Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Little Eve

Honestly, I really didn’t like this book. It had the same excellent writing and dark atmosphere of Ward’s other novels but was lacking in every other element for me.

The characters were all unlikeable and prevented me from connecting with any of them. The story is told from two timelines, one in the past before the massacre on the island, and the other after from the perspective of the sole survivor. It’s written in first person for both perspectives but this did not help connect with the character, it just made things more tedious in my opinion.

Along with unlikeable characters the pacing was far too slow and this book was a total slog to get through. I had to force myself to read this because most of the time nothing was happening but more abusive cult bullshit with no real purpose. Trigger warnings for rape, drugs, torture, starvation, child abuse, sexual assault, pedophilia, and violence by the way because no trigger warnings are given and this whole book is focused on this mini cult where all these abuses occur. It was so tedious to pick this up and have another chapter about abuse but it’s ok because it’s for Adder, like I GET IT, they’re in a cult on this island for some reason.

I know there’s a plot in this book I just honestly can’t find it. The twist was also just confusing, there were so many questions, all of them left unanswered. The narrator is a huge part of the twist and it lies in her changing her mindset and leaving the brainwashing but it was unbelievable how it happened. She just woke up on day and decided to not believe in it anymore, after being raised and manipulated and abused her entire childhood she just one day stands up and says “nah”.

Overall, I would skip this earlier novel by Ward which was recently re-released on the states and read her newer works instead that have engaging characters, better pacing, and a clear plot line that doesn’t get muddled up in abuse and cult nonsense.

Content Warnings

elle_e_d_light's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Really dark, but beautifully written. Pairs well with "We Have Always Lived in the Castle." I liked this so much better than "The Last House on Needless Street". On to "Sundial".

Content Warnings

zosiablue's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

"It is a kind of privilege, to witness the darkness." Another genius tale from Catriona Ward. Read this if you like rural moody Scottish hillsides, cults, women surviving in the billion ways women do, horrific trauma and the healing of it, and girl friendships in all their forms. Oh and a surprise circus elephant. The kind of book you hold your breath for.

Content Warnings

mickeyzbookz's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

seawarrior's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced

5.0

Reviewing this several months after I first read it, so I don't remember details. Little Eve is an intensely disturbing gothic work about the horrors of isolation, miseducation and unraveling layers of lies. I found the book difficult to read because of the subject matter, but I was still excited to keep turning each page and learn Eve's fate. The final twist was actually something I was unable to predict, and the haunting characters and atmosphere have stayed with me long after I finished the novel. I highly recommend this book to those who can stomach it.

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