Obviously an earlier work, Little Eve is not as polished or engaging as Ward's most recent accomplishments. A good horror setting, and it was interesting to see how Ward has evolved as a writer.

Nestled in the savage arms of the Black Sea off the coast of Scotland lies the Isle of Altnaharra.
Nestled in the wilderness of the grey isle are the Children, locked away in their castle under the care of Uncle.
Nestled even deeper yet, something sinister lurks beneath the surface of Little Eve's seemingly perfect family.

Just when I thought that Catriona Ward couldn't possibly get any better--I discover "Little Eve," winner of the Shirley Jackson award for best horror novel after a quiet debut in the UK, about to be published in the US.

"Little Eve" is a true, literary gothic masterpiece. Wrought with unsettling, deeply-atmospheric prose, it's both gorgeously-written and undeniably-captivating. Gothic fiction is a genre I long to love but find myself bored with; here, Ward blows the doors of conformity off of their hinges and delivers a literary tale that breeds terror and twists unlike anything I've read in a long time.

The beginning of the story beats with a steady pulse of dread as she builds the world of Altnaharra, and once the story gets going, it is so very worth the wait. Not a slow burn, but a masterfully-paced march into the unbridled horror of a Scottish Isle's wildness and the dark secrets it holds.

Eve, Uncle, Dinah, and the others each carry their own, somber histories, and somehow Ward weaves them seamlessly into the story while creating a crescendo of utter madness that comes together perfectly at the end.

Read this with a steaming hot cup of earl grey alongside a crackling October fire as a thunderstorm batters the windows, just as long as the doors are locked.

Little Eve is a moody, culty, period piece. It's riveting, and I recommend grabbing it on a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea and staying for the long haul. I loved this read!

Little Eve is a gothic horror that was especially dark and twisty. This book had the perfect vibes for the upcoming spooky season. The opening chapter of this book, left me especially intrigued and creeped out, with James finding the bodies at Altnaharra. Dinah is the only survivor.

As we are introduced to all the characters, Uncle definitely can't be trusted, he is the leader and rules his "family" with an iron fist. With the others, it's harder to know who can and can't be trusted. Especially as Eve starts to tell us the story of what led up to the murder.

The way the story was written had me wanting to keep reading, even though the story itself left me confused. At least until the end and the final truth is revealed.

I think this is my favorite book I've read from this author, the atmosphere was perfect, spooky, and creepy, and the way Eve told her story gave me chills.

Catriona Ward is a genius who never misses and this book is exact proof of that.

Little Eve is a fascinating and atmospheric read filled with beautiful writing and well-developed characters. I couldn't put it down! The author not only painted a rich portrait of the setting, but also did a great job in exploring the tight hold that cults have on people and how hard it is to break away, The many twists and surprises left me shocked as I never saw them coming, I re-read several scenes after finishing the book and consider my mind blown! Yet another haunting and unforgettable novel from the brilliant Cat Ward!

I loved Sundial by this author and was really looking forward to reading this one. It is an earlier book by her that has been released in the US, or about to be released her. To enjoy this book, you have to be willing to be immersed in the world she creates, a haunted disturbing world, an isolated family of sorts, waiting for salvation from the early 1900's. It was written, very well in that style/age but it made it much harder for me to read than a more present day novel. It is worth it

I really want to love Ward’s books but I just don’t seem to vibe with them. I do enjoy creepy gothic settings so that was definitely a positive but I just couldn’t get into this one. It seems there are a lot of cult books being published lately and I just don’t think they’re for me. This is also the second time the author has included animal abuse in the story which I am not a fan of.

“What has happened here? A terrible thing.”

Written in 2018, Little Eve is the second novel written by Catriona Ward. In 2019, it won the Shirley Jackson award for best novel as well as the British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel.

Despite its notoriety, October 11, 2022 will be the first time the book is set to be published in the U.S.

On a personal note, I devoured Ward’s last two books, The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial. She has easily become one of my favorite psychological horror writers. So naturally, I couldn’t wait to read the book that won two of the most prestigious awards.

…And this book is Golden!

Part Historical Fiction, Gothic, Horror, and Mystery, Little Eve is the the cult plot that outshines them all.

What is power? Who has it and how do they use it?

Ward explores emotions such as love and yearning in relation to what it means to belong to a family symbiotically attached to a place.

The characters feel isolated, trapped, but also reliant on each other due to their isolation. Despite these feelings, characters also forge a deep sense of sisterhood.

In 1920, while delivering meat to the castle on the isle of Altnaharra, Jamie MacRaith finds five people dead inside a stone circle, each with their right eyes removed.

But where is Eve? She is not among them.

Alternating between then and now, characters detail the history of the cult of Altnaharra, founded by John Bearings.

The lifelike characters, haunting setting, chilling suspense, and brilliant twists I did not see coming, set this book apart from all other cult mysteries.

Ward explains, “Little Eve made me into a writer. That award changed the fortunes of this book and my career.”

Bravo, Ms. Ward! These awards are 💯 well-deserved! I hope more are to come with the new release of this book in the U.S.

This book deserves all the praise and I highly recommend it to those who enjoy dark, disturbing, and twisty cult mysteries.

Trigger warnings: Animal abuse, cults, cutting, talk of rape, abuse

5/5 stars
Expected publication date: 10/11/22

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC of Little Eve in exchange for an honest review.

The author delivers with strong characters, and intricate plot, and atmospheric setting. I'm a new fan.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read.

Excellent gothic horror#

Catriona delivers an atmospheric tale full of family secrets, surprises, and spooky things that lurk in the dark.

The story is slow building but the intricate details and descriptions with give you goosebumps while you read.

Perfect read for this fall season.

I'm disappointed because I really enjoyed this author's book The Last House on Needless Street. But, everything about this book was different. Yes, it was more of a historical piece but, the writing, while poetic, made for a very confusing story. I just wasn't able to get into this book because I was having such a hard time following it. I guess this just isn't the book for me. However if this author writes another book closer to the writing style of her previous book, I won't hesitate to read it!

I had no idea what to expect with this book as it was my first book by this author. I was pleasantly surprised by the contents of this book and how engaging the subject matter was. The characters in this story were very complex and layered. This book was well paced and well written.

I'm very sad to say I DNF'd this book. I have loved her previous work so much and was very much looking forward to this but I just couldn't get into it. I might try it again at a later time but for now, it just wasn't working for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity

This book is so GOOD! I could not put it down. Catriona Ward is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Little Eve lives with her 'family' on a dismal little island off the coast of Scotland. However, as war breaks out, the life she is used to changes and both Eve and the readers will begin to question everything they thought was true.

Unreliable narration, a spooky remote island, shady characters, and a twisty plot. What is not to love about this book?! I cannot wait to recommend it to readers this fall looking for something gothic, atmospheric, and full of surprises.

This is my first book by Catriona Ward and it made me want to check her other books out. But I would need to recover from this first.

This book was dark and atmospheric, based solely on the blurb this is the type of book I usually steer away from, I don’t remember what made me interested to read this but I’m glad I did because it was an Experience. The writing was really good and the plot skillfully handled, my head spun with every twist the author laid down. The characters were not likable to me - at least not all the time - but they were all so layered and unpredictable; I don’t think a story like this would have worked had the characterization not been strong. They were also so wholly unreliable, I think this is a believe what or who you will type of book. I didn’t know what to expect with every turn of the page which is a factor for why I couldn’t put it down.

I didn’t expect to like this, with its gruesome nature and the unsettling feeling it gave me all throughout (with its opening chapter, I had to switch the lights on lmao). I thought this was a book I wouldn’t be able to handle but the content wasn’t as bad as I expected. I loved the setting and time period/s; the writing complimented it or in other words this didn’t have the issue of having “modern” language when it’s mostly set in the early 20th century. I’d recommend this to those who enjoy unreliable narrators and a good mystery.

Little Eve is a supremely creepy gothic horror novel. The chapters jump back and forth in time, before and after a horrific event occurs on the isle of Altnaharra, leaving most of its inhabitants dead. The isle is home to a small cult/family led by "Uncle", who uses his influence to control the others. I was easily pulled in by the mystery of this novel- what really happened on the isle? Very well written, though the gory depictions and scenes of abuse were not easy to read.

Little Eve is the 3rd book I have read by this author. I have thoroughly enjoyed all three. I loved the descriptions of the land they lived on & the tension I always felt trying to figure out what was really happening. Is it supernatural, a cult, a little of all???

Well worth the read. I finished it in just a few days. Several twists & turns in & I was hooked.

Ward weaves a wonderful twisted tale. The characters are complex, throughout the story I wasn’t quite sure who could be trusted. This is a dark, gothic slow-paced thriller. It took me about 20% into the story to get fully committed and the final outcome was well worth reading to the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the eARC.

Ok so this book was. A LOT. It gives a dark, cold, dreary, basically hopeless vibe. It takes place in Altnaharra off the west coast of Scotland and it's cold and miserable. Little Eve follows a cult/clan of people who believe that a sea creature named the Adder will bring about the end of the world and only one of them is worthy enough to inherit its awesome powers. But, when the police find that a ceremonial murder took place on the grounds of the castle, the secrets of Altnaharra and its past slowly start to become uncovered...

I felt like this book would be up my alley because I LOVE gothic books, but I just did not vibe with this one. Something about the cult aspect of it and just the overall helplessness of the main character Eve and her siblings? (but not siblings because they are NOT a family thank u very much) just being stuck there and basically trapped by the Adder. I did really enjoy the twists and turns involved and the explanations for why/how things happen, but this book just was not for me. Overall, 2.5 stars.