Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Little Eve by Catriona Ward

31 reviews

lizreaderhold's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Abandonment, Animal death, Body horror, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Torture, Abortion, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Confinement, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

racl's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

4.0

Sundial again, but on the ocean this time!
Culty, unhealthy family dynamics, beautiful writing, I enjoyed it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Child abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and War

bethsiekierawalker's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug use, Confinement, Miscarriage, Murder, and Adult/minor relationship

charlottesreadingweb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Having read both Needless Street and Sundial, I would say this is the best Catriona Ward book I have read. What it lacks in plot complexity, it makes up for in reflection on what it means to "be the villain" and how the pain of women & children is often unrecognized or ignored. I found myself heart broken repeatedly throughout this book. I found the ending poignant and beautiful. Fans of Needless Street may find this book underwhelming when comparing it's twists and turns, but I think it is a good option for gothic horror fans looking for a book that will pull at your heart strings. Please check content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Confinement, Child death, Self harm, Murder, Miscarriage, and Incest

Moderate: War, Rape, and Pregnancy

purplebeanbooks's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Rape, Torture, Emotional abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Blood, Child death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Miscarriage

This is a book about a cult

jla's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Spoiler

Libby audiobook
Great narrator.  The book definitely has a gothic horror feel.   It was pretty standard cult stuff, so a lot of that was predictable.   I wasn't super surprised by what happened or the resolution.  

Would have been 5 stars, but there were just some things with Jamie that upset me. They never mentioned what happened to William.   How is he an uncle when he was an only child?  Jamie could have just said he went looking for Sara instead of bringing beef. I can't believe he could just say he should have loved Sara all along. Come on. 

I really felt for Jamie, Able, Sara, and Dinah. A lot of felt bad for Eve, but she really seemed to enjoy harming people, and I'm not sure it's all explained by her upbringing. </ spoiler>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Self harm

siobhanward's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

 I'm still not sure if Gothic fiction is my style or not. I love the atmosphere created in Gothic works, but the pacing is always a bit slow for me. This was a solid read though - I loved the story and the characters, although I found the time jumps to be a bit hard to follow. Ward has a gift for creating an amazing ending for her stories and this one was no exception. I definitely look forward to reading more from her in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Body horror

elle_e_d_light's review

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".

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death

Moderate: Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, and Pedophilia

Minor: Rape, Suicide, Confinement, Animal death, and Miscarriage

A major topic of the book is cults and cult behavior. Just assume that most of the usual cult-related behaviors and activities will probably be at least mentioned at some point in this book.

goldenas's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Animal death, Gore, Torture, and Violence

grimmwinters's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A terrific dark tale. It is a promised dark story as is promised. As the reader you are given clues to figure out the mystery of what happened. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Sexual assault