Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Little Eve by Catriona Ward

36 reviews

thecozyintrovert's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Great book. There was not even one dull moment in the entire thing. I was intrigued and thoroughly entertained the entire time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Rape, Murder, Incest, Miscarriage, Suicide, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

akevaa's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Good and creepy. Excellent for the one time, but I think once you know how it all unravels a re-read isn't really in the cards (at least not for me). This is generally how I feel about Ward's works; Looking Glass Sound being an exception where re-reading is an excellent idea.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: War, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Suicide

wait_whoissheagain's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book left me guessing until the very end! Catriona Ward has a way of leaving you confused (in a good way) and then piecing all those puzzles together at the end in a way that makes you think ‘how did I not see this coming?’

I enjoyed reading this book, although the character’s relationships were constantly back-and-forth, and did leave me somewhat confused as to where the characters stood at different points throughout the story. I suppose these twisty relationships could be put down to the horrible traumas these characters faced while at Altnaharra. These traumas are heart wrenching and very uncomfortable to read, especially as more comes to light throughout the story.

I didn’t find the characters all that likeable (again I think this is due to their trauma) but I was yearning for all of them to be ok and parts of this story were heartbreaking! It was interesting watching Eve struggle with wanting to embrace her curious side and break free from the life she has been told to live, while also wanting the power and life of the Adder so much that she would do anything. It was also interesting to hear how Dinah adjusted to life after the traumatic events, and how she was learning to deal with her past. I was rooting for these characters, despite the fact that I didn’t particularly resonate with them.

There are only 11 chapters in this 265 page book, which was a little frustrating, as I like to take breaks at different chapters, and that was hard to do with chapters that were 30-60 pages long! Despite this, I do like how the story was set out, moving back and forth between the perspectives of Eve and Dinah at their respective times. And, there was easy enough spots to stop and have a rest with breaks between paragraphs, it’s just a personal habit that I like to stop at chapters!

Please make yourself aware of the possible trigger warnings before reading this book, but if you are a fan of twisty murders, stories about religious cults or gothic tales, I would recommend giving this book a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Body horror, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Confinement, and Violence

Moderate: Infertility, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Miscarriage, and Rape

erinbarr13's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Rape, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Child abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death, Confinement, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Animal death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

korikam's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Child death, Body horror, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Mental illness, Confinement, and Suicide

bookish_af's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Death, and War

Moderate: Pedophilia, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Kidnapping

lizreaderhold's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Abandonment, Animal death, Body horror, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Torture, Abortion, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Confinement, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

bethsiekierawalker's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug use, Confinement, Miscarriage, Murder, and Adult/minor relationship

charlottesreadingweb's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Having read both Needless Street and Sundial, I would say this is the best Catriona Ward book I have read. What it lacks in plot complexity, it makes up for in reflection on what it means to "be the villain" and how the pain of women & children is often unrecognized or ignored. I found myself heart broken repeatedly throughout this book. I found the ending poignant and beautiful. Fans of Needless Street may find this book underwhelming when comparing it's twists and turns, but I think it is a good option for gothic horror fans looking for a book that will pull at your heart strings. Please check content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Confinement, Child death, Self harm, Murder, Miscarriage, and Incest

Moderate: War, Rape, and Pregnancy

itsalljustsemantics's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Rape, Torture, Emotional abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Blood, Child death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Miscarriage

This is a book about a cult