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m_ichellep'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
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
herasrevenge88's review against another edition
- 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: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
_bookbug's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Gaslighting
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: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and War
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, Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pregnancy
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, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
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
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Child death
Minor: Rape
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, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
soobooksalot'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
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: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
rachelunabridged'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
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, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Kidnapping and War