New Kindle Fire HD 8 (7th Gen) Notification/Widget Help

I bought a Kindle Fire HD 8 on Prime Day and am having issues getting notifications and widgets to work. I installed Google Play and also the free Nova Launcher. Both seem to be working, but I cannot get notification badges on my apps to work. Do I need to upgrade to Nova Prime for this feature?

I'm also having problems getting widgets to work. When I drag a widget to my screen, it just takes me to the settings. Is there any workaround for this?

Thanks!