Bad Cree: A Novel

This book is a good spooky read that mixes Cree culture and folklore. There were parts lost on me without a legend to reference their meaning but I enjoyed the read. I think this book should get more recognition.

"You never know what kind of hurt is lying in wait if you don't tend to it right away." Mack has moved to British Columbia to get away from the dysfunction of her family in Alberta. She begins having disturbing dreams of her sister, whose sudden death she has not properly grieved. When she comes out of these realistic and terrifying dreams, she brings physical elements of them into her waking surroundings. Rattled by her recurring nightmares, she is forced to return to Alberta. She soon realizes that others in the family have had similar vivid nightmare experiences over the years. Together, the family confronts their grief and unresolved issues, and Mack learns the importance of supporting each other as they try to defeat the evil that threatens their peace. I struggled with this book because it was not what I was expecting from a horror. The horror aspect is very subtle. The story moves at a very slow pace, with a quietness. There is not very much going on in the first part of the story. Eventually, it picks up and there is quite a bit of action in the last five chapters. I thought (before finishing the book) that I would be rating it low, but upon reflection, I can better appreciate the way the story was crafted. I get it now; it's a story about grief and isolation, and how those two things can grip a person. The slow quiet pace helps to create the creepy atmosphere of the dreams and to build a tension that reinforces the feeling that Mack is stuck in her grief and guilt and is being pulled further and further under as long as she remains separated and alone. It's a bit of a coming of age for Mack. Also key is the importance of the aunties, family and intergenerational communication. Her mother and aunts have to learn to be open about things they have dealt with and help the younger generation learn to cope, but to also give them the space to do so. In weakened states, we are vulnerable to bad things so it's important to process feelings, share, and communicate. There is quite a lot of Cree reference in terms of language, imagery, and folklore. I had no trouble relating.

Mystery, history, and personal drama made this one a good read! I struggled a little with the dreams and reality back and forth but once I got the rhythm down, it made more sense.

"Maybe dreaming is just a series of small deaths."

Author Jessica Johns hooks you up to a pair of jumper cables and gives it the gas for a great jump start beginning for readers eager for the supernatural horror the book description teases. Heart racing, blood pumping - there's no better way for a horror novel to start, in my opinion.

Once we get past that initial rush and fall into the book's regular pacing, it slowed down a little too much for me. I loved Mackenzie's huge family - I would have loved to have spent more time getting to know them a touch more. Honestly, I'd read a whole book on them alone. I loved reading about the Aunties and their grandmother's sayings, I loved the loud hustle and bustle when they were together - I could feel the love and warmth rolling off the pages in waves. I also enjoyed the tidbits of Cree beliefs, customs and traditions that were sprinkled into the narrative. Again, I would have loved more! Without getting into spoilers, there were some things mentioned that I did end up on the internet researching myself, just for personal education and to better understand what our characters were dealing with. Pretty scary stuff....that's actual. That took this one up a level for me with that nugget of lore.

There were a lot of convenient plot devices that ate at me and stayed on my mind long enough to pull me out of the story and distract me. I'd read something and 10 pages later, would still be thinking "There's no way in this particular day and age that x would happen like that." I can suspend my belief when it comes to the horror and supernatural elements, but the mundane everyday stuff....I have a little bit harder time with.

I had a love/hate relationship with Mackenzie's coming-of-age story. There was some great growth and development, but again, the pacing just took too long to get us there. There were so many times Mackenzie would think of acting on an emotion, only to decide not to. So many times.

All that aside, this book had an excellent premise and I will absolutely read more by Jessica Johns - especially if Johns continues in the vein of Indigenous horror/supernatural genre.

Special thanks goes to Doubleday Books for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I liked it, but I think I was expecting more creepy things to happen. I want it more scary!

I would have just let the crows take me.
I don't care for my siblings enough to go through all this.