I am genuinely curious and concerned about what the inside of Mindy McGinnis's brain looks like. This--not unlike her past works--is weird as hell. While I doubt it will be for everyone, I think of her stuff that I have read, it is something I think will be a bit more appealing than something like This Darkness Mine. You can't help but see both sides of Tress and Felicity. I think the switching between her being bricked in and the reasons why...didn't build up as much tension as I thought it would...but at the same time, I think this would be a cool mini-series because of that. I am particularly interested in where another book will go since this is a duology. The ending seems relatively...difficult to make into another book. I will definitely read the sequel though.

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.

⭐4 𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨! ⭐

Included in this book are a town rooted in history, well-rounded secondary characters, a mysterious illness and a prowling wild panther, but the 💛 of this book lies in the two main characters.

𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 - in 4th grade her parents drove her then best friend home and were never seen again. She's sent to live with her alcoholic uncle on his trashy wild life zoo. Now a high school senior, she decides to do whatever it takes to find out what really happened to her parents.
Tress is a nasty little thing! She responds to conflict with either violence or sulking and doesn't care who she hurts to get what she wants.
Most of her grievances are soooo petty - 3 chapters about how sad it made her that she was blamed for having lice in the 7th grade - so obviously I didn't like her. But I'm not sure the reader is meant to, especially knowing the Poe character she's molded after.

𝙁𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 - Tress's ex- best friend that was with her parents when they disappeared. She's a complex character who's trying to move on from the past and has secrets of her own. Confident and feisty, she makes an entertaining opponent for Tress.

This book is the first of two and I felt like enough of my questions were answered that I was satisfied with the ending, but also intrigued by the tease of what's to come in the next half!

Also, some seriously racy content for a YA book 😁

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy this audiobook.

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.

If you would like to read a book where you are simultaneously loathing and cheering for the two main characters the entirety of the reading experience, this is the book for you!

"The Initial Insult" by Mindy McGinnis pulls a lot of dark and eery inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe, which is incredibly evident throughout the story and also just happens to be an aspect of the book that I loved. The atmosphere of this read is everything you want from a dark Young Adult mystery/contemporary. You've got missing parents. You've got shady, gray characters. You've got secrets in a spooky, small town. You've got a half-hearted, borderline depressing "White Trash Zoo." I really don't know what more you could want!

I really enjoyed this book but I think the drugs in the book is keeping me from giving it 5 stars. As someone who had a Mom as a drug addict I don't care to read much about drug use. Especially in a YA book. I found this book interesting though and the narrator did a good job. I feel like it kind of left off on a cliff hanger which makes you want to read the next one but it's also annoying because you have to wait. 🤣 I could also kind of relate because I grew up poor so I felt for Tessa. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy.

Going into this book, I really wondered how on earth a thriller could possibly be two books.
But it's Mindy McGinnis and she nails everything she does.

This book was fascinating with three points of view (one which was unexpected) and a slow yet exhilarating pace to understand why these characters are connected and what their motivations are. At times gruesome, McGinnis weaves gore and unusual circumstances that reminded me of A Series of Unfortunate Events meets Saw, with a dash of Edgar Allen Poe. Overall, I don't think this is for the faint of heart (in regards to the descriptive torture scenes), but it is a must for anyone who loves an unsettling mystery.

Overall rating: 5/5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book, it took a turn I honestly didn’t expect. Many times you think you may know someone but do you really know what’s going on in their head? This book is about two unhinged b****es who have both been under trauma that is understandably irreversible. Tress Montour has never tried to be something she isn’t making her different than the other girls in school. Felicity Turnado her ex best friend was different but now all she cares about are her social standings and how she is perceived by those around her. Perceptions of others and ourselves can be a funny thing that is dissected in this book.

Also, The Cask of Amontillado who?

I think I'm the wrong audience for this YA novel, although it was pretty well written. In addition, the ARC audio version is tough to listen to.

Thanks very much for the audio review version!!