Have you ever wondered if your dreams have any meaning to them? This book will have you asking yourself that.

This page-turner had me up trying to figure out this supernatural horror story. Besides the great storyline, I enjoyed the strong female family connections.

If you are looking for a page-turner with a little supernatural spin to it, you will want to check this out.

Thank you, @doubledaybooks and @jessicastellaa, for this gifted eARC.

How does a novel that opens with a woman waking to a crow's head in her bed wind up being only a 3-star read? I feel like it's very much an it's-not-you-it's-me deal. The MC is just weeks away from the first anniversary of a major death -- oof, did this book get its timing right or what. MUCH of the narrative explores deep feelings of loss and pain and regret -- feeling that are still extremely raw for me -- while also being a coming-of-age novel interlaced with reconciliation to the point of feeling overly YA.

I wanted the terrifying dreams. I wanted to be haunted by the Weetigo. I wanted that sense of unease. And while it was there, I feel like the supernatural/horror element took a backseat to other themes that are Not For Me at this point in time.

I did appreciate how female-forward (matriarchal, rather) the cast was though!

As the anniversary of her sister’s death approaches, Mackenzie finds herself plagued with strange and disturbing dreams. After a nightmare where she has to battle a murder of crows, she awakens to find the severed head of a crow in her hands. As the nights go on, her dreams become more vivid and she finds herself bringing objects from the dream world into the waking world. Her dreams keep sending her to her family’s favorite camp site, and to a memory that has disturbed Mackenzie for years. When her dreams become too disturbing to handle alone, she finds herself back home for the first time in years.

Her family, still grieving the loss of Sabrina, Mackenzie’s sister, and the recent loss of her kokum, comes together to discover what is behind her disturbing dreams and how to keep her safe.

This is a fascinating story. Mackenzie is a compelling character who is burdened by the grief of her sister’s death and her guilt over not going home for the funeral. Growing up, Mackenzie was always surrounded by family. From camping trips to late night card games and cousin sleepovers, Mackenzie has always been surrounded by her family. But Sabrina’s sudden death and Mackenzie’s behavior created a rift that’s she’s unsure of how to heal. Johns does an incredible job of expressing the different ways that we grieve and how that impacts our relationships with others.

When she returns home, Mackenzie discovers that her mother, aunts, and cousins have more experience with the mysteries of dreams and the supernatural than she realized. I really loved learning more about Cree culture and the myths that were shared in the story. Many of the women all had some type of special gift and it was a bit sad to hear how they felt the need to keep it secret, especially when it became clear that they needed everyone’s knowledge to solve the mystery and keep everyone safe.

I was a bit surprised to find a horror novel that was more of a slow burn and character driven. I found it very well written, the story very compelling, and the characters very interesting and realistic.

The hype is real. Go get yourself a copy of this book today.

I just finished Bad Cree, my first book of 2023, and I’m not sure I’ll read a better one all year.

This book is considered horror, and I get that, but it’s so strange to also be able to say that reading this book felt like a breath of fresh air in so many ways. Bad Cree is a modern weetigo story that really makes you take stock of everything your aunties have ever warned you about. More than that though, and what really stood out for me was the reminder that Indigenous ways of walking through and understanding this world are valid.

I’m so thankful to the author for writing Mackenzie’s story and to the editors and publishers who let a modern story be told without non-Indigenous characters and without male characters. It is a compelling, complete story–as is.

Put whatever you were reading down. Run, don’t walk, to this one.

Tokšá aké, book friends 📚☕️

After the untimely death of her sister, young Cree woman Mackenzie starts having dreams involving crows and a strange memory of her sister before her death. When she starts to bring items back to the real world from these dreams, she heads back home to reunite with her estranged family to find an answer to what is happening to her and find some closure.

Pros:
- The strongest part of this book is the family relationships that are explored throughout, and some of the dialogue between the family members feels organic in a very real way.
- Short, and quick read, so it's not much of a time commitment.

Cons:
- Feels a bit childish at times, and the characters act in unrealistic ways, jumping to wild conclusions based off very little information (and everyone is immediately onboard with no questions.)
- Isn't very scary at all. Probably more of a mystery, but it's billed as horror so it needs to be pointed out.

Three stars. Likely closer to 2.5, but rounded up because it's quick to get through. I never really felt captured by this, but it's fun at times and the characters are decent.

FFO: The Only Good Indians, forest hauntings, Google searches

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Doubelday and Netgalley*

An incredible debut horror novel that focuses on grief and how we get through it both individually and together.

The MC leaves home, a tribal community in Canada, and moves to the city. She does this just after her grandmother, her “kokum” passes. Soon after, her sister dies but she can’t bring herself to go home…until Sabrina is haunting her dreams forcing her to go home and reckon with her past and the death of her sister.

The focus on Cree culture and dreams are vital to the story and will leave you wondering if this is really supernatural. What happens when our dreams become reality?

I’ll start this off by saying I don’t know if this was for me or not, but the horror just didn’t do it for me.

My biggest issue is the fact that this is supposed to be an adult novel but the writing really feels like YA. The voice of the character, who is in her early twenties, doesn’t feel like that. It’s more like a seventeen year old. Which was a bit disappointing. The premise of this book was really interesting but I just couldn’t get through it with much enjoyment. The way it was written just sort of stuck in my craw.

Also the characters made decisions that were seemingly on the more immature spectrum of things. Like if you’re Googling things, are you really thinking it through in the moment? And by that I mean, there wasn’t any real deep thought gong on when it came to making plans. They were just like “Let’s google it!” and then didn’t even do that well because of the fact they just needed like, one or two more keywords and it would have given them the answer they needed.

It also made me think of Twilight, the movie at least, where Bella does a basic internet search and gets an absolute buttload of information that she needed.

What really shone in this book however, which I think was kind of beautiful, was the relationship aspect of the book. There’s so much focus on the family aspect. The relationship between sisters, friends, aunties, mom. And how important that is, also a lot of interesting information about how that’s important to Cree.

And while that was nice, it wasn’t exactly what I signed up for because I wanted horror and I didn’t really get it.

I would give this a three (3) but it’s closer to a two and a half (2.5).

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

I love a good atmospheric horror read and man did Bad Cree fit the bill. It's dark, emotional and has some really great spooky moments.

I especially love the lore that is woven into the story, and the strength of family that is at the core of it all. This would make a perfect book for Spooktober.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

TITLE: BAD CREE
AUTHOR: Jessica Johns
PUB DATE: 01.10.2023 Pre order Now

Atmospheric
Vivid
Tense

Bad Cree is a story about a Cree woman named Mackenzie, who left her community after the death of her kokum- grandmother, and who is now haunted by vivid dreams - holding a severed cow’s head, which leads her to return home and face the tragic death of her sister Sabrina. This coming of age story touches upon grief and loss, and surrounded in Cree folklore, beliefs, and culture. It’s a story steeped in the mysterious, the supernatural, and also the strength of families - the women, the aunties, the kinship. Dreams do have meaning, and many times intersect with the waking world, our reality.

Bad Cree is an impressive debut novel that packed a punch and had enough thrilling and ominous element that had me flipping those pages. Fantastic debut!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and HOT DANG this is another winner. I was instantly entranced by the title and the description, and reading the actual book paid off. I don't want to spoil anything, but Johns' voice is an instant classic - I haven't felt this way about a new-to-me horror writer in a while! The cultural notes as well are beautifully specific and relevant to the story. If you need an excuse to stay up past your bedtime, this is the book to help you do it. (To show you how serious I am, I immediately purchased a hardback copy of it for myself as soon as I could!)

After reading Bad Cree’s synopsis, I knew I would be in for an emotional ride. What surprised me is how effective the scares are between the mounting dread and grief-fueled descriptive visuals.

Anyone familiar with grief and grieving know how it doesn’t take much to open the wound. Jessica Johns pulls no punches: grief is described in a way that is sometimes painful to read. However, I found myself highlighting whole paragraphs because of how beautifully they are written. Johns puts into words what you know on some level but can never voice. This proves to be cleansing.

A lot of the story is told through genuinely terrifying visuals. Some of these visuals heavily feature elements from indigenous stories. An underlying theme is that of the power and strength of family, especially after all the helplessness that accompanies grieving. That is what I love most about horror: it can be much more than terror and frights; it can be healing. Bad Cree is brutal and beautiful and cleansing.

Mackenzie's dreams continually bring her to a memory of her sister Sabrina at their family's lakefront campsite, years before Sabrina's untimely death.
In the waking world, a murder of crows is following Mackenzie. Soon she's bringing back things from her dreams: a crow's head, choking up lake water. Then, the text messages begin from someone claiming to be Sabrina.
Mackenzie travels back to her hometown --- back to the thick blanket of grief enveloping her family, where her dreams become more dangerous.

Bad Cree is a brilliant debut from Jessica Johns steeped in supernatural horror, legacy, and grief.

Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Bad Cree was released January 10, 2023.

Y’all this book was EXCELLENT!!! I was in a bit of a slump last week/had no motivation to read and this pulled me right out of it! It sucked me in so fast!!

The premise is just so intriguing. A woman ~travels in her dreams, sees her dead sister and wakes up holding things from the dream? It’s just so chilling and made me want to know more.

So. This was not only a great little horror number but I really enjoyed learning more about Indigenous lore and customs. This also showed a different take on a ~creature I’ve read about a few times and I really enjoyed reading and learning more.

And the web this weaved was just so incredibly well done. I loved meeting Mackenzie’s family and learning their relationships to dreams as well. Dreams are just so curious and I love how they can be utilized in horror. And this one just did it so, so well!

I read this primarily at night, just before I went to bed and let me tell you. It definitely sparked some dreams!

So this was all around EXCELLENT and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it!! I could not recommend this more highly!! Horror lovers, please pick this up!

And thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Bad Cree hooked me from the start and wouldn't let go until I was done. If this is an indicator of 2023 horror novels then we are all in for a treat!

As the anniversary of her sister's death approaches, Mackenzie, a young Cree woman, begins suffering from bad dreams. These dreams aren't your average nightmares - Mackenzie is actually pulled into a dream world and often takes part of it with her upon waking, whether that be a branch, a crow's head or her dead sister's bloody shirt. She's not sure what these dreams mean, but she thinks the answers lie at her family home...only once she arrives more questions arrive and the dreams become even more sinister.

While this book is short, it's a bit of a slow burn, so if you're looking for something super action packed this may not be for you. But even when I could feel myself losing interest and I was ready to set it down for the night something exciting would happen and I would pick it right back up again. Jessica Johns really knew how to get me invested again. Though this is a horror novel, it's also a family story that looks at the ways we grieve the loss of loved ones. I loved meeting Mackenzie's family and once she goes home I really felt like I was sitting at the kitchen table with all of them. The author does a great job of conjuring that environment and making it feel real.

I'll also note that I loved the mythology sprinkled throughout this book. I don't know much about Native American lore, so it was very interesting to me and I look forward to reading and learning more.

Thank you so much to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for a review copy. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

BAD CREE is a book about grief, family, community, female bonds, and colonialism disguised as a horror novel. Was it creepy and spooky with a terrifying monster? Yes, but it speaks to so much more of the human experience than just that. I'm really looking forward to more work by Jessica Johns.

If you, like me, are upset by crow deaths/portrayal of crows as evil, just keep reading. You won't regret it.

I finished this book over the weekend and the introduction in the galley speaks of how Jessica Johns was warned by an instructor not to write about dreams. I’m glad she didn’t listen.

Johns pulls the reader inside these dreams, inside the world of a young Cree woman who is battling monsters in both her sleeping and waking life. The story is full of mystery and constantly whispering horror as the protagonist, Mackenzie, attempts to unravel what is happening in her dreams and what they mean. At the same time she must face her own fears that she is a bad person, a bad Cree, a bad family member.

This one is a slow burn and, although the subject matter is very different, the interior nature of the narrative juxtaposed with the huge life events in the storyline made me think of The Unpassing by Chia-Chia Lin. (Which you know I adore, so that says a lot about this book.)

There are so many lines I absolutely identified with while reading; Johns puts words to feelings and experiences so deftly. She covers loss and grief, growing up and familial relationships, feeling isolated and alone in very familiar ways. She also creates such a solid sense of place and experience as a Cree woman in modern Canada, an indigenous voice the literary world needs to hear more.

I’ve been sort-of purposely vague here because I want you to read this one for yourself. Experience the ups and downs alongside Mackenzie. I’d love to hear what you think when you do.

Mackenzie is a dreamer. She’s so good at it that objects from her dreams follow her into reality. Like a severed crow’s head for example. She knows deep down that her dreams are trying to tell her something about the death of her sister, but what exactly? She must go home to High Prairie in Northern Alberta, a place she has been avoiding, the only place where she can find answers.

Strong female characters and Cree ancestry and lore drive this story. It has a whole lot of depth and is not your typical horror novel. Johns’ descriptions will leave you breathless.

If you are looking for a book by an Indigenous author and/or enjoy slow burn, atmospheric books that give you chills, this is definitely for you! A strong debut from Johns and I look forward to her next book!

I don’t read much horror, but I love exploring different cultures and mythologies. I was pleased to have the opportunity to review this novel by a Néhiyaw author that incorporates Cree culture and lore.

I like the writing style, which is an immersive first person present tense stream of consciousness that works well for such a suspenseful story. The downside is that Mackenzie’s thought process and decisions can be frustrating at times. So often, she thinks of a better course of action and then reacts habitually anyway. But perhaps some of my frustration is because I see that same behavior in myself at times. How often do we think about what we ought to do and then act otherwise?

The heart of this story is an exploration of grief and family bonds, which I found very relatable. I loved Mackenzie’s friends and family. It was heartwarming to see them grow closer and work together to overcome challenges, both mundane and supernatural.

The story is centered in Indigenous women’s experiences, which I found refreshing. I also appreciated the inclusion of LGBT characters. Note that this book includes swearing and depictions of alcohol and tobacco use. If none of that will bother you and you enjoy horror or supernatural suspense, then I recommend this novel.

Thanks to Doubleday for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley, which I volunteered to review.

First five star read of 2023! I can’t wait to recommend this one to people. What a remarkably unsettling debut novel.

I definitely resonated with the idea of the importance of dreams, their meanings, and significance within cultures. I appreciated the storytelling and symbolism, but ultimately this wasn't a great fit for me.