Book Review: Jessica Johns’s Bad Cree

One-sentence synopsis: a young Cree woman's dreams lead her on a perilous journey of self-discovery that ultimately forces her to confront the toll of a legacy of violence on her family, her community, and the land they call home.

At first, I felt unsure of Bad Cree’s concept. I’m not a fan of dream sequences in fiction. Jessica Johns proved me wrong! MC Mackenzie can take objects (or people) back and forth between real life and her dreams. Mackenzie’s dreams start altering her reality. The other women in her family have similar powers. What a wild ride!

Johns truly pens a beautiful horror story about family & grief.

November is Native American Heritage Month. Bad Cree was the perfect book to read in honor of that, with its rich descriptions of Cree traditions, culture, and lore. If you have an extra second, check out the eerie legend of the Wheetigo, a cannibalistic spirit that kills the helpless, needy, or grieving. Scholars believe the Wheetigo legends attempt to explain how good people turn bad in a religious context.

Is Mackenzie a bad Cree? I don’t think so, but you’ll have to read the book to find out!

Pick this up if you like…
Slow burns
Supernatural horror or magical realism
Stories about lots of brave, interesting women
Good- over-evils triumph stories told in unique, beautifully devastating ways

I DNF’d at about 15%, this book simply wasn’t holding my interest. It was hard to tell what was reality and what wasn’t, but in a confusing way, not in a trippy cool way.

Bad Cree was a phenomenal read that hooked me right from the first page. I loved the cast, and the main character was very well fleshed out. The story maintains the right amount of dread and thrills as the plot progresses, but what I especially appreciated about this story is how community and family support is a main focal point of resistance to the creeping horrors. Through themes of grief, loss, and nonlinear healing, the support network around the main character was integral to her character arc.

I truly cannot hype up this book enough. If you're a fan of thrillers, definitely pick this one up. It's one of my best reads of the year, and I know I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

A huge thank you to DoubleDay and Netgalley for a free arc of Bad Cree in exchange for an honest review.

I hate to sound like the professor who put down the author’s book when it was just a short story but I’m not into novels that deal with dreams. Unless these dreams have some relevance to the main plot, it’s the action that engrosses me, not descriptions or internal monologues. On the other hand, I enjoy getting to know different cultures, and Mackenzie is a Cree. The story is set in Canada, and their way of life is fascinating (it reminded me of my own Hispanic culture, with a heavy attachment to extended family). The descriptions of the woods and the environment, real and dreamed of, was engaging. Mackenzie’s dreams have a very direct effect on her real life so that part didn’t bother me in the end, but my biggest problem is that I didn’t like or sympathize with Mackenzie at all. She fights her family all the way, when it’s very clear that they have her best interest at heart. Even once it’s been established that they are all invested in her problems, she still tries to do it all on her own. I loved her family, especially her Aunties, as well as her memories of her late Grandma or Kokum, as she calls her. Mackenzie’s whiny, self-centered tone kept me at a distance, though, so I never got engrossed in her story.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Doubleday Books!

So creepy so scary based in Cree culture.abook that kept me reading late into the night.Perfect for this season.#netgalley #doubledaybooks

I think that this is an accomplished and promising debut. I found the supernatural elements to be very intriguing and the protagonist's family and friendship relationships really made the book captivating. I do think that the writing could be a bit clunky or unpolished at times, but on the other hand there were moments of truly surprising, powerful, and beautiful writing. I think that this author's work will improve with time and I very much look forward to future efforts. I do think that the pacing lagged a bit in the middle, and the plot could have been tightened up a bit to help with that issue. I also felt that the final confrontation with the "bad guy" was a bit anti-climactic and I would have liked a bit more there, maybe something to upset my expectations a bit. Overall, I was impressed, and I'll be looking forward to more works by this author.

Bad Cree was the perfect fall creepy read to kick off cozy reading season. I loved the concept of the dream connections and learned about the Cree people as well.

This scary ass book is steeped heavily in Cree culture, and thankfully there is so much of that goodness here that it makes up for the horrible dialogue. There is also great LGBT representation which is always a plus.

Thanks for this opportunity! I will upload links once all reviews are live.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of Bad Cree.

This is a 4.5 star read rounded up! Bad Cree is probably one of the most well written, immersive, intriguing, and captivating stories I have ever read. I do like horror movies, but have never much cared for literature of this genre. This was a fun, fresh take on it that I thoroughly enjoyed despite being a genre out of my preference.

Right from the first page I was fully immersed. I wanted to know more and I was fully interested in our main character’s world and life. There was mystery without being too overwhelming and there was something eerie about it without being too horrifically gruesome. I think this book would fit into a happy medium for readers, spanning to readers who don’t care for horror and readers who do.

What’s even more is this book is endearing down to the core. The women empowerment, the familial ties, the native culture beyond trinkets and items. This is who so many native people are and my heart was yearning for something similar. Maybe not having horrifying dreams and living through the grief of losing a sibling, but the companionship, even if for some time it was lost and not exactly perfect. It’s like you feel yourself wrapped into the warm embrace of the aunties and cousins and community with this read. Like they’re protecting you from the contents of the book, in a way. It’s beautiful, and not at all what I expected out of a horror book like this.

I didn’t rate a full five stars because the ending sort of slowed down and tapered off for me. I wanted a little bit more with a little more involvement from all our characters. The sentiment was understood, but it would have felt more powerful to me. I also wasn’t sure what two characters could identify as. I do like my representation to be casual, just simply who someone is without it being their whole personality or part od their arc, because I think it humanizes and validates more easily. However, I think some things can be too broad and up for interpretation that an offhand comment or something could help clear it up. For example, Joli goes by they/them pronouns. I didn’t need their full background and history, but I wondered if Joli was non-binary or 2S. It could be either, and I know some natives who consider them the same. So it took me slightly out of the story with wonder. Then with Kassidy, she’s mentioned offhandedly to have dated a woman and show interest in a man. Is she bi or pan or unlabeled? I don’t know. These aren’t major issues for me, just something I would have liked to know so I can properly share it with others in terms of what kind of representation is in the book, rather than just saying “well these characters MIGHT be this” or “they could be interpreted as.” I think it doesn’t hurt to solidify a characters identity. I think it doesn’t hinder it to not do so. But it sure can be helpful.

Ultimately, I loved this book a lot and will be sharing it consistently on my platform. It definitely defied the age old myth that dreams in stories are boring!

TW: nightmares, blood, gore, animal death, death of sibling, racism, mention of residential schools, mention of heart attacks, mention of liver cancer, colorism, grief, mention of drug abuse, mention of alcoholism, drowning, mention of missing people, aneurysm, fainting, mention of MMIWG2S.
Rep: use of they/them pronouns, squamish side character, bi/pan side character, women empowerment.

An often lyrical novel about family and tribal responsibilities and trauma, this novel is an expansion of a short story. Author Johns has deftly pulled and tugged at the original so that the new material fits inside and around it. Evocative, well-paced, and full of richly created characters, Bad Cree is a solid supernatural horror story that's also a meditation on family and land.

The thing is, McKenzie isn't really a bad Cree. She does what most young people do, leaves home to find better opportunities. But she feels bad about leaving her family and thinks her bizarre dreams are due to feeling guilty. Little does she know that strange and mysterious dreams run in the family.

McKenzie goes home to the lake and her sister, cousins, mother and aunts thinking the dreams will end. Instead, she finds nightmares have begun while sleeping and awake. How does a bad Cree overcome the monster that stalks her dreams, her family and hometown? With the help of the strong ladies who share her genes.

Bad Cree certainly wins the Alison Bechdel test--that is two or more women talking together about something besides men. Lots of brave and interesting women in Bad Cree. Also, lots of gore, but it's horror so what do you expect?

Oh, and lots and lots and lots of eyeball rolling and smirking. Please, young adult writers, stop with all the smirking eyeballs. My eyeball-roll-o-meter and smirk-o-meter overheated with Bad Cree. Other than every character managing to roll their eyes at some point, Bad Cree is a dandy horror novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for allowing me to read and review Bad Cree.

Bad Cree is a character-driven story of grief, familial relationships, and Cree traditions, with a strong supernatural component.

The writing style is engaging. I was immediately fascinated by the young woman’s ability to seemingly travel into her dreams. The dark, psychological aspect had me on edge.

But pacing soon lagged, and the middle of the book meandered too slowly. Poor communication—or often the complete absence of communication—within this otherwise close-knit family directly resulted in many of the mishaps and misunderstandings, drawing things out unnecessarily.

I would’ve liked to get to know the family better, and to spend more time learning about their traditions and beliefs.

The final quarter of the book came alive, sucking me back into the story and giving me chills.

Mackenzie, a young Cree woman who left her family behind after a tragedy, begins to be haunted by her dreams. As her dreams begin to insert themselves in her life, she seeks answers, trying to protect herself and her family.

1) This was riveting. As I neared the end, I wished for more pages because I wasn’t ready for the story to end.

2) Johns analyzes cultural and local issues through the dreams in a really clever way that acknowledges the truth of the Cree beliefs.

3) I loved the easy inclusion of LGBTQ characters.

4) This was originally a short story, and—for the most part—I thought Johns did a great job of expanding it into a novel. There were a few small things that I would have liked more of, including the climax. The build-up was extremely engaging, and I did like the resolution, but I wanted to wait for it a bit longer.

5) Overall, I really enjoyed this read. You should add it to your list and keep an eye out for its pub day in January.

Wow-wee I was totally freaked out in this one...definitely not for the faint of heart. I found the story and the characters unforgettable no matter how terrifying.

This book was so atmospheric and the tension of all the scenes was unwavering! 5/5. I loved this and genuinely was caught off guard by a lot of it. The main character was interesting to follow and the house itself also felt like a character in the story! Haunting and I could not stop reading! Great book by a new author!!!

I love how this book embodies Native American mythology and beliefs, bringing a heartfelt story to life before our eyes.

Jessica Johns has a wonderful way of telling a story with feeling and emotion, but also brings the horror element with ease. I really felt for the characters although at times I found their dialogue to be unrelatable and pedestrian, for a lack of a better word. Toward the end of the book, Johns really got into the groove of the story and made me root for the characters and their wellbeing.

Could the Aunties have relayed a little more info on what was going on? Yes. Could the dialogue have been tighter? Yes, but in the end, I loved this story and wanted to read more. This was a wonderful story.

A solid creepy novel that also functions as a comfort and a return to a family. It's a hard needle to thread, but Johns has done it well.

This is a very character-based story, which I love. I loved getting to know MacKenzie's family and their history and watch them reforge their bonds. The story itself was a slow burn, which did sag in a few places, but for the most part was enjoyable. And when the horror aspect ramped off, the payoff was excellent.

This digital ARC had some wonky formatting and there were no chapter breaks, but hopefully, the final published version will have that fixed.

I gave a two out of five stars it is supposed to be a short story. It didn’t seem like one at all. It was more like a introduction to a story or a description of one.

BAD CREE |

Still mourning the death of her sister, Mackenzie has been having bizarre unsettling dreams of her sister, being attacked by crows and calling out to her for help. Thinking there's only way to get to the bottom of this, she books a flight back home after 2 years to finally see her estranged Cree family.

I started this book and could not put it down. Between the dreams, the mystery of what happened surrounding her sister's death, and uncovering what's currently going on, I was reeled in and intrigued.

There are a few things that I felt purposefully prolonged the story that I wish was hurried up. There are a few times where there was good reason for someone to just step forward and say they had a similar experience or had something to share. But that is also in part because the family is still dealing with the passing of a loved one and feeling varying degrees and reasons for guilt and shame, so it helps the story to keep everyone secluded and in the dark.

I very much loved the feeling and atmosphere of this book. I loved how much existed in the dreams and the mix of fear, compulsions, love and guilt that the characters embodied. (4.25)