As a follower of the Shirley Jackson Awards, I was always frustrated with my inability to find a copy of this book after it won back in 2019. Now that I've got my hands on it, I can see why it won -- it is suitably twisty and dark and does a great job of unfolding its story via flashbacks and unreliable narration (whose unreliability is revealed at a tantalizing pace). Certain parts of the plot I don't know if they totally stand up to retrospective scrutiny, but it's a very good read and I'm keeping my eyes peeled for Ward's subsequent work.

The nitty-gritty: A beautiful, horrible tale of inescapable family ties.

Catriona Ward has a gift for creating characters who are bound together in awful ways, but who love each other fiercely despite the horrible things they do to each other. In Little Eve, that family is a group of six people who live in seclusion in a decrepit mansion in Scotland. Uncle believes that a great sea snake will arise from the ocean and change the world, and in typical cult leader fashion, he’s grooming his “family” members to go along with him, do his bidding, and most of all, suffer for the cause. This is a chilling story with some nice twists, beautifully constructed and executed, and it’s my second favorite Ward story after The Last House on Needless Street (that one is going to be hard to top, IMO)

The story alternates between the past and present, beginning with an event that occurred in January of 1921. A young man named Jamie MacRaith is delivering a side of beef to Altnaharra, the castle where Uncle and his family members live. But the gate to the castle, usually locked, hangs open, so Jamie decides to investigate. On an altar near an abandoned church, Jamie discovers a horrific site: five bodies are laid out on the stone, arranged in a star shape. Each one has its right eye gouged out, and upon further inspection, Jamie discovers that one of the people is still alive. The girl is Dinah, and the four other bodies are Nora, Elizabeth, John and Sarah. Dinah is in great pain but tells Jamie that her sister Eve killed them and escaped.

Next we jump back to the year 1917, where Eve narrates the story and explains the events leading up to the murders in 1921. Eve lives with her family Dinah, Abel, Elizabeth, Alice, Nora and Uncle. Uncle overseas a ritual called the seeing, where members of the family are given the opportunity to “see” through the eyes of Hercules, the snake he keeps for this purpose. Uncle controls his family by doling out scant bits of food and a horrific punishment called Wane, where the offender is locked in the cellar for days with no food, water or light. The youngest members of the family dread these punishments, but Nora, who has been there the longest, believes in Uncle’s teachings and everything he asks them to do. Uncle warns them of the “Impure,” those who aren’t blessed with his knowledge of what’s to come. The younger ones attend school in the nearby village—Uncle insists on it so their family appears normal to outsiders—but it’s a series of encounters with these townspeople that sends things spiraling out of control.

Ward’s writing drips with atmosphere and Gothic sensibility. The reclusive, crumbling castle, Uncle’s cruel punishments, the sense of gloom and darkness that hangs over the characters’ lives—all of it adds to the creepy feeling that things just aren’t right in Altnaharra. There are several mysteries within the story as well. Dinah and Jamie both give statements at the inquest after the murders are discovered, but are they telling the truth? Some of what they say just doesn’t add up. Ward’s fragmented way of telling her story adds to the confusion and keeps the reader guessing until the end.

There are so many heartbreaking moments in this story, I found it to be sad and depressing more than hopeful, although there are glimpses of happiness. Many sections were hard for me to read, especially the parts where Uncle refuses to feed his children because they’ve broken a rule (often a rule they didn’t even know about). Eve counts each bite of food—they are allowed a certain number of bites each day—enough food just to survive, never flourish. Sometimes they are “shunned,” which means the others must ignore the shunned person until Uncle says it’s over. There are even darker elements that could be triggers for some readers, like miscarriage, suicide and rape, so do be aware. But the characters, especially Eve, Dinah, Elizabeth and Abel, tugged at my heartstrings, and I wanted to jump into the story and save them.

Ward introduces a few “outside” characters who play pivotal roles in the story. One is Chief Inspector Christopher Black, who is part of the murder investigation in 1921, but who also appears earlier in the story when he suspects that John Bearings, the man also known as “Uncle,” is abusing his family members. I liked the way Black is used as a witness of sorts, a man who sees things through a completely different lens, and his observations make you question what’s true and what isn’t.

I especially loved one sequence of events that reminded me of Atonement. If you’ve read the book (or seen the movie), you might know what I’m talking about, but something happens where a seemingly innocent act causes a ripple effect that ends up ruining a bunch of lives. I know that sounds depressing, but it was so cleverly done!

Most of all, I loved the way the story changes as each character takes the stage to give their narrative. There are a couple of good twists at the end and some unexpected connections between characters. Nothing is quite as it first seems, which isn’t surprising because there are so many unreliable characters in this story. Little Eve won the Shirley Jackson award when it was first published in 2018, and I can see why. Highly recommended for fans of Catriona Ward and readers who love dark, atmospheric mysteries.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

I was hoping it would be a little more horror and a lot less HF. As a US reader, I found the atmosphere and locations to be kind of confusing. I obviously don’t know a lot about that area in that time frame, but I found myself so focused on the locations I missed a lot of the story.

I loved the cult setting though. I am really surprised she wrote this first! And in 2018! The authors note at the beginning was such a special touch. Knowing her side of the publishing story for this book was really cool!

This is my first book by this author, and it definitely won’t be my last!

Catriona Ward continues to prove what an amazing storyteller she is. This book pulls you in, and doesn't let go. Little Eve is a highly addictive story with amazing characters that brings the book so much depth, and engrossing plots.

This was my first book by Ward, and I can’t wait to read my next. A mysterious historical fiction, steeped with a gothic atmosphere. Eerie and suspenseful, at times a bit gruesome. The characters were interesting, some like-able and others intentionally not.
I didn’t see the twists coming, and the horror threaded through the story was perfect for Halloween (or whenever you want a dark, spooky read).
Note: the story, at its core, is unsettling and maybe not for those with some specific triggers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 stars. This was a Gothic, period, alternating pov story. Certainly a mystery, of sorts, more than anything spooky or horror adjacent. The premise of a man alone in a castle with 5 women and girls who he locks in, controls, starves, and subjects to poisonous snakes, in the name of a weird cultist snake worshipping group us as bad as it sounds. We are taken through events that lead to tragedy revealed at the start, through the eyes of several of the girls. Troubling on many levels, but intriguing enough to take me through fairly quickly.

"Little Eve" won the Shirley Jackson Award in 2018 but is only now reaching US readers, but story was well worth the wait! Readers familiar with "The Last House on Needless Street" and "Sundial" will find this a different type of story. Gothic and historical in nature, this book will appeal to fans of "We Have Always Lived in This Castle", early Simone St. James works, and the stunning and foreboding settings of Victoria Holt... as well as the twistiness of M. Night Shyamalan's films. Catriona Ward is masterful in her depiction of post-WWI Scotland, the pain and sadness of the time woven within the story such that one sees the suffering of history alongside the context of Eve's own horror. Tongue is a remote Scottish village with one foot in modern times and the other mucked in the old ways and secrets of Altnaharra. The castle Altnaharra is a character in and of itself, lending doom and gloom, and the intersecting beauty and ugliness of nature. The feeling of hunger and suffocation is pervasive as the story unravels. How much is true, how much is supernatural, and how much is manipulated is for the reader to unravel. Like her later works, Ward's "Little Eve" examines the horror of the human psyche and examines the construct of faith. When they intersect, what could possibly go wrong?

4.5 enthusiastic stars, and an absolutely gorgeous cover!

Thank you to #NetGalley and @TorNightfire for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I absolutely loved The Last House on Needless Street. It was one of my top books of 2021. So, this review is a huge case of it's me and not the book. I think I was expecting more of Last House going into this one. That's on me. I will definitely recommend it to others to check out.

Historical fiction is not my usual genre so I had a rather hard time getting through this book. At times the story felt longer than it was. This is the first Catriona Ward book I have read and though it was tough to get through it, I did have moments of enjoyment which make me eager to read more from the author.

Read this if you like: Gothic vibes, cult stories, atmospheric

This is the story of a cult led by a man, consisting of two women and four children. They are in a remote Scottish castle two hours from any village. Young Eve is one of the children in this cult that is preparing for the end of the world. The Adder is coming and someone will inherit its powers. They all want the honor, but young Eve is willing to do anything for the distinction.

A reckoning beyond Eve’s imagination begins when Chief Inspector Black arrives to investigate a brutal murder and their sacred ceremony goes terribly wrong. Soon all the secrets of Altnaharra will be uncovered.

Wow. I have never read a historical thriller before. I love the creepy gothic vibes of this book. It's so perfectly weird and original. I'm just in shock. This is my first by this author and won't be my last. Highly recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and MacMillan/Tor/Forge for the gifted e-book! ❤️

Off the windy coast of Scotland a clan prepares the end of the world. They believe the prophet the Adder would come and one lucky person of the cult will inherit his powers. They all want that kind of power, especially Eve. But when Inspector Black comes the ceremony starts to go wrong and this set Eve in motion. This cult clan has been practicing this ritual waiting for this immense power.

It sort of reminded me of The Exorcist in way of power and rituals. We learn the story of the family and how all these rituals came about and how bizarre they are.. It’s a very creepy, psychological gothic read, and Catriona has a way of getting under your skin with her stories. I try not to bite my nails, but every time I read her stories, I realize I sit there devouring it as well as the side of my thumb nail.

Power and the end of the world are two things that make a great wild story and that’s definitely not lacking in this story. The pacing builds the creepiness and the feelings of isolation can be felt, really just makes the story much more.

This was quite strange and very slow paced but the ending picked up and got more interesting. Overall very conflicting feelings about this

33% in and a big old DNF. I loved Ward's Needless Street, and when I saw this was being rereleased I was excited. However, this was just not great. I am 1/3 in and nothing is happening. It is much too slow and the building is repetitive.

I may go back to this eventually and edit my rating. But as of now this is a hard pass.

Early on in the 20th century, off the coast of Scotland on the isolated island of Altnahaara, the Adder is imminent. A cult of worshippers, devoted to a mythical serpent, are ushering in the end of the world. Destruction is coming, and the foretold rebirth along with it. But when a murder investigation causes the apocalyptic ritual to run amok, the secrets of the isle rise to the surface, threatening to burst.
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LITTLE EVE is technically not a "new" novel from Catriona Ward - it was first published in 2018 & is now getting a wide release in 2022. That timeline is important, because now that it's coming after THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET & SUNDIAL, LITTLE EVE feels lesser in many ways.
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Ward is up to her old tricks - swapping POVs, non-linear timelines, pinball plot twists - but they're tricks that she executes stronger in the aforementioned releases. Here they're clunky & artificial. They feel in service of narrative vanity rather than of the story itself.
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This book feels like a stepping stone, which makes sense because it was written earlier on in Ward's career. It's clear that she was still finding her footing as a writer & as a storyteller. There are nuggets of an exceptional story in this book, & I think that's what makes it so disappointing. The sharp premise & moody atmosphere are both intriguing, but the execution of the characters & plot misses the mark. There's a lot of throwing ideas at the proverbial wall to see what sticks, & the result is, ultimately, a mess.
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LITTLE EVE wants to be much more than it is. It wishes to be a wave - rising, rising up to the top of the sky - but in reality it's nothing more than a rock, sinking straight to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
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Thank you to Tor Nightfire & NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I received both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. This book was re-released on October 11, 2022 however it was previously published in 2019. It has one several awards and I can see why. It its very atmospheric and pretty dark. I would recommend looking up trigger warnings before reading. I didn't think it was particularly scary, but it is disturbing. This definitely includes child abuse and what I would consider grooming, there is also animal harm and body harm. Eve and her "siblings" are taken in by a man who kind of runs a cult that worships an entity of the sea, so there is also cult worship behavior.

This book was tough to listen to on audio because of the disjointed timeline. I often found myself referring to the print ARC because I felt like I missed something. The storyline is confusing because of the way the timeline jumps around to keep the reader in the dark prior to the reveal. I thought the reveal was creative and it took me a good bit of the book to figure out what was happening. I did eventually figure out most of what was going on but the final reveal was actually pretty good. This has some pretty decent twists and turns. I thought the alternating POVs worked well with the alternating timeline and thought the author did a good job bringing everything back together in the end to wrap things up.

I thought the world building in this was great! Ward's descriptions of Altnaharra and Eve's visions really put you into the setting. This was also very atmospheric, if you enjoy gothic style horror/thriller novels this is a good one to pick up. My only real complaint was the confusing nature of the timeline. I found it really hard to keep track of what was happening alternating between Eve and Dinah's perspectives and the large jumps in time between the different chapters. I don't think that would have been quite a big an issue had I read the book in print, but it was harder to keep track on audio. I'm thankful I had both the audio and the print arcs to reference when reading so I could keep track of what was going on. In the end I enjoyed this dark and twisty book. I don't think this is going to be for everyone given the uncomfortable subject that unfolds as Eve grows up and more information regarding the murder of her family comes to light.

Overall, I this is a good read if you are looking for a dark and twisty tale as we enter the spooky season.

A solid read for the Halloween season!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advance copy to read and review.

I loved the opportunity to read this earlier work after reading The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial. There are some similarities, but this is very much its own thing. Loved the strong sense of setting and atmosphere, in particular.

Hello Catriona Ward, one of my auto-read authors! You managed to make me sit down and finish the story in one sitting because I knew you were hiding some twists and turns in there. I'm not going to make movie references not to spoil it for others, but wow, wow, wow! And I saw there will be another coming in next year, so I like that how you have these ideas keep on coming, feeding my horror loving persona.

Here we have a quite messed up cult with one man, two women and bunch of kids (all girls, except for one - who shouldn't have been there). I guess you understand why male/female distribution is so important and telling. It has many levels of abuse (both adult and child) and display's of "Uncle" the cult leader's master manipulation skills. Also since when snakes come out of ocean to be Gods?! This is what he made them to believe.

But most important and hardest to manipulate skill of humankind is survival. It doesn't matter how much you are brainwashed; when it comes to doing to thing to guarantee your survival, you won't listen to anyone. All the twists and turns in this story stem from that instinct and that only. In short, Ward writes, I read!

As soon as I heard about Little Eve, I immediately wanted to read it. The Last House on Needless Street is one of my all-time favorite books, so I was so excited to read another of Catriona Ward's books. Similar to The Last House on Needless Street, Little Eve begins in a way that the reader is unsure about what is going on at first. However, as you continue reading, the pieces fall into place and things become clearer.

Ward is a masterful storyteller who excels at writing horrific books showcasing the worst of humanity with an unreliable narrator. She is excellent at making the reader think they know who the antagonist is, only to completely flip everything you thought you knew about the characters. Little Eve is a Gothic, atmospheric book, where the castle on Altnaharra feels like a character in the book because it is so vividly described that it comes to life.

Little Eve was another five star read by Catriona Ward! It's safe to say I'll read anything she writes.

Content warnings: child abuse, sexual assault/rape, religious cult, murder, miscarriages.

*Thank you to the publisher, Catriona Ward, and NetGalley for the eBook ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Little Eve is my first read from Catriona Ward, but it certainly won't be my last. Skillfully written, the slowly developed sense of unease comes largely through the flat, matter-of-fact way characters relate horrific details, and the non-linear story swirls and shifts under you, so you never feel entirely sure where the story is headed. Haunting and impossible to put down.

Thank you Tor Nightfire for the advance review copy.