The Last Laugh (The Initial Insult, #2) by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on March 15, 2022
ISBN: 0062982451
Pages: 384
Genres: Horror, Psychological thriller
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

This is a perfect book to recommend to fans of Edgar Allan Poe, Hemlock Grove, Carrie, or Heathers. In this sequel to The Initial Insult, three narrating characters cope with what must have been quite a cliffhanger in the first book. Tress is nursing an infected panther wound, Ribbit is learning what it means to go viral in the most humiliating way possible, and Rue, an orangutan, worries from her cage about the danger Tress is in (which is separate from the sepsis developing in her blood).

The Last Laugh is gory, fast-paced, has great character development, and is tense and shocking in a “What’s next!? Oh no, that’s next!?” sort of way. It also has a fantastic cover that will get attention if it’s displayed face out. Your horror fans will thank you for this one.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath