I highly recommend sticking with this one; the beginning is a bit confusing with the chosen narrative style. Once you get half way through, it makes more sense. As the mystery unravels I found myself becoming more and more engrossed.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Little Eve was weird and a story style that I don't enjoy reading. The description gave off a different vibe than what I encountered while reading.

Wow! What did I just read? Catriona Ward is the new master of horror storytelling.

These characters, the brutal murder and the police detective were everything for this book and I really enjoyed until the very last page.

Well Ward once again has delivered a book that will stay on your mind after finishing. This previously released book about a family on a seculded island waiting for "The Adder" to come starts out with a devastating crime. The story of how and why it happens is then slowly told to us over the years with people in the nearby village being involved. I enjoyed many things about this book from the story of what is family, faith vs. truth and the repurcussions of violence.

I will say this was a hard book for me to read again, much like Sundial the violence is shocking and upsetting. So much of this book found me hesistant to go on but the ending truly does pull the whole story together. Eve and all of the side characters like her family are portrayed in a way that makes you care about them but also be frustrated by them, well except for one major figure. Eve herself is a fascinating character that angers you, confuses you and then breaks your heart. I loved reading her POV much more than her sister.

I wouldn't reccomend this story for those who don't like period pieces as it made the plot feel much slower for me and even more confusing than the story is, especially with all of the different characters and religious symbolism. I would reccomend Sundial more as I have not read her other books but think that Sundial was better balanced than this story. Highly reccomend looking up content warnings for this one.

Ward’s popularity soared after The Last House on Needless Street, positioning her as an exciting newcomer to the crowded horror genre. Given her rise in followers, Tor Nightfire has recently re-released some of the author’s earlier efforts in the U.S. Little Eve is her second book, and in her prologue, Ward admits that it was a challenge to corral her thoughts into a cohesive work. The reader may experience a similar sense of distress, in this case due to the plot’s sinister slow build, jaw-dropping reveals and wince-inducing violence. Eve’s story unfolds within two timelines taking place between 1917 and the 1920’s. The misguided and confused young woman describes a childhood of adoration and obedience for her “Uncle,” despite suffering from his continual abuse. Secondary characters consist primarily of fellow captives, and all are voluntarily marooned together on an isolated tidal island in Scotland. From Eve’s deluded perspective, the reader is left to piece together the cult-like belief system that has been constructed to control and manipulate them. Eve’s story is heartbreaking and grotesque, at times so extreme that it stretches plausibility. It is a testament to Ward’s talent that the reader willingly accepts these conditions, mirroring how her characters bow to the illusions around them. Little Eve is a disturbing read and probably not for the squeamish, but the novel is rewarding for those who are able succumb to its twisted chaos.

Thanks to the author, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I so so so so love Catriona Ward’s books and was super intrigued by LITTLE EVE’s concept but couldn’t seem to get into the book. I would definitely try rereading it again in the future though!

DNF @ 26%. I wanted to love this because I absolutely loved THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET but found this incredibly boring. I don’t care to know what happens at the end. It was incredibly ominous and I found the opening chapter intriguing, but after that it felt extremely repetitive and without much forward motion.

Little Eve was originally published in the UK back in 2018. It is being re-printed and will be available in the US for the first time.

In Little Eve we follow a family that’s isolated itself off of the coast of Scotland. They worship what they call “the Adder “ and they believe the world will soon come to an end.

The atmosphere is dark and gothic. The story opens up with a pretty gruesome scene. A butcher discovers the family murdered with the exception of Dinah and Eve. Dinah is missing an eye and Eve is suspected of killing everyone.

We follow the family back in time to explore their family dynamics, and their manipulation at the hands of their uncle.

The book ultimately didn’t work for me. I can’t precisely pinpoint what was missing. It might be that Catriona Ward’s writing style doesn’t quite work for me. The writing felt very repetitive and dense at some points.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this arc in exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The perfect chilly, spooky read! I loved the setting, it is well-developed and a perfect fit with the story. The characters are all fascinating and I became invested in each one. The pace of the story is fast enough to keep you reading, but slows down at certain points to effectively build suspense. Highly recommend for any reader wanting a dark thrill!

Faith, Family and a lot of twists will keep you involved with this one.
Oh that monster.
You can't lose with Catriona Ward

This book took me quite some time to read. It was engaging enough to keep me coming back to try to finish it.
I found it difficult to follow at various points, as what was real and what was poetic prose.
“Somewhere beyond the sea, somewhere waiting for me...”
A gothic, dramatic mystery drenched in wickedness.
I’m a fan of Catriona Ward and her writing. This one is a bit different than what I’ve read of hers, thus far.
I received an advanced reading copy in exchange for an unbiased opinion.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity.

Outside of the village of Loyal is an island called Altnaharra, an island that is home to a strange group of individuals who believe that they can bring about the end of the world and be rebirthed from the sea. The leader of this group is Uncle, with his snake Hercules beside him. Claiming that that the Adder is coming and one of them will inherit it’s powers, Uncle is trying to see who from their numbers will be granted this distinction, and Eve is convinced it will be her, and is willing to do almost anything to make it so. When a ceremony goes deathly wrong the secrets of Altnaharra and the people who live there will be uncovered and no one will be left unscathed. 

What a deliciously twisted novel! I love how Ward started the novel with the end. It was vague enough to leave the reader knowing next to nothing while giving just enough to grab my interests and make me want to read in order to find out how everything ended up how it did. There are a lot of characters but they were pretty easy to keep straight. The symbolism throughout is so meaningful and powerful, adding to the twistedness of the narrative. I liked that there were multiple points of view used to tell the story; I felt it added to my understanding of some of the characters. While I had some correct suspicions about things early on there were still plenty of surprises along the way.

Little Eve is only the third book I’ve read by Catriona Ward, but she’s quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She just doesn’t disappoint. Her books are simply incredible. They have everything I want from a horror novel: incredibly unique storylines, creepy, and absolutely dripping with atmosphere. Her newest release isn’t technically her newest book, it’s actually her second novel, only it’s now getting a release here in the states. I hesitate to even try to tell you what it’s about for fear of giving anything away, and maybe it’s just me but I’ll say there were times when this creepy tale of a family/cult living off the coast of Scotland gave me an almost Lovecraftian vibe, and it kept me enthralled from start to finish. I can’t wait to see where she takes us next. I’d like to thank Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for allowing me a chance to read and review an eARC of Little Eve.

Read if you like: historical thrillers/mysteries.
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This book was super creepy and interesting. It is about a group of people (a cult) in early 20th Century Scotland in a castle and waiting for the end of the world.
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I liked the opposing perspectives and I guessed the mystery at the end, which never happens. The beginning and the end were very engaging, but I felt that the middle seemed to drag a bit.

An atmospheric historical horror with all the best twists brought by Catriona Ward. Chilling, heart-wrenching, and beautiful through the very last word.

2.5 stars

This is a gothic, historical fiction novel involving a patriarchal cult, dreary weather, lots of ocean metaphors, and confusing timelines. We are following a few main characters who are in a cult led by a man they call “Uncle”. They are isolated from society behind a gate in a castle in a remote part of Scotland. On a daily basis, they are subjected to weird rituals and are essentially starved to be ready for the arrival of “The Alder”. The plot itself can be quite difficult to understand, but the book starts off with a ritual-based tragedy where most of the cult is murdered, and we go back through time to find out what happened and led up to the event. Most of the plot is very repetitive and confusing through different rituals and sad events that happen to those in the cult. The narrative blended the minutiae of their days until the plot just felt like a blur of low-level cult rituals and sad, gloomy, Scotland weather.

I can see that Ward is a talented writer, however, her writing is difficult for me to get through and get behind, which is why this took me over a month from start to finish. She weaves beautiful sentences, but it’s hard for me to picture, and takes a lot of brainpower to understand her style as well as the plot. The fact that this book isn’t even a full 300 pages, yet it felt like a 600 page book, says a lot. I also felt so disconnected from the characters with this kind of writing style, and I could never get invested into the narrative, even though I love how Ward’s mind works.

**Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review**

TW: https://bit.ly/3USKxll

I have read and loved every one of Catriona Ward’s books, and this edition is a republishing of her first novel, Little Eve. You can see the progression of her books and while this is the least favorite of mine, I did enjoy it overall. There is a lot going on in the beginning and a few characters to sort through, which makes it difficult when doing a book via audio, which I did, but by the end it started coming together and that is why I was glad I pushed through and finished. I loved the world of Altnaharra that Ward created, which is set in Scotland, and you will always have me with a cult based plot. This is a very dark and twisted plot, so be warned about that but again, it kind of goes hand in hand with cults and with Catriona’s mind if you’ve read her other works. She is an auto-buy/auto-read author for me and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital galley to review.

3.5/5

I'm pretty sure I said this about The Last House on Needless Street, but I'll say it again for this one - this book was a trip.

Little Eve begins at the end - with a cultish ritualistic murder and the perpetrator on the loose. But reading the events that lead up to that really did a great job at flipping what I thought I knew about the situation on its head. Ward clearly likes to play with perspective and identity in her books, and I think she does it well. Bouncing back in forth in time as well as between Eve and Dinah made the mystery really itch my brain and I was desperately trying to puzzle it out the entire time.

I will say, if you don't like snakes - do not read this book. It is not for you. A large part of the cult's belief system revolves around a giant snake-like deity and there are real snakes that the characters interact with and are harmed by. There are also instances of self harm, abuse (verbal and physical), and body horror, so if any of those things make you squeamish I would recommend avoiding this book.

Overall I enjoyed this read, but it didn't quite break my brain in the same way The Last House on Needless Street did. Cults also aren't typically what I reach for in my reads, so this one wasn't as suited for me as some other horror novels are.

A historical thriller featuring a cult and hints of supernatural elements. I honestly have no idea what happened in this book. I know that it has unreliable narrators on purpose, but my goodness what a chore to read.

Ward's work is a slow burn, gothic horror that is completely worthy of all hype! Multiple narratives deftly fill in the events of 1921 around a murder and the twist is not what I expected. So glad this work has now been published in America!
A quick read, that I think readers of horror, mystery, historical fiction, gothic gloom, and slow burn unexpected plot twists will enjoy this work by Catriona Ward.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.