Catriona Ward is one of those authors that consistently ties my brain in a knot, and I love her for it. Even though I know a twist is coming, I can never figure it out. Usually that's my thing: I can figure out twists, but not with Little Eve, and not with the other two books of hers that I've read.
Little Eve is gothic to the core. The setting is dark and mysterious. The terror is slow and creeping. There's a damsel in distress, but who is it? I still don't know who I should have been rooting for, except maybe the author herself. Well-done, Catriona Ward.

Can someone please check in on Catriona Ward and make sure she’s ok? I mean mannnnnnn this was DARK. It was hard to plow through this one, I had to break it up in chunks because it felt so heavy and twisted. While I’m usually all for that, sadly it felt like this was just wave after wave of dark, cringe, and pain, without much characterization or story arc. I found it hard to want to stick it out and get to the end because I didn’t feel invested in anyone or unraveling the ultimate mystery.

Strangely, this lacked the typical big twist that I have come to expect from Ward, which made this feel all the more difficult to finish because there wasn’t much surprise, so much as more violent events and descriptions. I’m still all in on the author, but this one didn’t wow me so much as maybe haunt me and give me some serious ick vibes.

When I got the invite from Tor to read Little Eve, I had a fan girl moment. I started jumping up and down and yelling, “I got it!! I got it!!“. I rarely have that type of reaction to getting a book invite. But this was different. I had recently read (and reviewed) The House on Needless Street. So, it was a given that I would accept this book. I am glad that I did because this book was a great read.

Little Eve is the story of Evelyn (aka Eve). Eve grew up on an isolated island off the coast of Scotland. Living with her Uncle, his two consorts, and three other children, her life revolves around chores, exercise, school, and a ritual that her Uncle oversees – who is going to become the next Adder? Eve is determined to become the next Adder, even if that means isolating everyone from the village they used to frequent. But Eve has discovered something about her Uncle that changes how she views her life. What has she found, and how is it going to affect her? How is it going to affect her family? And who is Uncle, and why does he have such power over everyone?

There are trigger warnings in Little Eve. There are graphic examples of child abuse (children being starved, having their mouths tarred shut, being maimed, exercise as punishment, alluded sexual abuse, and medical/physical needs not being met). If that triggers you, I suggest not reading this book.

Little Eve started slow and gradually amped up the speed of the book. It was never lightning fast which worked with how the story was.

Little Eve takes place on an island called Altnaharra in Scotland and its neighboring village. I love books set in Scotland, and this book didn’t dampen my love of it.

I needed help telling the characters apart at the beginning of the book. The author labeled the chapters with the names and years in which the book took place. But still, I couldn’t keep them straight in my head.

Eve—I wasn’t sure about her when the book started. She was a wild child who marched to the beat of her own drummer, which was frowned upon in 1920s Scotland. But, as the book went on, I began to see how she acted was more of a survival technique than being different. By the time of the murders, she had thrown off Uncle’s brainwashing techniques and was desperate to help her family. There is so much more that I can say, but I will say this – read the beginning of the book with a very open mind. Not everything is how it seems, and it will become crystal clear as the book progresses.
Uncle—I went back and forth about having him as one of the main characters. I decided he would be one because of his overwhelming presence in the book. The more the author revealed about him, the less I liked him. Uncle wasn’t a nice man, and he wielded his power over the children in ways that made me sick. When Nora finally told all towards the end of the book, I wanted to throw up.
Nora—-She was another one I went back and forth about adding as a main character. And, like Uncle, I chose to do it since she was a colossal figure in the book in so many ways. I couldn’t understand why Nora was almost constantly pregnant during the book or kept losing the babies. It didn’t hit me until about halfway through what Uncle was doing and why Nora kept losing the babies. I felt so bad for her, and I understood her actions at the end of the book.
Dinah—She was a third of the triad of characters that I waffled on putting as the main character. She was Eve’s Jiminy Cricket in some ways. Everything Eve did for the entire book was mainly for Dinah. Dinah did love Eve, but she didn’t understand her.
A ton of secondary characters in Little Eve add extra depth to the book. The ones that stood out the most to me were Abel, Jaime, and Ruby.

Little Eve fits perfectly into the Gothic horror genre. Catriona Ward is becoming one of my favorite authors of this genre. She writes it so beautifully.

The storyline with Eve, Uncle, the other residents of the island, and everything that was happening on the island was well written. The author did a fantastic job of keeping me on edge with everything. I was horrified at the killings and how Dinah was maimed. I was also horrified at the glimpses of abuse everyone on that island went through. I wasn’t expecting that storyline to end the way it did because of how chaotically it was written. As I stated above, keep a very open mind about what is happening. Things will explain themselves at the end of the book.

The storyline with Eve and Chief Inspector Black was interesting. Chief Inspector Black had an idea of what was happening on the island and did everything to get Eve out of there. I loved that the author included that he was trying to use forensic science!! Of course, that storyline did get sad, but he was vindicated by the end of the book.

The end of Little Eve was terrific. There were a few massive twists that I didn’t see (or want to see coming). I left reading this book feeling like the author had put me through the wringer.

Three Things I Liked About Little Eve:

The author. I am a massive fan of her books.
It is set in Scotland.
The storylines. They were creepy and kept me guessing.
Three Things I Disliked About Little Eve:

Child abuse. The author didn’t lay it on thick, but it was stated as a matter of fact.
Uncle. He gave me the heebie-jeebies.
What happened to Chief Inspector Black. It was a travesty, and I was not happy about it.
I would recommend Little Eve to anyone over 21. There is mild language, graphic violence, and no sex. Also, see the trigger warnings at the beginning of the review.

OK, so I jumped the gun a little when I read the author's note at the beginning of this book and saw that LITTLE EVE is the follow-up to her debut, The Girl From Rawblood...I immediately stopped what I was doing and downloaded Rawblood thinking of Little Eve as a sequel. Yeah, no. My fault! But I'm not mad about reading more from Ward.

Little Eve is deliciously gothic and dark. Cultish, folklore feel that plays games with your mind and your heart. A very intimate look into Eve's family and their leader, the Adder. Snakes, the Wane and so much honey. Nature vs. nurture and a lesson in pure faith. Come hither everyone but come prepared.

Ward continues to astound me and I legitimately want to pick her brain and spend a day or five inside her head. Her writing is so captivating and it is especially haunting in this isolating tale. There were times when I was a bit confused as to what was going on. Who the, when the, what the.... my head was spinning but I was invested fully in this family.

Highly recommend reading Ward if you're a horror fan... or if you just love the wicked weirdness of it all.

If you’re not in the mood for a holiday read, but still want to pick up a book with winter vibes, look no further than Little Eve. This novel has ALL the Gothic, winter, creepy wonderfulness you could ever desire, and would make the perfect book to spend a rainy afternoon with.

This story is dark, and definitely won’t be for everyone, but I really enjoyed the premise and was thoroughly creeped out. My major issue with however, was the pacing, which felt very slow at times.

This was my first Catriona Ward book and while it wasn’t my favorite of the year, it intrigued me enough to add more of her work to my TBR.

Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Catriona Ward is killing it with her novels! She can definitely spin a dark gothic/thriller/horror. Little Eve is all of these. A spine tingling story that's immersive and difficult to put down. If you're looking for an innovative book that brings something new and fresh to the genre, this will be right up your alley.

Excellent! Creepy and Gothic with a constant unknown , this story was a mysterious little horror story that was right up my alley. A narrative from several POV keeps you guessing "What the heck is going on!?" I loved trying to dig in and solve where the story was going. We are on a cold and deserted island with a cultish type feel back in the early 1900's, giving it a gothic feel. A sort of family living together following odd beliefs and faith , outside of the social norms. A gory murder occurs and slowly the story unravels to find who was behind the horrific act. Confusing at times but exciting to keep the story moving along, I loved it.... recommended for fans of horror and Catriona Ward. It is another winner from Ms Ward.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and NetGalley for an ebook copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Little Eve - Catriona Ward
As with other Catriona Ward books, I'm always like what the heck am I getting into?! But then it just pulls you right in and with Little Eve, I just couldn't put it down! I'm going to call this one a gothic-thriller-horror. In Little Eve, we meet sisters, Eve and Dinah who live in a rural castle in Scotland. In a cult. A man named Uncle runs this cult and they are preparing for the end of the world. Something ultimately goes awry and many secrets are then brought to light. If you enjoyed Catriona Ward's previous novels, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one as well!

I am just a Catriona Ward Superfan. Review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjA-b2lLwhH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I have been trying to read this along with the audiobook for what seems like months. I appreciate what the author and publisher tried to do by having a voice actor with the proper accent, but the problem is that I cannot understand a word being said. I attempted to follow along, but the narration just ruined the entire book for me because I don't have a clue what is going on. I have no desire to continue, and I am DNFing at 42%.

Atmospheric, cunning, and with surprises all along the way, this early novel by Catriona Ward is magnificent. She writes in her forward that this was her second novel and it *challenged* her considerably. Now that she has published other novels and established her residency among the best horror writers of her generation, Little Eve has made a reappearance. Put simply, this is a goddamn great story. Read it on a cold, gray weekend and I bet you won’t sleep for a couple of days.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* took me awhile to get into this one, i would honestly like to reread it because i think i woulld like it more the second time around lol

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire for accepting my request to read and review Little Eve.

Author: Catriona Ward
Published: 10/11/22
Genre: Historical Fiction -- Horror -- Mystery & Thrillers

A rollercoaster ride that I wanted off more than I wanted to stay on sums up my thoughts on Little Eve.

My feelings, several days later, are still numb. Midway through, I stopped and wondered what possessed a person to write this type of book. Where does the influence come from?

The dark, gritty, sickening abuse was second to every page I turned wondering how much worse was it going to get. The story itself is moot as far as I'm concerned.

This was my second and last Catriona Ward book; my concern is how far will she go.

This was a NetGalley, otherwise I would have DNFd.

A story for gothic novel fans.

Took me way too long to get into, but some parts jumped off the pages for me and I was absorbed. However, majority of the time I couldn’t help but skim pages.

Received an ARC from NetGalley.

Little Eve hooked me in and still hasn't let go, hours after finishing this book. It was so atmospheric and mysterious, I couldn't stop guessing what was really happening, and admiring the beautiful setting. Catriona Ward has a beautiful way of writing that makes you want to fall into the story and never leave, even with all the heartbreak. I think this is a book I will be thinking about for a while

Before picking up Little Eve, I didn't realize it was so snake-heavy. I almost put it down at several points but I'm glad I stuck with it. An atmospheric, gothic, horrifying little cult story that was the perfect read over a cold and gloomy weekend.

Evelyn lives in Scotland with Uncle and his cobbled family on remote Altnaharra, worshiping the Adder while secluded from the intrusion of the Impure. Eve is set on being the chosen one when the Adder comes and will do anything to ensure she wields the power it bestows. When a police inspector is pulled into the web of Eve's clan in light of violence in the village, the outsider shocks her with accusations of Uncle's manipulation. What will Eve do with the revelations Inspector Black brings to light?

This is my third horror read from Catriona Ward and it didn't disappoint. Eve is a tortured soul looking to find meaning in the bleak life Uncle orchestrates for his clan. She is desperate to earn his attention to ensure she is chosen by the powerful Adder so that she is the next to dominate Altnaharra's inhabitants. And while Eve is a terrifying character in many ways, I love that despite her environment she still has some humanity left to give depth to her character.

This one has all the goods. The suspense is palpable, the horror is disturbing, and the story is a labyrinth of deception. The mythically inspired plot sets the tone for a gothic read filled with twisted manipulation for a dark and intensely affecting story. You'll be glued to the pages until the very last word of this Shirley Jackson Award-winning novel.

I really liked The Last House on Needless Street and love a good gothic horror novel, so I was very much looking forward to this one. Alas, it doesn’t really satisfy either comparison.

This is more gory than scary, and the twists feel more forced than natural, a bummer after this very thing was so perfectly executed in Ward’s previous novels. It’s not a true gothic, though some elements of it do meet the subgenre’s tropes. Unfortunately, it was a disappointment atmospherically, which I consider to be the main attraction when it comes to gothic horror.

For me there was just too much icky stuff and not enough plot of solid writing and atmosphere, and it lacks the character-driven feel of Ward’s other work. A lot of others whose taste i frequently agree with liked this one, so perhaps this is all just a preference issue. Still, I had high expectations for this one and felt let down by the product.

Catriona Ward is slowly becoming one of my auto-read authors. The family living on the coast in Scotland is not your typical family. In fact, you could say they are very cultish and have deep, dark secrets.

Ward weaves a masterful tale that keeps you guessing what the next twist is going to be. I do feel like the end got a bit bogged down by the explanation, but I still loved Little Eve.

Little Eve is a creepy, absorbing horror novel, masquerading as historical fiction, that will stay with you long after you finish it. It does a great job of illuminating how growing up in a cult affects children and their worldviews. This book got under my skin in ways I didn’t expect. Highly recommended. I will look for other books by this author.