Little Eve was heartbreaking, dark, atmospheric, and also introduced me to a character that I would- without hesitation- hit with a car.

This book is very dark! A cult thriller with lots of twist and turns. I enjoyed the story and the characters even though it was hard to read with what was happening to them. The perfect book for the spooky season! Thank you NetGalley for giving me this advance copy to read and review.

Having read a couple of her books I was very excited for the opportunity to read this book . I was not disappointed!

The eeriest read this fall! The key to her books for me is not to dwell on what I'm reading or try to think the plot ahead - just go with the words and the feeling they invoke. Mystery, strange surroundings and creepy people are her forte. The queen of mystery!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I'll read anything Ward writes! I'm so glad this author is now getting published in the US. Her ability to weave stories between past and present is brilliant. And once again, this book chilled me like her others!

I've read a couple of Cartiona Ward books now and I have to say she is a solid author. Every book I have read has been a good time. She has a nice writing style that flows well and keeps you interested in the story.

Little Eve is both truly terrifying and totally believable as well as being creepy af. It’s the perfect way to get into the Halloween mood regardless of the month you are reading it.

In these modern times, it is hard to believe in vampires or other traditional horror tropes. Catriona Ward, the author of the terrific book, The Last House on Needless Street, uses a remote Scottish island, an apocalyptic cult and a found family to stir up real fear in the hearts of her readers.

The book begins with a butcher delivering a side of beef to a remote Scottish estate. What he finds is horrific. It’s 1921. A family has been killed along with a village girl. One sister survives. Another sister, and the presumed perpetrator, is missing. All six have one eye gouged out. How could this have happened? What could have caused the missing girl to try and kill her entire family? We then go back to 1917 to discover Little Eve’s side of the story.

If you want a fresh take on horror, any of this author’s books are perfect. But if you want an eerie atmospheric gothic tale, don’t miss Little Eve. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

This is dark and gothic and absolutely perfect for a spooky October read. She has absolutely nailed the dark atmospheric writing, and by the end I had no idea why anyone would ever want to go to the island it takes place on. 
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This is tough to describe any kind of synopsis, so just know that it starts off with a brutal murder and then flashes back to show the reader the background of the super creepy cultish "family" that lives on an isolated Scottish isle. 
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I'll admit I was really confused through a lot of the book, and it took me a long time to get into it. But about halfway through I stopped trying to understand everything that was going on and just let myself get immersed in the creepy atmosphere. 
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I would recommend if you're looking for something dark, but just prepare yourself for a slower read, it took some time to get through. 
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Thanks to @netgalley and @tornightfire for the copy.

Synopsis: “A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away.”

On the wind-battered isle of Altnaharra, off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth.

The Adder is coming and one of their number 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.

And soon all the secrets of Altnaharra will be uncovered.
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There is very little I love more than a new (or newly republished) Catriona Ward book, so you can imagine my excitement when I saw Little Eve on my upcoming list. Ward writes stories that transport you to another world immediately, and while I didn’t love this as much as Needless St and Sundial, Eve was still pretty great. There’s a reason I beeline to request these books as soon as humanly possible. I’ve seen in reviews that Eve is a little convoluted, which is true, but it doesn’t affect the overall story too much.

I’d recommend Ward’s books all day, every day, so this is 100% a biased review. Take that as you will.

Thanks so much to TorNightfire, NetGalley, and Edelweiss for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Little eve by @catward66 is a gothic horror tale with layers of mystery in it. The opening of the book is shocking and creepy.
Its a story about a cult led by one man and couple of women and their children living in a remote Scottish castle. Its extremely atmospheric and full of unreliable characters. The story is gripping and keeps you guessing till the end with its unexpected twists.
However there are some trigger warnings, as there are a lot of murder scenes and bizarre rituals being followed by the family which actually gives it a touch of underlying darkness!
Thank you MacMillan-tor forge for my digital review copy

This was a very creepy atmospheric novel. I felt it had a slow start and was a bit confusing at times. It was a true gothic story and the setting helped contribute to the unsettling feeling I got while reading/listening to this. I enjoyed the detective POV as I like a good investigative story. Overall it was not really for me sadly but I can see how someone who loves gothic horror would love this story.

Thanks to Macmillan-Tor for my digital ARC of this book.

Little Eve belongs on lists with the gothic classics. Everything about this novel is hauntingly beautiful, from the cover to the way it's written.

Little Eve starts off with James MacRaith finding a gruesome scene while making a delivery to Altnaharra. I was gripped from that point and did not want to put it down. The pace was occasionally a little slower, but I never felt like it dragged on or that I was losing focus. I liked how the characters' relationships and perspectives fluctuated throughout the novel. There were times that the isle felt like it was a character as well which added a new layer for me.

Little Eve was the perfect October read...a dark, twisty psychological horror novel. I look forward to reading more from Catriona Ward.

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

Little Eve by Catrina Ward

While Little Eve is different than Catrina Ward’s other books, I still really enjoyed every minute of it.

This book includes so many of the plot features and elements that I look for when deciding what to read. The cult? Creepy. In this book the cult consisted of only one family and that actually made it that much scarier to me. I felt hopeless for the characters knowing they were stuck with only each other for help. You’re also following dual timelines which I love. Being able to discover what led to the awful event that this book centers around while simultaneously and seamlessly experiencing the outcome of that event kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what exactly happened. (I don’t want to say too much because #spoilers). You also have small town drama. Count me in.

Ward perfectly captured the gothic vibe in this book. At the beginning I was reminded so much of Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in this Castle.”

My only complaint is that I didn’t find the big twist that much of a surprise. But, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the ride. I highly recommend this book to fans of gothic literature.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This is now the second book I’ve read by Ward and, while it was different than the other I’ve read (The Last House on Needless Street), the similarities cement her in my mind as a go-to for horror books.

Some words I’d use to describe Little Eve are atmospheric, gothic, and gruesome. Somehow the depictions of the island and its inhabitants are both bleak and dreary while also being incredibly vivid and evocative. While I found the plot in general to be fairly guessable, I was still riveted by the the general creepiness of the book, which is mostly conveyed by its setting and the overall aura of uneasiness. The dual timelines and non-sequential scenes also elevated the sense of mystery.

Personally historical fiction is always hit or miss for me, and in this case I had a hard time getting into the cadence of the speech. But if you want to pick up a good book to read for spooky season, I’d recommend this on the vibes alone. I’m looking forward to checking out more of Ward’s stories in the future!

Thank you to Tor Books - Nightfire and Netgalley for the ARC

Wow, okay. Okay! I'm writing a review... I'm doing it...

Seriously though? I don't know how to review this because this is such a convoluted book. It's got a small family cult, a snake, and a location that is perfectly isolated and eerie. Little Eve is an atmospheric novel where each step that Uncle makes is more twisted and harmful than the last.

I loved Eve and was constantly on the fence with Dinah. Poor Abel, my heart broke for his awful treatment. And even though they were all in a terrible situation, I enjoyed watching Eve bloom.

I think that's about all I can say because otherwise, I would spoil the book. The slow unfolding, the meandering storytelling, and how your senses come to realize what is really happening is what I enjoyed the most. I figured out a few things ahead of time but kept on reading because Ward can tell a story, and this is a book you don't want to put down. Thank you, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, for sending this along!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Little Eve is an earlier work from Catriona Ward, originally published internationally in 2018 and having won a few awards, and only now has gotten an “official” US release. While I am still new to her work and likely wouldn’t have known the difference, I am glad that its history was acknowledged upfront, especially with the accolades it has received. And while I’m still fairly new to horror, I feel those awards absolutely are merited.

Ward is a master of capturing atmosphere in a creepy, immersive way, and her depiction of Altnaharra is no exception. Scotland and the adjacent islands are a region rich with magic and mystery, and Ward impeccably depicts that, as well as a complex, toxic spin on clan dynamics.

Structurally, Ward makes good use of the complex timeline of the novel, weaving back and forth in time. It makes for a creepy exploration of the familial relationships, with multiple bloody murders along the way. It ultimately culminates in a jaw-dropping twist that I did not see coming.

This is another winner from Catriona Ward, and one I’d recommend both to her established readers who may have missed it the first time around and to other readers looking for an engaging horror novel about a dysfunctional family.

Raised on a wild island off the coast of Scotland, Eve and Dinah are two of the Children, a group of kids raised by a mysterious man they call Uncle. Eve wants the power of the Adder and Dinah longs to be explore beyond the island. One evening a local townsperson stumbles upon a horrific act of violence on the island, and so the mystery of what has happened begins.

Little Eve is a psychological Gothic horror story that will mess with your sense of time and perception. If you've read any of Ward's previous books, you know what to expect- confusion and unease almost throughout the entire novel. Nothing is ever as it seems. We jump from past to present and from perspective to perspective. The writing style is very dream-like, almost a frenzied, fever dream at times, and the plot is dark and twisted.

Even though for the most part I liked not knowing what was going on, at times it felt a bit too chaotic and unstructured. Something felt a little off with the pacing. Maybe that's what the author was going for, but it did take me out of the story at times.

Still, this was a great fall read and I still feel unsettled when thinking about the story-the sign of a great horror book! If you have enjoyed Ward's other books, if you like feeling uncomfortable while reading your horror, and if you like books about dark cults, I would definitely recommend picking up this book!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

This story at first was very difficult for me to get into. I’m not sure, but I felt a little overwhelmed by the story, but I’m glad I stuck with it because it was a really great read.

Eve lives in a castle called Altnaharra with a group of people that are led by a man they call Uncle. They are preparing for the end of days where they will all be returned to the sea and reborn.

Through chapters told in different times, we see the realities and consequences of the clan at Altnaharra and how Eve navigates her changing world.

A little cult-ish, a little gothic horror, and very much a discussion of human nature and the relationships we build.

By the end I was really invested in this novel and found it completely engrossing! Definitely deserving of the Shirley Jackson award, this is such a fresh take on horror.

This one is sadly going to be a DNF for me. I am obsessed with Catriona Wards newer works, and I think she is undeniably a phenomenal author. Gothic /historical fiction often doesn't work for me and I just think that's the case here. I'm sure that this book will find its audience though and I will gladly pick up all new work by Ward!

I love gothic mysteries and I love Scotland! This book is a bit on the slow side but the writing is lovely. I think the reader has to go into this knowing it’s not fast and explosive, but more subtly haunting, and they will find ways to appreciate it.

I loved The House on Needless Street and I found Little Eve to be equally fantastic. The beginning of the book was a little gruesome and shocking, but an excellent start to the story. The cult aspect of the story was fascinating although horrific. Eve was a brilliant character. Perfect Halloween read, this was so atmospheric. The castle, the sea, the town of Loyal, I was immersed. Off to read whatever else by Ward I can get my hands on! She is such a fantastic writer and has a way of describing things that is breathtaking.