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prairieraven's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A book about the powerful elders and Aunties and community connection and the bonds between family and community. This is a beautiful and cryptically dark story about a Grief stricken young Créé Woman haunted by her dead sister, plagued by nightmares and followed by crows. She starts bringing objects from her dreams back to reality with her and she realizes she's in more trouble that she thought. The book is gripping, haunting and layered with connectivity with profound character growth.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Drug use, Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Child death, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
kelly_e's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Title: Bad Cree
Author: Jessica Johns
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: January 10, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Beautiful • Haunting • Layered
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Mackenzie, a Cree millennial, wakes up in her one-bedroom Vancouver apartment clutching a pine bough she had been holding in her dream just moments earlier. When she blinks, it disappears. But she can still smell the sharp pine scent in the air, the nearest pine tree a thousand kilometres away in the far reaches of Treaty 8.
Mackenzie continues to accidentally bring back items from her dreams, dreams that are eerily similar to real memories of her older sister and Kokum before their untimely deaths. As Mackenzie’s life spirals into a living nightmare—crows are following her around and she’s getting texts from her dead sister on the other side—it becomes clear that these dreams have terrifying, real-life consequences. Desperate for help, Mackenzie returns to her mother, sister, cousin, and aunties in her small Alberta hometown. Together, they try to uncover what is haunting Mackenzie before something irrevocable happens to anyone else around her.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Bad Cree was already on my TBR, yet it definitely got bumped up the list after landing on the 2024 Canada Reads shortlist. Marketed as a horror, I really wasn't quite sure what to expect, but a few bookish friends told me it wasn't 'horror' in the typical sense of the genre.
With poetic writing, I was instantly hooked by the opening scene of this deeply atmospheric and urgent story. Advancing at a slow meander, it was absolutely disturbing and unsettling at times, yet each of the characters were so real, leaping off the page. There is so much beyond the brutality - an underlying thread focusing on familial (particularly female) bonds, grief and generational trauma. Delving into the very real horrors POC continue to face as a result of systemic oppression, the social commentary never takes over.
I really appreciated getting to know more about Cree traditions and customs, the connections to the spiritual and natural worlds, and the role of dreams. Jessica Johns does a fabulous job portraying the isolating nature of grief - not only from death, but from the impacts of industrialization and colonization as well. Everything was just very well done to not detract from the plot.
Bad Cree is an exceptional and gripping debut from a rising Indigenous voice. It took me by surprise, and I will be keeping an eye out for what Jessica Johns is working on next. I suspect this one will fair quite well in the upcoming Canada Reads debates happening March 4th-7th. If I had to pick a winner, this would likely be it. Regardless of how it does, I definitely think this is one book all Canadians should read.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for something different
• realistic horror enthusiasts
• anyone looking for a new author
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"One thing they don’t tell you about when someone you love dies because of a sickness is that death happens in a million different ways in the lead up to the actual moment."
"That might be the worst thing about death: it doesn't stop anything. The world keeps moving, even though the pain is just as real as the day it settled in."
Author: Jessica Johns
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: January 10, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Beautiful • Haunting • Layered
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Mackenzie, a Cree millennial, wakes up in her one-bedroom Vancouver apartment clutching a pine bough she had been holding in her dream just moments earlier. When she blinks, it disappears. But she can still smell the sharp pine scent in the air, the nearest pine tree a thousand kilometres away in the far reaches of Treaty 8.
Mackenzie continues to accidentally bring back items from her dreams, dreams that are eerily similar to real memories of her older sister and Kokum before their untimely deaths. As Mackenzie’s life spirals into a living nightmare—crows are following her around and she’s getting texts from her dead sister on the other side—it becomes clear that these dreams have terrifying, real-life consequences. Desperate for help, Mackenzie returns to her mother, sister, cousin, and aunties in her small Alberta hometown. Together, they try to uncover what is haunting Mackenzie before something irrevocable happens to anyone else around her.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Bad Cree was already on my TBR, yet it definitely got bumped up the list after landing on the 2024 Canada Reads shortlist. Marketed as a horror, I really wasn't quite sure what to expect, but a few bookish friends told me it wasn't 'horror' in the typical sense of the genre.
With poetic writing, I was instantly hooked by the opening scene of this deeply atmospheric and urgent story. Advancing at a slow meander, it was absolutely disturbing and unsettling at times, yet each of the characters were so real, leaping off the page. There is so much beyond the brutality - an underlying thread focusing on familial (particularly female) bonds, grief and generational trauma. Delving into the very real horrors POC continue to face as a result of systemic oppression, the social commentary never takes over.
I really appreciated getting to know more about Cree traditions and customs, the connections to the spiritual and natural worlds, and the role of dreams. Jessica Johns does a fabulous job portraying the isolating nature of grief - not only from death, but from the impacts of industrialization and colonization as well. Everything was just very well done to not detract from the plot.
Bad Cree is an exceptional and gripping debut from a rising Indigenous voice. It took me by surprise, and I will be keeping an eye out for what Jessica Johns is working on next. I suspect this one will fair quite well in the upcoming Canada Reads debates happening March 4th-7th. If I had to pick a winner, this would likely be it. Regardless of how it does, I definitely think this is one book all Canadians should read.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for something different
• realistic horror enthusiasts
• anyone looking for a new author
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"One thing they don’t tell you about when someone you love dies because of a sickness is that death happens in a million different ways in the lead up to the actual moment."
"That might be the worst thing about death: it doesn't stop anything. The world keeps moving, even though the pain is just as real as the day it settled in."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Body horror, Blood, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Colonisation, Alcoholism, Murder, Vomit, Animal death, Violence, Addiction, and Mental illness
Minor: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Cancer, and Kidnapping
sibling deathmollymisek's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This ends up being equal parts chilling and heartwarming, but the heartwarming bits take awhile to surface. I especially loved the Auntie characters and the focus on estrangement / reuniting with family after loss. Johns could have leaned harder into some of the horror aspects, but this is definitely approachable for those who wouldn’t always veer toward scary stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Car accident and Alcoholism
maresuju's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Body horror, and Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Animal death
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Cannibalism
glutenfreemaggie's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Gore, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Blood, Murder, Vomit, Cancer, Cannibalism, Violence, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail
shadestate's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a wonderful, raw exploration of grief, community, and guilt. How avoiding deep pain doesn't make it disappear. It just gets a chance to linger and fester. I loved how Mackenzie, the main character, was deeply flawed. Anxious, avoidant, pushing people away because she feels like a burden. Unable to ask for help. Falling into the trap that pretending you're okay is the same as not making your loved ones worried. Yet still loved by her family and friends. Because we all have our flaws, the bad.
A five of cups book at its core. Definitely want to reread this late October, when I think the pages will speak even more than they did now, at the start of spring.
A five of cups book at its core. Definitely want to reread this late October, when I think the pages will speak even more than they did now, at the start of spring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Colonisation
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Racism, and Child death
Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Body horror, and Murder
anapthine's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was incredible. Just everything about it was amazingly done: the characters, the setting, the emotion and the plot. I was hooked: perched on the edge of my seat having to find out what will happen next. Johns clearly poured out their heart and soul into this book, emphasising the importance of indigenous voices: how they should be listened to and not ignored. The stories of generations and the Cree woven into this beautiful story. Some parts of it made my spine crawl, with it not being predictable and you always wanting to find out more.
Mackenzie has dreams of her dead sister, which begins to become more real forcing her to return home after leaving years ago. Crows seem to follow her - like some impending doom. Are these just dreams or is there more to it? What do they mean?
This is a must read. I have never read anything like it, and I doubt I ever will again. Jessica Johns is a beacon of indigenous voices and they will be heard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Gore, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol
azurae's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Haunting, chilling, incredible book by indigenous author Jessica Johns. I don't often read horror, but this book gripped me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Vomit, Gore, Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, and Death
soobooksalot's review
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Bad Cree is a story of loss, grief, family bonds, and culture. Literary fiction with a side of horror.
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for my gifted copy for review.
Mackenzie is a young Cree woman troubled by the dreams she's had since her sister Sabrina's death. Dreams in which she even brings back items when she wakes. Are these nightmares, communications with spirits, or a creature based in legend?
I love Jessica Johns' writing style. Bad Cree is smart, crisp, and atmospheric. The perfect fusion of characterization and tension.
The story is filled with cultural insight of growing up Indigenous - the challenges, but also tradition and kindred connection.
This is a book to be experienced. I'll absolutely be keeping my eye out for future releases from this author.
Recommended!
For release on Jan. 10.
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for my gifted copy for review.
Mackenzie is a young Cree woman troubled by the dreams she's had since her sister Sabrina's death. Dreams in which she even brings back items when she wakes. Are these nightmares, communications with spirits, or a creature based in legend?
I love Jessica Johns' writing style. Bad Cree is smart, crisp, and atmospheric. The perfect fusion of characterization and tension.
The story is filled with cultural insight of growing up Indigenous - the challenges, but also tradition and kindred connection.
This is a book to be experienced. I'll absolutely be keeping my eye out for future releases from this author.
Recommended!
For release on Jan. 10.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Cancer, Grief, Gore, Violence, Chronic illness, Animal death, and Murder
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