Reviews with content warning for Grief - Bad Cree

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.

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rianainthestacks's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

This was a beautifully told story. I always enjoy stories that include takes on the mythological creatures from Native American lore. This time the focus is on the creature called the Wheetigo. At least, that’s what the outward focus is on, but really the story dives deep into the processing of the main character’s grief and that tangled up web of the same grief affecting her family.

There’s a lot of mystery involved with what will end up happening with all the haunting and threatening things happening to the main character in her dreams and seeping into real life. But it all faces her to confront her buried grief and those she left behind and brings some sense of closure and togetherness she desperately needed.

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pweav's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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.

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sangsmiles's review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.0

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elysianbud's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

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draven_deathcrush's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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.

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tixdixl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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

5.0

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earthtojazi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

**anxious in a good way!!**
an incredible read! a gripping story on grief thru the lens of indigenous folk horror and it’s amazing from start to finish. if i had a physical copy of this book, and you asked me to highlight/underline all of the banger lines it would be filled to the brim with my fave bright purple highlighter, believe that!
also, this story has such a beautiful conclusion it had me tearing up. this author truly has a way with words and their writing style adds so much! had a great time reading bad cree!

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