Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

5 reviews

bishopbox's review

emotional hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, and Gore

Moderate: Racism

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

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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

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. 

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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

literallyjustjo's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

It's dark, it's spooky, it's everything the synopsis says it is. I highly recommend reading this book. Just not late at night and especially not while camping. You'll thank me later. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Grief, Death, Colonisation, and Mental illness

Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Addiction

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. 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Gore, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol