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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
After reading and loving "Looking Glass Sound", I was excited to read more from Catriona Ward's backlist.
"Little Eve" follows Eve, a young girl who will do anything for her clan and their beliefs. The clan is preparing for the end of the world and its rebirth, but when during the ceremony they are interrupted, everything starts to go awry.
Overall, I was very disappointed in this novel. This story lacked the magic that I loved from "Looking Glass Sound". There was just something about the narrative and the characters that I could not connect with, and because of that, I could not get into the story. This ended up being one of those novels that I had to force myself to finish.
Eve was a highly complex character that had an interesting character progression. On the one hand I did not appreciate where her character ended up going and the decisions she made specifically in the second half of the book. However, I did empathize with her because this is the only world she has ever known, and it has to be difficult to know and do any different.
Truthfully, I am not a big end of the world trope fan. So, that alone could be why I struggled to get into this story. I also think some of the scenes were a little too difficult to read because they depicted child neglect and confinement in such vivid detail.
I do think Catriona Ward is a talented wordsmith, and she is able to craft a complexly interesting story. Her characters are flawed and relatable, and she is able to paint a vivid depiction.
I am sure this novel has its audience, and I would still recommend it to someone who thinks the premise sounds interesting. Additionally, I will still be reading from Catriona Ward in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
britt_blank_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Self harm, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Miscarriage
rachelrustemeyer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, and Pregnancy
a_novel_craving's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
quabbityash's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Misogyny
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
bpsalinas's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A cultish family unit living on a rocky Scottish island at the edge of the world. A horrific murder sets the stage and darker horrors unfurl from there. Gripping and terrible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence
orizenda's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Honestly so far I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Ward. I’m wondering if the reason I didn’t fully connect with this one is because I listened to the audiobook and had trouble with the accent and the narrator’s volume? Not sure. But this was so much deeper than I initially thought it would be. I did not expect to cry, but there are just horrific realizations I had, thinking about the things the characters were going through. I did figure out the “twist” or whatever quite a bit before it was revealed, but I don’t mind that at all. I appreciate the queerness that is in this, even if it’s not explicit. I don’t think it needs to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, and Confinement
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
mpoper's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Torture, and Murder
akevaa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Good and creepy. Excellent for the one time, but I think once you know how it all unravels a re-read isn't really in the cards (at least not for me). This is generally how I feel about Ward's works; Looking Glass Sound being an exception where re-reading is an excellent idea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Miscarriage, Suicide, Pregnancy, and War
wait_whoissheagain's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book left me guessing until the very end! Catriona Ward has a way of leaving you confused (in a good way) and then piecing all those puzzles together at the end in a way that makes you think ‘how did I not see this coming?’
I enjoyed reading this book, although the character’s relationships were constantly back-and-forth, and did leave me somewhat confused as to where the characters stood at different points throughout the story. I suppose these twisty relationships could be put down to the horrible traumas these characters faced while at Altnaharra. These traumas are heart wrenching and very uncomfortable to read, especially as more comes to light throughout the story.
I didn’t find the characters all that likeable (again I think this is due to their trauma) but I was yearning for all of them to be ok and parts of this story were heartbreaking! It was interesting watching Eve struggle with wanting to embrace her curious side and break free from the life she has been told to live, while also wanting the power and life of the Adder so much that she would do anything. It was also interesting to hear how Dinah adjusted to life after the traumatic events, and how she was learning to deal with her past. I was rooting for these characters, despite the fact that I didn’t particularly resonate with them.
There are only 11 chapters in this 265 page book, which was a little frustrating, as I like to take breaks at different chapters, and that was hard to do with chapters that were 30-60 pages long! Despite this, I do like how the story was set out, moving back and forth between the perspectives of Eve and Dinah at their respective times. And, there was easy enough spots to stop and have a rest with breaks between paragraphs, it’s just a personal habit that I like to stop at chapters!
Please make yourself aware of the possible trigger warnings before reading this book, but if you are a fan of twisty murders, stories about religious cults or gothic tales, I would recommend giving this book a read.
I enjoyed reading this book, although the character’s relationships were constantly back-and-forth, and did leave me somewhat confused as to where the characters stood at different points throughout the story. I suppose these twisty relationships could be put down to the horrible traumas these characters faced while at Altnaharra. These traumas are heart wrenching and very uncomfortable to read, especially as more comes to light throughout the story.
I didn’t find the characters all that likeable (again I think this is due to their trauma) but I was yearning for all of them to be ok and parts of this story were heartbreaking! It was interesting watching Eve struggle with wanting to embrace her curious side and break free from the life she has been told to live, while also wanting the power and life of the Adder so much that she would do anything. It was also interesting to hear how Dinah adjusted to life after the traumatic events, and how she was learning to deal with her past. I was rooting for these characters, despite the fact that I didn’t particularly resonate with them.
There are only 11 chapters in this 265 page book, which was a little frustrating, as I like to take breaks at different chapters, and that was hard to do with chapters that were 30-60 pages long! Despite this, I do like how the story was set out, moving back and forth between the perspectives of Eve and Dinah at their respective times. And, there was easy enough spots to stop and have a rest with breaks between paragraphs, it’s just a personal habit that I like to stop at chapters!
Please make yourself aware of the possible trigger warnings before reading this book, but if you are a fan of twisty murders, stories about religious cults or gothic tales, I would recommend giving this book a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide