Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e arc of Little Eve by Catriona Ward .

This is a gothic fiction novel. 3 to 3.5*... rounding up because I did not finish it.
Synopsis: " Off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth. 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.."

3 things I liked:
1. The cover
2. The beginning
3. The atmosphere

3 things I disliked:
1. I could not get hooked in
2. Moved to slow for me
3. Did not attach to the MC

I decided to stop half way in and will try another of her books...if you like gothic reads or her other books give it a try.

Dark and monstrous, as I have come to expect from Ward! She captures human anguish and fragility and tenderness, alongside cruelty and violence and darkness, incredibly well. I see some reviews calling this gothic horror, but it felt more like folk-horror to me. I enjoyed everything about this book. The characters were wonderful, complicated, untrustworthy, messy, and relatable. No one was simple or underwritten, everyone felt (sometimes painfully) real. The writing and pacing were quite skilled. The story jumps between time periods, but not in a tricky or manipulative way, with each chapter title announcing what year it took place in, and this was a great device for this story. It allowed the story, along with expectations and ideas, to grow and swell and then crash against the shore as each new bit of information challenged what you thought you knew. The story, and the heartbreak of the story, is wonderful. Very dark, dealing with intense violence and trauma visited upon children, some of it explicit, but it never felt like it was being shocking for the sake of it, everything fit together really well. The ideas of family and faith and truth and identity are all wrapped up together as this story digs into you, like a knife slowly piercing the skin. There is a mystery element to the story, and having read two other novels by Ward I was able to guess a lot of the ending reveals before they happened, but that didn’t make the journey less enjoyable. Also, they weren’t telegraphed in any painful or obvious way, the story was incredibly tight and a joy to read, it never felt like it was plodding along or wasting time. It is simply a familiarity with the depths of emotional twists that Ward has shown in other novels that let me guess what might be happening.

I know this was actually Ward’s second novel, written before “The Last House on Needless Street” or “Sundial,” even though it is being newly published after those novels in the USA. It doesn’t feel sophomoric, though. It feels like an author in command of her voice and the story she wants to tell, even if that story is darkened by pain and despair. Although the subject matter was a little heavy, it was a delight to read, and it sped along. I didn’t want to put it down once I started, it was well-paced and enticing and shows that Ward really has a strong command of her craft.

I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfirewho provided a complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Little Eve takes place in Scotland in the early 1900's. In a castle surrounded by water there lives a group of people. Strange and sinister things happen there. When the local butcher is set to deliver a slab of beef he discovers the inhabitants of the house dead, apparently murdered in a gruesome ritual. There is only one survivor. The story alternates between past and present and for most of the book we get two narrators, the suspected murderer Eve, and the survivor Dinah.

The book starts off very slow. After the creepy opening we are introduced to the characters. This takes a while because a lot of time is spent on the setting. Everything is described well but after a while I thought it was too much. I just wanted to get to the story.

The group of people are living in a cult but other than that it's hard to figure out what is going on. The book is very confusing throughout. It feels purposeful. The characters are very odd and since some of them had grown up in this cult we have no information about, they are very unreliable narrators. It's hard to figure out what's going on when the characters see and live in the world in such a way. The whole thing feels dreamlike.

I think many readers will like the gothic feel and descriptive, haunting writing but Little Eve is not the book for me.

Ward's talent is in making you uncomfortable and keeping you there as you frantically search the pages for crumbs of relief. Even though this was written before the masterwork known as The Last House on Needless Street, you can tell that balancing of the terror, the comfort in the known, and the need for release is both present and knife-sharp throughout the novel. There's an ease with the empty spaces in a narrative, too, implying the horror and letting it grow on in your mind. There are single lines in this book I'm still working out the implications of. She's also got a handle on how to deliver the answers to your mysteries in both satisfying and impactful ways.

✨𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨✨
ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴇᴠᴇ
ʙʏ: ᴄᴀʀᴛʀɪᴏɴᴀ ᴡᴀʀᴅ

Opening with a grisly discovery that launches a murder investigation, we find ourselves on the beautiful, yet dark isle of Altnaharra. It is situated off the coast of Scotland, and is only accessible as the tide sees fit.

Eve is one of the few “chosen” living on Altnaharra , which is as much a character as it is the setting. She and her “family” are awaiting the Adder’s return from the sea. The Adder speaks through their “Uncle ” and his snake Hercules, who he consults to find his successor. He does this by putting the children through rigorous fasting, bloodletting ceremonies, snake bites, and solitary confinement. He also continuously gaslights them causing them to go against one another. Eve and the others are all vying for the distinction to be the successor and will do whatever it takes to stand out as “chosen”. This leaves us with muddied perspectives and very unreliable narrators.

Weaving back and forth through the timeline, we come to realize how limited the children’s off isle experiences are. They received very limited schooling and this accompanied by off-putting experiences with people on the mainland solidifies their belief that Altnaharra is the only safe place. Under Uncle’s watchful eye, this leads to their eventual and total isolation.

“Little Eve” is a slow-burning descent into the unraveling of Altnaharra amidst a who-dunnit murder mystery soaked in small town superstition and lore. With timeline shifts and alternating perspectives you’re left with a very dizzying conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan-Tor/ Forge, Tor Nightfire for the Arc

I had no expectations going into this read other than knew it was a gothic horror, which are usually my jam! However, I just could not find my bearings with this book. The first half of the book was confusing and dry. I did enjoy pieces and parts so it was not all for not. Although, once I did get to the meat of the book at 60% I was just annoyed that build up was so long for a lack lustre ending.

I don’t know what I just read.

Seriously, I don’t know. I think maybe the author was high when she wrote it. Or maybe I needed to be high while reading it.

I almost gave up at around the 15% mark because I wasn’t connecting with the story. And I was confused. So very confused. But then things started picking up, catching my interest to keep me reading. But…

But. But. But.

The timeline jumps around. A lot. For no reason that I could see. In fact, I think the story would’ve been much better if told in a linear timeline, instead of the jumbled mess I felt I was reading.

Did I mention that I was confused?

I didn’t care about any of the characters. The why of it all was never revealed.

I should’ve called this a DNF at 15%, because the story just wasn’t for me.

But, here’s another but. The storytelling style is unique and entertaining. Some readers have loved it, so please ignore me and give the book a try if the premise appeals to you.

This was a great, creepy, gothic read. It lost me a few times after I thought I had a grip on what was happening and I loved that about it. It was the perfect amount of creep and gore without being excessive and the twists were more effective than some other books I’ve read because there were a fair amount of moments that you DID see coming. If this book loses you at any point, just hold on because the ending is nothing like what you may anticipate. The scenery and tumultuous weather make this an excellent book to read around Halloween as well. It’s so worth the read! Highly recommend.

A reclusive family in the secluded isle in rural Scotland, deaths, and the dark secrets that lie within. The story follows two girls who are raised in this family... or rather cult. Dinah and Evelyn are our main characters who are raised with Elizabeth and Abel in a family with three adults: Nora, Alice, and “Uncle”. Uncle is the Adder, an intimidating leader who has raised them to believe that he has powers given to him by the snake like ocean deity they all have to worship and serve. The story begins with the deaths and murder of the family members with only Dinah and Evelyn surviving. This is a gothic murder mystery along with a cult like family and folk-tale aspects. The children in the family are raised to believe that there is a snake in the ocean that has powers and that by worshipping it, they will be part of the “pure” who will be the last remaining people on earth with the snake deity comes and kills away the rest of the “impure.” The children are abused and drugged and made to believe that everything is being done for their own good, so when a police inspector comes to try and save them.... Evelyn begins to see what is really happening to her family and what they are suffering. The question then becomes, whether she can save her family before its too late or will they all die... and who really killed the family? The story is confusing, it doesn’t really start to make sense until about 60% into the book. I’ve read the author’s previous works and really enjoyed them, and I did enjoy the gothic atmosphere and horror nature of the story. It was written beautifully, I was just a little bit lost while reading what was going on until the twist at the end where everything is tied up. Overall, this does make a good read for a nice cold afternoon with a cup of tea. It definitely is a good one to pick up for autumn and spooky reads.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

With Little Eve, Ward proves herself a modern master of the gothic whle giving the genre a psychological depth that few have attempted successfully. Combining gothic tropes with poetic language to conceal a complex mystery and horrific events, Ward has created a story that is absorbingly beautiful and disturbing in equal amounts. Once again, as with "Last House on Needless Street", she does incredible things with unreliable narrators to craft a lyrical, resonating work within a setting of sea and wind-swept stone that readers of bodice rippers and weird tales will alike enjoy.

Mrs. Radcliffe would be proud.

This book makes me want to go back and re-evaluate all of my other book ratings. This book is 10/10 or 15/10 if that's even possible to give. The writing is so beautifully haunting yet fierce with ghastly descriptions that it makes you want to curl onto the couch with a big fuzzy blanket and hot chocolate just to feel safe from the words you are reading. LIKE WUT. I can not wait for this to be released in the US, as I will be the first to buy a hard copy. Read some of my favorite lines from "Little Eve' below.

"I climb with him to my hidden place above the sea. It is surrounded by boulders, covered with lichen and gull droppings and olf seaweed thrown here by storms. There is a strong odour of dead fish. It is the haunt of many sand fleas. No one comes here but me."

"Cheese hangs like dead men in the cold air. There are pots of Altnaharra honey, trays of salt taken from the sea, preserves gleaming in rows. All ready to be taken to market in Tongue. I finger the pear in my pocket. I think of the juice running down my chin. I think of sinking my teeth into crumbling white ewe's cheese. But Uncle would know."

"A screaming begins. The cacophony of a hundred thousand voices shouting instructions in an alien tongue. I have no choice; my blood and nerves have become the voices. If they told me to fly into an open fire I would do it. I am not one but many, feeding the great, combed entity of the hive."

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the ARC! This is a great psychological, twisty read. This book is full of gothic horror and a disturbing cult where no one is safe and escape seems impossible. It's a great read for the fall.

Book Title: Little Eve
Author: Catriona Ward
Publisher: Macmillan-Tor/Forge
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Horror
Pub Date: October 11, 2022
My Rating: 3.4 stars

I was attracted to this as I read and actually liked [book: The Last House on Needless Street] it was certainly a different read for me and turned out better than expected.
I went into this one trying NOT to have a high expectation.

Sisters ‘Little Eve’ and Dinah are two orphans who live in a mansion with Uncle and their 'family' ~ two other children and two women. The mansion is located on Altnaharra, off the Coast of Scotland.
Eve loves it there. It is all she knows save for the memories of a woman singing. She and her 'sister' Dinah are close, and Eve hopes one day to inherit Uncle's power. Dinah hopes for something else.

As war breaks out, things change drastically. Eve begins to question the things and people in her life. Then one night there is a terrible, terrible storm.

Book starts out with ‘The Author’s Note’ (I always love reading both the author’s notes as well as the acknowledgements so this was great that it was at the beginning and not at the end. However, the end has some fun things ~ the Acknowledgements and a ‘Readers Guide’

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 11, 2022

I really, really tried to like this one. There were things I liked and things I didn’t. I loved the setting and the time period, I didn’t like the actual story though. It was kind of confusing, and parts did not make sense to me. Idk, others may like this, it just was not my cup of tea.

I haven’t read this author’s previous books so I had no expectations coming in. That being said, after a slow start, I enjoyed this book, centered on a child named Eve who is raised within a cult off the coast of Scotland.

I had a hard time getting into the book initially and wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. To be honest, I’m not sure I still understood everything after I finished. That being said, I really enjoyed the last 70% of the book, once I got a better idea of what was happening. Eve’s questioning and subsequent realization of what she is dealing with was interesting to me and felt authentic of someone of her age. I also always enjoy when an author isn’t afraid to kill off primary characters. The end is the book was good and provided some twists that I did not see coming.

Overall, this was an interesting horror book. I always say I don’t like reading about cults but then I often enjoy many of these books after all. I didn’t feel like I truly understood everything but the character development, the surprises, and the dark content kept me fully immersed. I’d give it 3.5 stars at the end of the day. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange doe an honest review.

Evelyn is raised in a mysterious, reclusive family unit on a secluded isle in rural Scotland. Along with other adolescents Dinah, Abel, and Elizabeth, there are three adults: Nora, Alice, and Uncle. Uncle is the Adder, an intimidating leader imbued with powers by the ocean-deity they worship and serve. The story begins with a shocking act of violence that has left everyone on the island except Dinah dead.

This was an awesome ride. I have never read anything by this author before but I have heard good things and wanted to try this one even though horror/thriller is not my typical genre. And I am so glad I did! This is a strong book, well-written, with excellent scenery, leaning a little gothic although I thought she could've committed more to the house-as-a-character vibe, but what really stands out is how engrossing the story-telling is. I well and truly felt like I was being read a ghost story or watching a spooky movie, I could feel the rain falling and the stonework crumbling around me. Even though you know (from chapter 1) more or less how the characters' stories will end up, there is still a great sense of mystery, foreboding, and feels like a big 'reveal' is coming. Perfect for spooky season!

On the down side, I felt the story dragged a bit after the 50% mark. It definitely slowed down and I was more likely to put the book down and pick up my phone. I also wish there had been a bit of the actual "big reveal" feeling written into the characters' narration (does that make sense?). A lot of really shocking things happen (spoilers here>) we, along with Eve, find out that the truth about Him and the benison, and the honey, the truth about Uncle's past, and what he does during the ceremonies, about Dinah's betrayal, about her mother! twice!, but Eve/our narrator delivers most of this information in a flat affect, letting her sadness and mourning wash over us, but felt none of her shock. Even when Abel has killed himself, she sort of gives us this information in a way that makes it feel as though it was an inevitability. I'm torn on this subject because I like the way it was given to us, in this slow-moving gothicky sort of tone, rather than in earth-shattering revelations, but looking back on it, it feels untrue to the story and I think is part of what made the story drag a bit.

Also, this is just a personal preference, but I kind of wish we had been left with one or two questions about Eve's character/motivations at the very end. I would like a hint that perhaps things did not go exactly as she has said they went... perhaps she is hiding something, in the end? But anyway the ending was nice and neat and can't complain about that. A good book and a great story!

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

"The world changes at night. Bad things from the beginning of the earth roam in the dark."

Cults of any kind just fascinate me. The power these leaders hold over their "followers" just makes my mind start going. It's intriguing to see and to read about. Yes, I'm weird but that's nothing new.

Catriona and I didn't start our reading relationship off on the right foot. The first novel I read by her was The Last House on Needless Street and that book was a huge letdown. The cat with deep thoughts was my favorite part. Since it didn't make my eyeballs bleed, I thought I would give this author another chance to wow me. This book turned my frown down towards the pits of hell even further.

I couldn't even finish this one. The writing didn't suck me into the story and the characters were too dull for my liking. It was like watching paint dry. No fun at all. The best thing about this was the cover. I'm sad at how sad this book made me.

There was a paragraph in this book that stopped me in my tracks. I mean, I could be overreacting but you be the judge of this. I know that I don't like it.
"Nora blows out the candle, then goes shuffling along the corridor. I hear her groan. She is so fat; no wonder."

Little Eve was supposed to be the book that brought the author and me closer together but it actually tore us apart even further. I think I'm done with books by this author. Well, Catriona, it was fun while it lasted but it's bon voyage for now.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Catriona Ward for the advanced copy of Little Eve in exchange for my honest review.

I knew going into this book that there is a certain "WTF-ness" to Ward's writing (it's something I love about her) but I still struggled with this one regardless. I truly felt like I had no idea what was going on until about 75% into the book. It felt almost too literary for my taste.

I found the last portion of the book entertaining, albeit a little predictable. I can definitely see why this was an award winning novel, it's just not 100% my taste.

Little Eve was originally published in 2018 but will be out in the US for the first time on October 11!

I received an advanced copy of Little Eve from Netgalley and was excited because I’ve heard great things about Catriona Ward. This book was deliciously dark and gothic, a perfect Scottish setting for the coming fall days. It was a tale about a secluded “family” living in a rundown castle on an island with strange rituals and preparing for the end of days. In the opening pages, a villager delivering food to the castle discovers their bodies, all missing an eye. Everyone in the family is dead except for Dinah, who is barely alive. From there, Dinah tells us the story about life on the island and with Uncle, the leader of their cult. She unravels the mystery of that fateful day and we learn the truth about their lives and their deaths.

The writing was haunting and gripping and the story was disturbing, so this won’t be for more sensitive readers. I found it perfectly creepy and it only crossed my personal lines in the tiniest of ways, which made the story that much more enthralling. Little Eve will be published on October 11, 2022 and is available to be pre-ordered. Did I say this is the perfect October read for those of us who enjoy the scarier side of things? Because it is. And I’m planning to read more by this author as the season shifts because I have a feeling I’m going to love all of her work.