High schooler Anna Horn is a little different. She dresses in her dad’s old clothes, knows how to fix cars, and cares deeply about the preservation of Indigenous storytelling. Anna's passion about stories is inspired by a local teacher and knowledge-keeper Ms. Shelby, who's murder still remains unsolved even a decade later. Anna is a member of the Takoda Tribe of Louisiana. As one of the only teens attending high school off of the rez, she survives daily bullying from her peers and sometimes even her younger sister Grace, who is desperately trying to fit in with the popular kids. Anna and Grace both work part-time cleaning hotel rooms at the local casino. When Grace goes missing at the casino, Anna recalls the story that her Uncle Ray told her about a disembodied head that rolls through the rez, attacking and eating all who come into his path. Despite the sheriff's assertion that the girls have just "run off," Anna becomes concerned that her sister, and several other missing girls on the reservation, have fallen victim to this evil. Though the nonlinear timeline will be a dealbreaker for some readers, this interesting crime story mixed with supernatural horror found a place in my heart. Nick Medina's debut is a nail-biting thriller with an important and well-researched message about the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) in many Native communities.

Seventeen-year-old Anna Horn has been tormented most of her life. In school, bullies relentlessly harass her. Her little sister, once her best friend, has left her for the popular kids. Her Uncle Ray told her the tribal myth of an old chief's head that was stolen and rolls around, gathering dirt, and moss and killing everything it can catch. That story haunts her, making her flee to the safety of her home each night. She tries to keep her head down, even while working at the tribe's casino.

But young girls are disappearing from the reservation. Are they running away, as many believe, or is there something more sinister going on? When Grace disappears, Anna is desperate for answers. Is the mythical rolling head devouring the girls, or is it something or someone closer to home that is ripping the girls from their families?

Nick Medina blends horror and thriller with Sisters of the Lost Nation. I, like Anna, lived with a fear from a childhood story. Unlike Anna, I was able to confront it and remove it from my life. My fear was not tied to my culture like Anna's was, making hers a more personal and real fear. While I was able to guess the who-done-it part, that didn't take away from the creepiness, or Anna's own journey to discover her place in the world.

I just reviewed Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina. #SistersoftheLostNation #NetGalley

Mark my words, this book will be on multiple award lists next year. Anna is trying to solve the mystery of her vanished sister as well as multiple other girls who have disappeared from the rez in recent months. All the while, she is haunted by the stories her grandfather shared with her about a ghost head. This is equal parts mystery, horror, and modern fiction. You will be sucked in from the first few pages. If the back of the book sounds even remotely curious, pick it up, read it, and share it with anyone who you come in contact with.

Anna works as a cleaner at the newly-constructed casino hotel on the Tacoda reservation. When her younger sister becomes the latest young Native woman to disappear, Anna is desperate to find her and has to face the fears that have haunted her since childhood.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. LOVED. IT. Loved it so much that I've been stalling writing my review because I'm not going to do it justice and will just end up sounding like a maniac, but here goes nothing.

The title alone is killing me after reading the book and learning what it means. Then there's the whole creepy rolling head (AAAAAGH). And the real-life horror of Indigenous women and girls going missing and authorities doing nothing about it because of jurisdictional nonsense and - you know - centuries of racism. And then there's ANNA. I loved her so much. Seeing her discover her true self and embrace the power of it and her traditions - amazing. And the ending made me cry. And I would really like the fictional Tacoda reservation to get a visit from the fictional Virgil Wounded Horse from Winter Counts. I think he and Anna would make a good team and mess some shitheads up.

I don't even know. All I can say is that this book was amazing and you should read it. The end.

While I didn't like what was happening in this story, I *had* to keep reading to find out the ending. The protagonist is such a great character. The writing is vivid. The story is multidimensional. The ending is bittersweet but endearing.

Well-written and engaging, this book covers the very real current-day issue of missing and murdered indigenous women. Though I feel like the book was a touch incorrectly-labeled (the description promised supernatural horror, of which I got none) I thought it was a very solidly put-together thriller/crime fiction novel. The characters and their plights were so real, and I kept hurrying to turn the pages to find out what happened next.

This is a strong 3.5 star verging on 4 star - One expectation setting item I'd want people to know is that I'd describe this as a thriller with horror elements to it rather than a horror novel. I think once I dialed into that being the type of story I was reading, I got into the groove a lot better with the story telling. This is a very strong debut that suffers IMO from its past/present story telling structure and a somewhat rushed ending in the epilogue (no spoilers but I think it really pulled its punches there). I wish it had been told straight through to help the tension build more smoothly. Still, I love the themes of this (particularly the strength of sisterly love and the perils of losing the traditions/stories of the past), the setting in the fictitious Takoda rez, and the grim but well told plot of what happens to missing Native women.

I highly recommend this for fans of Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, and I would read future books by this author!

I really liked the concept of this book, but I think that it could have been told linearly instead of jumping around between the two timelines. I usually love a dual timeline story, but these timelines were just too close together, and the switching was unneccesary.

The first thing you need to know is that the author has indigenous background. While the tribe in this book is fictional, its cultures, stories and hardships are based on what the author and his family know and have experienced. (I absolutely looked him up before I started reading.)

The book hurts. Indigenous people – especially girls and women – have been and still are treated as disposable. They simply disappear and no one ever seems to care.

In Sisters of the Lost Nation, we meet Anna. Anna deals with so much – her culture and some of the changes (wonderful and horrible) brought by the casino on their land, bullying and discrimination due to her identity and culture, and most horribly, when her own sister becomes one of the disappeared girls.

The story manages to be both beautiful and harsh. I loved the way that myth and harsh realities were interwoven here.

My only challenge with the storytelling was that the story is largely told in two timelines. While the timelines are labeled, I confess that I definitely got confused more than once about *when* we were in the story. Eventually, it settles into the current timeline and it was better for me. I absolutely confess that this may be a *me* problem as I prefer more linear storytelling.

However, I did end up truly enjoying the book. I also may have teared up once or twice.

Glad I read this one.

• ARC via Publisher

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

Nick Medina addresses the plight of missing and murdered Native American women in more of an adult way versus young adult horror as some critics have protrayed the book. There are elements of Takoda folklore interwoven into the storyline, but its more of a story of a family in crisis and the failure of the reservation law enforcement and local law enforcement to address crimes that overlap both jurisdictions. The characters are well developed. I appreciated the research the author had done on Native American and First Nation women that go missing.

An interesting read that deals with unsolved disappearances of Indigenous girls and tribal lore. Anna Horn frequently runs home from school, first thinking she's being chased by bullies but then sensing a mysterious presence. Anna wants to know what is happening to young girls on the reservation and why are they disappearing. When Anna's sister Grace goes missing it's all too close to home and the tribe is seeking answers. As Anna seeks answers to the disappearances she discovers the tribe's difficulties are linked to the past.
I enjoyed reading this gripping mix of mythology and horror.

This is a very timely novel that explores the current epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. This is definitely for fans of mystery and thriller books, so you'll be disappointed if you're expecting more of a supernatural bend to this. It definitely is a slow start, but it is definitely worth the read. I also appreciated the folklore woven into the plot.

The book description was a tad misleading to be honest. It was presented as supernatural/paranormal in nature, so I anticipated a horror novel and instead got a thriller set on an Indian reservation. It has folklore but while it was central to the character of Anna, ultimately, it had little bearing on the case of the missing girls. I am not disappointed because the story I did get was well written and engaging. Anna was a great protagonist. I was surprised she was so young, I wondered why this wasn't marketed as YA. It has adult themes, yes, but a lot is insinuated and it is not graphic at all. I could see this shelved in the Young Adult section of your local library. It would certainly introduce many to the plight of missing women from reservations. This one is worth the time.

you feel powerless reading this and WOW it's a reading experience. The timeline I know has gotten some complaints but I truly have no idea if this book would be as powerful if it was told from a different perspective. Just a really compelling and good read.

3.5 STARS
This is a solid who dun-nit mystery surrounding a fictional indigenous tribe. I loved the main character, and began to really feel invested in the book about 40% in.

However, the first 40% was difficult to get into, and that may be due to the fact that I went into this expecting a supernatural horror book. This is not that.

I think if your expectation is a classic thriller/mystery than you’re more likely to finish the book feeling satisfied.

I would still recommend to fans of who dunnit, girl gone missing mysteries and true crime fans.

This is a classic girls-gone-missing mystery enlivened by its setting on a Takoda reservation and its teenage protagonist Anna Horn. While it's not hard to guess the mystery's shape and conclusion, I thought Anna was a great character, resolute and determined and refusing to hold onto grudges - if my sister had pulled that shit on me in the high school cafeteria, I would've been much more upset at her for much longer, just saying. My only qualm is that I wish that Anna's two-spirit identity had been explored more.

Thank you to Berkley for the review copy of Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina; I appreciate a publisher supporting work that gives visibility to the invisible, and literally disappearing, lives of Native/Indigenous women.

There are many strengths to this story and the plot and mythological themes are important and well done. The story at times feels not convoluted per se but perhaps doing too much and not focused in one place/direction, which impacted for me at times my engagement and understanding of how the story was unfolding. That being said, this is a compelling story, one worth time to engage with the topic and themes as well as the story itself.

This is a recommended read for those who appreciated There There by Tommy Orange, fans of My Heart is a Chainsaw, and for readers who appreciate an inclusive, nuance horror thriller. I was reminded of last year's Jackal as well (Jackal, Erin Adams author).

The treatment of Native Americans is exposed in the novel about current day members of a tribe. It is infuriating and sad to read about the state of the Native American population. The story is compelling and the writing is good.

Anna Horn is part of the Takoda tribe (fictional tribe) living on a reservation that is slowly changing due to a new casino. She and her sister work hard to keep the bills at bay and her life is not a happy one at school or even at home. Anna believes that there is a spirit, based on an ancient myth that is following her and that leads her to be

In this dark and atmospheric novel, Nick Medina explores the very real plight of indigenous women - who all over the world - disappear. I found this story enthralling and haunting and enjoyed learning while being thrilled. Based on true stories as well as fables passed on from his paternal grandmother, Nick Medina has brought this fictionalized reservation to life. I loved it, and so will you! #Berkely #nickmedina #Nickmedinawrites #Sistersofthelostnation