A chilling thriller combining family drama, loss, grief, guilt,and magic (possibly) gone wrong. This story puts you under its spell and does not let go. Its well written and a fast read for fans of scary, slightly creepy fiction.

What really drew me to the book was the great cover, the title with its biblical hint and then the blurb.

When I started reading it however it became very clear that the magic or darkness I was expecting was going to be more in the background as the story focused more on the family.

Was a little hard to get into at first and kind of slow but started really enjoying it in the end.

Thank you for accepting my request and giving me a chance to read the e-arc

This dark, unsettling story is told from the POV of 3 characters, Mom Eve, Dad Richard, and teenage daughter Abbey. They all have secrets and their events and perceptions they give are untrustworthy. Eve was conceived using dark magic, and Eve is afraid evil has seeped into her daughter, and that her daughter is responsible for the death of her younger son. The chapters from Abbey give credence to this suspicion. This was a creepy and interesting read.

Eve's Rib is a magical sad tale of a family struggling in not so productive ways in the aftermath of the son's death. Suspecting the daughter of being evil but loving her all the same, she fights to protect her, amidst everyone trying to deal with grief and heal. Everyone has secrets they are hiding, but the mom is all knowing. This book was suspenseful and kept me guessing. And it kept throwing bomb secrets every time you turn around. I like everyone is flawed, although most of these characters I did not like. Book had many funny parts too. I liked the 3 POVs, especially the journaling by the daughter. You get to see the overlap in information to put together the story. Great story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing an ARC of Eve's Rib in exchange for an honest review.

Going into this book, based on the (very cool) cover and the biblical symbolism of the title, what I expected was a dark exploration of a mother and daughter at odds, a legacy of magic, a dark twist. And I guess it delivered – sort of. The magic element took a pretty hefty back seat for the majority of the story, and I do think it could have been built into the narrative a little better. At times it felt like an easy stepping stone for characters to learn things quickly, and at other times it didn’t feel relevant at all. This could probably have worked just as well as a regular domestic thriller.

The book is told from three points of view – mother, father, daughter – with all three coming off as unreliable in their own ways. I think Eve’s chapters had some great one-liners, and Abbey’s left me wondering how much of the truth I was getting at the best of times. Richard, however, remained unpalatable from start to finish, which may have been intentional. If I’m honest, I was mentally begging to see divorce papers by the halfway point.

I did enjoy the slow build, these three people moving around each other and struggling to communicate the grief they all felt was theirs to nurse privately. The twist I was anticipating did come, but fell a bit short with the reveal of a fairly two-dimensional villain. From there, things wound up fast and I was left with more questions than answers. That said, I’d probably take a keen interest in more material on Abbey in particular, as well as Janet, who was far too entertaining for such a small role in the story.

Not a bad read overall, and I’d probably have a look at O'Cinneide’s other works in future.

As a last note, Richard’s mother is said to be watching Coronation Street at one point, with reference to East End Londoners. But this soap is actually set in the Northern city of Manchester.

The cover is beautiful!

I love how magic, fanara-se and gothic themes were incorporated into this book.

I personally didn’t like having too many Povs in one book. My personal taste.

But the books increases in tnesions with every page. The pacing is pretty good. But gets more straight to the point towards the end of the book.

thank you Dundurn Press and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

what originally attracted my to this book was the beautiful cover and interesting title. the premise then sounded very promising so i decided to dive into it! it's a domestic noir containing some magic, cheating, and a very rushed ending. the story itself dragged a bit and i found myself wondering when would the pace pick up until i reached 80% of the book and then everything started happening so quickly! sadly the ending just felt like the author needed to wrap the book up and get it done. i did however enjoy getting to see things from the perspective of Eve, her husband and Abbey.

overall it might be more of a 2.5 than a 3. but if you like slow burn is your thing then why not give Eve's Rib a try!

Absolutely love the cover of the book it’s so intriguing and it was the cover that draw me to the book. This book is a thriller that will hunt you and you will keep thinking about it and you will definitely want to re read this book again. It’s so amazingly written and I loved the plot and charactes. I read this book in two days which is pretty quick for me to read a book. I will definitely be picking up more by this author.

I was very intrigued by this book. The idea of dark magic in ordinary (or just what it seems) lives, and relationships within a family. Symbolism in a book title (and not only) - intrigued, too. It's very easy to read, quick t absorb and not let go of. Told in three narration lines by three family members - wonderfully built up suspense, twists and turns, prejudice and perception of one another, making the reader take sides and then change their mind. I enjoyed all of that. However, there were two things that disappointed me. First, bullying, which felt like being excused under the notion of "we all been teenagers, we all done stuff like that". Uh, no. Not everybody does that, and it doesn't make it okay if somebody does. No, not all grow up to be serial killers, as it says in the book, of course, but a lot of these people grow up just to continue being bullies. What a surprise! Anyway, that's a huge topic and that attitude I sensed in a book is a no-no for me. The second thing that was below my expectations, was the ending of the book. I don't even know how to describe it without spoiling it for future readers. I often have an unpopular opinion, so I'd rather people read and form opinions themselves. However, the ending didn't feel natural, very much hollywood movie type.. the happy end? Yeah, nah, not for me. Not the happy ending as such, just that it wasn't strong at all, something that significantly ruined my opinion of the book, which is a shame.

A domestic thriller that will hunt you and you will think about ite as the days pass

Well written.
Astonishing plot and charactes.

Had me onedge all the time.

Eve's Rib
by C.S. O'Cinneide

Thank you, NetGalley, C.S.O’Cinneide, and Dundurn Press for providing me with an advance copy of “Eve’s Rib”, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read the book and liked it ok. It just seemed I could not wrap my brain around all this. I finished it, and because my opinion is just my own, some will LOVE it.

3,5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley , C.S.O’Cinneide and Dundurn Press for providing me with an advance copy of “Eve’s Rib”, in exchange for my honest opinion.

The cover. A black raven, blue background. It’s creepy, looming doom. I was wondering in the beginning what that will tell me about the story.

The story is told from three perspectives, Eve, her husband Richard and their teenage daughter Abbey.

This book has a touch of dark magic. Eve struggled to get pregnant and turned for help to the Ragman. Fast forward 18 or so years, she feels highly protective of Abbey, as she is not like other daughters. On top of that they lost their young son Michael in a tragic accident. Now the family is at a standstill. They live their lives, but not together. Eve is grieving, Richard has an affair and Abbey seems cool like a cucumber. Until people around her get hurt. Does she have powers like her mother? Is that all the revenge for using dark magic to conceive Abbey? Read and find out!

I did like the touch of dark magic, the book has a kind of gothic, domestic noir thriller feel to it. I found the beginning rather slow, reading thought the first quarter, waiting for something to happen. If you like the slow burn style, this one is for you.
I would have liked a trigger warning, as I seriously hate to read about the death of animals. Can’t do it.

Other than that, read the book in one sitting as it got better and better toward the end!

First book in a very long time that I have read in a day.

The dark magic element was minimal and so did not overtake the book as a whole until the end.
The final 'twist' did not surprise me and would have preferred it without.

Enjoyed the build up of the three main characters lives and whilst similar storylines usually make me want to scream (where no one talks to each other on the serious issues !) the toxic set up here warranted it.

Some incredible writing at times, quite dark and could be triggering for some readers.

The author does refer to Coronation Street characters as having London accents - a Canadian mixing up British soaps I think !

Also, what a title !

After losing her young son in a tragic accident, Eve struggles to protect the one child she has left, a teenage daughter who just might be pure evil.
I was immediately hooked. A fast paced, effortlessly quick read where the pages just turned themselves and I was engaged throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the eARC.
It's a bit daunting to describe this novel; it's a bit fantasy , a domestic noir thriller and gothic as well. But overall it's brilliant, so very different from most stories.
We get the p.o.v. of three family members: Mum Eve, Dad Richard and teenage daughter Abbey.
All of them coping in their own way with the terrible death of little Michael. Eve has lost her anchor, her ability to delve into her psychic abilities and is still utterly miserable. Richard has responded by diving into work and one of his co-workers. Abbey is disgusted by her mother and lets her know it constantly. But Eve is terrified for Abbey; didn't she conjure her up with magic and will therefore have to pay a terrible price, or has that price already been paid?
This is a heck of a read, unputdownable and definitely recommended!

"Eve was able to move not only objects but circumstances with her will and a practiced incantation...could see for miles using her mind's eye...despite all the spells she knew...[she had no baby]." She learned the story of the Ragman. "[Eve] draws the pentagon on the attic floor then she lays down with her flat belly at it's chalky apex and bought everything the Ragman had to sell...".

Immeasurable tragedy. An horrific accident claimed the life of eight year old Michael. The grieving family suffered a breakdown of communication. Eve felt grief stricken and guilty. Was Michael's death payback for enlisting the aid of a conjurer? Husband Richard tried to display a stiff upper lip, leaving things unsaid. He seemingly lacked empathy. Teenage daughter Abbey complained in her diary that "Mom hovers around the house like a shell-shocked Gestapo just waiting for me to screw up, and she calls it caring." But...[Abbey] was not like other daughters. That's why Eve needed to protect her."

In alternating chapters, the reader is privy to the thoughts and emotions of Eve, Richard and Abbey, three unreliable narrators. Eve approached life "with a sadness that insulated her from the world", a stay-at-home mom who wrote gritty crime novels while watching out for the next disaster. Richard maintained a stony silence finding secret ways, outside the home, to deal with the loss of his son. Abbey's anger and fury were used as a coat of armor. Her BFF Selena seemed to have it all; a beautiful home with loving parents who were successful in the classical music world. Abbey and Selena were academic competitors and basketball teammates. Perhaps the Thompson Scholarship awarded to Selena would be transferred to Abbey as the result of Selena's precarious health. Abbey felt that "I'm only getting what is coming to me" since people get what they deserve.

"Eve's Rib" by C.S. O'Cinneide is a gripping domestic noir thriller. Eve seemed to have invoked the dark side of magic setting off a chain of frightening happenings. What was Abbey's role in these unfortunate events? A chilling family drama I highly recommend!

Thank you Dundurn Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

okay, lemme start with the positives - i LOVED the ending. it’s extremely rare that i find a book to perfectly wrap up the book & give the reader a perfect ending, this had a fabulous cliffhanger and i adored it. i just really struggled with the start, i didn’t feel as gripped to the storyline as i usually would be - i think it was a mixture of me not vibing with the writing style and there being a lot of focus on unnecessary events. i did really enjoy the different POVs though, and you can really tell the author did research for this novel. i’m a bit on the fence, i really don’t know how to feel!

A dlow burning read that increases in pace as the tension in the plot increases. this book had everything I love in it, magic, suspense, mystrery and secrets. It was heart-wrenching at times but I loved it.

This book starts off as a slow burner, but ends with a bang. Eve and Richard are struggling with their marriage after their a death of their son. Each have secrets that come to light throughout the book which results in devastating endings. Add a little magic and a teenage daughter who has her mother’s gifts and your in for the ride.

Since Eve lost her son, she has become ever more protective of her teenage daughter. More so because she knows Abby isn't like other teenagers. She was conceived dangerously, through magic that shouldn't have been used. Now Eve is certain this has impacted her daughter, that her daughter was the one who hurt her son. And she's desperate to protect her. But when animals turn up dead, and people linked to Abby start getting hurt, Eve questions how far she can go to protect Abvy, and how much worse can come...

This is another NetGalley early read that has kept me rooted to the spot, unable to put the book down. I devoured it. It was chilling, creepy and unpredictable. A horror-fan favourite, this is going to be one that will still in my mind for a long time.