Little Eve by Catriona Ward was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. I had never heard of this author before and I was tentative to read a book described by others as "gothic." The book was pretty slow and dialogue-heavy, which usually makes me skim through the book. This one I actually did not skim as the dialogue was interesting and easy to read. If you, or someone you buy gifts for like this author or "gothic" tales, please give this book a read.

4 stars

This was a surprising read. I did not know what to expect going in to this book, and every time I felt I had a handle on both the plot and the genre (horror, gothic, psychological suspense, mystery, coming-of-age), the book pivoted, and I couldn't stop reading. The characters are well-drawn, the setting is the bleakest of gothics, and the plot moved in a way that is hard to describe but kept me turning pages. Much like the award it won, I would recommend this to readers who enjoy more cerebral horror/gothic like Shirley Jackson or more recent gothic novels like Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic.

A splendidly gothic horror with an elusive titular character who grows up in an isolated cult in which nothing is as it seems.

I very rarely DNF an ARC but I just couldn’t manage finishing this book. I generally don’t mind a bit of gore but really struggled with some of the content in Little Eve and decided this one wasn’t for me. Fans of dreamy, gothic horror with a plot that creeps along will likely love this story but unfortunately it was too much for me. The writing is excellent and the author is a talented storyteller so I’m giving this 3 stars despite being unable to read more than about 50%

A grippingly addictive gothic mystery.
I could not put this book down! Disturbing, and clever, this book had me at the edge of my seat the entire time.
This was the first book I have read by Ward but I am absolutely a fan now.
A masterful genius with atmospheric writing, I highly recommend Little Eve.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire for the ARC of this eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Little Eve was an interesting read. It was a little different than what I'm used to - I found this one more fantasy than thriller, whereas I found Ward's other books to be more thriller/mystery-focused. I didn't love it like I loved The Last House on Needless Street, but there is no doubt that Ward is an exceptional writer and I always enjoy the journey she takes me on.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Set in an isolated castle on the Scottish Coast, Little Eve jumps between timelines over the course of about 30 years during the early 19th century. It’s dark, atmospheric, gothic, cultish and so so good! The first 20% was a bit slow for me but when it picked up, I didn’t want to stop reading. Eve is a confused, orphan girl, living in a cult with other children and women, ran by a creep they call “Uncle” who manipulates and controls the way any good cult leader would do.

I was constantly wondering if they believed what Uncle was telling them, or whether they were happy there or not. I loved the end twist, which I was expecting but still pretty happy with. Little Eve will be published October 11th, thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for my advanced copy.

Little Eve blew me away. So carefully woven. I had to make myself put it down to sleep last night and greedily finished it this morning.

Wow. I loved this book!! I can see why it got so much acclaim and love honestly. This is a lush horror story with gorgeous prose. This gothic tale is mesmerizing, i loved the atmosphere and the cult plot was fast paced and very interesting. Both Dinah and Eve were very compelling characters, the plot and twists were interwoven in a magnificiente way.

I started reading this book yesterday and I just couldn’t stop . This book isn’t very good it is freaking awesome. Oh my I have a book hangover from this book. If you’re a fan of gothic horror this book is for
you .

Little Eve by Catriona Ward

Gahhhh this book was goooood!! I thought it was a fantastic mishmosh of Gothic horror, whodunit, and wtf.

Definitely worth checking out when it comes out in the U.S. in October.

This is the second book I've read by this author, the first being The Last House on Needless Street, and I have to say... Catriona Ward is fast becoming an auto-buy author when I'm looking for something dark and chilling.

Little Eve is told in dual POVs, and features a cult storyline. Eve and Dinah live with their "family" on an isolated estate in a small town in Scotland. This story starts out with a young butcher discovering the bodies of the family laid out in a ritualistic pattern. Then the timeline jumps back and forth between the before and after of this terrible discovery. Readers get to know the family and it doesn't take too long to figure out that something very, very wrong is going on in that house.

I never really knew what was going on, until the very end. I will tell you that I stayed up until the early hours of the morning to finish. I was riveted to the page. Little Eve is a gripping, sinister tale, and the ending a dark surprise.

After a quick intro from Dinah (who is introduced more thoroughly later on), the story opens with Jamie MacRaith, a veteran of the War who has returned to his hometown and taken on the job of town butcher. He is up early the day after a tremendous storm to deliver a side of beef to the inhabitants of the Castle of Altnaharra. What he finds are dead bodies arranged in the shape of a star.

We are then taken to the past where we are introduced to Evelyn, or Little Eve. The book goes on to recount the details of the lives that live at Altnaharra and the ritualistic behaviors by which they exist. There is Uncle, the patriarch, the one and only adult male. We meet Nora and Alice two adult females. Then there are the children: Dinah, Abel, Evelyn, and Elizabeth. In the first sequence of scenes, we read that Nora and Alice are “encased in creamy linen from head to toe” and that “the girls will all wear the white, some day.” They are awaiting the sunrise. Uncle has already given them honey from his hands and drawn blood on their fingertips. The drop of blood from each finger drops to the earth as the sun appears.

Right away, there is an inkling of what this is, but no foreshadowing of the maze of events that will trap the reader until it is too late, and we are gripped in an engrossing journey of sinister desires and deception. Family bonds, sibling relationships, love, trust, fear…these are all explored and tested, and at the center of it all is Little Eve.

Little Eve is an absolutely exquisite book. I am so thankful that it is being reprinted as I may have never discovered this gem without receiving an ARC of this newest edition. This book comes with my highest recommendation. I encourage everyone to give it a read.

This is my second novel by this exciting new author to the Gothic Genre. Well played Catriona Ward! Absolutely devoured this book in one sitting...I could not come up for air.

This is a passionate tale that is guaranteed to take the reader deep into the story until the final pages.

Much like her previous novel, "Needless Street", you think you know exactly what is what until you realize that error!!!

Absolutely riveting!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Catriona Ward and TOR Publishing for the opportunity to read this amazing advanced readers copy of "LITTLE EVE".

3.5 stars.

(I originally discovered Catriona Ward with "The Last House on Needless Street" which is now one of my all time favourite books, I knew that I absolutely had to read all her work.)

This turned out to be not what I was expecting but I did enjoy it. A dark and mysterious whodunit set in the early 1900s. This was a slow burn but full of vivid imagery, twists and turns. There were parts that had me confused, mainly within the first half of the book that began to piece together and make sense towards the end but some things were missing, I felt I just needed a little bit more.
The story was character driven and I was really rooting for some and others I wanted to push off the cliff myself.

Overall, I had fun with this book. I read this as an ebook but I'm fairly confident that I will purchase a physical copy to re-read later in time. I think my biggest disconnect from the story was having to pause to look up meaning on a handful of words because the writing was fitting for that time period.

#LittleEve #NetGalley.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan/ Tor- Forge for sharing the digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my authentic review.

This is my first book by Catriona Ward, but I'm definitely going to read more. The different revelations throughout the book were skillfully done, the characters were incredibly real and fully fleshed out. I devoured this book and it left me with so many questions in a good way - I wanted to absorb more of this world, these people, where they came from and what led them down the paths they chose. I'll be recommending this to a lot of people.

I'm not surprised that this won the Shirley Jackson award. This book lands squarely on the crossroad of literary fiction and horror, the language is gorgeous, the setting tangible, and our protagonist reminds me of the narrator of We Have Always Live in this Castle. Trigger warnings for child abuse! This story was compulsively readable even when at times I wanted to shut the pages on the dark cult that follows the Adder and inhabits the moated castle in the Scottish highlands. Catriona Ward has a wicked imagination, and I will now be looking for her other books.

I absolutely loved Little Eve. The prose is beautiful, scary, and tense, creating an atmosphere that makes it feel like you are there with Eve. The story will keep you enthralled and guessing what will happen next.

This being the fourth of Ms Ward’s novels that I’ve read (Rawblood, Needless Street and Sundial being the previous), I kind of knew what to expect going in… beautiful, lyrical prose. Writing that absorbed me so fully that I actually thought I was in these places at times. And to be able to guess at least one twist, but never see the rest coming.

Little Eve did NOT disappoint. I had a bit of trouble with the language at first (I am a “dumb American”, after all), but it’s not something that I couldn’t get past. By the time I was about 20% in, I couldn’t put it down. I finished it in one sitting, only because I didn’t move.

I need Catriona Ward to write more books, because after reading this novel (and really before, if I’m being honest), she has become an auto-buy author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire and Catriona Ward for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Little Eve will be available in the US on October 11th, 2022.

This is the second book I've read from Catriona Ward and she is quickly becoming one of my new favourite authors.
Little Eve is, simply put, a story about faith and family and what both of those things look and feel like. It's about the limits we can push ourselves to (or be pushed to by others) in the name of something bigger than ourselves.
We get to see things from Eve And Dinah's points of view as we learn about the events leading up to a tragedy on a small Scottish island in the early 1900's.
It's beautifully written despite the grim subject matter. I loved it.

Please find attached my YouTube video review as well.