Rock Star Book Tours Blog Tour, ARC Review, & Giveaway: A Handful Of Dust (Mindy McGinnis)

Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication: September 23rd 2014 by 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. 

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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.

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"A gritty and powerful companion to Not A Drop To Drink,

about the strength in small steps and the journey to find home."

"The only thing bigger than the world is fear."

In A Handful of Dust is the companion novel for Not A Drop To Drink. I am a huge fan of survival stories so I knew immediately that I had to get my hands on Not A Drop To Drink. I really enjoyed the book but was really upset when I thought it was a stand-alone novel. So when I heard that Mindy was writing a companion novel called In A Handful of Dust....I literally JUMPED for joy!!!! Mindy McGinnis just has a way of bringing her stories to life that make them so powerful and emotional. 

In A Handful of Dust is the story of Lucy and her will to survive. This story is set 10 years after Not A Drop To Drink and Lucy is now living with her adoptive mother, Lynn. Lynn is so strong and protective over Lucy. Her character is stern and focused which is the exact opposite of Lucy. 

"Lynn smiled, but it was the one, slow and sad, that always came with talk of Mother. "She taught me what she knew. So has Stebbs. He told me once that people like me and him are badly built for times like this, when there's nothing we can do."

Lucy befriends a young boy named Carter and their friendship blossoms into young love. For the first part of the book we get to see just how exuberant and full of life Lucy's character is. She is always so positive even when faced with so much tragedy and this is what I love about her character. 

"I've seen the way you and Carter have been looking at each other lately, and you shouldn't be doing any kissing either." A small spiral of smoke rose from the kindling, and Lynn rocked back on her heels. "Now's not the time to be figuring out if you're more than friends."

They are living in a small community of people and the world is suffering from food and water shortages. A disease outbreak cripples the small community and Lucy and Lynn are forced to leave to try and outrun the disease and survive. They head for California and towards the ocean because they have heard that people there are surviving and flourishing with plenty of water and no disease. 

The story really gets intense and action filled once they begin their journey to California. This world they are living in is brutal and ruthless and Lynn and Lucy have to be so strong to persevere and overcome the dangerous situations they are faced with. In A Handful of Dust is full of intense action scenes and riveting suspense and fans of Young Adult & Dystopian books will love it......

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/15/2014- A Dream Within A Dream- Interview

9/16/2014- Once Upon a Twilight- Review

9/17/2014- Curling Up With A Good Book- Review

9/18/2014- Reading with ABC- Guest Post

9/19/2014- Addicted Readers- Interview

Week Two:

9/22/2014- Library of a Book Witch- Review

9/23/2014- Fiction Fare- Review

9/24/2014- The YA's Nightstand- Guest Post

9/25/2014- Owl Always Be Reading- Guest Post

9/26/2014- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Interview

**The quotes from this book have been taken from an Advanced Reading Copy and are subject to change when the final book is printed. Please refer to the final, finished copy for exact quotes!**

**I want to say Thank You to Katherine Tegen Books for the opportunity to review this book!!**