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.

Beautiful literary gothic horror that kept me on my toes until the very end. Excellent setting, wonderful complex characters, gorgeous writing.

I have read every Catriona Ward book now and I would say that this one isn't my favorite. Ward is a master at winding and weaving stories and this one is no different. However, I didn't feel as invested in these characters and this story. I kept reading because I needed to know what happened and to be honest I didn't see the end coming. But unlike Sundial and The Last House on Needless Street this story just didn't hit me in the gut, and that's okay. I didn't regret reading this book, but I don't know if I would read it again.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

Well, the only thing I will say about this book is ... there is a reason why this one was not a hit in its first print. I was bored out of my mind. Also, I read the ebook and listened to the audiobook and the narrator killed the book for me. Most of the time, she whispered and overall didn't put any emotion into her reading.

Catriona's books just work for me, I really love her descriptive writing style, and the way she creates such an eerie atmosphere in her stories, this one included. The story itself kept me on the edge of my seat, she is a master at suspense. I also really enjoyed the resolution, and loved that I was so invested in the story, I wasn't ready for the ending, so it caught me in the best surprise! Loved this one.

I am officially such a fan of Catriona Ward! She writes the most atmospheric, weird stories. Little Eve was the perfect combination of creepy cult, slow burn and quasi-supernatural. It could be quite brutal but also soft, because there was real connection between some of the characters in this manufactured “family.” I enjoyed all of the timelines and POVs and thought they blended well.

This book just wasn't for me. I had a had time with the historical aspect and was confused at times. Definitely a different style than her other books.

I couldn't put it down and I didn't want to. This book lived up to every ounce of hype that I had experienced for it. This book is beautifully written; a gripping storyline with strong characters. It ticked all the boxes of my expectations. I would definitely recommend it to others.

3.5 stars. The beginning of the book was boring the middle was confusing and the end was okay. At times it was hard to follow as we kept jumping through times. There were also many many times when the audiobook didn't match up with the physical book which means the narrator was probably given an ARC to record from. Just some nitpicky stuff.

I read this in one sitting. This kept me interested to the very end-with themes of motherhood, isolation, horror, and cults and the sense of dread throughout the entire read. The main narrator is unreliable- the gothic creepiness that seeps in - and the overwhelming gloom that you can follow with one of the main characters. I thought I knew how it would all end-the author completely flipped what I thought, and I was amazed by the ending!

I highly recommend this one to any horror fan who likes twists, turns, and a more complex storyline.


I received a copy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this!

I fell in love with Catriona Ward in 2017 when I read her novel Rawblood. I was blown away by the gothic and dramatic beauty of her writing and plots. I also enjoyed her 2021 novel The Last House on Needless Street, although it didn't quite pull on my heartstrings in the same way. Little Eve is an earlier novel of hers, now republished, and it felt like a return to the Ward of Rawblood for me. So of course I enjoyed it. Thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in reviewing.

Gothic fiction is entirely reliant on atmosphere. Perhaps this seems like too strong a statement, but there is nothing worse than a technically Gothic novel which doesn't truly lean into the genre. Little Eve fully leans into it and nothing is more emblematic of that than its setting. The first thing that drew me to the novel was the idea of Altnaharra, a windswept island off the coast of Scotland. This felt like the perfect setting for a Gothic novel and it truly was. Catriona Ward brings this setting to live, shaping the island into a character of its own. It is home, but it is also danger. It nurtures but it also hurts. I could picture it, from its crags to its berry fields, to its walkway which gets cut off by the tides, to the gate without a wall. If Altnaharra didn't come alive this way, Little Eve would be a lesser book. With Ward's skill, however, the setting and ambiance are perfectly formed for her plot and characters to take shape.

Eve and Dinah are two young women, part of a small tight-knit community on the distant Scottish island Altnaharra. They await the coming of the Adder, who will bring the flood and bring about a new world. But the strain of awaiting the end, along with their twisted relationship with those outside of Altnaharra and the conflicting loyalties on the island, causes ever more tension until everything comes to a head during a fateful, final ceremony on New Year's Eve. Little Eve presents us with the perspective of both women, showing us the aftermath through Dinah and the led-up through Eve. It is an excellent wat of building up tension and preparing the reader for twists and turns. Little Eve has a strong vibe which dominates most of the novel. By that I mean that as a reader the plot sometimes came second to me over the images and ideas Ward was creating and working with.

Catriona Ward is a stunning writer. She has an impeccable eye for the detail that will have you invest, for the moment that shifts your perception of a character, for the seeming side plotline that will become rapidly relevant. I absolutely got lost in the world she created in Little Eve. The moment I closed my eyes I could picture Altnaharra, imagine the ceremonies, and feel the biting rain and wind. I also really liked her characterisation of Eve and Dinah, even if the latter is a little vaguer than the formers. Eve is the undeniable main character of Little Eve, as the title suggests, and following her from wide-eyed faithful to ever more questioning adult represented the major thrust of the novel. At times I did kind of lose track of some of the plot, felt a little confused by the different details and themes running through it, but Ward's writing always kept me engaged and intrigued. I adore Ward's more actively Gothic-leaning works and I can't wait to read more of these in the future.

I was gripped by the world Ward created in Little Eve. While I occasionally got a little lost in the details, it is nonetheless a great Gothic read, full of strong imagery.

Genre: horror, literary/historical fiction

I don't read a lot of horror, but I enjoy books about cults, so I thought I'd give this one a try. Unfortunately, it wasn't a match. This book is beautifully atmospheric, but the text is confusing and it's hard to understand what is going on. I liked the big reveal, but it felt like too long of a journey to get there. I think readers who love atmospheric horror will enjoy this one more than I did!

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will admit, this caught my attention because it's by Catriona Ward, who also wrote, Last House on Needless Street and I have been hearing nothing but good things about that, so naturally I had to read this. Man, if this is what she delivers then all the hype for Needless Street will meet my expectations. The rugged setting of the Scottish landscape is one of my favorite locations for a good, gothic thriller so I loved every moment of this. Super fast-paced and the twists are so good. It'll keep you guessing until the very end.

If you read the authors note you'll understand why this feels different from her other novels. Not in a bad way but she definitely found a different groove in later works but this backlist title is worth a read.

I really love the way that Ward does her narratives and I was very excited to read this after reading Sundial and The Last House on Needless Street. You can definitely tell that this was written before those two books, but overall I think that it was still well done and there were parts that kept me guessing until the story wrapped up. I love Ward as a writer and I can't wait to see her continue to grow.

a backlist title from Ward being republished - I loved her writing but this is definitely significantly different from her Tor titles. I struggled to connect with the historical aspect of the book