“I’m reading a book by Catriona Ward,” I told my horror-story-loving friend.

“Oooohhh,” my friend replied with admiration, “she’s really good!”

Now that I have finished Little Eve, I have to agree that Ward is a gifted writer. Most of this novel takes place on a remote Scottish island, and the descriptions of place and landscape transported me there. I listened to the audiobook, and regularly would go back and listen to a passage over because it just sounded so beautiful and poetic.

The plot takes place between 1917 and 1951, and jumps between times and narrators. We hear different versions of the same story depending on who is narrating, and the full truth does not come out until the very end of the book. My main complaint about Little Eve is that too much information is hidden from us readers, making the plot unnecessarily convoluted and messy. The twist near the end felt gimmicky to me, and it detracted from the story by introducing pointless chaos.

If you are sensitive to reading about the following triggering topics then I recommend you stay away from this novel: Child abuse, animal abuse, eating disorders, sexual abuse, and graphic violence.

Thank you NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Macmillan audio for giving me the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had high hopes for this but I didn’t enjoy it at all. It was slow and uninteresting. I didn’t care what happened the entire time. Complete miss for me.

On the wind-battered isle of Altnaharra, off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth.

The Adder is coming and one of their number will inherit its powers. They all want the honor, but young Eve is willing to do anything for the distinction.

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.



This one had me requesting because of the creepy cover and the author! I loved Sundial and The Last House On Needless Street.

I think Catriona Ward is an amazing author, but I don’t think this was her best work - I believe this is actually the first book she wrote. This one just never caught my attention. The setting was creepy, but I couldn’t get hooked on the story. Comparing to the other two I’ve read, I believe it goes to show how much she has grown as an author. I have no doubt the next book will be even better!

I may enjoy this one more with a physical copy. I struggled with the narrator’s accent and sometimes had trouble understanding what was being said.

I really enjoyed Catriona Ward's previous book so I was excited to read this one, but to be honest I was disappointed. It is in a gothic style but I found the pace slow and none of the characters ever grew on me to the extent that I cared what happened to them or the story.
Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to listen to the Audiobook version of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Emotionally impenetrable, there are a few things working against Little Eve from being as enjoyable for me as Catriona Ward's later releases (this predates The Last House on Needless Street, originally published in 2018), some are simply personal preferences, while others are more technical. As a whole Catriona Ward's nebulous, nonlinear writing style is already in place, and I'm very happy to see how much it has matured since this early work.

Historical fiction and story about cult are not high on my reading preference, so immediately Little Eve has to work extra in order to maintain my engagement. Unfortunately, the dream-like, passive verbiage only acts to further distancing the reader; I was unable to form any emotional bond towards the cast, and it became a pain point later on when identity of multiple characters came into question (the reveal was more confusing than surprising). The non-chronological storytelling also comes across like a gimmick to over-complicate things, with the plot adding up to very little in retrospect.

Regarding the audiobook, while I appreciate Carolyn Bonnyman's polished narration, the overall format (no chapter numbers) and the way the novel is constructed (constant switching of perspective and timeline) is very ill-fitted in audio form—possibly compounded my disorientation throughout.

Still, there's no denying Catriona Ward's strength as a writer, as there is quite a collection of atmospheric, vividly described scenes in Little Eve, is just that as a whole package I came out quite neutral and uncaring about it all. I would highly recommend Sundial if you're still curious about Little Eve's synopsis, as there are quite a number of thematic overlaps between the two.

I was excited for the horror/mystery in Ireland of it all but found the beginning of this book to be really slow going. I could not get into it and had a hard time orienting myself.

Thank you for this ALC. I recently read The Last House on Needless Street, and loved it! So when I saw an opportunity to listen to her newest book, I jumped! I was sure I would love it, however this one didn’t work for me. It could not keep my interest. I found myself having to go back numerous times to relished to various parts as I was so lost. I tried a few times to get into and love it, but I just could not do it. I will look for her next release and try more by this author!

I struggled with this one. I normally love her crazy world building but i had a hard time following and connecting with this one. It is definitely a gothic story but i just thought it was a little too slow of a burn. I still would love to read more by her because The Last House On Needless Street was such an epic read for me.

Perhaps it was the narration but it was a little hard with the accent as well. I think she read well tho

There is no one who writes like Ward. This is my third book by her and I will now read anything she writes. She has the uncanny ability to develop a story from the most bizarre, confusing beginnings and keep the reader guessing until the very end. Even when I think it’s not possible, everything somehow falls into place. And I LOVE IT.

My favorite so far is The Last House on Needless Street. I still think about it all the time. This was a close second followed by Sundial. I can’t wait for Looking Glass Sound in 2023!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook!

Pub Date: 10/11/22 Available Now!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⚡️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC and audiobook.


Description from NetGalley:
“A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away.”

On the wind-battered isle of Altnaharra, off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth.

The Adder is coming and one of their number will inherit its powers. They all want the honor, but young Eve is willing to do anything for the distinction.

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.

I have enjoyed Catriona Ward’s other works, The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial. This one was good, but the biggest area that kept me from loving this one like I did the previous two was my confusion. This is a dual timeline book; however, listening to the audiobook, I got confused as to which person was talking/which timeline it was. The twists and the horror were good. There is a major trigger warning of child abuse, which bothered me more in this book than in her previous books. Overall, if you liked the past two or are a gothic horror fan, then this is probably up your alley.

Overall: 3.5/5

Little Eve- on audio- loved this secluded island mystery/gothic horror novel, set in the 1920's. Fantastic writing, propulsive. I didn't want to put it down.

While I struggled to connect with the narration in this format, I hope to try again with the hard copy of the book, so I can evaluate whether my inattention was due to the audio or the story, which I still feel interested in.

While it took a few starts and stops to settle into this book, the patience really paid off. The story explores the complexity of indoctrination and childhood in such a setting. The decrepit Scottish setting adds delightful, gloomy landscape that keeps the reader guessing.

“A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away.”

This is a gothic historical fiction, with a side of mystery. Bouncing between the past and present from several different point of views, this story is about a cult and the influence/control that adults have over children. From the very first chapter you know that the story doesn't end well; and as it unfolds you begin to see cracks in those that are being controlled.
Little Eve is the very definition of a slow burn. It is probably the slowest burn that I've ever read. Due to the format of jumping between past and present from different points of view (which I typically love) I found it hard to keep up with what was happening. I found myself confused during large parts of the story and almost DNF'd this one. However, after reading reviews, I decided to push on as this is apparently the authors writing style - with great pay off in the end. The end did include a twist, but it was pretty easy to see it coming.
While I don't think this one was for me, I think that anyone who enjoys a gothic historical fiction with a very slow burn would enjoy it. The premise of the story was very good, the format just wasn't for me. This is the first book that I read from this author, but I will definitely read another to see if I feel the same way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook.
On Sale Now.

I really wanted to love this gothic murder mystery/family drama set on a remote Scottish island but sadly I just couldn't get into this story or invested in the characters. The story started off very slowly and I just didn't feel the need to keep going. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I loved the gothic vibe of this historical horror thriller: castle set on an isolated island in Scotland, a cultic prophecy of rebirth and the adder, and dark magic performed by a chosen few. All wrapped up in tense atmospheric undertones. But at times, I felt like the story went over my head - a gothic horror literary fiction novel where details matter. I retraced my steps many times and continually asked my buddy readers if we could summarize, so I fully understood the story's nuances.

I enjoyed the themes centered around the cult: power, manipulation, persuasion, strange sense of family with obscure love and devotion found in many cults. But I’m not sure I fully grasped the good vs. evil theme as my fellow buddy readers did. I could only see the evil, so these themes produced some good discussions.

Caroline Bonnyman’s narration contributes to the gothic vibe. Her accent plays well with the story, even though it took me a bit to settle into it. Since there’s a nonlinear timeline, I recommend pairing the audiobook with the physical book. You don’t want to be confused by the timeline, nor do you want to miss out on the added atmosphere that Bonnyman delivers.

I'll just go ahead and say it - I'm going to read anything Catriona Ward puts out into the world. After reading The Last House on Needless Street and loving every creepy minute of it, I was thrilled to see Little Eve become available on NetGalley. I understand it's a rerelease, and I completely understand why. I will say that Little Even deserves every moment in the spotlight that it can have!

It's a dark and broody gothic thriller, with just the right amount of gore and shock value. I was immediately drawn into the story of a found family that wasn't a family anyone should hope to find. The cult and their devotion were chilling. The writing of the children's attachment to the man who essentially was their captor was chilling. I was along for every moment of the ride! I hope Catriona Ward keeps writing because I'd love to keep reading her work.

All of that praise being said, I did sometimes struggle with this audiobook narration. The voice actor had a rather substantial Irish accent, which was authentic to the story but sometimes got in the way of it. I generally love when stories are narrated by those with accents from the setting, but I found this one a little tough. Just something to consider if you struggle with accents when you listen to audiobooks.

So I really don’t think slow burn gothic historical fiction is for me. In addition, something about cults just does not hold my attention. This felt like such a chore to get through, what with the multiple narrators and timelines and slow pacing. However, I did appreciate the twisty ending. I’m not giving up on the author yet though, especially since I have The Last House on Needles Street on my physical TBR and I’ve heard good things about it.

✨ Review ✨ Little Eve by Catriona Ward; Narrated by Carolyn Bonnyman

Oh, man. The twisty, mind-bending queen of horror and confusion is back with Little Eve. This is SUCH a hard book to review because it felt like at least five books in one. I was SHOOK to find that it only had 288 pages. It was a lot to take in. I'm so grateful to have read this with friends who could help me disentangle the many stories within. After a full day processing this, I'm still not sure what happened or what to believe.

First, this book needs a whole lot of content warnings. If you're sensitive to abuse or other traumas, please check out a more complete list before reading. There's a lot of messed up stuff happening here.

There are a lot of thematic undercurrents about good vs. evil, about families and devotion, about how far is too far; but I felt as if it was hard to disentangle all of this through multiple timelines and POVs, untrustworthy narrators, and the twists that this took.

To top it all off, the Scottish accented narration which certainly added flavor to the story, made me have to slow down my listening even more. I enjoyed the narration after I got into it!

If you read this, this is definitely a perfect book for a buddy read so you can process it together!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: horror/thriller
Location: Scotland
Pub Date: out now!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Hot off the success of The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial, Catriona Ward's 2018-novel, Little Eve was rereleased earlier this month. I was super impressed with Ward's most recent releases, so was very excited to check this one out as well. The synopsis sounded just as WTF as I would expect and the story itself didn't disappoint in that regard.

This novel starts out with a bang, as the brutalized bodies of a family are discovered off the coast of Scotland, on the remote island of Altnaharra. The scene appears be ritualistic in nature. The rest of the story fills in the pieces of the events that preceded that horrific event.

The narrative follows a few different perspectives and jumps around in the timeline as well. You mainly follow Eve and Dinah, who are two of the girls living on Altnaharra with the mysterious 'Uncle'. Through their words you begin to understand what their life was like on the island.

There's also the perspective of Chief Inspector Black, who becomes involved in Eve's life. His view, from an outsider's eyes, really helps to highlight the horrors of Altnaharra.

For the first quarter of this, I was well and truly confused. It is revealed later in the story why that might have been and I did come to understand why Ward would have written it that way. It made sense if you were seeing the world through the mind of these characters.

The tension and pace picks up at the story goes on. I had no idea who I could trust. I was loving so many of the reveals as the puzzle pieces began to fall into place. Towards the end, it started to get a bit chaotic again and I was finding it a bit more difficult to track what was going on. In fact, I listened to a couple of the last chapters at least three times, trying to capture it all.

That is another thing, I did listen to the audiobook and I'm not sure, that could have added a bit to my confusion. The accent was a little tough for me, with my dumb foreign ears, so some names and words were hard to differentiate. I think if I would have read a hard copy, maybe I would have had a slightly easier time keeping track of everything.

With this being said, the story itself was absolutely captivating. The atmosphere was rich and creepy as heck. I enjoyed the mystery of it all and finding out the truth. While the ending wasn't perfect for me, this was definitely a memorable one. Ward is unique and we love that. Each novel I have read from her is totally different from each other and also like nothing else I have read. That's a gift.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I enjoyed this one. It's dark content and stunningly-cold atmosphere is perfect for the Spooky Season. I cannot wait to see what Ward comes up with next!!!