I love Catriona Ward. Any time I see her name, I know I have to have it. The author has a way with transporting you directly to the pages of her works with her writing style. Her mysteries are gripping and always manage to throw me for a loop and keep me burning through the pages.

Little Eve is no exception. The perfect spooky season read, Little Eve is a dark, gothic, atmospheric read that centers around a haunted mansion and the rituals that have taken place there. The murders are graphic, gruesome, and gory. There were characters I wanted to pull from the pages to protect, and others that I definitely wanted to end up with a less optimistic ending.

Do yourself a favor and save this as a late night, spooky season read to get that setting just right and really amp up the adrenaline.

Thank you to the author and Macmillan/ Tor- Forge for the ARC copy.

After reading Sundial, I knew there was something special about Catriona’s writing and it stuck with me. As soon as I was able I requested this book and I’m glad that I did.

This was just TOO dark for me. I did not post to social because I could not finish the book. Xxxxxxxxxxxx

I have received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillian for the advanced copy and apologize for my delayed reading.

Starting off, I think I misunderstood part of the description when I read it and looking back that's exactly what I did. This is a cult thriller, so be warned about the trigger warnings that come along with that. I've listed them below. That being said, this book really did grip me once I got into it. It took a little build up for me to become interested but once I was it was quite the story. It is very gothic and a great horror/thriller story but much of it ended up feeling clunky to me.

What saved this book was the ending. The twist really did catch me a bit off guard, like we were leading up to it and then as soon as it happened, I went duh! but it still surprised me. This is a type of twist that isn't for everyone but I really did end up enjoying it. I can't say that I enjoyed any of the characters, because I didn't. They're all terrible in their own ways and trapped in the lives they've been given. I enjoyed the way that the story was told in batches, but I also think that's one of the reasons as to why it didn't flow nearly as well as it could have.

That all being said, I recommend his book to all my thriller lovers who don't mind getting out of their comfort zone. This book was uncomfortable and terrifying, especially thinking that any of it could be something that actually happens. It's insane and I will need some time to fully appreciate everything here. 3.5 out of 5 from me because it did make me think

Trigger warnings: child abuse, rape (off page/implied), death, abuse, drugs, starvation, cult activity, miscarriage

Catrina Ward is a breath of fresh air in a world of mediocre fiction. I've loved every book she's written, including this one. It's a bit different than her previous novels (this was actually her first) but still a beautiful read.
It deals with legends and personal beliefs, and the length some go to protect their faith.

I enjoyed Sundial by Catriona Ward and based on the synopsis, I thought I would have a similar experience with this book. Unfortunately I did not.

The book is told in multiple points of view in multiple timelines, which left me confused about the events in the story. This confusion also left me with the inability to find any attachment with the characters. Also I found the middle part of the book to be a slog to get through. I can appreciate the intricacy of the plot though, this one Unfortunately just wasn't for me. I'm still willing to read another one of the author's novels.

My thanks to Tor Nightfire, author Catriona Ward, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

This is my third book I've read written by Catriona Ward and each one has been SO drastically different from each other, but all were extremely intricately written and compelling. It was a fast-paced wild ride that I genuinely didn't have a huge grasp on what was happening until the end, and by then I was hungry for more. Dark, gothic, and super culty-what more could you want?

I typically love gothic stories - but this one was very slow and lackluster for me. I had really high hopes because I've loved previous work from Ward, but this one just wasn't my favorite. I enjoyed the cult aspect but even wanted from from that storyline.

Another great book by this author. She really hit it out of the ballpark on this one. Creepy. Many thanks to publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

A chilling read full of mystery and intrigue. A dynamic read that kept me engulfed and guessing until the very end.

I really enjoyed Catriona's book Sundial...but I could not get into this one. It was super confusing and the narrator was really hard to understand... DNF at 40%

Little Eve is a very well written and *extremely* creepy gothic horror fantasy by Catriona Ward. Released 11th Oct 2022 by Macmillan on their Tor Nightfire imprint, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format available from the same publisher in 3rd quarter 2023.

This is, at its heart, a cult novel set on a remote island in the first part of the 20th century in Scotland. There are rituals aplenty, body horror, creepy cult patriarch ("Uncle") who will give anyone with a beating heart the absolute cold creeps toot suite. The author is quite adept at the nuts-n-bolts of writing and the plotting and characterizations are much more than competent. The plotting is scattered and chaotic, a lot like horror films with a strobe effect where readers are continually disoriented and unsure (until the next huge jump-scare).

Ms. Ward has an impressive grasp of many forms, but stretches her talents here. This is creepy gothic horror, atmospheric and disturbing. It was very twisty and dark, from start to finish.

Three and a half stars. One for fans of horror. A potentially contentious choice for public library acquisition, it would make a good buddy read or book club selection.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Another winner from this innovative author. I love that you never know where her books are taking you! Little Evie is best gone into blind so all I will say is enjoy the journey with Little Evie. She's going to take you to interesting places!

This was not for me- but historical fiction generally isn’t… more than that, it felt very different vs the author’s other works. This felt light on horror, heavy on atmosphere. That being said, if you enjoy historical horror, you may enjoy this!

Thank you so much Netgalley & Tor Nightfire for the eArc!

I was not a fan of this novel at all. There are too many POVs and time jumping. This makes it hard to follow and hard to keep events straight. Paranormal factors having an influence on the events? I was all so confusing. All of the above, along with the slow pace, lost my attention fast.

I want to thank Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for an ARC of this book. I do wish it was disclosed that this was a reprinting, I am not sure if I would have requested it after looking at other reviews.

As a Scot, I love reading anything set in there. This book transported me directly to Altnaharra where I stayed for the duration of my time reading the book. Catriona did a fabulous job painting a picture and drawing me into this story.

I thought I would love this one with it being set in Scotland but I found this book a bit boring and more like historical fiction. I have not been reading as much historical fiction recently and this book was a bit of a slog for me.

This one took a bit for me to really get in to. The beginning was a bit slow but it picks up quickly. I liked this better than The Last House on Needless Street, and I think if you're new to Ward's writings you should consider starting here. This is a fresh, well constructed story perfect for anyone who is interested in cults/folk horror.

I had been looking forward to reading this one as I enjoyed the strangeness of The Last House on Needless Street. I’ve always had a fascination for cults so I was expecting to really like this one. It also takes place in Scotland which is another big plus for me. I got hooked on the story pretty quickly but then there was a scene featuring animal cruelty/death and I just can’t stand that in any book no matter how much I may have liked the story otherwise. Normally I would just DNF at that point but it was pretty early and so I decided to keep going to see what else was going to happen. I ended up finishing the book and was really torn on how I felt about the book. Setting the animal death aside I did really like the story and was intrigued by the characters. There were some pretty unexpected twists. I think without the animal death scene I would have rated this 4 stars but I’m going to have to drop it down because what happened felt incredibly unnecessary to the story. If you’re looking for a good, twisty thriller about a cult living on the coast of Scotland then this book is worth a shot but keep in mind that there is that scene.

I tried this one based on positive reviewers that loved it, it's not my usual genre preference. For me, it was ok. I didn't dislike it, I finished it, did it make me love Gothic thrillers? No. But, I can see why people loved it and I can appreciate the work of the author. There was a superbly written opening scene, great characters and the plot was tightly woven. A solid read.