we didn’t care of Earth. Both are very realistic and scary to think of. The fact that McGinnis is able to put these beautiful stories together is very interesting and informative. I recommend anyone to read her stories!

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.