Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Bad Cree

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

cryptkid's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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slimshaedy92's review

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dark emotional hopeful 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

I have never been one to get emotional over books. Except maybe the Vampire Diaries like a decade ago (don’t ask, I don’t remember much). But Jessica Johns has such a gift for writing grief and connection- human connection, connections of the natural world- that you can’t help but feel emotional for this family. 10/10 I’ll be on the lookout for the next Johns piece.

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chrisie's review

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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

5.0

Favorite book of the year so far.

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astridrv's review against another edition

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The horror/magical realism felt quite classic (but well executed), the narrative arc quite predictable (and at times frustrating) but I was taken by how much heart there is in the story, how many details about family, grief, solidarity. The characters were so loving and the book is clearly driven by hope and healing.

"What else have we got to do with all this time but get it right?"

Also loved learning some Cree words and the fact that the chapter numbers were written in Cree. I initially picked this book because it is set in Vancouver, but most of it was set in the Prairies. Fortunately the writing translated the setting really well and I was immersed throughout.

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teddie_valetine98's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

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tiannaprice's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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avisreadsandreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

3.5

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quabbityash's review

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

3.5

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leannanecdote's review

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dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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lawbooks600's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

3.0

Representation: Native American characters
Score: Six out of ten.

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns is what happens when a novel tries to have two moods, horrifying and introspective. It achieved the first one, but the second, not so much. I wanted to read a story outside my comfort zone, and Bad Cree looked promising, but when I closed the final page, I enjoyed some parts, but not others.

It starts with Mackenzie, a Cree woman, defending herself against a crow attack, where she kills one of the crows but it was only a nightmare and didn't happen. After that, the pacing slows, and for a book lasting under 300 pages, it can turn into a slow burn at times, but it does pick up steam toward the end.

For a piece of horror fiction, Bad Cree executes that aspect well because it was terrifying as I read it (no paranormal nonsense, ghosts or vampires here.) What should I call this, realistic horror? Somehow it's more petrifying than any typical supernatural horror. I was in Mackenzie's mind for the entire time and every few pages she experiences nightmares about animal attacks, seeing someone die or a near-death experience, or sometimes, dreams about her sisters, Kassidy, Tracey and Sabrina. Perhaps the most intriguing is the dream about Mackenzie trying to swim to be like her sisters, but after one uncomfortable experience she never learned how, so instead she wet her hair to convince her mother she swam. It's dreamlike in a way.

Bad Cree isn't only about horror, it's also about more contemplative subjects like the grief of losing a relative, first Mackenzie's grandfather, and then her sister, Sabrina, to a brain aneurysm. Since they died in the past I never knew them as well as I wanted to, adding a layer of disconnect. There's also a thriller part where someone pretends to be Sabrina on the phone, even though she died, which doesn't make sense, and I only got a glimpse into the harm of residential schools. The conclusion continues the unnerving mood as Mackenzie sees Sabrina, but it was only a vision. Suddenly, she could swim after years of being unable to. Why is that? Mackenzie says it was her fault she has these nightmares and needs some time to heal, a memorable finish.

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