_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
emmoeller's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Murder, and Self harm
Minor: War, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
tamara_joy's review
Spoiler
A story about a cult, cult psychology; not the spooky/gothic I was hoping for. I've had it with abusive male cult leaders.Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Pregnancy, Murder, and Eating disorder
kkalicky94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, Miscarriage, War, Physical abuse, Animal death, Rape, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Murder, Pregnancy, Child death, Blood, Death, and Emotional abuse
paronomaniac's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Animal death, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Murder
keenanmaree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Drug use, and Murder
sorry_imbooked's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Violence, Confinement, Self harm, Torture, Miscarriage, Injury/injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Child death, and Animal death
Moderate: Child death and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Rape
lancakes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder, Incest, and Child abuse
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
soobooksalot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Tor Nightfire for my gifted copy for review!
Author Catriona Ward may be best known to us for her books Sundial and The Last House On Needless Street.
Little Eve was actually her second novel, released in 2018 only in the UK. It is now for North American release on Oct. 11.
This beautifully atmospheric novel is not a straightforward tale, instead full of the eerie narratives we have come to know from Ward.
The book opens with the discovery of several dead bodies, apparently murdered.
Chapters alternate between Dinah and Evelyn (Eve), from the late 1910s to the early 1930s, providing backstory prior to the murders, and after. A strange grouping of people ruled by Uncle live in a grand yet austere Scottish mansion known as Altnaharra.
There is tension throughout, and some disconcerting imagery.
Little Eve is perfect for spooky season, as are all of Ward's books. Recommended!
Moderate: Pregnancy, Murder, Injury/injury detail, Blood, Death, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal death