I really wanted to love this book and although I ended up learning some indigenous history (yes I cross referenced it to make sure it was proper folklore) I just had a really hard time getting into this book. I felt it choppy at times and how it jumped from story to story.
I do hope to read more by this author hoping it was just a mood I was in while reading or possibly the book before it was still left in my mind.

I'd like to disclaimer before I start this review that my rating is based off my enjoyment level of it, it may be that the tone of it didn't mesh well with my current mood. However, I will say it's a very intriguing story as a whole and it will stick with me into the future regardless of the rating.

In this we experience something a series of happenings that might have connections to an incident that happened 10 years prior. This event seems to stick with one of the men, Lewis, even after he's moved on with his life off the reservation with his non-native wife. For the others, not so much, which left him as the only one aware of the possibility of what was happening.

His paranoia of the elk's spirit haunting him is a rollercoaster ride of trying to understand what exactly is going on. If it's all in his mind or if there is genuinely an Elk Head Woman hunting him and his friends.

It's a slower pace and written in a way that reminds me very much of a gothic horror with its looming, bleak atmosphere and the slasher elements. These combinations of genres mixed with the cultural aspects, gives this novel a very unique take. Genuinely not a book for everyone but definitely a gem of its own kind.

THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS is a masterpiece. Intimate, devastating, brutal, terrifying, yet warm and heartbreaking in the best way, Stephen Graham Jones has written a horror novel about injustice and, ultimately, about hope. Not a false, sentimental hope, but the real one, the one that some of us survive and keeps the rest of us going. And it gives me hope that this book exists.

The premise of this book is excellent and the opening is very compelling. A group of four young men from the Blackfoot Nation decide to hunt on land reserved for tribal elders and find a herd of elk there. This event causes them to lose the right to hunt on reservation land ever again. Then they move on with their lives. Ten years later, something is hunting down these four young men, intent on revenge.

For me, this book might have suffered from high expectations and much hype. I thought that it was an interesting story but it didn't blow me away. The pacing was inconsistent and I had a hard time really caring about most of these characters, especially the men who felt mostly like the same character. The supernatural aspects of this book were eerie but didn't really make much sense in several spots. Overall, I would say that this is a good book--not great but good.

This was not the book for me. I went in excited to have another indigenous book...but ultimately found myself unable to connect with the symbolism and violence in the text.

I was excited to be approved for THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS, thinking it'd be one of the great Stephen Graham Jones' more approachable books for those who don't typically read horror. I looked forward to the "cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American Indian experience." But I'm sorry to say I just don't think this one is for me. I've begun it several times over the past year and a half, but keep finding myself confused -- I keep getting confused by what I'm sure are common elements of the horror genre. And the descriptions of animals in harm are too much; I won't soon unsee the dog hanging by his chain.

This is no doubt a reflection on me, not the book. DNF at 12%

I was excited to read this title and to delve into the literary horror genre, however it fell a little short for me. The conversational, choppy writing style was not for me and made it difficult to follow the plot. I was intrigued by where the plot would go and loved the way in which Stephen Graham Jones builds suspense, but ultimately the writing style was a dealbreaker for me and I did not finish reading.

I can clearly see how this style of writing (casual, conversational, like a friend speaking to you) would appeal to others, so I think that I was simply not the correct reader for this book. I also appreciated a Native American author representing Native Americans outside of memoirs or historical writing.

I struggled with how to rate/review this book. I didn’t dislike it, but I don’t know that I liked it, either. I learned a lot about the culture and I enjoyed that aspect of it, and it was a different type of horror than what I usually read, so that was really interesting. But I the writing style wasn’t quite my preference so I struggled with following everything at times, and there were times I was just flat out confused by the writing and the story. But I plan on reading more by this author, so overall my reading experience wasn’t negative.

This was a different book than I was expecting but so much better. I'm glad to have found Jones' writing and will absolutely be locating more of his work.

Stephen Graham Jones is on a roll. His catalog is long, but since Mongrels in 2015, (one of, if not his best) his audience and acclaim have continued to rise. It’s great to see a writer receiving the recognition they so rightly deserve. Jones’s star is rising and will glow even brighter.

This was not my kind of book. Would be amazing someone who likes this. I had a hard time following the story.

BOOK REVIEW: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.
I originally had my wish granted by NetGalley and received this book as an eARC. I finally read it this October for the Spooktober read-a-thon and it has taken me some time to collect my thoughts on this book. It was released in July 2020 so please find yourself a copy because while I will give my review here, I think this is a book that will resonate quite differently with each reader and I encourage you to read it and see what you think about it.

The Only Good Indians is the first book that I've read by Stephen Graham Jones, but it definitely won't be my last. He did a remarkable job of bringing the reader into the world of four Native American men struggling. For each of them it is different, and yet the same. They are each reminded of a disturbing event from their past that they never quite processed.

The beginning of the book is quite slow, but the more I think about it, I think that is what draws you in. You get a clear picture of how these men are treated off the reservation and how inter-cultural relationships challenge traditional ways.

How will their past come back to haunt them? Can the violence be brought to an end? It's a clear story about vengeance and will make you reflect on your own thoughts and beliefs.

While I eventually have decided that I actually did enjoy this book, I encourage readers to not come to a snap decision and really mull over your thoughts at the end. Also, if you have problems reading about animal violence this book will not be for you. And that is perfectly ok. Not every book is meant for every reader.

If you've already read this book I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Thoughtful Reading :)

Fasten your seatbelt, folks. This is a wild ride. First, I will start off by saying I was expecting less Sci fi and more straight forward human horror story. I tend to go into books fairly blind. But having said that, this book digs deep into the imagination. It was hard for me to follow Lewis' dive down into paranoid "who's the Elk" country. I was for sure he would come out to be diagnosed as schizophrenic. Nope! This is the real deal! I won't spoil any more of the story, but suffice it to say that you will like the characters and all the twists this story presents. I liked the writing style and the concise language used to convey more atmospheric parts of the book. I thought that was really well done and not drawn out. Story isn't my bag but I bet a lot of other folks will really enjoy it.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing a copy for review!

After hearing all the hype about this book, I was very excited to read it! Unfortunately, this one just fell short for me. I was bored and uninterested for almost the entire story and never felt any emotion toward it. I know this one is loved by many people; it just didn't work for me!

Content warning for violence, animal and human death.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Sage Press for the ARC of The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones!

A horror story written in the classic style that is hardly found anymore. It tells the story of four Blackfeet friends whose lives take a tragic turn after a hunt that went horribly wrong and that awakened a supernatural being seeking revenge. I have to say that in this case, all my support goes to the elk, since I am against hunting.
The book portrays the mistreatment to which Native Americans are subjected, even now, among other situations that make this book one of those rare works that is still worth reading.

WARNING: There is a very, very descriptive hunting scene that some people may not bear to read, but which is necessary to understand the motivation of the characters.

WOW. I absolutely loved this brilliant #ownvoices horror story. SGJ is always amazing; I adore most of his work. This novel though. . . wow. Blew the rest of his work away in my opinion.

This novel is told in a dual timeline between the present, and 10 years in the past. In the past, four lifelong friends make the horrible decision to shoot a whole bunch of elk on lands that were protected by their Blackfoot elders. Almost immediately, strange and terrible things start happening to everyone involved.

There's not a lot to say about this story without giving it away, but if you can handle animal death, extreme revenge, a ton of gore and body horror, and racially-motivated violence and death, then run to buy this one. You will not regret it.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

A complex original story. It is a bit of a slow burn but overall it will give you a lot to think about!

I ended up dnfing this book at 50% I thought I would really enjoy this book. That sadly was not the case. It couldn’t keep me interested at all. I don’t really know what happened in it either.

Unfortunately, this one just didn’t do it for me. It may work for others, but I couldn’t jive with the pacing, character decisions, or the tone.

This horror novel follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. It's horrifying, to be sure, but it also follows a thought-provoking revenge arc by way of intergenerational trauma, guilt, honor, and sportsmanship. A unique, remarkable achievement!