herasrevenge88's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Incest, Torture, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Miscarriage, Violence, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Drug abuse, Death, Body horror, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Injury/injury detail, Animal death, Pedophilia, Drug use, Confinement, Child abuse, and Blood
_teoeo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child death, Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Blood, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, Suicide, and Torture
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
On the island of Altnaharra lives a clan preparing for the end of the world and the rise of The Adder. But things aren’t exactly what they seem and terrible tragedies will have deadly consequences.
I love Gothic horror, so I when I saw glowing reviews from two of my most trusted book recommenders, I immediately suspected this one would be right up my alley…and I was definitely right. Little Eve has everything you could want out of a horror novel setting—it’s grim, dreary, tense, and haunting while still feeling just mystical enough for me to understand the lure. It’s also historical fiction that manages to feel both of its time and outside of time, borderline surreal while still entirely grounded. Setting can really make or break this kind of novel for me, and Catriona Ward absolutely nailed it here.
If the setting isn’t enough, the plot here is just as rich, smart, and nuanced. It’s culty without being campy, gory without being gratuitous, and surprising without being over the top. I felt like I was peeling back layers of an onion as I read, and even though I saw the end reveal coming, I was still on the edge of my seat in the final pages.
In short, the takeaway: this was my first Catriona Ward read, but it absolutely will not be my last.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: Gothic horror; cult-based suspense; intricate settings
CW: Death/murder/blood; suicidal thoughts/suicide; sexual assault/child molestation; confinement; physical and emotional abuse including child abuse; animal cruelty/death; pregnancy/miscarriage.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Violence, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Child abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Pregnancy
triangulartoaster's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide, Rape, and Sexual assault
enchantressreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
One of my problems with this story, which there aren’t many, is that there’s so many characters, and with the flip-flopping chapters, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with who we’re following. We follow Evelyn and Dinah, two of the young women of the cult, as they tell the story of how the cult ended. We also see adult Dinah discuss some of the past. A few times we even meet the detective on the case, Christopher Black. When I was properly following the storyline, it was a good read. I enjoyed the setting and the characters, and the cult/John was super creepy.
This novel takes place in the late 1910s and early 1920s, with later reflections from the 30s and 40s. I’m not sure if this really helped the story; I think it could have taken place in any time period. I’d actually love to see this story written in more modern times with cell phones and better forensics.
I recommend this book for people who love twisty-turny stories, and probably more for people who take notes (especially for the characters). The twist at the end was pretty predictable, but not necessarily unenjoyable. I really enjoy Catriona Ward’s writing, and even though I wasn’t as big a fan of Little Eve as I was of Sundial, it’s still worth the read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this advanced review copy. While Little Eve is already available in the UK, it comes out through Tor on October 11th.
CW for death, injury, vomit, miscarriage/stillborns, domestic violence, suicide, alcoholism, animal death, animal cruelty, sexual assault/violence/ambiguous reference to rape
Graphic: Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Injury/injury detail, Sexual assault, Death, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Alcoholism
Minor: Vomit
rachelunabridged's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
~ ~ ~
On the isle of Altnaharra, Uncle and his young acolytes await the coming of Him, the snake from the sea.
~ ~ ~
My mind has been blown by Catriona Ward yet again! I've loved everything by her that I've read so far and had a hunch that this read would be equally fantastic. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this book exceeded all of my expectations. Even though I've been absolutely swamped with college classwork, I found myself sneaking in as much of this read as I could. Every time I had to put it down, the story stayed stuck in my head until I picked it up again.
Additionally, this book has one of the best opening chapters I've ever read. It hooked me right from the beginning, and Ward did a fantastic job building on that intrigue as the plot progressed. This was one of those reads where I found myself completely immersed in the events of the story and desperate to see how it was going to turn out. Unlike the other works I've read by this author, I was able to guess where this book was going, but it didn't make the experience of watching it unfold any less enjoyable, in a messed up kind of way.
When I started this review, I thought about not including a summary of the plot at all. I think that this book is best experienced with as little prior knowledge as possible, which is why I ultimately settled on the single sentence above. I will, however, let you know that this is a cult book. There is murder. There is intrigue. And it's a hell of a ride from start to finish. If any of those things sound enticing to you, you should give this a read.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Suicide, Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Kidnapping and War
bookishbrenbren's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was an awesome ride. I have never read anything by this author before but I have heard good things and wanted to try this one even though horror/thriller is not my typical genre. And I am so glad I did! This is a strong book, well-written, with excellent scenery, leaning a little gothic although I thought she could've committed more to the house-as-a-character vibe, but what really stands out is how engrossing the story-telling is. I well and truly felt like I was being read a ghost story or watching a spooky movie, I could feel the rain falling and the stonework crumbling around me. Even though you know (from chapter 1) more or less how the characters' stories will end up, there is still a great sense of mystery, foreboding, and feels like a big 'reveal' is coming. Perfect for spooky season!
On the down side, I felt the story dragged a bit after the 50% mark. It definitely slowed down in pace and I was more likely to put the book down and pick up my phone. I also wish there had been a bit of the actual "big reveal" feeling written into the characters' narration (does that make sense?). A lot of really shocking things happen we, along with Eve, find out that the truth about
Spoiler
Him and the benison, and the honey, the truth about Uncle's past, the ceremonies, Dinah's betrayal, about her mother! twice!,Spoiler
Abel has killed himselfAlso, this is just a personal preference, but I kind of wish we had been left with one or two questions about Eve's character/motivations at the very end. I would like a hint that perhaps things did not go exactly as she has said they went... perhaps she is hiding something, in the end? But anyway the ending was nice and neat and can't complain about that. A good book and a great story!
Graphic: Confinement, Body horror, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Grief, Pedophilia, Self harm, Gore, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Classism, Car accident, Body shaming, and Addiction
Minor: War, Vomit, Colonisation, Drug use, Death of parent, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
sorcha_rosa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Incest, Infertility, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Pedophilia, and Death of parent