Many thanks to my friends at @prhaudio for the #gifted copy of this book.  

 

Impactful.  Necessary. Urgent.  #ownvoices author, Nick Medina, shines a much needed spotlight on the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous females in this compelling debut.  

 

Anna is haunted… by the mythical story of the rolling head, by the bullies at school, and by the growing number of missing Indigenous females on her reservation.  When her sister joins the ranks of those missing, Anna will stop at nothing to get to the truth.    

 

This story takes place over 36 days with flashbacks to the past (both near and distant) to create the full scope of this novel.  At times, the structure made the story feel fractured and hard to follow, interrupting its pace.  

 

Even so, the narrative shines.  Medina deftly weaves myth with mystery, creating an ominous and horrifying premise. This atmospheric setting adds a layer of intrigue while the storyline is steeped in emotion.  Our main character, Anna, grows into a fully 3-dimensional character, and I rooted for her as she embraced her true self while fighting the forces of evil.  

 
This story has lingered with me.  It’s an impressive and entertaining debut with important social commentary.  I will be very interested to see what Medina does next.  

 

Don’t miss the author’s note at the end of this story.  

 

🎧 The narration by Elva Guerra gave a distinct voice to Anna.  But the nonlinear timeline made the audiobook difficult to follow.  Pairing the audiobook with my print copy allowed an immersive experience without the confusion.