A creepy gothic tale of an isolated castle on an island, a cult of bizarre snake worshipers with their overbearing Patriarch, and the mystery of who killed them all. This story is perfect for spooky season told from two perspectives in two timelines we learn about the Bearings, a small “family” that is really a curated cult of women lead by one man (and an accidental boy) who believes in “The Bennison” which will be He who comes to take them back to the sea at worlds end. Everyone else in the world is impure.

The book starts as we find all of the cult dead save one survivor. We read her account of events after they have happened. We read Evelyn’s, or Eve’s, account in the years leading up.

I’m not usually a fan of changing perspectives or going back and forth in time but Ward expertly plays this as the two accounts we read aren’t lining up. Who is telling the truth? What really happened on Altnaharra? And what happened to Little Eve?

I already own several books from this author and I haven’t been disappointed. This is a well written gothic horror story. A suspenseful plot that runs at a smooth pace. As the reader thinks they have the story all figured out, the author throws in some twists and turns and gives a surprising ending.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this review copy, I received this review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a gothic tale set in a creepy castle with some dark history on the coast of Scotland where Eve lives with Uncle and few others. It is some kind of cult based on religion who are preparing for the end of world. The whole world building is absolutely creative and you can constantly feel the eerie vibes coming off from every member of the cult. It starts off with present and then continues to move between the timelines. There is also a mystery about how everyone at this castle except for Eve ends up dead in some sort of bizarre ritual gone wrong.

I have always liked reading cult based plots and this one went one step further by including gothic elements. The writing could have been better as I felt initial part a bit slow paced. I enjoyed author’s recent books more than this one! I think just the premise of a haunted castle and isolated cult like family would get many readers intrigued!

Took a bit for me to get into this, but I did appreciate the eerie, gothic vibes. A great read for spooky season!

Catriona Ward’s novels are like a maze one must traverse blindfolded in the dark, and none more so than this one. Layer upon layer of intrigue, misdirection and suspense make this a truly thrilling read. If a little confusing at first, the novel unfolds as a memory would. This is the author’s true gift. I am looking forward to the next Catriona Ward book.

4.5 Stars

Little Eve was my first read by Catriona Ward but it most certainly will not be my last! This book truly swept me away. Not only did it have this chilling atmospheric element down pat, a banging plot and mystery that will keep you guessing till the end, but it was all told so experty. The writing was EXCELLENT. This tale drifted around the years to and fro, unraveling this twisted tale in bits and pieces with warring feelings and sometimes blurred realities that truly took this story to the next level. I'm in awe of that part especially. While I do get to give myself a little pat on the back for figuring out one twist fairly early, there was more to it around the corner that I didn't see coming and took me by surprise. So really kinda the best of both worlds there. It's no surprise Little Eve is an award-winner. I'm glad for it to have a timely US release date, it is a perfect haunting read to add to your must-read list for the Fall season.

I was so excited to get early access to this one! From the get go the eerie vibes are through the roof and I really enjoyed that. For most of the novel I really didn’t know what was happening but I enjoyed the ride. I’m very into cult like books lately so that made this one really enjoyable. I’m a big fan or Ward’s writing and can’t wait for more. If you pick this one up, prepare to be shocked!

Bleak. Dark. Gothic.

Listen I love Catriona Ward's mind. We are following two orphan girls as they live within a cult, led by "Uncle." There are a few other children and two women living in this cult as well. They are all in extremely poor living conditions and living in a house in the Isles of Altnaharra.

As "the end of the world" approaches, they practice rituals.

The beginning of the story starts with Jamie MacRaith, the butcher of Altnaharra , going to the haunted house to deliver their daily order, finding the gate unlocked. The gate is NEVER unlocked. He finds the entire family lying dead. Dinah (one of the orphan girls) is alive and fighting for her life. One of her eyes is scratched out and Eve (the other orphan) is no where to be found.

Then we move backward to find out the creepy dynamics, bizarre rituals of the family.

It loses a star as it's all taking place in the early 1900s and I personally struggle with enjoying historical fiction narratives.

There is a trigger warning, so feel free to DM me for that if you're interested.

This original book was released in 2018 but is now making another appearance in October! Thank you Tor and Catriona Ward for the advanced copy!

If you haven’t read this author I could not recommend her more. This book was quite the twisty and grisly tale. It’s not for the faint of heart and does involve children so keep that in mind. It’s a unique blend of horror and police procedural that she manages to pull off perfectly. Keep the lights on! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

This is so much more than what I was expecting even though my expectations were pretty high because I loved The Last House on Needless Street by this author.

After reading the author's note at the beginning and upon finishing this unsettling gothic horror, I feel like this is somewhat the author's horror love letter to Scotland... if there can be such a thing. I say that because I felt like much of this story represented different aspects to Scottish folklore so I have a hard time imagining this taking place anywhere else and having the same effect.

The story begins with a local butcher finding the "family" at Altnaharra dead except for one survivor. The story is continued in segments between Eve and Dinah leading up to that day. The father figure, "uncle", kept the children and young women in thrall with this very chilling religion that also included the Adder, a role the "uncle" would take on. Through starvation and mind games he had control until the spell was broken.

This is so twisted, super dark and absolutely chilling. Not to mention that I simply could not stop reading!

Out October 11, 2022!

Content Warnings for Sexual assault, abuse, fanaticism, gore, violence, suicide

Another amazing read by Catriona Ward! Her books dazzle and surprise and I always love them! The people, the places, the story. All superb.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 11, 2022
Catriona Ward, best-selling author of “The Last House on Needless Street”, returns with a new gothic thriller, “Little Eve”.
Eve and Dinah are inseparable, most of the time, living with the man they call Uncle and several other children, in a very remote house off the coast of Scotland. The group is anxiously preparing for “His” Coming, ensuring their bodies are virtuous and their home is pure, so “The Adder” will protect them during the Coming. Although Uncle swears that the devastating rainstorm that hits their island is part of The Coming, things continue to go drastically wrong when a young woman winds up dead on their shores, and a police inspector comes calling.
I never got around to reading “Needless Street”, although I desperately wanted to, so this one was my first of Ward’s. Having little to no background on her work, except seeing the rave reviews for “Street”, I was not sure what I was getting into when this one come into my hands, and, to be honest, I’m still not sure.
Eve and the rest of her “sisters”, as well as Uncle, have a completely disturbing and epically uncomfortable cult-type relationship going on. The girls, who have been abandoned by their birth parents or abducted by Uncle himself, must obey Uncle’s every command, in order to keep their bodies and spirits safe for when “He” Comes to them. Right from the beginning, it was obvious that there was going to be an epic twist, and I kept trying to guess throughout, hoping to be wrong. Luckily, Ward provided the unsuspecting ending I was waiting for.
The writing style is challenging, and it took me some time to acclimate to it. The story is written in the first person, and each chapter is labeled so we know who is speaking, but the style is confusing in places. I still don’t know how to describe what it was about Ward’s writing in this novel, but it took some adjustment before I was able to get into a good groove.
“Little Eve” is hella creepy, and there is more than enough on every page to fully immerse a reader into the dark, lecherous life of Uncle and his “girls”. I wanted to know how this one ended, and once I got into the right groove, I was full-on creeped out. Not being familiar with Ward’s other works, it’s hard to make a comparison, but “Eve” is definitely going to have a huge fan base, in new readers and life-long followers alike.

Reading SUNDIAL this summer made me seek out all other Ward novels available. When I saw her earlier title, LITTLE EVE, up on NetGalley for it's reissue, I pounced. This gothic-like tale of a family living and breathing the life of a cult (a small unit, mind you, headed by their "uncle") has a wonderful premise, as well as an overflow of potential. Unfortunately, I had trouble connecting in a way that made me naturally want to continue reading. I found the writing to be lacking, the "exciting" sequences overwhelming downplayed, and the mystery unsatisfying. Though a handful of characters meet their demise in this novel, not one felt impactful. Several came and went in a sentence or two. I felt cheated, as a result. And though Eve has depth to her, the character still felt hollow to me. They all did, actually. I think this is just a case of preference, though - for whatever reason, this one didn't speak to me. Will that deter me from hunting down Ward's other novels? Not at all. I loved SUNDIAL too much to let this small disappointment keeping me wanting more of Ward.

Thanks to NetGalley & MacMillan for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an unusual book for me. It brought back echoes of early S.J. Bolton with its raw history on an unforgiving landscape. Eve lives on Altnaharra, a Scottish island apart from the main town, on which she is part of a group of followers who believe that a snake living in the sea is their God, and means to confer powers onto them after he comes to Earth and destroys the unbelievers. Uncle leads them, and secures their loyalty. He also punishes their misdeeds.

The opening paragraphs set the stage for what is to become local legend - Evelyn, "Little Eve," murders everyone in her tiny cult family, and then leaps into the sea, there to haunt children for eternity. The reality is somewhat different, and it's a damn good read. I don't usually do gothic horror, but this was great and I will definitely be recommending it to people.

Now off to get more Catriona Ward books ...

Thank you NetGallery and Ms. Ward for giving me an opportunity to review this book.
This is the third book that I have read by Ms. Ward. What is unique about Ward's writing is that she easily changes the narrative voice to fit the setting and characters of the book. Giving each of her books a distinctive feeling that draws the reader into the story;"Little Eve"is no exception. Going into the book, I was expecting a spine chilling tale, though it can be labeled as a horror novel, it is more of a "The Handmaiden's Tale" type of horror. Where the horror lies in the abuse the characters experience rather than the supernatural. There is a lot of timeline jumping,which causes some slight confusion but overall it is a decent read.

This one is not for me. The beginning is just so sluggishly slow and I can’t make myself continue. I did love The Last House on Needless Street but her other books have all been misses for me.

Little Eve by Catriona Ward follows a group of individuals who live on an isolated area by the sea called Altnaharra. in Scotland. The members of the group, including children Eve, Dinah, Able, and Elizabeth and adults Nora and Alice, along with their leader known as "Uncle", spend as little time as possible within the nearest town and consider outsiders to be impure.

This novel is a dark, twisted tale that follows a few different timelines and characters. The majority of the story follows Eve as she navigates life on the isle and her small interactions with the outside world.

I found this novel to be deeply engaging and engrossing. Though at times I was confused about what exactly was going on, I still felt immersed in this odd and creepy atmosphere and therefore enjoyed the reading experience even when I was unclear on the exact nature of the plot.

What I found most fascinating about this book was the exploration of the psychology experienced by these individuals as they are kept isolated from the "real world" and filled with beliefs from Uncle (AKA John Bearings). Many of the characters go through periods of extreme belief, questioning, realizations, denial etc. when thinking about their beliefs and their life on the isle. It was interesting to see how these periods of thought affected their actions within their own and the outside community.

There were several twists throughout the novel that I did not see coming, and I enjoyed seeing the before and after scenes as we swapped between several timelines as the book progressed.

Overall, if you're looking for an all-encompassing dark gothic story, give Catriona Ward's Little Eve a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Set in 1917, adopted sisters Eve and Dinah live in a crumbling castle on the coast of Scotland with their family and serve the mysterious, snake-charming Adder as they await the day when a great serpent will rise from the sea. But prodding from Inspector Christopher Black causes Eve's faith to swing from overly devout to questioning, and her choices lead to a tragic ritual that leaves Dinah as the sole survivor.

Apparently, this was Ward's second novel, and though it is not as breathtaking or extreme as "The Last House on Needless Street" or "Sundial", it has all of the hallmarks of her writing: a deeply unreliable narrator, child abuse, unflinching violence, and a neat twist at the end. The buildup is slower, and the twist is much easier to guess, but what "Little Eve" lacks in psychological thrills, it makes up in gorgeous writing and a strong sense of place. Ward's descriptions of early 20th-century Scotland are sure to captivate.

Give this, as always, to fans of intense psychological thrillers, but don't be afraid to pass it to readers of historical fiction, too.

Little Eve is yet another mind-boggling story from Catriona Ward. I thought that I had it all figured out, but I was wrong as, like always, there was an unexpected twist. I had to reread several sections to confirm what I thought I had read.

Based on previous books, I went in with great expectations and was not disappointed. I don’t think I will ever tire of reading Ward’s beautifully haunting tales and will be patiently waiting for what’s next.

Voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, and the author, Catriona Ward.

Book Review Yall!

Thank you @netgalley and @tornightfire for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED Last House on Needless Street, it was a 5-star psychological thriller for me. Sundial had missed the mark, so I wanted to give another one of Catriona Ward's novels a try.

Little Eve is a haunting Gothic tale that was published overseas in 2018 and is now getting a US release. I am so excited to report that this was a hit for me. Taking place in a dilapidated castle in Scotland, we have a story of a small, religious patriarchal family that believes that there is a serpent in the sea that is a god. The figurehead has gathered children, and as the story unravels, you are drawn into the twisted nature of this dynamic. Separated from the village, the children are raised in these pagan beliefs, until one day, they are all discovered dead, except for one. This had it all: a dreary and bleak setting, cultish dynamics, intrigue, and mystery about how all of them died. I highly recommend it if you like a slow-burn Gothic story with cult vibes.

Out 10/11/2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

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