SISTERS OF THE LOST NATION by Nick Medina (2023)

★ ★ ★ ★ .5 - While the writing style & some of the characterization choices didn’t work for me, I absolutely loved the overall effect of the story & especially the ending.

May 15, 2025

∙ Paid

“…the tales within reminded her of what she was and what she needed to be. Defensive as Porcupine when she puts up her quills to guard against the evils of the world. Comforting as Grasshopper when he hops by to say hello. Cautious and reverent as Father Owl, who hoots to warn of danger and mourns throughout the long night for those who have suffered. A healer like Dragonfly, who follows Snake to stitch him up when he comes to harm. A disciplinarian like Mother Wolf, who snaps at her cubs. A teacher as wise as Turtle, old as the earth and nearly as round. A leader like Brother Eagle, who flies high in situations where others might fall. A fighter like Rattlesnake, who stands up to his enemies and sometimes seeks revenge. And open to change, like Frog, who lives in many forms.”

title: Sisters of the Lost Nation

author: Nick Medina

published: 2023

publisher: Berkley (Penguin Random House)

genre/subgenre: contemporary folk horror /thriller

setting: Takoda Indian Reservation in Louisiana (Author’s note: “

main themes/subjects: cemeteries, ghosts, curses, supernatural revenge, campfire stories, frogs, rez life & politics, reservation casinos, MMIW, anti-Indigenous legal loopholes, colonialism & exploitation, Quislingism (/tokenism), lost stories & memory as lost inheritance, our stories tell us who we are, fear of monsters vs the danger of men, family & sibling dynamics, complicated communities, generational trauma

representation: Indigenous Two-Spirit teenager MC, Indigenous (Tunica-Biloxi Tribe) author

CW // death (including children & animals—esp. frogs), sex trafficking & sexual abuse of minors, drugs (meth), gaslighting & manipulation

premise: A retelling of a traditional Wintu tribe story.

“Except for when she thought about the rolling head, Anna rarely felt afraid on the reservation. The unease from the story was unease she could rationalize when she stopped to think about it. In the thick of the moment, her fright-filled mind would make her see and hear a head that rolled on its own, but when she was back home—safe and sound—she could tell herself it’d only been a raccoon or an armadillo scurrying through the night. Sometimes she could even make herself believe it.”

my thoughts:

What a powerful story. It’s been a while since I’ve cried this hard at the end of a book (at the end of the Author’s Note I just lost it). While I didn’t love the YA-feeling of the writing style & some of the characterization felt a bit under-excavated on the page to me, the overall effect of the story & especially the ending I thought was excellent. Plus it made for such a great bookclub discussion! I will definitely be reading Medina’s next book, Indian Burial Ground (which I already have on my shelves—thanks, @night_worms!)—I have also heard that it feels more adult than Sisters.

writing style: maybe a little YA-y? It was very largely plot-driven but the pacing felt a bit off… the time jumping felt like it lacked intention & made the story feel disjointed & maybe a bit too slow. It wasn’t until I switched to audiobook at 1.75x that it started to feel consistent.

characters: I really empathized with the Two-Spirit MC who was growing up feeling isolated & lost because she had been denied her people’s stories about Two-Spirit individuals especially due to the loss of Miss Shelby—the rez’s storyteller & Anna’s mentor-figure—as a result of MMIW epidemic. I also thought the characterization of the parents was interesting, especially since the father seemed to be more parental/sympathetic than the mother which seemed like a choice by the author that I didn’t quite follow…

story/plot: the story itself was very mystery/thriller-oriented & the “folk-horror /supernatural” (caveat for these terms when re: Indigenous realities) elements were informed by the emotional & physical pain & suffering of the Indigenous characters & their tribe’s history not as purely antagonistic forces on their own.

worldbuilding: While I do think the story could have benefited from making the world around the characters feel more like a character in & of itself… maybe even some chapters from the POV of the skull? … I did get a very strong sense of place from all of the main settings in the book & the overall feel of that moment in time on the reservation.

philosophy: Fear. The danger posed by the skull from the campfire story being a greater source of fear for Anna than anything else—strange men, walking around the rez at night, etc.—because it was the embodiment of the horrors currently & historically perpetrated against those she loves, the women & girls of her tribe.

Queer themes. Anna needing her people’s stories about Two-Spirit individuals to understand /realize who she is. The loss of her people’s story-teller, Miss Shelby, leaving her alone & isolated both within & outside of her community. Her coming into her power as a Two-Spirit individual leading her to her purpose.

The allure/illusion of western values/expectations of wealth/progress, etc. leading to isolation, weakening of community & family ties, disintegration of Indigenous life ways & beliefs, & soulloss.

i would recommend this book to readers who like YA mystery/thriller/horror with Indigenous & queer rep & themes about family, community, stories, resilience, & justice. this book is best read on audiobook.

“When one of our own no longer lives, she goes with the sky spirit to watch over us at night.” It wasn’t just Anna’s voice that hurt when she spoke those words, her heart hurt too.
Sawyer’s breath rushed out of him like air from a burst balloon. He was still for a while, then began to breathe again.
“Which one shines brightest at you?” Anna asked.
Sawyer used his bottle to point. A small wave of beer splashed over the lip and landed on his lap.
“She’ll always be there,” Anna said.

final note: I finished reading this book the day before May 5th which, as Medina explains in his Author’s Note, is MMIPAD / Red Dress Day. Please check out the resources I’ve linked in my “further reading” section below to learn more about MMIW & ways to help, support, & spread awareness.

season: early May

music pairing:

Quotes, Notes, & Annotations…

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SISTERS OF THE LOST NATION by Nick Medina (2023)

★ ★ ★ ★ .5 - While the writing style & some of the characterization choices didn’t work for me, I absolutely loved the overall effect of the story & especially the ending.

title: Sisters of the Lost Nation

genre/subgenre: contemporary folk horror /thriller

my thoughts:

“When one of our own no longer lives, she goes with the sky spirit to watch over us at night.” It wasn’t just Anna’s voice that hurt when she spoke those words, her heart hurt too.

Sawyer’s breath rushed out of him like air from a burst balloon. He was still for a while, then began to breathe again.

“Which one shines brightest at you?” Anna asked.

Sawyer used his bottle to point. A small wave of beer splashed over the lip and landed on his lap.

“She’ll always be there,” Anna said.

further reading:

On “Indian Burial Ground” tropes in classic horror:

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““Never feel guilty for being where you belong,” Anna said.”

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Quotes, Notes, & Annotations…

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