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The Initial Insult #2
The Last Laugh
In the dark and stunning sequel to The Initial Insult, award-winning author Mindy McGinnis concludes this suspenseful YA duology as long-held family secrets finally come to light . . . changing Amontillado forevermore.
Tress Montor murdered Felicity Turnado—but she might not have to live with the guilt for long. With an infected arm held together by duct tape, the panther who clawed her open on the loose, and the whole town on the hunt for the lost homecoming queen, the odds are stacked against Tress. As her mind slides deeper into delirium, Tress is haunted by the growing sound of Felicity’s heartbeat pulsing from the “best friend” charm around her fevered neck.
Ribbit Usher has been a punchline his whole life—from his nickname to his latest turn as the unwitting star of a humiliating viral video. In the past he’s willingly played the fool, but now it’s time to fulfill his destiny. That means saving the girl, so that Felicity can take her place at his side and Ribbit can exact revenge on all who have done him wrong—which includes his cousin, Tress. Ribbit is held by a pact he made with his mother long ago, a pact that must be delivered upon in four days.
With time ticking down and an enemy she considers a friend lurking in the shadows, Tress’s grip on reality is failing. Can she keep both mind and body together long enough to finally find out what happened to her parents?
Tress Montor murdered Felicity Turnado—but she might not have to live with the guilt for long. With an infected arm held together by duct tape, the panther who clawed her open on the loose, and the whole town on the hunt for the lost homecoming queen, the odds are stacked against Tress. As her mind slides deeper into delirium, Tress is haunted by the growing sound of Felicity’s heartbeat pulsing from the “best friend” charm around her fevered neck.
Ribbit Usher has been a punchline his whole life—from his nickname to his latest turn as the unwitting star of a humiliating viral video. In the past he’s willingly played the fool, but now it’s time to fulfill his destiny. That means saving the girl, so that Felicity can take her place at his side and Ribbit can exact revenge on all who have done him wrong—which includes his cousin, Tress. Ribbit is held by a pact he made with his mother long ago, a pact that must be delivered upon in four days.
With time ticking down and an enemy she considers a friend lurking in the shadows, Tress’s grip on reality is failing. Can she keep both mind and body together long enough to finally find out what happened to her parents?
384 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 2022
57 people are currently reading
6971 people want to read
About the author
Mindy McGinnis
29 books4,297 followersMindy McGinnis is an Edgar Award-winning novelist who writes across multiple genres, including post-apocalyptic, historical, thriller, contemporary, mystery, and fantasy.
While her settings may change, you can always count on Mindy’s books to deliver grit, truth, and an unflinching look at humanity and the world around us.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 610 reviews
April 3, 2022
fulfilling my 2022 vow to read more YA/finish series i have started and left unfinished
in my review of The Initial Insult, i said, "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."
that was me being a polite little milquetoast. i wasn't apprehensive, friends. i was PISSED.
the ending of The Initial Insult was perfect: unexpected, shocking, ballsy—not just "for a YA book," but for ANYTHING, and the fact that it wasn't going to stand as written—an upraised middle finger to happy endings everywhere...it felt like a betrayal of that boldness.
i was leery that a second book might soften the blow of it, but i should have trusted in her enough by now, after reading four of her books; i should have understood that 'softening' just isn't her thing. i mean:
she's not interested in going easy on her readers, and The Last Laugh is just as bold and brutal as the first—my god, the maggots. the spray paint. this is not an "everything's gonna be okay" palliation of what happened during our first trip to amontillado, ohio. everything's not going to be okay.
so mea culpa. mea maxima culpa. i will not doubt her again.
the poe references in The Initial Insult were laid on so thick it was almost obscenely referential, yet somehow she found more gold to mine for this one: the tell-tale heart-shaped best-friend necklaces. the orangutan doing her rue morgue thing. digging deep into poe's catalog to dust off the name "ada lalage." it's so saturated with winks and allusions that it would come off as silly if there weren't so many horrific things happening in the meat of the story, but no one's laughing at The Last Laugh. not for long, anyway.
it is impossible to talk about this book without bringing The Initial Insult into the discussion, and BOTH of them are impossible to plot-talk without sounding unhinged. although i don't recommend reading this sequel without first reading The Initial Insult, mcginnis does such a great job reminding you of the first book's...events, one could get away with only reading this one. but don't. that first one's a whirlwind journey, equal parts brutal and bananas.
this is a fierce, clawed-and-toothed follow-up and i loved every minute of it—layer upon layer upon explosive layer. tress is a master class in endurance and perseverance; the antiheroine you root for despite her/because of her flaws and simmering savagery.
Sloppy work gets you killed around wild animals, and my good habits extend to when I'm the danger in the room.
i loved this book, and i am deeply grateful to mindy mcginnis for giving me something so wonderfully distracting to read while i was flattened by food poisoning that it took my mind off how lousy i was feeling for a few too-short hours.
i will never doubt her again.
**********************************
review to come, but for now just WOW.
come to my blog!
in my review of The Initial Insult, i said, "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."
that was me being a polite little milquetoast. i wasn't apprehensive, friends. i was PISSED.
the ending of The Initial Insult was perfect: unexpected, shocking, ballsy—not just "for a YA book," but for ANYTHING, and the fact that it wasn't going to stand as written—an upraised middle finger to happy endings everywhere...it felt like a betrayal of that boldness.
i was leery that a second book might soften the blow of it, but i should have trusted in her enough by now, after reading four of her books; i should have understood that 'softening' just isn't her thing. i mean:
You can only swallow so much of your own blood before it turns your gut black, tinting everything inside you darkly.
she's not interested in going easy on her readers, and The Last Laugh is just as bold and brutal as the first—my god, the maggots. the spray paint. this is not an "everything's gonna be okay" palliation of what happened during our first trip to amontillado, ohio. everything's not going to be okay.
Everything is going to be fucking awesome.
so mea culpa. mea maxima culpa. i will not doubt her again.
the poe references in The Initial Insult were laid on so thick it was almost obscenely referential, yet somehow she found more gold to mine for this one: the tell-tale heart-shaped best-friend necklaces. the orangutan doing her rue morgue thing. digging deep into poe's catalog to dust off the name "ada lalage." it's so saturated with winks and allusions that it would come off as silly if there weren't so many horrific things happening in the meat of the story, but no one's laughing at The Last Laugh. not for long, anyway.
it is impossible to talk about this book without bringing The Initial Insult into the discussion, and BOTH of them are impossible to plot-talk without sounding unhinged. although i don't recommend reading this sequel without first reading The Initial Insult, mcginnis does such a great job reminding you of the first book's...events, one could get away with only reading this one. but don't. that first one's a whirlwind journey, equal parts brutal and bananas.
this is a fierce, clawed-and-toothed follow-up and i loved every minute of it—layer upon layer upon explosive layer. tress is a master class in endurance and perseverance; the antiheroine you root for despite her/because of her flaws and simmering savagery.
Sloppy work gets you killed around wild animals, and my good habits extend to when I'm the danger in the room.
i loved this book, and i am deeply grateful to mindy mcginnis for giving me something so wonderfully distracting to read while i was flattened by food poisoning that it took my mind off how lousy i was feeling for a few too-short hours.
i will never doubt her again.
**********************************
review to come, but for now just WOW.
come to my blog!
February 23, 2022
Fantastic conclusion to the duology. If you haven't read The Initial Insult, this review might spoil some things that happen in that book. However, it ended on a huge cliffhanger, so there isn't a whole lot to spoil, but you will definitely want to read that book before reading this one or you will be completely lost.
These books are an homage to Edgar Allan Poe's stories. Whereas the first book was all about The Cask of Amontillado and The Black Cat with a few hints to The Masque of Red Death , this one has shades of The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher, and probably many others that I'm not as familiar with. There is homage paid in the names of the characters: Annabelle, Lee, Lucille, and even William Wilson. I found these references to be intriguing and fun to uncover.
This novel takes place immediately after the events that end The Initial Insult. The entire town is looking for the missing Felicity Turnado. Tress knows where she is but she isn't telling. Tress was severely injured by the panther, but can't go to the hospital because that will mean revealing that the panther escaped. Ribbit Usher, who was the brunt of ridicule in the viral video from the party, knows that his cousin Tress is about to turn 18 and knows that if he lets that happen what it will mean for his family. What happens next is a wild and crazy ride, and many won't make it out alive.
I loved how the author tied the threads together, how everything is answered about the past and the present and how they connect. When I say above that it's a wild and crazy ride, I mean that in the best, but the wildest possible way. This is a fast-paced book with surprises around every turn. I can't say more without spoiling things, so suffice it to say if you like YA, retellings, Poe, mysteries, secrets, and everything in between, then definitely pick up this incredibly well-written tale.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
These books are an homage to Edgar Allan Poe's stories. Whereas the first book was all about The Cask of Amontillado and The Black Cat with a few hints to The Masque of Red Death , this one has shades of The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher, and probably many others that I'm not as familiar with. There is homage paid in the names of the characters: Annabelle, Lee, Lucille, and even William Wilson. I found these references to be intriguing and fun to uncover.
This novel takes place immediately after the events that end The Initial Insult. The entire town is looking for the missing Felicity Turnado. Tress knows where she is but she isn't telling. Tress was severely injured by the panther, but can't go to the hospital because that will mean revealing that the panther escaped. Ribbit Usher, who was the brunt of ridicule in the viral video from the party, knows that his cousin Tress is about to turn 18 and knows that if he lets that happen what it will mean for his family. What happens next is a wild and crazy ride, and many won't make it out alive.
I loved how the author tied the threads together, how everything is answered about the past and the present and how they connect. When I say above that it's a wild and crazy ride, I mean that in the best, but the wildest possible way. This is a fast-paced book with surprises around every turn. I can't say more without spoiling things, so suffice it to say if you like YA, retellings, Poe, mysteries, secrets, and everything in between, then definitely pick up this incredibly well-written tale.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
May 2, 2022
I seriously enjoyed this one, which is saying a lot because I wasn’t super enthused about the first one. But this wraps things up quite nicely and there’s some major Springer shit going on along the way. Like I can’t even with parts of this book. It was so entertaining in a sick, omg what’s going on here, kind of way…
I don’t even really like Tress. I think she’s kind of a pain in the ass, but she’s so good at it that you have to sort of admire that in her. 🤷🏻♀️ She’s a strong character even if she’s not likable all the time and she does have some redeeming qualities. But as far as the characters are concerned, there aren’t many that you can relate to, but Lol… sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Anyway, they’re all interesting and definitely worth reading about.
Shit obviously got crazy in the first book, but even though I wasn’t looking forward to this read, it grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. It was so intriguing and thrilling that I could hardly put it down!! It’s just one thing after another. Major jaw dropping moments here. In fact, I threw my kindle down on the bed at one point because I was so thrown over by this book. I can’t give anything away because just about everything that happens is essential to the plot and you have to find out sequentially or else shit just won’t make sense. But trust me when I say this book is awesome.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoyed the first one. Actually, even if you didn’t, you may still like this one, because I know I certainly do. And the first one just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harpercollins Childrens Books, and Mindy McGinnis for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!
I don’t even really like Tress. I think she’s kind of a pain in the ass, but she’s so good at it that you have to sort of admire that in her. 🤷🏻♀️ She’s a strong character even if she’s not likable all the time and she does have some redeeming qualities. But as far as the characters are concerned, there aren’t many that you can relate to, but Lol… sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Anyway, they’re all interesting and definitely worth reading about.
Shit obviously got crazy in the first book, but even though I wasn’t looking forward to this read, it grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. It was so intriguing and thrilling that I could hardly put it down!! It’s just one thing after another. Major jaw dropping moments here. In fact, I threw my kindle down on the bed at one point because I was so thrown over by this book. I can’t give anything away because just about everything that happens is essential to the plot and you have to find out sequentially or else shit just won’t make sense. But trust me when I say this book is awesome.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoyed the first one. Actually, even if you didn’t, you may still like this one, because I know I certainly do. And the first one just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harpercollins Childrens Books, and Mindy McGinnis for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!
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April 5, 2021Given how the first one ended, I’m QUITE curious to see where this one could go from there...
November 23, 2021
"Pain is nothing compared to betrayal."
After finishing up The Initial Insult, this book taunted me. It pointed and laughed at me because I wanted to read it. I was willing to give it all up for this book. Mindy left us all hanging on by a thread and I was shocked at what she put us through. Then that cliffhanger she threw at us was immeasurable.
Welcome back to Amontillado, Ohio!
This picks up right where the Initial Insult left us. A panther was on the prowl, Ribbit is hungover and the world saw his creative gestures, Tress is hanging on by a roll of duct tape, and Felicity is chilling behind magic wall number one. If you think that sounds crazy, you don't know how much more insane this book was. Here we see how all this plays out in flames.
Wow! I don't think I've said the "F" word so much in my life as I did while reading this book. I mean, my mind was blown wide open. Except there were no maggots in there. This is the prime example of how a retelling should be. I thought the first book was crazy and that there was nothing that could top that. Oh my goodness, I was so wrong. This one is over-the-top insane and disgusting as all hell. And man, oh man, did I love this!
The Last Laugh was phenomenal. The Initial Insult duology was the best horror retelling made current that I have ever read. Mindy is one hell of a fantastic storyteller and I can't wait to see how she amazes us next. If I have to pick one author to take on horror classics, my money will always be on Mindy.
If you love a good revenge story and love to be grossed out then this duology is for you!
After finishing up The Initial Insult, this book taunted me. It pointed and laughed at me because I wanted to read it. I was willing to give it all up for this book. Mindy left us all hanging on by a thread and I was shocked at what she put us through. Then that cliffhanger she threw at us was immeasurable.
Welcome back to Amontillado, Ohio!
This picks up right where the Initial Insult left us. A panther was on the prowl, Ribbit is hungover and the world saw his creative gestures, Tress is hanging on by a roll of duct tape, and Felicity is chilling behind magic wall number one. If you think that sounds crazy, you don't know how much more insane this book was. Here we see how all this plays out in flames.
Wow! I don't think I've said the "F" word so much in my life as I did while reading this book. I mean, my mind was blown wide open. Except there were no maggots in there. This is the prime example of how a retelling should be. I thought the first book was crazy and that there was nothing that could top that. Oh my goodness, I was so wrong. This one is over-the-top insane and disgusting as all hell. And man, oh man, did I love this!
The Last Laugh was phenomenal. The Initial Insult duology was the best horror retelling made current that I have ever read. Mindy is one hell of a fantastic storyteller and I can't wait to see how she amazes us next. If I have to pick one author to take on horror classics, my money will always be on Mindy.
If you love a good revenge story and love to be grossed out then this duology is for you!
January 29, 2022
Oh man. This story was batshit crazy and I was absolutely here for it.
I loved staying with Tress’s POV. She’s got a lot going on and there are some scenes where she might be hallucinating, but that swerve into a possible unreliable narrator made it even better. Getting Ribbit’s side of the story was interesting. His mindset is different from what he shows and it was quite captivating.
Plot wise, it was all over the place (see the batshit crazy comment) and it really worked. For me, it added a layer of intensity that this story really needed in order to play out the way it did. And I know I’m being vague, but I don’t want to ruin anything.
Overall, this book really delivered and I’m so happy I waited to read them back to back. I can’t wait wait see what Mindy does next.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
I loved staying with Tress’s POV. She’s got a lot going on and there are some scenes where she might be hallucinating, but that swerve into a possible unreliable narrator made it even better. Getting Ribbit’s side of the story was interesting. His mindset is different from what he shows and it was quite captivating.
Plot wise, it was all over the place (see the batshit crazy comment) and it really worked. For me, it added a layer of intensity that this story really needed in order to play out the way it did. And I know I’m being vague, but I don’t want to ruin anything.
Overall, this book really delivered and I’m so happy I waited to read them back to back. I can’t wait wait see what Mindy does next.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
April 7, 2022
…can this be… a retelling of the tell tale heart?!? Or does it continue the cask of amontillado retelling? 🤔
I mean does it really matter?! If it’s Poe, I’m IN. Plus… LOOK. AT. THIS. COVER! Gorgeous & horrifying at the same time!
I mean does it really matter?! If it’s Poe, I’m IN. Plus… LOOK. AT. THIS. COVER! Gorgeous & horrifying at the same time!
Read
April 10, 2022Much like book one in this series, I don't quite know where I fall with this one. Strangely, in a time where memory is fleeting because time has no meaning, I remembered so much of that weird ass first instalment that picking this up without a refresher was easy. And I blitzed through it. Maybe I was just excited to be reading something after a week-long dry spell but I also definitely think that's purely the McGinnis factor.
This is a series I definitely won't be recommending to anyone but I think anyone who does pick it up will likely be fascinated, just like I was. This story is dark and brutal and strange and a few times you will want to yell at your iPad much like we yell at athletes on the screens of our tvs. Because how dare that character be so stupid to do (or not do..) a thing. But overall? I was hooked. But did I like anything that happened? Maybe one or two things. The problem, I think, beyond the darkness and the weirdness, is we learn so much so late in the game -- which is the same for the MC -- that you flounder, pulled along in the current of wtf and why, for just too long.
Having said that, I'll never stop picking this author up because whether it's a win or a lose or a whoevenknows, I am fascinated not only by the way she tells stories but of what kinds of stories she chooses to tell.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
This is a series I definitely won't be recommending to anyone but I think anyone who does pick it up will likely be fascinated, just like I was. This story is dark and brutal and strange and a few times you will want to yell at your iPad much like we yell at athletes on the screens of our tvs. Because how dare that character be so stupid to do (or not do..) a thing. But overall? I was hooked. But did I like anything that happened? Maybe one or two things. The problem, I think, beyond the darkness and the weirdness, is we learn so much so late in the game -- which is the same for the MC -- that you flounder, pulled along in the current of wtf and why, for just too long.
Having said that, I'll never stop picking this author up because whether it's a win or a lose or a whoevenknows, I am fascinated not only by the way she tells stories but of what kinds of stories she chooses to tell.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
May 19, 2023
✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“It’s an old game. It’s a good game. It’s a game I know how to win. Because life isn’t fair, and you can’t make people like you.
But you can get revenge.”
Clearly, I wasn't the one who had The Last Laugh with this sequel. Compared to the high-stakes and thrills that had captivated me in the first part, I didn't find myself very much invested in the storyline or very spooked by the graphic and horrific scenes which were meant to be shocking - even if they were very well done! It was an excellent nod to Edgar Allen Poe's many works - and it really did achieve that - but, by the end of it, I was so exhausted that I was just relieved that this insane madness was finally over! 😩
Picking off right where we left off, while the whole town is trying to find out what happened to Felicity, Tress has to find a way out of some very sticky situations that she's gotten herself entangled in. I liked that it wasn't only Tress' POV that we got, but her cousin, Kermit Usher aka Ribbit's, as well - who also becomes a major character to the current storyline.
What was even more intriguing for me, was that even before the chaotic incidents at that party, we uncover so much background into their lives - how the secrets in the history of their families intertwined them more than they expected. Tress and Ribbit aren't likable characters, but you can't help but want to see who will come out victorious over their cat-and-mouse game that the both of them were playing against each other - without even realizing it. 😱
“What do you think it wants?
To set the record straight. Even the score. Get the last laugh.”
And revenge was definitely served in the wildest horrific ways imaginable - like, seriously, there were so many gross moments - that scene with Tress' arm and maggots. 🤢 But, the writing was excellent in conveying those gritty scenes. It was sharp and crisp - with even the many crazy twists and turns and so many wildly insane reveals that were happening - the pacing was quick that it gripped your attention and kept your attention at every scene. And expressive! Because the way Mindy McGinnis pieced together the words made it feel as if you were on the brink of each instance of the moments Tress found herself in peril danger - or you were there witnessing Ribbit's demise into madness.
And while I definitely enjoyed the first one A LOT more, I'll admit that this was a chilling and cryptic if not twistedly dark tale. Despite the way the ending very conveniently pieced all the loose threads together and a little too conveniently - it still left an unpleasant taste in my mouth, because it wasn't a happy ending. People did die - houses did fall - hearts revealed their tales - and revenge was cast - even if it was not the way that it was intended. 😰
“It’s an old game. It’s a good game. It’s a game I know how to win. Because life isn’t fair, and you can’t make people like you.
But you can get revenge.”
Clearly, I wasn't the one who had The Last Laugh with this sequel. Compared to the high-stakes and thrills that had captivated me in the first part, I didn't find myself very much invested in the storyline or very spooked by the graphic and horrific scenes which were meant to be shocking - even if they were very well done! It was an excellent nod to Edgar Allen Poe's many works - and it really did achieve that - but, by the end of it, I was so exhausted that I was just relieved that this insane madness was finally over! 😩
Picking off right where we left off, while the whole town is trying to find out what happened to Felicity, Tress has to find a way out of some very sticky situations that she's gotten herself entangled in. I liked that it wasn't only Tress' POV that we got, but her cousin, Kermit Usher aka Ribbit's, as well - who also becomes a major character to the current storyline.
What was even more intriguing for me, was that even before the chaotic incidents at that party, we uncover so much background into their lives - how the secrets in the history of their families intertwined them more than they expected. Tress and Ribbit aren't likable characters, but you can't help but want to see who will come out victorious over their cat-and-mouse game that the both of them were playing against each other - without even realizing it. 😱
“What do you think it wants?
To set the record straight. Even the score. Get the last laugh.”
And revenge was definitely served in the wildest horrific ways imaginable - like, seriously, there were so many gross moments - that scene with Tress' arm and maggots. 🤢 But, the writing was excellent in conveying those gritty scenes. It was sharp and crisp - with even the many crazy twists and turns and so many wildly insane reveals that were happening - the pacing was quick that it gripped your attention and kept your attention at every scene. And expressive! Because the way Mindy McGinnis pieced together the words made it feel as if you were on the brink of each instance of the moments Tress found herself in peril danger - or you were there witnessing Ribbit's demise into madness.
And while I definitely enjoyed the first one A LOT more, I'll admit that this was a chilling and cryptic if not twistedly dark tale. Despite the way the ending very conveniently pieced all the loose threads together and a little too conveniently - it still left an unpleasant taste in my mouth, because it wasn't a happy ending. People did die - houses did fall - hearts revealed their tales - and revenge was cast - even if it was not the way that it was intended. 😰
August 25, 2022
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
That was the most intense reading experience of my life.
It's been months since I read this book and I'm realizing now that I need to write more about it than just that, so here we go.
When I heard that Mindy McGinnis was writing a duology that retold The Cask of Amontillado, I was both excited and a bit worried--after all, how can you drag one short story out into two full-length books?
The answer--or at least the answer McGinnis went with--was to make it not just The Cask of Amontillado but a stew of references to damn near everything Poe ever wrote from his poems to his detective novel. I read this book in one sitting while being forcibly volunteered to make sure a group of actresses didn't make too much noise in their dressing room and I couldn't have been there for over three or so hours. I am admittedly a very fast reader, but the short chapters and breakneck pace held me under and kept me there. I also read this while in the midst of a gothic lit class and read a bit of Poe for that, which greatly benefited me. I do think that you can read this book without knowing too much about the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but if you're a Poe fan it will propel this book to a whole other level for you. The main story is still The Cask of Amontillado, but The Last Laugh adds heavy doses of Hop-Frog, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Tell-Tale Heart to the mix as Tress's mental and physical state begin to rapidly deteriorate (sometimes literally).
I am also not being hyperbolic when I say that this book was genuinely difficult to read at times. The maggot scene in particular stands out as the moment where I had to put the book down, sort of shake my head and reorient myself, and then keep going. With the possible exception of Mockingjay, this is hands-down one of the most intense and gory YA books that I've come across. I mean come on, it ends with There's a distinct tone in this duology that is unlike anything I've seen in YA. It feels almost grimy and almost like you're looking in on something that you shouldn't be seeing, especially in regards to Tress. It makes you feel like a voyeur to the tragedy of her life when you read about what she does to get by.
With Felicity , The Last Laugh introduces Kermit as the other POV character (along with Rue replacing the panther for the poetic interludes) and at first I wasn't initially sold on the direction Kermit's character was headed. To me, it seemed like he went from a sweet, earnest boy who was taken advantage of by everyone around him to, well, an incel obsessed with a girl he could never have. But then I took a step back and realized that we never really knew Kermit in the first book: we only ever saw him through the eyes of Felicity and Tress. And I realized that, to quote a review of Dear Evan Hansen, Kermit was not a nice boy; he was a quiet boy and people think that that is the same thing. Once I came to that realization, Kermit's villain arc made much more sense. I also feel like McGinnis did a good job toeing the line between the reader having empathy for Kermit because, again, and eventually pulling the rug out from under you when he goes way too far.
Tress is still our other POV character and she's dying. She is quite literally dying of an infection from the wound she receives in The Initial Insult and also slowly breaking down due to guilt over what she did to Felicity. She can feel Felicity's friendship bracelet thumping like a heart and above it all she is still trying to figure out what happened to her parents. The answer was not at all what I was expecting, although I am also not usually that good at guessing the endings of mysteries. I love Tress as a character--I feel like sometimes it can be hard to write a teen girl protagonist who's a loner without having her come off as a not-like-other-girls girl (although I think people are also way too quick to make that critique of teen girl leads, because teen girls are subject to hyper-scrutiny even when they are fictional) and McGinnis achieved that with Tress. She's cutthroat and intense and also slowly working her way towards a complete psychological break, and I'm a sucker for a good insanity arc.
The ending did wrap itself up in a way that felt a bit too clean and perfect for what is otherwise a very gritty duology but at the same time a different ending might have pushed it from its precarious balance as being intense and shocking without coming off as being grimdark or having things happen just for shock value. You're really left with the feeling that so much of what's messed up about these kids is due to the influence of Amontillado as a town and how insular and toxic and obsessed with legacy it is, and I think that that's the real tragedy of it all.
That was the most intense reading experience of my life.
It's been months since I read this book and I'm realizing now that I need to write more about it than just that, so here we go.
When I heard that Mindy McGinnis was writing a duology that retold The Cask of Amontillado, I was both excited and a bit worried--after all, how can you drag one short story out into two full-length books?
The answer--or at least the answer McGinnis went with--was to make it not just The Cask of Amontillado but a stew of references to damn near everything Poe ever wrote from his poems to his detective novel. I read this book in one sitting while being forcibly volunteered to make sure a group of actresses didn't make too much noise in their dressing room and I couldn't have been there for over three or so hours. I am admittedly a very fast reader, but the short chapters and breakneck pace held me under and kept me there. I also read this while in the midst of a gothic lit class and read a bit of Poe for that, which greatly benefited me. I do think that you can read this book without knowing too much about the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but if you're a Poe fan it will propel this book to a whole other level for you. The main story is still The Cask of Amontillado, but The Last Laugh adds heavy doses of Hop-Frog, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Tell-Tale Heart to the mix as Tress's mental and physical state begin to rapidly deteriorate (sometimes literally).
I am also not being hyperbolic when I say that this book was genuinely difficult to read at times. The maggot scene in particular stands out as the moment where I had to put the book down, sort of shake my head and reorient myself, and then keep going. With the possible exception of Mockingjay, this is hands-down one of the most intense and gory YA books that I've come across. I mean come on, it ends with There's a distinct tone in this duology that is unlike anything I've seen in YA. It feels almost grimy and almost like you're looking in on something that you shouldn't be seeing, especially in regards to Tress. It makes you feel like a voyeur to the tragedy of her life when you read about what she does to get by.
With Felicity , The Last Laugh introduces Kermit as the other POV character (along with Rue replacing the panther for the poetic interludes) and at first I wasn't initially sold on the direction Kermit's character was headed. To me, it seemed like he went from a sweet, earnest boy who was taken advantage of by everyone around him to, well, an incel obsessed with a girl he could never have. But then I took a step back and realized that we never really knew Kermit in the first book: we only ever saw him through the eyes of Felicity and Tress. And I realized that, to quote a review of Dear Evan Hansen, Kermit was not a nice boy; he was a quiet boy and people think that that is the same thing. Once I came to that realization, Kermit's villain arc made much more sense. I also feel like McGinnis did a good job toeing the line between the reader having empathy for Kermit because, again, and eventually pulling the rug out from under you when he goes way too far.
Tress is still our other POV character and she's dying. She is quite literally dying of an infection from the wound she receives in The Initial Insult and also slowly breaking down due to guilt over what she did to Felicity. She can feel Felicity's friendship bracelet thumping like a heart and above it all she is still trying to figure out what happened to her parents. The answer was not at all what I was expecting, although I am also not usually that good at guessing the endings of mysteries. I love Tress as a character--I feel like sometimes it can be hard to write a teen girl protagonist who's a loner without having her come off as a not-like-other-girls girl (although I think people are also way too quick to make that critique of teen girl leads, because teen girls are subject to hyper-scrutiny even when they are fictional) and McGinnis achieved that with Tress. She's cutthroat and intense and also slowly working her way towards a complete psychological break, and I'm a sucker for a good insanity arc.
The ending did wrap itself up in a way that felt a bit too clean and perfect for what is otherwise a very gritty duology but at the same time a different ending might have pushed it from its precarious balance as being intense and shocking without coming off as being grimdark or having things happen just for shock value. You're really left with the feeling that so much of what's messed up about these kids is due to the influence of Amontillado as a town and how insular and toxic and obsessed with legacy it is, and I think that that's the real tragedy of it all.
March 11, 2023
SHEESH.
Okay so if the first book leaned heavily on Cask of Amontillado and Masque of the Red Death (spoiler: it did), this one is very much Tell-Tale Heart and Fall of the House of Usher.
AND I FARKING LOVE IT.
Of course there are PLENTY of nods to other characters/stories across both books: the Black Cat, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Pit and the Pendulum, Annabel Lee (and Lenore, duh), and onnnnn. Mindy, you're a mad genius and I love you.
Okay so if the first book leaned heavily on Cask of Amontillado and Masque of the Red Death (spoiler: it did), this one is very much Tell-Tale Heart and Fall of the House of Usher.
AND I FARKING LOVE IT.
Of course there are PLENTY of nods to other characters/stories across both books: the Black Cat, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Pit and the Pendulum, Annabel Lee (and Lenore, duh), and onnnnn. Mindy, you're a mad genius and I love you.
May 9, 2022
Overall Rating : A-
"Now, and forevermore."
I've decided that Mindy McGinnis should only write stand-a-lones because my heart can only handle one sitting of her books. I literally had to put the book down multiple times because I was so afraid of what was going to happen next.
Truly insane and would recommend this to anyone wanting a book where everybody - and I do mean everybody - is a horrible piece of sh*t in a town where your name means everything.
"Now, and forevermore."
I've decided that Mindy McGinnis should only write stand-a-lones because my heart can only handle one sitting of her books. I literally had to put the book down multiple times because I was so afraid of what was going to happen next.
Truly insane and would recommend this to anyone wanting a book where everybody - and I do mean everybody - is a horrible piece of sh*t in a town where your name means everything.
March 18, 2022
A bat-shit crazy and over-the-top ending to the insane story that started in The Initial Insult.
February 19, 2022
4.5 stars, rounded up
holy cow this was dark. mindy mcginnis is so gifted at exploring the darkest parts of people
the characters were so well-written that I felt like I knew everyone. and I hated them all. everyone was so messed up and unapologetic and operating on their own hateful agenda. everyone was just nasty.
you find out pretty early in the last laugh who killed tress's parents, but the motives come out as you go along. I thought the story was well paced. some of the big reveals didn't shock me as much as they were supposed to since the entire book was so batshit crazy that nothing could be surprising lol
overall: I'm glad I don't live in amontillado. the initial insult and the last laugh will leave you feeling icky, but they are definitely worth reading if you're looking for a darker ya read!
thank you to harpercollins and netgalley for the digital arc!
holy cow this was dark. mindy mcginnis is so gifted at exploring the darkest parts of people
the characters were so well-written that I felt like I knew everyone. and I hated them all. everyone was so messed up and unapologetic and operating on their own hateful agenda. everyone was just nasty.
you find out pretty early in the last laugh who killed tress's parents, but the motives come out as you go along. I thought the story was well paced. some of the big reveals didn't shock me as much as they were supposed to since the entire book was so batshit crazy that nothing could be surprising lol
overall: I'm glad I don't live in amontillado. the initial insult and the last laugh will leave you feeling icky, but they are definitely worth reading if you're looking for a darker ya read!
thank you to harpercollins and netgalley for the digital arc!
November 27, 2021
4.5 stars. This duology is so much fun! I can't wait for everyone to read this conclusion when it comes out in 2022. This is an intense and terse followup that never lets up on the suspense and the tension. The stakes are death and that makes this a much more intense and terrifying than your typical YA horror novel. Review to come.
March 27, 2022
4⭐
ᑎᗩᖇᖇᗩTIOᑎ = 😁 (ᐯᙓᖇY ᘜOOᗪ)
ᑎᗩᖇᖇᗩTᙓᗪ ᙖY 🎙️ᒪISᗩ ᖴᒪᗩᑎᗩᘜᗩᑎ, ᙏᗩTT ᑭITTᙓᑎᘜᙓᖇ & ᙖᖇITTᗩᑎY ᑭᖇᙓSSᒪᙓY
TᖇY TᕼIS Iᖴ YOᙀ ᗩᖇᙓ Iᑎ Tᕼᙓ ᙏOOᗪ ᖴOᖇ ᗩ...
YA Mystery/Thriller
With a splatter of horror
Small-town drama
Retelling of The Cask of Amontillado
POV from an animal…which I think is an Orangutan
There are three POVs in this story…one is Tress, one is her cousin, Ribbit (yeah, I think that’s his real name) and the third is Rue (not sure of the spelling) and I think she/he is an orangutan…but for most of the book I thought it was the panther that’s on the loose since book #1. This is probably because the first book has the panther’s point of view. So, yeah, a little confused with that.
Other than that little bit of crazy…the rest of the book is pretty boring…haha, just kidding, it’s a complete mind-fuck. A dark, gritty, small-town drama and a menagerie of wild animals are just a few of the aspects you’ll find within this book. Oh…and a tidy little ending.
TOTᗩᒪ SᙅOᖇᙓ 7.53/❿
OᑭᙓᑎIᑎᘜ ￫ 7 ᙅᕼᗩᖇᗩᙅTᙓᖇS ￫ 7 ᑭᒪOT/ᙖᙓᒪIᙓᐯᗩᙖIᒪITY ￫ 7.5 ᗩTᙏOSᑭᕼᙓᖇᙓ/TOᑎᙓ ￫ 7.5 ᙎᖇITIᑎᘜ STYᒪᙓ ￫ 8 ᙓᑎᗪIᑎᘜ ￫ 8 Oᐯᙓᖇᗩᒪᒪ ᙓᑎᒍOYᙏᙓᑎT ￫ 7.7
ᑎᗩᖇᖇᗩTIOᑎ = 😁 (ᐯᙓᖇY ᘜOOᗪ)
ᑎᗩᖇᖇᗩTᙓᗪ ᙖY 🎙️ᒪISᗩ ᖴᒪᗩᑎᗩᘜᗩᑎ, ᙏᗩTT ᑭITTᙓᑎᘜᙓᖇ & ᙖᖇITTᗩᑎY ᑭᖇᙓSSᒪᙓY
TᖇY TᕼIS Iᖴ YOᙀ ᗩᖇᙓ Iᑎ Tᕼᙓ ᙏOOᗪ ᖴOᖇ ᗩ...
YA Mystery/Thriller
With a splatter of horror
Small-town drama
Retelling of The Cask of Amontillado
POV from an animal…which I think is an Orangutan
There are three POVs in this story…one is Tress, one is her cousin, Ribbit (yeah, I think that’s his real name) and the third is Rue (not sure of the spelling) and I think she/he is an orangutan…but for most of the book I thought it was the panther that’s on the loose since book #1. This is probably because the first book has the panther’s point of view. So, yeah, a little confused with that.
Other than that little bit of crazy…the rest of the book is pretty boring…haha, just kidding, it’s a complete mind-fuck. A dark, gritty, small-town drama and a menagerie of wild animals are just a few of the aspects you’ll find within this book. Oh…and a tidy little ending.
TOTᗩᒪ SᙅOᖇᙓ 7.53/❿
OᑭᙓᑎIᑎᘜ ￫ 7 ᙅᕼᗩᖇᗩᙅTᙓᖇS ￫ 7 ᑭᒪOT/ᙖᙓᒪIᙓᐯᗩᙖIᒪITY ￫ 7.5 ᗩTᙏOSᑭᕼᙓᖇᙓ/TOᑎᙓ ￫ 7.5 ᙎᖇITIᑎᘜ STYᒪᙓ ￫ 8 ᙓᑎᗪIᑎᘜ ￫ 8 Oᐯᙓᖇᗩᒪᒪ ᙓᑎᒍOYᙏᙓᑎT ￫ 7.7
April 26, 2022
4.5 rounding up
March 16, 2022
The trailblazers and pathfinders have been distilled down to a drug dealer and a loser, one high and the other a national joke, standing by as the last ancestral home crumbles.
And soon, there will only be one.
Hell. Yes.
This sequel was the opposite of a sophomore slump. Sophomore slam-dunk? Something along those lines.
Anyway, this was fantastic and I will write more words about how great it is when my brain finishes updating.
And soon, there will only be one.
Hell. Yes.
This sequel was the opposite of a sophomore slump. Sophomore slam-dunk? Something along those lines.
Anyway, this was fantastic and I will write more words about how great it is when my brain finishes updating.
November 30, 2021
I’ve waited a long time to get The Last Laugh. (Maniacal laughter ensues.)
The book, I mean. I’ve been waiting (somewhat impatiently) for the horrific conclusion to Mindy McGinnis’s The Initial Insult and I’m thankful my wait finally came to an end!
I won’t tell you much about this since it could spoil the first book, if you haven’t read that one yet. I’ll only say that the mystery of Tress’s missing parents continues as more dark, chaotic drama goes down. While I wasn’t as high on the Edgar Allan Poe nods in this one, they are there, and I was especially excited to see a little bit of The Tell-Tale Heart woven in.
McGinnis managed to open some new doors in the sequel and she resolved them all in a satisfactory way. I’ll admit that after waiting a year to find out the truth, I had wanted a bit more bang from the explanation, but it was still logical and well-written, so I cannot complain much.
I’d like to reread this duology back-to-back once I have a physical copy of the second book in my hands. It’s a highly engrossing tale about horrible people doing horrible things while Poe lingers dimly in the background. What’s not to love about that?!?!
I am immensely grateful to Harper Audio, Katherine Tegen Books, & NetGalley for my audio review copy. All opinions are my own.
The Last Laugh will be out in March 2022.
The book, I mean. I’ve been waiting (somewhat impatiently) for the horrific conclusion to Mindy McGinnis’s The Initial Insult and I’m thankful my wait finally came to an end!
I won’t tell you much about this since it could spoil the first book, if you haven’t read that one yet. I’ll only say that the mystery of Tress’s missing parents continues as more dark, chaotic drama goes down. While I wasn’t as high on the Edgar Allan Poe nods in this one, they are there, and I was especially excited to see a little bit of The Tell-Tale Heart woven in.
McGinnis managed to open some new doors in the sequel and she resolved them all in a satisfactory way. I’ll admit that after waiting a year to find out the truth, I had wanted a bit more bang from the explanation, but it was still logical and well-written, so I cannot complain much.
I’d like to reread this duology back-to-back once I have a physical copy of the second book in my hands. It’s a highly engrossing tale about horrible people doing horrible things while Poe lingers dimly in the background. What’s not to love about that?!?!
I am immensely grateful to Harper Audio, Katherine Tegen Books, & NetGalley for my audio review copy. All opinions are my own.
The Last Laugh will be out in March 2022.
September 21, 2023
The first book in this duology was solid but this was outstanding. I can't resist a good Poe retelling but this one was firing on all cylinders, but the again The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell-Tale Heart are a couple of my favorites.
April 21, 2022
The Last Laugh is the second book in a duology, and I read both books back-to-back. The second novel picks up immediately after the first one, substituting a new character POV, Ribbit, for Felicity.
In this tight-paced book, everyone is looking for Felicity, who went missing after the party in book one. Tress is suffering from an infection following her encounter with the panther, and there are so many twists and turns in the plot. I loved this book better than the first one, but they definitely go together.
The cover is awesome.
Mindy McGinnis is one of my favorite YA authors. Her work is unique and always worth the investment.
In this tight-paced book, everyone is looking for Felicity, who went missing after the party in book one. Tress is suffering from an infection following her encounter with the panther, and there are so many twists and turns in the plot. I loved this book better than the first one, but they definitely go together.
The cover is awesome.
Mindy McGinnis is one of my favorite YA authors. Her work is unique and always worth the investment.
March 23, 2022
better than i thought it would be
March 25, 2022
It pains me to give this book anything less than 4 stars, because quite honestly, it was one of my most anticipated sequels of the year. The Initial Insult left a really huge impact on me, and I found myself thinking about it a ton over the past few months. This book, however, was just a mess. I think the problem is... we already know too much from the first book? There wasn't a ton left to discover in this finale, and I felt a gaping hole where the Panther's perspective used to be (this is a sentence I never thought I would say). I still appreciate how dark McGinnis is willing to go with her books, and how they border on being TOO weird without actually being too weird for me, but I don't recommend this. I recommend the first book, and I genuinely believe it should have been a standalone novel.
March 24, 2022
i listened to this all day through my work day and somehow finished it in one day! i think i liked this but i'm glad to have finished this series, i feel complete now. not my favorite book of McGinnis but this cover is cool. also i feel like this book tried to be really edgy and it was kind of.. lame lol but other than that i liked this, everyone is crazy.
July 11, 2022
Let's first give it up for this COVER DESIGNER
I MMMMMMMMEAN-
So the thing I do love and appreciate about Poe is that his material is fked up & gruesome and crawls under your skin (pun not intended), but is never too gross to live like some modern horror (side eyes Joe Hill). That's hard to replicate.
I think Mindy killed it (pun intended).
This is a strong 4.5 stars rounded down because damn, is it fked up and gruesome. There's a lot of books that promise some dark premises and don't execute on them, and HOOOBUDDY does this book decide to execute on them. Around the time I realized this might be one of the wildest books I've ever read.
It's also way too over-written. I'm so sorry. It has to be said. This needed a loving editor to kill some of Mindy's darlings, because her frothy exposition often lost the thread.
But genuinely, let's give a shout-out to this narrator trio, who put so much rage and feeling and exhaustion and terror into their voice acting that I couldn't have imagined it any other way. Orangutan POV included.
PopSugar 2022: a book about a party
I MMMMMMMMEAN-
So the thing I do love and appreciate about Poe is that his material is fked up & gruesome and crawls under your skin (pun not intended), but is never too gross to live like some modern horror (side eyes Joe Hill). That's hard to replicate.
I think Mindy killed it (pun intended).
This is a strong 4.5 stars rounded down because damn, is it fked up and gruesome. There's a lot of books that promise some dark premises and don't execute on them, and HOOOBUDDY does this book decide to execute on them. Around the time I realized this might be one of the wildest books I've ever read.
It's also way too over-written. I'm so sorry. It has to be said. This needed a loving editor to kill some of Mindy's darlings, because her frothy exposition often lost the thread.
But genuinely, let's give a shout-out to this narrator trio, who put so much rage and feeling and exhaustion and terror into their voice acting that I couldn't have imagined it any other way. Orangutan POV included.
PopSugar 2022: a book about a party
July 1, 2023
I got the answers in book 2 that I wanted!!!!! Once again, absolutely have to forget any sense of reality to enjoy these books as they’re very unrealistic, however it does make for an exciting plot with so many twists you never see them coming! Finished this one just as fast as book 1, so I was clearly entertained!
October 26, 2023
Oh my goodness, I enjoyed this even more than the first one! Now we have not one but TWO psycho POVs. It was crazier and gorier and just a wild ride that I thoroughly enjoyed.
September 5, 2021
If you are looking for a light read, this is not it. But if you read The Initial Insult, you already know what you're getting into, and #TheLastLaugh delivers. #MindyMcGinnis is one of my favorite modern YA authors, but fans of hers know that she deals with heavy, heavy topics--I think, in an appropriate way. There aren't many light-hearted pages in this book, but how could there be when the first book in the duology left off where it did?! I'm not sure I could write much here that wouldn't be a spoiler, but the story continues where it left off, flipping between Tress, who murdered her former friend Felicity, and Ribbit, who is reveling in his newfound fame after the livestream at the party--spliced in with thoughts by Rue, the orangutang. Tress is dealing with the physical aftermath of her injuries from the panther as well as the emotional guilt of what she did all the while Ribbit is scheming. Again, I can't stress enough that there are some gross and difficult moments in this book, so I may only recommend it to older teen audiences. But it is a wild, engaging horror/mystery that I could not put down. Many thanks to #NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy.
January 31, 2022
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I got to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
***
The Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis finishes concludes what was started in The Initial Insult. This book is an ode to Edgar Allan Poe and a story about secrets and the lengths some will go to, to unravel them and others will go to keep them hidden.
Picking up not long or far from where book one ended Tress was badly injured from the panther and the longer she takes to seek medical attention the more Tress slips. What is this beating she keeps hearing? (Me screaming inside about the details and love of Edgar Allan Poe’s works Mindy McGinnis used inside this story.)
With Felicity out of the picture you now have Ribbit Usher stepping up for the dual narrative and man, let me tell you. I was not prepared for how hard hitting this story was going to get. Like I was on the edge of my seat and horrified throughout book one but I straight up almost threw my headphones into the wall several points in this book. There are some incredibly violent, awful things that happen in this book and I was both completely traumatized and in awe with it all.
There isn’t much that can be said that won’t give anything away but honestly, I enjoyed this book.
***
The Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis finishes concludes what was started in The Initial Insult. This book is an ode to Edgar Allan Poe and a story about secrets and the lengths some will go to, to unravel them and others will go to keep them hidden.
Picking up not long or far from where book one ended Tress was badly injured from the panther and the longer she takes to seek medical attention the more Tress slips. What is this beating she keeps hearing? (Me screaming inside about the details and love of Edgar Allan Poe’s works Mindy McGinnis used inside this story.)
With Felicity out of the picture you now have Ribbit Usher stepping up for the dual narrative and man, let me tell you. I was not prepared for how hard hitting this story was going to get. Like I was on the edge of my seat and horrified throughout book one but I straight up almost threw my headphones into the wall several points in this book. There are some incredibly violent, awful things that happen in this book and I was both completely traumatized and in awe with it all.
There isn’t much that can be said that won’t give anything away but honestly, I enjoyed this book.
June 11, 2025
My questions have been answered.
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