A fictional story about a real problem that has surfaced in the Native American culture. The mystery revolves around some young women who go missing at the reservation. Anna's search for her younger sister, Grace, leads to all kinds of important discoveries of a sinister game happening at the tribes Casino. The story that unfolds is realistic and important to bring awareness to another problem that is being swept under the carpet among our Native people.

I have mixed feelings here. The characters were rich, complex and well-written, and the story is an incredibly important one. But I feel like the format of the book didn’t do it many favors, unfortunately, and left me confused at times. The abrupt twist at the end also happened very quickly without the reader having time to process. I’d also say this is more in the thriller category than horror. That said, I enjoyed reading it.

Some books you read and enjoy, but don't remember later. This is definitely not one of those. I read, enjoyed, and it has stuck with me, even weeks after finishing.

I felt this was a strong debut by Medina, and appreciated his work through this novel to bring more attention to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis we are seeing across all of North America to those who may not yet be aware of it due to the shameful lack of coverage by mainstream news outlets. Anna Horn was such an enjoyable and believable character to follow through this story, her actions making perfect sense for a young person trying to make their way in two communities that seem to remain disconnected, even as the casino opening on the rez leads to more of the town's influence leaking in. The dichotomy between Anna (traditionalism, maintaining focus on the tribe's culture and history) vs Grace (modernism and embracing the "new" over the "old") was a clever way to explore the theme of change and the movement away from traditional native practices and beliefs as the continued march of capitalism requires adaptation within the reservation for survival. I also really enjoyed the weaving in of indigenous myths and folklore, and this novel has piqued my interest to explore more of these histories and stories on my own.

I do feel as though this book reads more at the YA or New Adult level, especially since I felt the "horror" aspect leaning more to just "thriller" for me. Anna's fear of the rolling head felt was believable as being terrifying to her, but it did not have impact on me as a reader, nor did the overall mystery of the story (besides how horrifying it is to know these things are happening every day around us). Overall, I will be recommending this book to my patrons, especially those interested in fast-paced thrillers and diverse character casts.

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina is a novel that seemed to try to delve into as many genres as possible with a bit of mystery, thriller, horror, folklore, mythology, family drama, coming of age and probably a few elements I’m missing off the top of my head. The story in Sisters of the Lost Nation is also one that is told by alternating back and forth between two timelines and while it is set on a fictional reservation in Louisiana it does deal with real indigenous legends and folklore.

Seventeen year old Anna Horn is a member of the Lakota Tribe and like many members of the tribe Anna works at the casino run by the tribe. Bullied at school for her culture Anna has always wanted to learn more and more of their traditions and legends but has also felt she is haunted by one herself. When other young tribe members begin to go missing, including Anna’s own little sister, Anna thinks somehow those legends of the past may help figure out what is going on.

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina really seemed to be on paper a book that I should have absolutely fell in love with. Unfortunately I really had a hard time getting too engaged with this one while I was reading. The pacing did seem rather slow at times which is sometimes a huge turn off to me but it also had a weird back and forth between times with it only covering a little over a month that sometimes threw me off. Others have absolutely loved this one so while it wasn’t my cup of tea I encourage to give it a try for yourself if interested.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book was fantastic and deals with the very serious and relevant topic of missing Indigenous women and girls. I flew through this book and was kept at the edge of my seat the whole time. Nick Medina has won me over as an auto-buy author!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Wow! What a powerful and moving book. Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina follows Anna as she searched for her sister Grace. This is already a mystery thriller but Medina also includes Native American mythology in the story to add a touch of science fiction horror to the all to real horror story. Anna also tries to preserve her tribe's history and heritage as it disintegrates in modern times. Such an important and timely story told incredibly well.

Wow. This book was absolutely beautiful. The level of detail and competence in the writing is absolutely staggering, and I feel like I came away from this story with more compassion, more knowledge, and more understanding of Native American communities.

This is fiction at its finest.

Excellent book. Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina. A lot of history and research went into this one, as well as stories from the author’s life and family. There is a trigger warning at the front but the subject matter is handled delicately and respectfully. Loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

This was such a timely and poignant read, and I can't describe how much it made me think, how much it really delves into the lives of people who have been silenced for so long. This is a story about women who have been told by the world that they deserve what is happening to them, and I'm so glad that people are coming out into the world to allow them to finally tell their stories.

I really love the way this book was so innocuous. It shows just how people are sucked into situations that the world thinks "I would never get caught up in that." It shows the desperation of fitting into a world that has tried to erase your identity. It shows the way that communities and families come together even when they don't always see eye-to-eye.

I don't want to give away the book, but this is a wonderful story full of hope and community, a story that needs to be told for all the missing and endangered Native women across the country.

This was a haunting historical horror novel following a Native girl’s search for answers on the disappearance of other women from her tribe on the reservation. The atmosphere is built by a nonlinear timeline and the suspense builds throughout the novel. At times, it was quite hard to read because of how masterfully Nick Medina writes. The Native folklore intertwines eerily with the plot to create a perfect storm of a novel.

Read my interview with Nick Medina here:

https://fanfiaddict.com/author-interview-nick-medina-sisters-of-the-lost-nation/#:~:text=ABOUT%20SISTERS%20OF%20THE%20LOST,atmospheric%20and%20stunningly%20poignant%

This is a mystery novel with some horror elements. Anna Horn is an indigenous girl living on a reservation and whose family owns a casino. Strange things being happening on the reservation and girls start going missing without a trace. When her own younger sister disappears, Anna vows to solve the mystery and find her sister, as well as figure out what the strange entity is that seems to follow her everywhere. I liked the mythology tied into this novel and the mysteriousness, however I don't think this is a true horror novel. There are some scenes that are definitely horror, but they are scarce.

A haunting, enlightening, and infuriating story. This was rich with character, and while the nonlinear plot made the audiobook version a little challenging, the story was excellent.

Publishing companies have to stop buying books like this. As far as I can tell, Medina isn’t an indigenous person but has taken it upon himself to tell a story that really should be told by one. He read an article and was moved to write this story. I’m sure he had good intentions, and he does give his inspiration and several resources where readers can help. Unfortunately, indigenous people of this country are severely underrepresented in publishing.

From Goodreads: Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation’s casino…and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step—an ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one that’s intent on devouring her whole.

With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she’s sure lies in the legends of her tribe’s past.

When Anna’s own little sister also disappears, she’ll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation—both ancient and new—are strong, and sometimes, it’s the stories that never get told that are the most important.

Part gripping thriller and part mythological horror, author Nick Medina spins an incisive and timely novel of life as an outcast, the cost of forgetting tradition, and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be.

This book was clearly the writer’s first, and he needs a great editor. Too many things are happening in the plot. Anna is a good character, but she is also struggling with her identity… is she gay? is she transgender? That subplot was wholly unnecessary. As told in the third person, Anna’s parents are referred to by their first names, but the author switches to Mom and Dad on occasion. I loved the mythology behind the story but was bummed to discover that the tribe mentioned is fake. Again, why not have an actual indigenous person write a story about real myths within his/her own tribe? This book was just a major letdown.

This book gave me The Removed vibes (in a good way) with the inclusion of Native mythology and related mystical elements.

I enjoyed Anna’s character - her commitment to her community, her heritage and most importantly to her sister - despite being persecuted and bullied on multiple levels was so endearing. How exhausted she must have been to carry so many levels of trauma.

It’s incredibly heartbreaking to know that so much of this story is a daily reality for Indigenous peoples in our country and the lack of accountability by law enforcement and the lack of exposure/publicity sharing these facts with the greater population. To know that we’re all so close in proximity but so removed in acceptance, understanding and support at this point in our history is disturbing.

The vigilante investigation on Anna’s part required some open-mindedness, and I found the overall story more sad than scary - but I was invested in Anna’s story. I can definitely see the horror-esque elements in the creature stalking Anna.

A riveting thriller with a fantastic protagonist and some really affecting mythological horror. Deftly balances supernatural horror with the more kind of everyday horror of colonialism and social marginalization.

This book was phenomenal. It grabbed me right from the first page and hurtled me until the very last word. Anna lives on a reservation and works at a hotel that is part of a casino on that reservation. Her sister has been acting different, keeping secrets, and then she goes missing. But she's not the only Indigenous girl or women missing. There are many. Anna sets out to find out the secrets her sister keeps, the secrets the hotel and its night manager keep, and just how she may be able to help heal her people. So much Indigenous culture and folklore, beautifully written, and definitely one of my favorite books of the year.

The mixture of past and present amid the mystery and folklore is an intricate balance, one that Medina is careful to not tip one way or the other. The descriptions are also fantastic, quickly immersing readers into this story, easily able to envision themselves as additional players in the mystery.

This was an interesting read. I don't find many books focused on Native American culture. This is a bit of a tough read. We tend to not want to face the reality of what reservation life might be like, and the author does NOT sugar coat it. The main character is well developed and I really like her. Overall, this is a bit heavy, but we need more books like this. 3.5 stars

3.5 stars.

I went in thinking this book was horror. It is really not...maybe a young adult coming of age is how I would have marketed it. Anna is a strong character who I think could be someone that could be a "looked up too character" if that makes any sense. I'm not know for making a lot of sense so anyways...

Anna and her sister Grace are teenagers living on their tribes reservation. They both work at the casino nearby.
Anna is bullied at school constantly so she has gotten really good at just keeping her mouth shut. She is terrified of a story that her uncle told her when she was young about some graves being robbed and the skull missing that still seeks out victims.

Grace goes missing and there is a history of young women going missing from the reservation so Anna is wondering if the skull had anything to do with her disappearance or did someone do it.

This book does highlight and make you questions if these casinos are the best thing ever that help people or do they? It also gives the spot light on missing indigenous women and how the law really doesn't help when their families are wanting answers.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.