The Initial Insult audiobook

before we start, i need you to understand something. i’m a grown ladyperson who grumbles about semantic bleaching and doesn’t bandwagon onto contemporary youngperson slang unless i’m making a comedic point about how out-of-touch i am. i’m never gonna be modern enough to tweet about literally starving to death waiting for a table at the cheesecake factory. so know that when i say this, it's not some casual colloquialism, but after that ending?i. am. shook.i am stomach-dropped awe. i am, to quote this book, a stinking sack of skin.mindy mcginnis has written some ballsy-ass YA, but this one takes the don’t back down-ness of The Female of the Species to a whole nother level.to quote this book at greater length:”I’m holding someone captive in the basement,” I tell him, and the ear comes back, cocked. “I hit her in the head with a brick and I chained her to the wall, and I’ve got her halfway sealed into a tomb, and I probably gave her a concussion, and I think she’s got the flu, and I might have fractured her ankle.”It’s a lot, when you string it all together like that.it is a lot. and yet that whole basement torture/revenge plot is just one slice of a narrative pie which mishmashes Thirteen Reasons Why with tiger king and pretty much everything edgar allan poe ever wrote. the biggest players are the cask of amontillado & the masque of the red death, but there are so many little nods to the man in the character names (including a dog named william wilson), and a where’s waldo of poe-symbols: a pendulum, an orangutan, a raven, and a black cat, here taking the form of a panther. and for those of you who prefer poe’s b-sides, the hop-frog/ribbit parallel will be a real treat. it's not cover-to-cover perfection—some of the poe-winks are a little too winky (tress' parents' names are 'annabelle' and 'lee,' for goodness' sake), and i could have done without the panther's POV, which is in verse. i have a pretty staunch and long-standing aversion to poetry infecting my prose. some of the poems were evocative and lovely, but i had no idea what was going on in at least one of 'em, so it didn't really work for me. there were also some moves and explanations i found unconvincing—like why tress was sent to live in her weed-farming grandfather's trailer, often forced to sleep outside with all the indifferently-caged apex predators and made to endure his "hold it in" approach to menstruation instead of living in the crumbly house of usher with her aunt and cousin. i mean, when a girl comes to school smelling like a zebra every day, maybe it's time to give cps a ring. there were some assorted odds and ends i didn't really buy, motivation-wise, but in a book where a girl's walling up her former bestie in the basement of an abandoned house while a deadly flu tears through the partygoers upstairs, it's not particularly useful to scrutinize the details. this is where we are because this is where mcginnis wants us. before i read this i was excited to see there was already a follow-up planned, but now that i’ve finished it, i’m apprehensive. the ending is a searing slap in the face and i don’t want whatever comes next to walk it back into 'jk everything is all right' territory. i trust her to deliver something badass, but i don't want any cold water poured onto this sizzle.i am, and remain, shook.**********************************************i. can't.********************************************if i didn't already ADORE mindy mcginnis, this paragraph of the synopsis: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. With a drunken party above them, and a loose panther on the prowl, Tress will have her answers – or settle for revenge. woulda made me hit that 'to read' button hard enough to sprain a finger.come to my blog!

Giving five stars to this extremely nerve bending, last standing grey cell destroyer book is real insult! It worths more than that! McGinnis has her own peculiar, truly original style and genius mind perfectly knows how to blow her readers’ minds! And this book’s storyline and that freaaaaakinnnggg awesome cliffhanger made you question your own reality were true definitions of perfection!It’s deadly revenge game: Two narrators: Tress and Felicity: once upon a time they were best friends and now they are true enemies!Seven years ago when parents of Tress drove Felicity to her home, something really bad happened! Tress’ parents vanished into thin air. Felicity found unconscious and she still insists she doesn’t remember anything about that night.Tress not only lost her parents that night, she lost her best friend Felicity, her house, her hopes, anything related a normal teenager has in her life: comfort, hygiene , proper house, living conditions, food, clothes etc. She starts to live one eyed, drunken grandfather in a wild animal attraction ( her roommates are a zebra, chimpanzee, a zebra ?!?) people called white trash zoo including her ex best friend Felicity and her new inner circle, rich privileged friends! Tress gotta do something to learn the truth! Somebody rich and powerful silences the entire town : police officers stop searching for her parents. Everybody pitying her or getting disgusted by her existence! She cannot live like that , she gotta learn what happened to her family. She needs get the information from Felicity even though she has to hurt her till she dies!This is a cat and mouse game between friends. Felicity is in pain, the secret she keeps is so heavy. She cannot live with that. She needs to comfort of drugs. She is beautiful, she is popular, she has everything Tress tragically lost but everything she has turning into guilt feelings which eat her alive! If she doesn’t tell the truth, Tress will bury her into her own tombstone! But sometimes there are worst things than dying in the world! All night long confrontation between ex friends will destroy you, hurt you , frustrate you! But you’ll do curious to know how will conclude! You get sorry for Tress! Sometimes you get scared of her because she is slowly turning into an animal, losing her humanity! You hate Felicity for the things she has done to her best friend, you resent her for not trying harder, not standing up for her, you also feel sorry for her self destruction! I need to know when the second book comes out!I need to know who will laugh less!I need to know what the hell happened to Tress’ parents and who did this to them? For god’s sake I need second book ASAP!

"Apparently I am very bad at picking friends.Either I try to kill them, or they try to kill me."Not a book giving me post-traumatic stress disorder. I have to give this five stars simply because this book dares to do what most YA wouldn't even think of. The cheek, the nerve, the audacity, the gall and the gumption.Now if you asked me to read a book where someone buries their ex-best friend alive behind a brick wall in the cellar of an old mansion while a house party is raging on the floor above and a panther is strolling through the night looking for prey, I'd laugh at you. There's no way anyone can pull that off without it turning out to be absolute bonkers.No one except Mindy McGinnis.Because she pulled it off, and this book is proof.Listen, you're not going to get anything else out of me. You have to find out yourself if she ends up dead and buried or not. If the panther eats every single person at the house party or not. If the suspense doesn't kill you first.Find more of my books on Instagram

This is an exceptionally well-written YA book that I wholeheartedly recommend. I was a big reader of YA thrillers as a kid (Christopher Pike was my favorite!) and one of the things that was most important to me was that the adult writer not "talk down" to me for being a kid. I wanted my YA books to sound like they were actually narrated by other young adults. McGinnis is *fantastic* at this. She does not underestimate her young readers' intelligence or capability of understanding mature issues. I would have totally devoured this as a kid when I was fully immersed in some of the issues the kids are going through here, and I also really enjoyed it as an adult. Also, it's really great to listen to a book where kids act and talk like kids actually do - sometimes swearing, sometimes talking about sex, sometimes doing other stuff kids do that adults would prefer they not do, and sometimes completely dark, as adults can be. The use of social media was also very authentic and did not have the feeling of "stodgy adult trying to explain how kids use The Face Book." (I am guilty of this sometimes myself...it comes with age, I suppose.)I don't want to say too much about the plot because I think it's best to let it unfold, but I will say.....*Stefan voice* YA's hottest new book "The Initial Insult" has everything: a "white trash zoo," secret drug deals, a compelling lead, a potentially shady best friend, missing parents, prose that is almost poetry, a mysterious, moneyed town where everyone has secrets, and a spooky poetic cat narrator. (Wait, what? Yes, seriously. Not for the whole book, don't worry.) As you may gather from the spooky cat, the book is influenced by Edgar Allen Poe, so if you are a Poe fan, you will have some guesses at different directions it could go, but will still be surprised. This is a totally unique and interesting book. I was not sure how my experience with a synthetic voice audiobook would be, and it was completely fine. I think I was imagining that it would be a TV-robot type voice, but instead the voice sounds more natural. Of course, it does not carry the acting and vocal performance an audiobook reader will give to it, which primarily impacted the end of the book in my opinion - but it was an interesting new way to listen to the book. You have to sort of picture different emotions in your head with the words so it takes a bit more work and may not be for everyone. I predict the actual audiobook will be way more sinister.I am definitely going to read the second book. The ending was so great and creepy that I can't imagine what might happen next, and will love to see where the series will go from here.4.5 stars rounded up for the amazing, totally experimental Poe-esque theme and writing. Thanks to Harper Collins, Mindy McGinnis and NetGalley for this totally original and fun YA read.

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. - The Cask of AmontilladoEdgar Allan Poe in Appalachia!? SOLD. Mindy McGinnis knows the weird stories my brain wants before I do.This did not disappoint. At all. Except that I finished it and now I feel a little shell shocked and a lot impressed. Just. What the fuck is this? What did it do to me?Possibly her best yet.I've likely said it before at some point, but I'll reiterate here; Mindy McGinnis is a motherfucking fearless writer. She crafts such well developed characters, but is unfraid to kill or maim her darlings. To plagiarize myself quickly, from when I talked about Be Not Far from Me, "She writes holding nothing back and it will make you simultaneously squirm and cheer."I would advise going into this without reading into the plot too heavily. I mean, Edgar Allan Poe in Appalachia; what else do you need to know? I will say that a knowledge of Poe might be beneficial and enhance the reading experience, but it's certainly not necessary. Even a skating pop culture awareness is fine.Because as much as this is inspired and crafted by Poe, it's ultimately its own story of revenge, pain, secrets, and mistakes. Tress and Felicity, our two main characters, are both harboring regrets and fueled by desperation. It's so easy to like them both, even when their motives are in direct opposition. Whether they're cruel or vulnerable, violent or wounded, they are ultimately solid and believable characters, making painful and life altering decisions in a heart rending, captivating story.I also just found out this is a DUOLOGY?After that literally breathtaking ending, I have ZERO idea what to expect next. I could write a solid 200 page novella just on the HEART STOPPING conclusion. I'm worried I'm over-hyping it, but at the same time, this book metaphorically punched me in the face.It's brazenly shocking, but it's earned. Every step taken by the characters in the pages before support what happens. It's a wham moment that's earned, arisen from character and plot and not just wanting a cheap shock to amp up the finale.I've done nothing in this review but rant about how much I loved The Initial Insult. And I'm okay with that. I just had a heck of a good time reading this. It pushed all the right buttons for me and I loved every bloody page of it.Thanks to Edelweiss and Katherine Tegen Books for the review copy!

3.5 starsI've read a few books by Mindy McGinnis and she proves once again she is a unique storyteller. Her books are never dull, that's for sure. I might not have loved every single aspect of this story but it was an interesting ride.Essentially the story is about a friendship gone bad. High school senior Tress Montor is desperate to find out why her parents disappeared seven years ago. Her former best friend, Felicity, was the last known person to have seen them. Felicity has always claimed she doesn't remember what exactly happened the night in question. Let's just say Tress has come up with an unusual plan to get her to talk. (If you want to be truly surprised at a pretty wild plot twist, avoid reading the publisher synopsis)After a sluggish start, I was immediately hooked once I found out what Tress had in store for Felicity. The chapters are short and alternate between past and present events. While I liked hearing both girls' perspectives on everything, I didn't care for the occasional chapters featuring a cat. The book was a quick read for me as I was so curious where the story was headed given the current situation with Tress and Felicity. I also wanted to know why the parents went missing. The party is something else that I had an inkling would play an important role in the story as well.The book doesn't end on the most satisfying note and part of the reason for that is it is the first one in a planned duology. So I get that not everything is meant to be wrapped up all nice and neat. However, the ending left me somewhat lost and confused. My first reaction was , "Wait! What?". The execution of the final chapters was slightly off in my opinion.It's a captivating story and I'll read the second book without a doubt. I literally have no clue where the author will take the story which adds to the excitement and anticipation.

“Welcome to Amontillado, Ohio, where your last name is worth more than money, and secrets can be kept… for a price.”I listened to this book 5 months ago. I had an early copy from NetGalley; my first ALC with a synthetic voice - not a copy of the official audiobook. I still rated it 5 stars. Mindy is my favorite YA author; her material is definitely on the darker side. The Initial Insult is a Poe-inspired YA thriller that draws from elements of Edgar Allan Poe short stories - The Cask of Amontillado, The Black Cat, and The Masque of the Red Death.This is the expertly crafted story of Tress Montor & Felicity Turnado and the dissolution of their friendship. The two BFF’s are no longer speaking. It was hard enough to maintain their friendship; one is from an affluent family (Felicity) & the other considered white trash (Tress). One night, Tress’s parents go missing while driving Felicity home. No one knows what happened to them except Felicity, but she doesn’t remember. Tress now has to live with her drunken, one-eyed grandpa at his white trash zoo. There are 3 POV’s: Tress (read by Lisa Flanagan), Felicity (read by Brittany Pressley), and the panther (read by Tim Campbell). Tress engineers a way to get Felicity to finally tell her what happened to her parents. The Initial Insult is graphic & fueled by vengeance. Just imagine the possibilities of what could possibly go wrong at a white trash zoo...(hello Tiger King). My favorite things about it: the retelling aspect had me wondering if Poe came back from the dead to write one more story; the suspense builds at such a great pace; Mindy’s plots are tight, she doesn’t use fodder...the audiobook is only 7.5 hours. I hope this book does well! I highly recommend! 5/5

A modern day retelling of The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, but with teenagers. You can guess how this is going to go.Except, it's Mindy McGinnis. So you really can't.If you've read McGinnis before, you know what to expect, that is, the unexpected, told in a highly personal voice, and with no shortage of often gory details. McGinnis is a writer who you either like or you don't. There's a reason her books tend to be polarizing, and The Initial Insult is no exception.Personally, I love McGinnis. Her characters tend to be intense and unreliable, often unlikeable, sometimes mentally and emotionally off-balance, but always interesting.My only complaint is that this is a duology instead of a standalone. Of course it ends with characters left in mortal peril, but I'm not sure that's the best way to present a thriller. The tension will be substantially dissipated by the time the concluding book comes out. One longer book please.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary audio copy of THE INITIAL INSULT by Mindy McGinnis in exchange for my honest review.***Small town hi-jinx, secrets and mystery permeate this atmospheric mystery centered around family, friendship and class. Teen girls acting badly, yet they’re portrayed in a sympathetic way that doesn’t excuse their behavior that only Mindy McGinnis can do. “Yes, I can understand why she knocked out her former friend with a brick” is a phrase I never imagined thinking.I’m usually someone who can only do audio books an hour at a time, but I couldn’t stop listening to McGinnis’s newest masterpiece. I’m usually a creature of habit when it comes to reading. I like my favorite writers’ books to feel familiar and don’t usually enjoy when they stray too far from the genres I love. McGinnis has a way of writing truly different books, ones I wouldn’t normally pick up after reading the blurb. But she’s Mindy Friggin McGinnis and I’ll can’t not read.THE INITIAL INSULT is the first of two in a series, which means readers will get to read (or listen to) more of these flawed, yet easy to root for characters. I enjoyed THE INITIAL INSULT so much I’m going to purchase the book.

Mindy McGinnis needs to quit writing for YA and pivot full time into Splatterpunk, a genre with fans that can appreciate her. This is the second of her books I have read and it has so much in common with popular Splatterpunk. The Initial Insult is a zero empathy revenge story and it's creepy as hell. Overview:❤️ Friends to enemies❤️ A tight-nit town❤️ Novella❤️ No romance ❤️ Angry women❤️ Character studyTress and Felicity live in a town where status is everything- so when Tress's parents go missing and she is forced to live with her mentally unwell grandpa and his collection of exotic animals at the edge of town, her life falls apart. Her best friend Felicity slowly stops hanging out with her and instead hands out with her bullies; but that's not all Felicity is done. Tress is convinced that Felicity knows something about her missing parents, and she's prepared to kill Felicity to get the answers. This is a VERY loose retelling of The Cask of Amontillado and primarily focuses on the grudges that Tress is carrying around, and how Felicity is at the touchstone of every dark event in Tress's life. It's easy to empathize with both of these characters even in a book this short. Tress is a dark, brooding type, but we quickly see how small town social climbing and abuse have shaped her. Similarly, Felicity seems like a girl who has it all, but she herself lives in a gilded cage. The tone of the book is dark, slow, and creeping. The tension builds as you start to get a sense of the instability of both girls and find yourself wondering what choices they will make. It's hard to talk about this book without spoiling it, but it's super easy to get invested in. Im shocked the ratings are so low, which I can chalk up to how horribly placed the genre of The Initial Insult is; it feels like something that might go over the heads of a lot of kids, or be too uncomfortable. I was actually extremely surprised in its brutality and grim dark vibes; like legitimately I kept waiting for the hopeful shoe to drop and it just doesn't. If you want to read some fucked up shit, this is your book.

Overall Rating : AIf I am still and quietI can seeother lifetimes, slipping past us,in a place, where they ended.The girl does not knowthere is a boy above her swingingfrom the rafters,his toes brushing her forehead.She does not see the womansobbingat the dresser.Does not hear the babyscreamingin the corner.She sees and hears and feels and knowsonly now,in this place.And I marvel at the limitsof humans. What would you do if your ex-best friend was the only witness to your parents disappearance? That spiraled to you living with your white trash grandfather working at his "exotic" animal zoo, ostracized by the entire town.How about BEING the ex-best friend, with no memory of the night except for the guilt of letting down the only person who loved you for you? Trying to portray the perfect girl your family and friends expect you to be?And then there's the panther.....Two people, two different stories that all came down to the same question : What happened to Tress' parents that rainy night? And Tress, she's going to get her answer, no matter what.This story is dark people. And I mean pitch black dark. No light in sight. You feel horrible for both girls, but it really all comes down to the message : how you would act if that one last straw broke? And that's what happened to Tress, and Felicity has to survive her wrath in the end. But, will she be able to handle her own actions in Tress' downfall from society and their view of "morals"?Fair warning, this ends in a MAJOR cliffhanger that will want to make you throw the book across the room in a rage that the second one is not out to read immediately. So, in conclusion, : Shitty things turn into a shitty life making shitty people trying to survive. And I loved every minute of it.