The Initial Insult
Ratings6
Average rating2.8
15
Ratings6
Average rating2.8
In the first book of a suspenseful YA duology, award-winning author Mindy McGinnis draws inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe and masterfully delivers a dark, propulsive mystery in alternating points of view that unravels a friendship . . . forevermore. Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying and Truly Devious! Tress Montor’s family used to mean something—until she didn’t have a family anymore. When her parents disappeared seven years ago while driving her best friend home, Tress lost everything. The entire town shuns her now that she lives with her drunken, one-eyed grandfather at what locals refer to as the “White Trash Zoo.” Felicity Turnado has it all: looks, money, and a secret. One misstep could send her tumbling from the top of the social ladder, and she’s worked hard to make everyone forget that she was with the Montors the night they disappeared. Felicity has buried what she knows so deeply that she can’t even remember what it is . . . only that she can’t look at Tress without feeling shame and guilt. But Tress has a plan. A Halloween costume party at an abandoned house provides the ideal situation for Tress to pry the truth from Felicity—brick by brick—as she slowly seals her former best friend into a coal chute. Tress will have her answers—or settle for revenge. * A Junior Library Guild Selection * Texas Tayshas Reading List of the Year * A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults & Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Book of the Year *
Featured Series
2 primary booksThe Initial Insult is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2021 with contributions by Mindy McGinnis.
Reviews with the most likes.
I went into this book wanting to like it more. The premise hooked me immediately. The short story it's inspired by was one of my favorites when it was assigned reading. Unfortunately, I feel it made some incredibly weird mistakes. These include: the "everything is a misunderstanding" trope, weird poems written by a jaguar??, and a nonlinear timeline. I was also just really annoyed by how many cliffhangers the end had. I will fully admit it was a page turner and I read it quickly but I didn't feel satisfied when I put the book down.
I really enjoy Mindy McGinnis' writing and this book was no different! The writing gripped me the entire time. There was a few times I couldn't tell the characters apart but other than that, it was a great book.
Thank you to Katherine Tegen Books, Harper Children's, and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review.
Like many teens, I had a Poe phase in high school and especially loved the Cask of Amontillado. This retelling mixes in more Poe stories - The Masque of the Red Death, The Fall of the House of Usher - that made it more fun to try to recall them all. This definitely ends on a cliffhanger and I'm interested to see where it goes from here.
