Mackenzie finds herself having vivid dreams related to the death of o e of her sisters that leads her home to her family who help her work through her grief, trauma and guilt. They all explore their own struggles and realize the importance of family. A powerful novel.

Johns creates a modern Gothic story full of characters that don't just pop off the pages, they shiver. I've never read a main character like Mackenzie. She feels like she's both a friend, and also maybe your younger sister. Her point of view will speak to anyone who's ever run from their problems or left their hometown simply to hurt their own feelings.  It's hard to talk about this book without giving away exactly what made it such a suprising, and deeply moving read, so I won't talk very much about the plot.

Instead I want to talk about the place. Johns paints a picture of High Prairie so vivid that you can feel the land under your feet. This story is about grief. It's profoundly tied to oil culture in Alberta, and the places and people that we leave behind once we've drained every ounce of their economic potential. It's a story that takes place in the smoke of bush parties, in the smell of lake water, and the deep snow of northern Alberta winters. Johns takes readers from the impersonal bustle of a big city, to the warm, crowded, vibrant and loud reality of a family kitchen.

I wouldn't say that this book was scary. More spooky. The cast of characters are truly what make it, especially the relationships between the women in Mackenzie's family. Johns shares her, and Mackenzie's, Cree culture largely through the actions and stories told by Mackenzie's endlessly bad ass aunties and older relations. Bad Cree is, in the end, an ode to Indigenous women, their strength,  the things they lose, and the people they love. 

Readers who look like me (white people)  should be careful to read responsibly and respectfully. This book tells the truth about hard topics like generational trauma, missing and murdered Indigenous women, disenfranchisment, and grief. It does this while keeping the story rooted firmly in the experience of a complex family, while developing it's own IndigiGothic flavor. Mandatory reading for anyone living on Turtle Island, and especially on Treaty 6, 7, and 8 lands (known as Alberta.) 

I can't recommend Bad Cree enough. 

a fascinating, visceral, and spooky horror story. as someone who doesn’t typically read horror, i was surprised to have enjoyed this book. the story reads as a complex slow burn smattered with twisted dreams and a winding plot. i appreciate  that so many references to cree culture were incorporated. 

content warning for depictions of animal harm, blood, and body gore. 

A tense read with twists. The way it's written I felt I was standing there with Mack and her sister, cousin and all the aunties. Few passages gave me actual shivers, gasps and shock. Felt so many connections to the characters, esp Mack. Saw a lot of my family in hers. 

The bit about her Kokum reminded me of a dream I had once where my grandma kept telling me I had to leave and I tried to bring her with me but she said no YOU need to leave. I was having my first low blood sugar since being diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic and it was severe low...a sugar of 1.2 and my grandma had passed 4 years prior. Hair on my arm just stood up reading that part. 

Like Mr Hector said "it's like a hand comes out and touches yours" when you read something you thought unique to you and here it written down by someone you've never met and don't know.

Holy fuck man. 
A bone chilling thriller. I couldn't put it down, even when it made me freaked out of my shadows at night. 
But all in all, its a story about family and love and forgiveness. I would recommend to anyone. 

Truly, the only reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is because thrillers aren't my absolute favourite genre. But if they are, you will love it. 

I liked this book but the ending felt a bit rushed/anticlimactic - maybe that’s partially because I read it super fast? Feel like it could’ve used more editing but overall a good mystery about grief and loss and family connections and Indigenous North American culture. Loved the aunties so much.

I loved this so much. I related so much to the main character, being a native person who used to be around their family all the time, and now only sees them a few times a year. Whenever Mackenzie would talk about her childhood, I just felt so nostalgic. I also love books about grief, because I've experienced a lot of grief. The ending made me cry.