It’s been a while since I read a book that was completely different than what I expected. The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis could not have been more unexpected. It was terrific!

I loved the Poe tie-ins, which conjured memories of my middle & high school years when we read those original stories in class. This was a very heavy drama with a lot of twisted scenes. Definitely not for sensitive readers because of the bad, bad stuff going on (bullying, animal cruelty, underage drug & alcohol use, domestic abuse, child neglect….) It would the perfect CW show with the most evil pretty teenagers you ever did see. Teens can be so mean to each other!

I rated this 4 out of 5 stars. My only reason for docking one star is that I couldn’t really appreciate the ending. It felt so unfinished. I guess there is another book coming since this one is marked #1. Still, I needed to have a little relief from all the torture!

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a copy of the book. Opinions shared are mine. (I listened to a voice galley which was terrible, but I’m still grateful I had the chance to read it!)