Indian Burial Ground is a compelling, dark supernatural horror/mystery novel that takes place on an Indian reservation. It’s very character driven and a bit of a slow-burn but I was hooked from the very beginning. It incorporates themes of family, grief, mental health, and addiction.

Told through dual timelines we first meet 38 year old Noemi in the present and then we’re taken back to 1986 where we meet her uncle Louie when he was 16.
I have to admit I preferred Louie’s POV over Noemi’s. I was intrigued by all of the sinister occurrences that plagued the tribe when he was 16 and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The scenes at the wakes and leading up to the deaths were especially creepy.
Noemi’s POV isn’t as eventful as Louie’s but it is sad. You can’t help but feel bad for what she’s going through. I was hoping to see more of the investigation into Roddy’s death though.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and will definitely be adding Sisters of the Lost Nation to my TBR. I’m looking forward to whatever Medina releases next!

This was an interesting book. I’m not sure exactly what category to put it in. It has elements of horror, but I’m not sure it could really be called a horror novel. This one took me significantly longer than normal to read and I think it was because of the awkward pacing. The book starts in the present tense with Noemi getting a visit from her estranged Uncle Louie and then finding out her boyfriend was dead apparently by suicide. The other perspective is Louie’s but it is in the past when he was a teenager and there was a lot of mysterious happenings around the reservation. It’s clear there is a purpose to Louie telling the story of that particular summer, but it was more than just a slow burn. I had a hard time getting into that timeline’s story, and it was the bulk of the book. I did like the story once I got done with it, but it took me pushing a bit to finish it. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up because I did like the cultural stories woven in.

✨ Review ✨ Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina; Narrated by Gary Farmer & Erin Tripp

Thanks to Berkley, PRHAudio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Right as Noemi's boyfriend is killed by a car on the rez, her uncle Louie returns after over a decade away. As she processes her grief and searches for answers, the story cuts back to Louie's time as a teen on the rez 30+ years before. Laced with mythology and Indigenous teachings as well as a series of mysterious deaths when Louie was a teenager, this book is fully of creepiness and lurking fears.

🎧 I started reading the physical copy of the book, switched to audio for a while, and then spent the rest of the time reading wishing I was listening because Gary Farmer's narration just nailed the character of Uncle Louie. While I've seen some reader's don't like his pacing, I absolutely loved it, and it made Uncle Louie feel so real to me! Do what works for you, but I thought the audio really captured the feelings of this book!

Here are some things I loved:
✅ The legend of the Takoda Vampire and lots of creepy vibes
✅ Indigenous mythology that motivates characters actions
✅ Dual timeline / dual POV - Noemi in the present day and her uncle Louie 30-some years before when Noemi was a child
✅ Great audio narration

This book also tackles serious issues among Indigenous populations including suicide and alcoholism, and I found the book to do this really respectfully and with thought. At first, I felt like loose ends remained untied at the end but actually this captures the emotions of these issues really well.

Kudos to Nick Medina on another rave read for me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: horror, Indigenous, mystery/thriller
Setting: on a fictional reservation in Louisiana
Length: 12 hours 35 minutes
Reminds me of: Blood Sisters, Sisters of a Lost Nation
Pub Date: April 16, 2024

It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on substance abuse, violent crime, the death of a loved one, alcoholism, the death of a child, parental negligence, self-harm, cannibalism, the death of an animal, suicide, mental health, & others.

Great Spirit sees all, observing as the wind ruffles the newborn skin of life, day in & day out. To explain our origin in the windy world, humanity has cast spells of lore; riddles that mask our sorrow at the dark cavern from whence we came & to which we will return, giving nutrients when once we had received them. The weaver is the key element in breaching the dark; the voice whose ease at transporting the listener revives still sounds, casting them like Northern Lights to the silent sky. Without storytellers where would we be? The obsidian nature of our travels leads us back to ourselves; the storyteller lights our way.

The tapestry of creation has offered the wandering soul ample room for whispers from the Great Spirit, Creator, the Lord Himself, His Son, the Archangels, Muhammad ibn Abdullāh, Siddhartha Gautama; the list raves onward, tirelessly presenting the species with individuals who carry word from the unseen.

This statement is perhaps, as you may note, not altogether true. For many cultures, proof of holiness, or the existence of a larger entity than the self, is in the world around us. Who could think of something as beautiful as the sun whose warmth shines for all on earth? Who could have conjured a more perfect globe where land & water exist in tandem for all of existence? The small & large shapes, sounds, visuals, & tangible experiences that exist alongside humanity breathe air into the mythology that colours systems of belief.

Though, if you have made your way through my previous writing you will note a strong stance on the subject of religion, this review does not exist as a critique of schools of belief. Rather, while reading this book, I found myself earnestly, curious about the creatures who suffered the wrath of humankind.

Where was Creator when the rock was cast that killed the woodpecker? Where was Great Spirit when Johnny burned alive in the fire pit? In such a beautiful landscape how can such horror thrive? Where is the kindness riddled in stories that are meant to guide us? Perhaps this story sets in place the doubt that has long seeped into the mind of the burdened; it is not enough to believe in goodness, one must be good to see it live in the world alongside them.

In essence, this is a story about intergenerational trauma. Medina has woven two tricks into his story allowing the reader to remain nearly disengaged when torturous emotions drown children & zombie forces lure them out to pasture where their neglectful parents bury them alive. If readers feel this reality too obstructive to the view they hold of their kin, they are welcome to watch the alligator slither across the page, swallowing unsuspecting victims like stones to the riverbed. Nestled in between the detrimental, blood-soaked narrative is the truth; intergenerational wounds seldom heal.

This story is formatted in a dual narrative. In the present, Noemi experiences the sudden death of her fiancé, Roddy, & the return of her uncle Louie, whom she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Louie’s narrative explores the past, namely the year 1986 when the events that tormented him came to a head. Readers who develop an appreciation for both Noemi & Louie will revel in this approach. Both characters are adults, aged over forty, & have lived long & obscenely complex lives. Presenting readers will characters who are well-established individuals, in the sense of the years they have spent on earth, allows readers the opportunity to delve further into the material that is being presented. Unfortunately, this is my first qualm with this book.

In the introduction, Roddy is described as having committed suicide by jumping in front of a Jeep. His body is then ravaged by a coyote when the driver of the vehicle runs to get help. This approach to introducing the dual perspectives of mythology & trauma was delightful to read. To be clear, this choice of scene—the road, the wild animal, the woman, the man, their home, the land—allows readers to immediately immerse themselves in the story. The borders of the page disappeared as I wondered where the narrative would bring me; Who would I meet along the way? What insights would they give me? When would I be met with the horror I was promised by the genre?

Certainly, one may read about the terrible fate that befalls each of the characters in this story as horrible enough, that there was no need to further the torment of humanity by inducing ghastly soul-eating alligators. This would not be an incorrect decision to conclude. Indeed, this story did not need two perspectives, two narratives, & two timelines.

In reality, Louie carried the entire story & this left me grating my teeth every time Noemi was brought back to the page. I am still conflicted as to what made her so annoying. In an attempt to decode my feelings, I pondered the nature of her character & the benefit of including a forty-year-old woman who was so deeply ignorant, to a story that was emboldened by the Goliath that was her uncle.

Perhaps, I should consider myself lucky that I have such an intimate understanding of Depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm, & suicide. Perhaps, I should learn to be more patient with the world as there are certainly more people like Noemi than there are who are like me. For this reason, call it a lack of patience or desire to sit in the company of someone who was troubled by their own volition, I felt frustrated every time Noemi narrated her sections.

This is primarily due to her lack of knowledge. In her forty years of life, not once has Noemi ever sought to understand the complexities of mental illness, not once has she stepped outside of herself. The death of her long-term partner, Roddy, comes to her as a shock only because it means she now has to find someone else to support her dreams.

For chapters on end, Noemi speaks about how impossible it would be for Roddy to have committed suicide because they were happy & they had plans, & his bad days weren’t that bad. This was insulting to read. It is insulting because Noemi has no clue what she’s talking about yet, she’s a grown woman, she’s an adult, in a world where children rely on adults to guide the way down the road of life, & where other adults inadvertently lean on each other to safeguard the road when it becomes too hard to walk alone.

All the while, Noemi fails at her role, in her community & life. You may deem my criticism harsh but, ignorance is violence & what Noemi states as impossible is in fact what leads so many people who are experiencing mental distress, suicidal ideation, & depression, to be burdened in silence & misunderstanding.

Why is Noemi so ignorant of the parameters of mental illness? People who commit suicide could have sat & had the most delicious meal with the most loving people & this would not be indicative of a change; this is simply one moment in time. The burden of weight carried in the spine, dousing the brain, is not swayed by one lovely meal.

This is not difficult to comprehend. In the middle of her rambling ignorance, Noemi corners Roddy’s sister telling her she’s wrong & wishing to one-up her in the pursuit of answers. Why does she do this? Are readers to believe that not once in forty years of life did Noemi ever encounter another person who was experiencing mental illness? Did Noemi never venture outside the confines of her own bedroom?

Certainly, in life, as I have said earlier, many people lack understanding of what leads a person to commit suicide. I am disheartened to know that this is the case because the solution is simple. Whereas readers are enveloped in a story that deals with the ill-structured home life of a family on the brink of collapse, the world at writ large is littered with situations exactly like the fictionalized one in the reader’s hands.

Can I fault Noemi for being a product of her existence? Will readers be more ready to forgive Noemi for her cruel self-centered ignorance regarding Roddy’s suicide?

What I have come to understand in my many years of life is that some people never learn because they are not seeking the knowledge that will set them free of their ignorance. Noemi was raised in a house with a grandmother who suffered from alcoholism—an illness that ultimately led to her death—with a mother who was crass & rarely present.

Noemi also had the opportunity to grow past the ignorance of her parent, a woman who raves love for men who are ghosts, men who are the opposite of the protagonist, Louie. Again, perhaps it is too demanding of me to assume that Noemi has the willpower or the strength to become more than what she is; few people do so, why am I so caught up in her issues?

The troubles that plague Louie left me empathetic to him. He was sixteen when the events in 1986 took place & readers will note the matured tone of a person who struggles to grow like a rose hidden under a log. Louie is written with gusto, & gumption, with faults in his naive logic but, who can blame him, he lives in a world where his neighbour committed serial murderers & blamed a malevolent spirit for his psychological issues.

In that same breath, you may wonder why I struggle with approaching Noemi with such patience. Perhaps it is because I have been sixteen, & similarly to Louie, I took the reins for a situation I was in no way grown enough to heal. Whereas I have not reached the age of forty & what Noemi lacks, I have in spades.

What is the role of a reader? Am I supposed to compare myself to Noemi & Louie? Am I supposed to pick a side & stick to the path I have chosen? Halfway through this book, I abandoned hope that Noemi would change, I did not believe her to be capable of it but, Louie had such a long life yet to lead, & I did not want to read about his youth becoming entrapped with the slithering gizzard that crouches on my bedpost.

Philosophical masticating in the background, I maneuvered my way through lore & mythology that was not my own. The stories of critters & crawling friends were familiar to me & I was glad to see the comfort of tales that would not give me the answer I needed, neither did they present the characters with the road they should take.

The community of people who vanished, were murdered, & died as a consequence of their addictions or their mental illnesses, clobbered the silly tale of ghosts & screaming corpses. I read most of this book at night, lying in bed listening to the wind whisper to me; each of these situations was more than the life they consumed.

Certain characters presented readers with good reason to pause & take inventory. Why did Jean-Luc eat the bones of the deceased? In some systems of belief, eating the flesh, bones, & meat of people whom one respects allows this person to consume their essence. When Jean-Luc explains that he dug up the graves of respected members of the community & people who were loving & kind, readers may reflect on the person that he is rather than the one he thinks he wants to be.

In wishing to be like the Tamahka (Tunica-Biloxi word for alligator) Jean-Luc emptied himself of his essence, becoming a shadowed sac some may refer to as a Wendigo. Therefore one may be left asking; Do the dreams we have require us to scalp divinity from top to bottom?

I appreciated the morose, gruellingly devastating approach that Medina took to introduce the deadly sin of desire, specifically, the longing to escape the body we are sewn to. Ernest murdered his mother because he could, because he was bored, & because inside he was probably a person who was clinically psychotic.

The flashbacks that the reader is given to remember Horace added a layer of sadness to this story that I did not expect to find. Odd, perhaps, for me to admit that I was not ready for sorrow when I read Horror as though I have never experienced fear in my life but, true it is, nonetheless. Indeed, reading about the potential that was striped from Horace by being a person who had a stutter, to being the child of a family that was on the receiving end of violence from another feuding family, sunk the stone deeper in my soles.

Readers will surely wander through the chapters of this book swiftly, & wonder at the ease they feel while reading such a story. In truth, the experiences of the characters are terrifying because they are not dedicated fabrications, intended for a freaky night of reading.

Indigenous Peoples experience the highest rate of suicide worldwide. Indigenous Peoples experience starkly high rates of addiction worldwide. It is no mystery why this is yet, in Noemi, readers may find comfort in their ignorance.

It is unacceptable to remain in the dark when people, who do not deserve to suffer Charon’s cold finger directing them to their seats on the splintered boat, continue to drown. Why then, do people revel in the shocked face of ghastly surprise meant only for birthday cakes & Christmas morning?

This is a story about the intergenerational burden of a community of people who have struggled to stay-face in a world that has repeatedly told them their demise would be a pleasure to witness. I return to what I said earlier, my frustrated notions of annoyance against Noemi & her structured ignorance. Perhaps you will think me a product of a life that has left little room for patience, forgiveness, or tenderness; you would be wrong, but only partly. In fact, I work tirelessly to ensure that the spaces in which I go reflect the song the crows have sung as we greet each other, & that I spill only soft wind into the rooms where doors have been previously closed. I am troubled by a reality I know well & I remain frustrated that humanity does not advocate for a space where what has been need not be any longer.

Whether an alligator swallowed Mrs. Shelby or whether her son murdered her in her home; whether Horace was mutilated by a Vampire or whether his friend carved out his heart so that he may never rest; whether Mae was consumed by a demon or whether she chocked on her own vomit; victims of crime, victims of exhaustion from fighting against a beast greater than the Meli Omahka or any of its other names; people suffer the fate that befalls them as they dangle on the edge of a cliff where, rather than sacred & safe, the rocks have been moulded into the dead-eyed faces of the perilous Nazgûl.

Ultimately, the beating that reverberates the ribs, pumping willpower to the brain, & steadying the river watcher, riddles a tale as old as time; Who can escape the self? Readers will be met with causes worthy of their care with optimism that the alligator, the woodpecker, the armadillo, & the coyote will act as guides to them whereas in life they persist in ignoring the very people for whom these animals are kin. Troubling as the ghost may appear, his reflection is often more coyly our own than we care to admit.

For readers who have wandered the land in tune with the formidable looming cloud, this story will wriggle into the tendinous ring, like the fantom of despair made into the giggling forest’s safe-heaven for the Alligatoridae who seek to return to the underworld where their smooth underbelly guard the stones of souls long since laid to rest.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, & Nick Medina for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Indian Burial Ground is the first book I've read by Nick Medina and one thing I can say for sure is that his storytelling capabilities are undeniable. I appreciated the dual POV of Uncle Louie and Noemi with his story going back in time & telling of the events that happened when he was a teenager, and Noemi's thoughts in real time with Uncle Louie coming back after being gone for so long. Having those dual POVs and recounting of events fills us in as the reader on what all has been happening on the Rez for about the last 40 or so years. As a reader I was really able to get a sense of the type of community the folks living on the Rez have with one another. However, I do which we would have gotten to know a little bit more abut Noemi as a person. It seemed like a lot of who she is was wrapped up in her (dead) boyfriend-- which is one of the major issues she is attempting to deal with, but it also made it hard to completely feel connected to her.

The themes of dealing with alcoholism and the effects it can have on families for generations, as well as the stigma of mental illness and medication, poverty, and gun violence are all touched on in this novel and explored in a tender way. There are many heartbreaking moments in this novel where you just want to give the characters a hug and hope it all gets better.

I certainly had different expectations going into this book than what I got. Because this was marketed as a horror, I was thinking it was going to be fast paced and more "scary." There are certainly horrific and scary things that happen in this book but it's more of a slow burn than anything else. It feels like a literary horror and I think that's something some readers may want to know upfront. Overall, I would absolutely read another book by Nick Medina. I plan to go back and read his debut novel.

“Watching lightning bugs flicker in the field, they showed me that even overwhelming darkness can be broken by little things.”

DNF at 36%. The synopsis of this book grabbed me and I couldn’t wait to get started. But for some reason I simply cannot get lost in this story. I’ve tried. I’ve put it down…come back to it. I feel like I’m missing something as the reviews are fantastic.

It is told in dual timelines and although I am really enjoying Noemi I am bored with Louie. Maybe it’s the horror aspect that is tripping me up? The writing is beautiful but the story just isn’t gripping me. I would certainly attempt another book by this author, though.

I want to thank Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author anyway for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first time reading a novel from Nick Medina and I love the writing style, so I will definitely seek out his other work.
Great characters, intriguing premise, and it delivers - another wonderful addition to the indigenous thriller genre.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance reader copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

4.5⭐️

After reading Sisters of the Lost Nation, this became one of my most anticipated reads, and it didn't let me down.  I've definitely become a huge fan of Nick Medina.

Things are going well for Noemi Broussard.  She's finally feels like she's getting it together with a great boyfriend who treats her right and plans to move away from the reservation.  But when Roddy is hit by a car in a speculated suicide her life is turned upside down.  She's convinced it wasn't a suicide and there was something more sinister at play.  Her Uncle Louie seems to agree with her.  He hasn't been back to the reservation in over 10 years, and now, with Roddy's death, his past comes tumbling back.  A past of dark secrets, terrifying horror, and deaths.  He begins to relive the nightmares, but it may help them discover the truth about Roddy's death.  Could Roddy's death be related to other deaths?  Is there an evil spirit infiltrating the tribe?  Maybe some secrets need to be kept secret.

This book was written in the dual POV of Noemi and Louie and also in dual timelines of the present day and the 80s.  It was definitely a compelling story, mixing horror, thriller, and paranormal.  The mystery element kept me intrigued, and I found the folklore interesting.  Medina has a way of bringing the sad but true struggles of indigenous people to light.  The topics of poverty, addiction, and suicide are covered in this book and are real on the reservations.  His notes are a definite must-read.  I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGallley, Berkley Publishing, and Penguin Random House for this copy of "Indian Burial Ground."

So this is my last horror book for a bit.

It's a dual timeline story that weaves Native American myths and legends into the lives of Noemi and her Uncle Louie who are dealing with guilt, grief, and trying to find balance and healing.

Uncle Louie grew up on the reservation with myths of the Takoda Vampire and in 1986, something inexplicable happened. And Louie's not sure if it's resurfaced 30 years later.

"You never know what you might uncover from the burial ground within."

It would have been helpful if there was more of a designation between then (1986) and now. The chapter headings were "Louie" and "Noemi" and it got a little confusing to me., but I finally got into the flow.

Indigenous horror that starts out slowly and then gets under your skin. Nick Medina has definitely become an auto-buy author for me. His writing and characters are always so well done.

I absolutely loved Nick Medina's debut novel, Sister of the Lost Nation, and was eagerly anticipating his next book. Indian Burial Ground did not disappoint. Here, Medina focuses more on character development, featuring dual POVs and alternating timelines between past and present. The story follows Uncle Louie and his niece Noemi as they investigate the truth behind Noemi's boyfriend's apparent suicide, leading them to uncover long-buried family secrets.

Within the mystery, Medina delves into generational trauma and its impact on the Indigenous community. The story focuses on how this trauma can lead to mental health issues, alcoholism, and even suicide. We also witness how this trauma affects the lives of Noemi and Louie, triggering long-lasting effects of abandonment and grief. I love the supernatural Medina weaves throughout the story. He explores imbalances through mythological horror to demonstrate how it can pave the way for evil.

I paired the e-book with the audiobook. The narration by Gary Farmer and Erin Tripp was simply perfect. Gary's voice brought the character of Uncle Louie to life, and Erin's voice perfectly captured Noemi's essence. I am glad I had the e-book with me because I highlighted entire pages that discussed mythology, thoughts on grief, and descriptions of the supernatural.

Read this if you love Mystery + Horror + Supernatural + Indigenous Mythology. Most of the story is bleak, unsettling, and creepy, with horror elements that will unnerve some readers. However, in the end, the dark tale does offer a ray of hope, encouraging us to discover our inner warrior.

Nick Molina is a new author to me, and I enjoyed this tale of Native American life and lore. The tone of the book is dark with horror elements, a character driven dual timeline, and it addresses issues of a marginalized community. I enjoyed it from start to finish.

I received this title from Berkley through NetGalley and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.

Nick Medina's second novel is no less impressive than his debut, Sisters of a Lost Nation. Indian Burial Ground is both horrifying and heartbreaking. Medina's latest book is a horror story that touches on some very real issues. I'm not sure which is scarier - the Indigenous folklore horror or the real horrors of alcoholism, depression, and self harm that some Indigenous families face.

When I say horror, I mean horror. "A man lunges in front of a car. An elderly woman silently drowns herself. A corpse sits up in its coffin and speaks." I had chills reading some sections while hoping I didn't hear any knocking sounds on my windows during my late night reading sessions.

Hearing the stories of the Broussard family through the eyes of an uncle and his niece, readers will find themselves pulling for Louie and Noemi. Medina draws us into the lives of the family and their Takoda tribe through 17 year old Louie, in the past, and 38 year old Noemi, in the present. I felt both Louie's terror and Noemi's heartbreak in equal measure. Their desperation is palpable.

I am actively seeking to read more books written by Indigenous authors and about Indigenous peoples. Nick Medina is quickly becoming a favorite contemporary author. He manages to satisfy both my love of Indigenous folklore and horror. I am so looking forward to what he writes next!

Read this if you like:
• Indigenous folklore
• Horror
• Contemporary social issues affecting Indigenous people
• A story that will both terrify you and break your heart

I was curious to dive into a horror story with an indigenous mythology. Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina. With its dual timelines and building horror, the author delivers an eerie tale you’ll remember long after you’ve closed the book.

We first meet Noemi Broussard, who dreams of leaving the reservation and beginning a new life. All of that is shattered when her boyfriend ends up dead from what folks are saying was suicide, but the facts don’t add up. After more than a decade away, her Uncle Louie returns to the reservation and he just might have answers. Missing bones, strange deaths, supernatural occurrences and indigenous folklore about her people & alligators made for an interesting tale.

The tale that unfolds is told in the before and now. The past occurs in the eighties and is told from the voice of a younger Louie and the current from his sister, Noemi. It was a fascinating, spine-tingling tale that unfolded slowly. Admittedly, I struggled with the pacing. The “events” when they occur held me captive, but the in-between bits dragged in spots. As a result, I stopped and started in fits. I almost wonder if I would have done better listening to this one.

I loved the lore and stories about the people and their origin. Medina painted a realistic look at the troubles experienced on the reservation from poverty to alcoholism.

For those looking for a supernatural horror that blends realism, cultural elements and indigenous folklore, I recommend checking out Indian Burial Ground.

It’s great to be back on the Takoda reservation!! I was a big fan of Medina’s novel, Sisters Of The Lost Nation so I was excited to see that his latest novel takes place back on the reservation with many of the familiar characters. This novel is full of Native lore and legends, and will leave you with your spine tingling and your hairs rising!! I appreciated how Medina takes back the popular trope of the Indian burial ground narrative and reclaimed it through an Indigenous lens and voice.

Real Rating: 3.5 Stars

While not entirely my cup of tea when it comes to horror, I have to admit Nick Medina knows how to write one heck of a novel.

I’m going to have to come to terms with the fact I’m just not a fan of slow-burn or slower-paced horror novels. Or maybe even horror novels on the more subtle side, too? It’s almost the same situation as with romance novels: I need stimulation and a lot of it and you better not skimp on the action.

If you look past the horror aspects of this book, Medina’s writing is absolutely lovely. It’s literary fiction wrapped in dense and faithful world building. As you read you can tell just how much time and care he put into this book and how much the story means to him.

It’s an intense book with intense themes revolving around Native Americans that Medina chose to explore through a horror lens to magnify their social and cultural repercussions. In some ways it reminded me of the short story he contributed to the excellent Native American short-story anthology Never Whistle at Night called “Quantum” (which was one of my favorite stories in that anthology).

If you like your creepy mythological horror on the slow burn (but keep it spooky and a little eerie) side and enjoy some intense but beautiful world building, then I totally recommend it.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Mythological Fiction/OwnVoices/Supernatural Horror/Thriller

Thank you Berkley Pub #partner for gifting me an e-book via NetGalley!

I love reading Indigenous thrillers and horror thanks to authors like Nick Medina. I was a huge fan of his first book, 𝑺𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑶𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, and now his sophomore books delivers equally in terms of character depth and eeriness in the plot.

I love his FMCs and Noemi is one of my favorite book women to have read about. But this book also added her uncle, Louie, who I adored even more because he’s the relatable uncle we all need, and there was an effortless dynamic between Noemi and Louie, displayed between alternate chapters and timelines, as they try to uncover what really happened to Noemi’s boyfriend.

The folklore and supernatural were icing on the cake set against a very realistic depiction of poverty, addiction and sense of helplessness often experienced across generations in reservations.

If you’re someone looking to read an indigenous culture horror book that’s not too graphic or frightening, then this is the perfect book for you! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Wow. This book was a great read on so many levels. You have this murder-mystery-like story that has dark and ominous undertones that still manages to tackle real world issues with candor. The writing is amazing, Nick Medina hooks you in with a shocking opening and then makes art of the storytelling in a dual timeline, dual narrator style. This is not a fast-paced thriller, it is a character driven look at the short period of life when a boy becomes a “man”. The "meat" of the story centers on life and death on the Takoda reservation. Louie returns home to the reservation for the annual Powwow to quickly find out that there is a death on the reservation. This death takes Louie back to his adolescence, when a string of deaths and unexplained occurrences troubled the tribe, and when he still believed in the Takoda vampire. In both timelines Louie is trying to get to the bottom of why bad things have happened and who (or what) is responsible. Interjected into the timelines we learn what life is like for the people in the reservation and a little of the Takoda legends. The dark aspects of the book play out in a manner that even people who don’t like “horror” can still enjoy this book.

For those who know me, or follow me on Instagram, they know I reference Nick Medina's books often, especially when we are discussing Indigenous issues.

One of the themes in this story that really resonated with me was the part about good and evil and how sometimes they can get out of balance. There are times when evil abounds, and then there are times when good outweighs evil. The universe will always try to correct itself when this happens in order to restore balance.

We can not have good without evil or evil without good.

This story is told by Noemi (present day) and Louie (past). For those who have seen Reservation Dogs, Gary Farmer narrates Louie in the audiobook, while Erin Tripp narrates Noemi's story.

While Noemi is going through a horrible heartbreak (losing her boyfriend to suicide), Louie tells the story of the scary things that happened when he was a teenager. Stories of the Takoda vampire, the Takoda people, and the tamahka (the two great gators). Then there are the people dying and their corpses sitting up during their wakes. Bones in the cemetery are being dug up, and screams can be heard underground. People are going missing.

There are a lot of creepy things happening on the rez.

What I appreciate the most about Medina's stories is the intertwining of myth and folklore into these characters' lives in order to explain the unexplained. Each tale invokes ancient wisdom that helps people understand what is going on inside of them as they battle the monsters around them.

With every Medina book, I always learn so much. I enjoy reading Native American mythology and folklore, especially the scary stories that are passed down from one generation to the next.

Happy Book Release day to Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina 🥳

Most definitely in my Horror Era & LOVING every minute of it!!

The biggest thank you to Berkley Publishing for this eARC. The opinions are my own. Hands down 5 STARS! Let me share that the excitement I got when I received the email to be a part of this blog tour was unreal!! I immediately moved this to the top of my TBR so I could binge read this chilling, dark and compelling read! It’s part supernatural horror and part mystery! It’s told over dual times and I couldn’t binge read this fast enough! Now, I can’t stop recommending this to my horror fans!! Absolutely haunting!

If you enjoy the following then pick this up immediately & be immersed in Nick’s amazingly awesome storytelling!! The list is quite long but I guarantee this is one you’ll LOVE!

*Atmospheric - CREEPY vibes
*Native American Folklore & Urban Legends
*Generational Drama
*Trauma & Abuse
*Spirits & Demons
*dual timelines
*part mystery / part supernatural horror

And do yourself a favor - do NOT skip the authors note at the end!