$15.50 sale price when purchased online
$27.00 list price
Target Online store #3991
About this item
Highlights
- In this gripping, horror-laced debut, a young Cree woman's dreams lead her on a perilous journey of self-discovery that ultimately forces her to confront the toll of a legacy of violence on her family, her community and the land they call home.
- Alex Awards 2024 1st Winner
- About the Author: JESSICA JOHNS is a Nehiyaw aunty and member of Sucker Creek First Nation in Treaty 8 territory in Northern Alberta.
- 272 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Horror
Description
About the Book
"In this gripping, horror-laced debut, a young Cree woman's dreams lead her on a perilous journey of self-discovery that ultimately forces her to confront the toll of a legacy of violence on her family, her community and the land they call home. When Mackenzie wakes up with a severed crow's head in her hands, she panics. Only moments earlier she had been fending off masses of birds in a snow-covered forest. In bed, when she blinks, the head disappears. Night after night, Mackenzie's dreams return her to a memory from before her sister Sabrina's untimely death: a weekend at the family's lakefront campsite, long obscured by a fog of guilt. But when the waking world starts closing in, too -- a murder of crows stalks her every move around the city, she wakes up from a dream of drowning throwing up water, and gets threatening text messages from someone claiming to be Sabrina -- Mackenzie knows this is more than she can handle alone. Traveling north to her rural hometown in Alberta, she finds her family still steeped in the same grief that she ran away to Vancouver to escape. They welcome her back, but their shaky reunion only seems to intensify her dreams -- and make them more dangerous."--Book Synopsis
In this gripping, horror-laced debut, a young Cree woman's dreams lead her on a perilous journey of self-discovery that ultimately forces her to confront the toll of a legacy of violence on her family, her community and the land they call home. "A mystery and a horror story about grief, but one with defiant hope in its beating heart." --Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Pallbearers Club When Mackenzie wakes up with a severed crow's head in her hands, she panics. Only moments earlier she had been fending off masses of birds in a snow-covered forest. In bed, when she blinks, the head disappears. Night after night, Mackenzie's dreams return her to a memory from before her sister Sabrina's untimely death: a weekend at the family's lakefront campsite, long obscured by a fog of guilt. But when the waking world starts closing in, too--a murder of crows stalks her every move around the city, she wakes up from a dream of drowning throwing up water, and gets threatening text messages from someone claiming to be Sabrina--Mackenzie knows this is more than she can handle alone. Traveling north to her rural hometown in Alberta, she finds her family still steeped in the same grief that she ran away to Vancouver to escape. They welcome her back, but their shaky reunion only seems to intensify her dreams--and make them more dangerous. What really happened that night at the lake, and what did it have to do with Sabrina's death? Only a bad Cree would put their family at risk, but what if whatever has been calling Mackenzie home was already inside?Review Quotes
WINNER OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION'S 2024 YOUTH MEDIA AWARD Featured on CrimeReads' "Unprecedented Era of Native American Noir" - One of Book Riot's Most Anticipated Horror Novels of 2023 - One of Lit Hub's "20 New Books To Read Right Now" "Bad Cree deftly explores the permeable boundaries of dreams, reality, and culture, as well as complex family dynamics and relationships. A compelling novel that is a mystery and a horror story about grief, but one with defiant hope in its beating heart." --Paul Tremblay, author A Head Full of Ghosts and The Pallbearers Club
"Bad Cree is a mesmerizing, enticing read. Jessica Johns writes the world in all its messiness and terror, while simultaneously remembering to center its tender beating heart. A book about family and foundations, but also about how the secrets we keep can knock the floor out from under us. A captivating novel from an exciting new author." --Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things "Both tactile and dreamy, terrifying and beautiful, Bad Cree will wrap you up and pull you along for the journey -once it starts, there's no backing out, no pause, no stall. I have been waiting years for Jessica Johns's books - I say books because there had better be more! She did not disappoint." --Cherie Dimaline, author of The Marrow Thieves "Bad Cree is a masterwork of creeping tension. Wry, moody and subversive, Johns explores the power of connections, both the harm and the healing, with characters rich and warm, tangled in each other, to the land and to the supernatural. Couldn't put it down." --Eden Robinson, author of the Trickster Trilogy "In evocative yet understated prose, Jessica Johns weaves a captivating tale of love, loss, the violence of greed and the healing power of family. In Bad Cree, Johns delivers a suspenseful and thought-provoking page turner you won't want to put down." --Michelle Good, author of Five Little Indians "With creeps that are ever-creepy and love flowing like beer at a bush party, Bad Cree is a book about the power of dreams, home and family. It reads like a tribute to the ones who came before us Lee Maracle, Jeanette Armstrong, Eden Robinson. This book is tough iskwew in flannel shirts with long unbrushed hair, just looking good. It's tea rings on Formica tables, cigarette smoke wafting through windows, and an eerie magical realism that only belongs to the bush. Full of Auntie power, Jessica Johns is really coming into her own immense storytelling ways." --Katherena Vermette, author of The Break "A narrative that is truly chilling and suspenseful. A powerful exploration of generational trauma and an artful, affecting debut." --Kirkus Reviews "The novel serves as a window into a world where dreams intersect with waking reality. . .It works equally well as spine-tingling thriller and a touching meditation on grief." --Publishers Weekly *starred review*
"Johns has crafted a magical debut thriller that is both terrifying but also lovingly written." --Ms. Magazine "Johns laces cryptid terror into the sense of loss that her community feels. . . Visceral details will have readers hanging on the edge of every chapter, waiting to see when the wheetigo will strike next. Perfect for fans of Ramona Emerson's Shutter and Stephen Graham Jones' The Only Good Indians--Johns is a writer to watch." --Booklist *starred review* [Bad Cree] is. . .a story about grief and family and the lingering effects of the infringement of industrialism on native lands. . .When the book ends, what readers will remember most are the moments these characters shared together, playing cards and talking late into the night." --Library Journal "This gripping horror debut. . . is a satisfying slow burn that explores loss, generational trauma, and violence through a narrative that is chilling yet, at its center, burning with a defiant resilience." -Electric Lit
"Johns utilizes horror tropes to work out the ramifications of generational trauma to perfect effect. . . a chilling narrative that's about spirits and ghosts, but also about healing." --BookRiot "Johns. . .ties Cree beliefs about dreams and deep-rooted indigenous lore to how women in a family rally around one another to battle grief." --The Washington Post "Bad Cree is an engaging read with well-drawn characters." --New York Journal of Books
About the Author
JESSICA JOHNS is a Nehiyaw aunty and member of Sucker Creek First Nation in Treaty 8 territory in Northern Alberta. She is an interdisciplinary artist and winner of the 2020 Writers' Trust Journey Prize.Dimensions (Overall): 8.52 Inches (H) x 5.81 Inches (W) x 1.11 Inches (D)
Weight: .92 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 272
Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres
Sub-Genre: Horror
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Format: Hardcover
Author: Jessica Johns
Language: English
Street Date: January 10, 2023
TCIN: 86443577
UPC: 9780385548694
Item Number (DPCI): 247-36-2756
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
If the item details above aren’t accurate or complete, we want to know about it.
Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 1.11 inches length x 5.81 inches width x 8.52 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.92 pounds
We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
This item cannot be shipped to the following locations: American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS), Guam (see also separate entry under GU), Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR), United States Minor Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S., APO/FPO
Return details
This item can be returned to any Target store or Target.com.
This item must be returned within 90 days of the date it was purchased in store, shipped, delivered by a Shipt shopper, or made ready for pickup.
See the return policy for complete information.
Guests also viewed
Discover more options
$15.99 - $17.39
MSRP $19.00 - $30.00 Lower price on select items
5 out of 5 stars with 1 ratings
Related Categories
4.0 out of 5 stars with 2 reviews
100% would recommend
1 recommendations
Beautiful and brutal horror
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Bookish Apple - 2 years ago
After reading Bad Cree’s synopsis, I knew I would be in for an emotional ride. What surprised me is how effective the scares are between the mounting dread and grief-fueled descriptive visuals. Anyone familiar with grief and grieving know how it doesn’t take much to open the wound. Jessica Johns pulls no punches: grief is described in a way that is sometimes painful to read. However, I found myself highlighting whole paragraphs because of how beautifully they are written. Johns puts into words what you know on some level but can never voice. This proves to be cleansing. A lot of the story is told through genuinely terrifying visuals. Some of these visuals heavily feature elements from indigenous stories. An underlying theme is that of the power and strength of family, especially after all the helplessness that accompanies grieving. That is what I love most about horror: it can be much more than terror and frights; it can be healing. Bad Cree is brutal and beautiful and cleansing.
Coming of age supernatural horror story
3 out of 5 stars
The Nerdy Narrative - 2 years ago
"Maybe dreaming is just a series of small deaths." Author Jessica Johns hooks you up to a pair of jumper cables and gives it the gas for a great jump start beginning for readers eager for the supernatural horror the book description teases. Heart racing, blood pumping - there's no better way for a horror novel to start, in my opinion. Once we get past that initial rush and fall into the book's regular pacing, it slowed down a little too much for me. I loved Mackenzie's huge family - I would have loved to have spent more time getting to know them a touch more. Honestly, I'd read a whole book on them alone. I loved reading about the Aunties and their grandmother's sayings, I loved the loud hustle and bustle when they were together - I could feel the love and warmth rolling off the pages in waves. I also enjoyed the tidbits of Cree beliefs, customs and traditions that were sprinkled into the narrative. Again, I would have lovedmore!Without getting into spoilers, there were some things mentioned that I did end up on the internet researching myself, just for personal education and to better understand what our characters were dealing with. Pretty scary stuff....that's actual. That took this one up a level for me with that nugget of lore. There were a lot of convenient plot devices that ate at me and stayed on my mind long enough to pull me out of the story and distract me. I'd read something and 10 pages later, would still be thinking "There's no way in this particular day and age that x would happen like that." I can suspend my belief when it comes to the horror and supernatural elements, but the mundane everyday stuff....I have a little bit harder time with. I had a love/hate relationship with Mackenzie's coming-of-age story. There was some great growth and development, but again, the pacing just took too long to get us there. There were so many times Mackenzie would think of acting on an emotion, only to decide not to.So many times. All that aside, this book had an excellent premise and I will absolutely read more by Jessica Johns - especially if Johns continues in the vein of Indigenous horror/supernatural genre. Special thanks goes to Doubleday Books for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!