* I was provided an audiobook arc by NetGalley in exchange for a review*

The first thing I have to say about this Poe retelling is how well written it is. It’s so creative and captivating a story, I couldn’t stop listening. We have 3 different perspectives telling us this tale, and all 3 of them are interesting and well rounded. I think that’s what makes this so special. As for the story itself, Tress has lost her parents, in the most literal sense, and possibly locked somewhere in her former best friend’s memory is the how and why. I loved the different perspectives of Tress and Felicity as they recall their childhood together and the memories which ripped them apart. There was something about the way they’re written that reminded me of the voice of Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird) and I truly enjoyed being on this book. I do have to mention this is a duology and the second book is not available yet, but it’s one I’ll for sure be picking up as that ending was shocking and I need answers to all the mysteries remaining.

This book is amazing. The non narration was not so amazing. The cadence wasn't there so while I enjoyed the plot following along was just tough.
Overall a great story if you enjoy not knowing what will happen next and multiple povs.

WOW!
So, I'm a long time fan of Mindy McGinnis. By 'fan' I mean I'm borderline obsessed. I love the rich characters, dark plots, and realness she brings to her books. When I first heard the premise for 'The Initial Insult' I was hooked. Edgar Alan Poe meets The Tiger King checks all my boxes. Right on brand, this book brings a darker side to teens, life in the Appalachian areas, and the human will for survival. This book did not disappoint with anything other than waiting for the next installment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Children's - Katherine Tegen Books for this audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first audiobook arc I've listened to on Netgalley and I thought it was decent for being a synthetic voice--it didn't distract me at all. Overall, I thought the premise was interesting and loved how it's Poe-esk. The book is about two young girls and how their friendship became strained after the one's parents disappear after they try to take home the other girl in the middle of a sleepover. Tress, the girl who's parents disappeared, believes her old friend, Felicity, knows what happened that night even though she claims she doesn't remember anything. So Tress comes up with a plan to try and get the truth out of Felicity.

There was a lot going on and it got a little confusing towards the end once the chapters were short and hopped between the multiple characters with this audiobook. I wasn't too thrilled about the ending and it really didn't satisfy the itch I had while listening to the majority of the book. I see that this is number 1 of a duology so how it ended makes sense but ah! I want answers now! :)

3.5/5

I feel that the synthetic voice really detracts from the emotion and drama happening in the story. Hearing a robotic voice read expletives and talk about slutty Halloween costumes is not fun. I will give the e-book a try instead.

This was a DNF got me, which I almost never do.

I was so excited about the premise of this book. I listened to over 50% of this story, and I just could not find interest or engage in the story or with the characters.

I received an advanced audiobook copy from Harper Children's and Katherine Tegen Books. All opinions are 100% my own.

I was absolutely hooked, and when I hit the ending....I wasn't ready to be done!
It was creepy, beautiful, and tragic. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author

I would like to thank Mindy McGinnis, Harper Children's, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. When I first heard that this book was being published, it immediately flew to the top of my to be read pile for 2021. My excitement only grew when I was given the opportunity to review this early and let me tell you...it did not let me down!

In this novel, Tress seeks answers from her former best friend, Felicity, as she was the last to see her parents alive many years ago. Tress takes Felicity during a party and begins to enclose her brick by brick to find the answers she so desperately seeks. We can actively see both girls spiraling throughout. In this book, Mindy McGinnis does not shy away from the dark and brutal aspects of her other writing.

I am a huge fan of Edgar Allen Poe's, so discovering that this book was being influenced by his work did not disappoint. I loved listening for all of the parallels and clues throughout the audiobook. There were so many details that were drawn from his work, The Cask of Amontillado.

My only concern with this audiobook was the lack of clarification between characters. As this story focuses on the story of two girls, it is difficult to differentiate when the same voice is speaking for both.

I will absolutely be pre-ordering a physical copy of this book and have already begun to encourage my friends and family to do the same! I cannot wait for the second book in the series!

My review is based on the synthetic audiobook narrator, and I can't lie that it did make it hard to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed the story. I love a good mystery thriller, and this did not disappoint. It was truly creepy at times, and Mindy McGinnis's writing is amazing and adds so much atmosphere.

I had no idea this would be a series, but I can't wait for the next one! I would definitely recommend the final version of this book to fans of suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this one!

The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis is book one in a YA duology. I was kindly provided an early audiobook narrated thru a synthetic voice from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. Although, this isn’t the finish product I truly enjoyed this story of friendship and loss. It was beautifully told and full of creepiness and tragic moments. I feel like it’s best to go into this one knowing as little as possible. With that being said this is a Poe inspired tale that will happen in two parts. A Cask of Amontillado retelling.

I was quickly pulled into this story. Many twist and turns along the way. I highly recommend reading this one verse listening to it on audio. With the jumping over a lot of time periods, it made it at times a tad bit difficult to follow. I have read a couple of Mindy’s books and I love her writing style. This one does not disappoint.

Weird in the best way possible? I have found a new love in murder mystery and this YA debut did not disappoint. As a Cask of Amontillado retelling it would be PERFECT to pair if you do a Poe unit. I know a lot of our 7th/8th grade teachers use Poe frequently, and he was one of my favorites growing up so I couldn't wait to dive it. I think I need to reread Cask and then read Initial Insult again once it comes out. Highly recommend.

This story is told between 2 points of view, bouncing back and forth between mistaken viewpoints. And listening to this via audiobook, sometimes it is more confusing than anything. The story itself was interesting and what made me keep reading was the mystery that surrounds each girl. However, there were certain times I didn't understand the viewpoint in the chapter. It's hard to describe without giving it away. I think I would have preferred to read a physical copy instead of audiobook.

DNF: This was the first audiobook arc I have received from Netgalley and maybe that is why the formatting was difficult for me to get into. I think this story would be interesting to read as a finished product though. Maybe I will try to get through it at another time but for now I just couldn’t keep listening.

This was a brilliant homage to one of Poe's greatest short stories. It was tense, riveting, and had characters who wouldn't let you look away. That's everything I've come to expect from a Mindy McGinnis book, and the way she reinvented the source material was thoughtful and well-crafted.
My only complain was the ending--I know it's a duology, and I know it needed to end on a cliffhanger (and presumably, because this is McGinnis, a horrifying one), but I felt the circumstances of the cliffhanger were a result of misunderstanding and miscommunication, as well as coincidence, and to me that is a downfall of thrillers, where the plot happens because the author needs it to happen. I don't want to be more specific because of spoilers, but I'm hoping the second book in the duology is able to redeem that a bit for me.
But truly--aside from that one small note, it was astounding. And I'm desperate to read the second one.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to listen & review an ARC of this audiobook!**

For me, this was a deliciously horrific & twisted story. I was so excited to receive a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley & to jump into it during Halloween season! Please find my extended feedback below...along with some spoilers (beware).
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Things I Liked:
-the mystery/thriller aspects
-the inclusion of the panther's point of view in the story...it added to the on-the-edge-of-my-seat feeling I had throughout
-the way the author wrote about the night the parents went missing...it kept me guessing
-how the story pointed out systematic discrimination in the town
-the honesty of how different people respond to tragedy (some want to help, some want to stay away, some want to judge, some want answers)

Things That Didn't Sit Quite Right With Me:
-It was weird listing to this with an automated/computerized voice doing the reading (this will change in the future though)
-Tress was not a likable character for me
-that cliffhanger! I can't wait for the next book in this duology!!!

Overall, I gave this audiobook 4 stars. It was an impactful & resonating read for me. I think it would be a great read for those who enjoy thrillers, mysteries, or macabre storylines.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC of this book!

Wow! McGinnis is a master of making books that on the surface shouldn't be that horrifying, but with the details and atmosphere she creates are a particular kind of creepy that will keep me up all night!

This book is loosely inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado, which is one of my favorite short stories! So I was immediately captivated by the relationships between the book and the story, but what really hooked me was the complexity of the relationship between Tress and Felicity and their long and strained history together.

Both characters are relatable but also completely 'other' to me in certain ways. It had this quality that found me sort of in the uncanny valley, where everything was almost recognizable, but just a little bit off in a way that gave me the heeby-jeebies!

I was definitely not ready for this book to end and I'm glad to hear it will be a duology! I can't wait to read the sequel!

Definitely pick this up when it comes out in January!

CW: death, disappearance, poverty, neglect, death of a pet, blood, seizures

This book just was. I'm not a fan of horror or spooky books. I'm a squeamish person, but I wanted to read this story so badly! I'm glad that I was able to.

The writing was so well done and the creative use of description. The cat is one of my favorites. The story that was written, was different. I felt for both Felicity and Tress and I didn't want to feel for either one of them. They were both horrible in their own right. Granted, they were both made this way due to the way they grew up and life.

I'm looking forward to the second story in this book to see what happens and how Ms. McGinnis wraps this up.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I loved this book. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

<b>Welcome to Amontillado, Ohio, where your last name is worth more than money, and secrets can be kept… for a price.</b>

When I saw that Mindy McGinnis had a new book coming out, I was beyond excited to get the opportunity to read it early. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me the audio book in exchange for my review!

The first book of Mindy's that I've read is "Heroine" and I honestly loved that book. It was dark and gritty. It shone a light on this topic that affects so many people every single day and I found it so compelling that I knew I wanted to read more. I immediately purchased "This Darkness Mine" and "Female of the Species," both of which I knew I wanted to dive into because of the topic. While I'm still to pick them up (after an unfortunate slump due to the pandemic), I had to jump into The Initial Insult. As I understand, it's going to be a duology, and it's holds roots in another story that I loved deeply.

My initial thoughts about "The Initial Insult" is that it's a perfectly fine book. I love Mindy's writing and I love the way that she weaved this story through out the different perspectives between Tress and Felicity. Her story telling is never one I could ever fault but I think this story just wasn't my cup of tea. It was good and entertaining but definitely one of those stories that if I read it first, I wouldn't have run out to immediately purchase more of her novels. I do think there is an audience for this story - and the ending was great! - but it wasn't for me.

Tress Montor's life changed dramatically after the disappearance of her parents. The Montor name was highly respected in Amontillado, Ohio before their disappearance, but now, it is a name that has come to be associated with white trash. Since her parents went missing, Tress has tried in vain to figure out what happened to them. Their case has gone cold despite having a living witness, Felicity Turnado. Tired of Felicity's silence, Tress sets out to make Felicity tell the truth about that night. The premise for this book has all the right thriller elements: a cold case disappearance, a witness who can't remember the event, a condemned mansion setting on Halloween night, and a protagonist with questionable morality who is out for revenge/answers. It is instantly intriguing.
It was interesting to set this book up as a duology. The first book does all the set up and background work. The POV are scattered between both girls dealing with present events and each girl reliving specific events in the past. We learn about the friendship Felicity and Tress had before Tress's parents went missing and the disintegration of that friendship after the event. Tress also follows through with her plan to make Felicity talk to her about the night of the disappearance.
The chapters discussing past events skip around awkwardly through the years: fifth grade, Freshman year, seventh grade, etc. It is not set up chronologically. But, the main problem is that few of these accounts actually help Tress or the reader make any new discoveries about the cold case. In the whole book, only 2-3 clues are ever revealed. There is a subplot also going on with an additional POV, but, so far, it hasn't really had any affect on the main plot. The most revealing clue is given at the very end of the book. Because no actions are directly taken due to the few revelations in this book, it feels like it is only half a book instead of the first in a duology.
With that said, this is a very well-written book. It is super atmospheric. You also really get to know the characters, their backgrounds, and their motivations. The story definitely leaves you craving more. Unfortunately, that might be because nothing came to fruition in this first installment. And, I say that as someone who loves background information. If a very large cliff hanger doesn't bother you and you love build-up suspense, I do recommend this book. Thank you Katherine Tegen Books, Harper Audio, and Net Galley for and arc of this audiobook. I do fully intend on reading the sequel.