Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

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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.

If you would like to add this amazing book to your shelf, you can find ordering information by clicking here or on the book cover above.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.