Reviews

The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis

syntheticmage's review against another edition

dark tense

3.0

tattedglass's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ellalafontant's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

moeboutuncoated's review

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Addiction

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, and Ableism

Minor: Excrement and Mental illness

melinda_and_her_books's review

4.0

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.

amandalyn's review

4.0

Once again, Mindy McGinnis does not mess around. Not for a single second. I feel like she can just so perfectly capture the absolutely screwed up things that teenage girls do to each other, and you feel it in your gut (at least if you’ve been a teenage girl) the whole way through the novel. Her stories are all so unique and this one did not disappoint. I loved the Poe parallels, though some of the Cat chapters were more confusing than anything. I would have given this five stars if some of them had been left out or a little more clear. This whole book was dark and gritty, some parts hard to read even, but It really hit something in me and I loved it. I don’t think there’s a book I won’t love by this author.

megrum22's review

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

daniwantsalibrary's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

smartinez9's review

4.0

Well, I just read this whole duology in one sitting, and it was worth it. The Poe references are both abundant and sometimes subtle, making this more of an encapsulation of the icky eerie wrong feeling his writing gives you then a strict retelling, making it a more sincere and effective homage. Truly unhinged.

cmdufresne's review

2.0

Things that did not work for me AT ALL:

1. Takes more time to get through than passes in the book because it's basically a million flashbacks.

2. Supposed to be a thriller, but is so slow and detailed there is nothing "thrilling" about it.

3 - 1000. Chapters from the POV of a poetic panther who can see ghosts, possibly time shift, and wants to kill everyone. (I seriously can't with the panther monologs.)

Things that I liked:

Well......it's a book..... so it has that going for it.....