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lizreaderhold's review against another edition
- 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
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
emzhay's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Child death, Torture, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Confinement, Self harm, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, and Bullying
archaicrobin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The characters were all unlikeable and prevented me from connecting with any of them. The story is told from two timelines, one in the past before the massacre on the island, and the other after from the perspective of the sole survivor. It’s written in first person for both perspectives but this did not help connect with the character, it just made things more tedious in my opinion.
Along with unlikeable characters the pacing was far too slow and this book was a total slog to get through. I had to force myself to read this because most of the time nothing was happening but more abusive cult bullshit with no real purpose. Trigger warnings for rape, drugs, torture, starvation, child abuse, sexual assault, pedophilia, and violence by the way because no trigger warnings are given and this whole book is focused on this mini cult where all these abuses occur. It was so tedious to pick this up and have another chapter about abuse but it’s ok because it’s for Adder, like I GET IT, they’re in a cult on this island for some reason.
I know there’s a plot in this book I just honestly can’t find it. The twist was also just confusing, there were so many questions, all of them left unanswered. The narrator is a huge part of the twist and it lies in her changing her mindset and leaving the brainwashing but it was unbelievable how it happened. She just woke up on day and decided to not believe in it anymore, after being raised and manipulated and abused her entire childhood she just one day stands up and says “nah”.
Overall, I would skip this earlier novel by Ward which was recently re-released on the states and read her newer works instead that have engaging characters, better pacing, and a clear plot line that doesn’t get muddled up in abuse and cult nonsense.
Graphic: Drug use, Sexism, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Torture, Abandonment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Classism, Body horror, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Drug abuse, and Pregnancy
keenanmaree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Drug use, and Murder
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- 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
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
On the island of Altnaharra lives a clan preparing for the end of the world and the rise of The Adder. But things aren’t exactly what they seem and terrible tragedies will have deadly consequences.
I love Gothic horror, so I when I saw glowing reviews from two of my most trusted book recommenders, I immediately suspected this one would be right up my alley…and I was definitely right. Little Eve has everything you could want out of a horror novel setting—it’s grim, dreary, tense, and haunting while still feeling just mystical enough for me to understand the lure. It’s also historical fiction that manages to feel both of its time and outside of time, borderline surreal while still entirely grounded. Setting can really make or break this kind of novel for me, and Catriona Ward absolutely nailed it here.
If the setting isn’t enough, the plot here is just as rich, smart, and nuanced. It’s culty without being campy, gory without being gratuitous, and surprising without being over the top. I felt like I was peeling back layers of an onion as I read, and even though I saw the end reveal coming, I was still on the edge of my seat in the final pages.
In short, the takeaway: this was my first Catriona Ward read, but it absolutely will not be my last.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: Gothic horror; cult-based suspense; intricate settings
CW: Death/murder/blood; suicidal thoughts/suicide; sexual assault/child molestation; confinement; physical and emotional abuse including child abuse; animal cruelty/death; pregnancy/miscarriage.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Violence, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Child abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Pregnancy
rachelunabridged's review
- 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
5.0
~ ~ ~
On the isle of Altnaharra, Uncle and his young acolytes await the coming of Him, the snake from the sea.
~ ~ ~
My mind has been blown by Catriona Ward yet again! I've loved everything by her that I've read so far and had a hunch that this read would be equally fantastic. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this book exceeded all of my expectations. Even though I've been absolutely swamped with college classwork, I found myself sneaking in as much of this read as I could. Every time I had to put it down, the story stayed stuck in my head until I picked it up again.
Additionally, this book has one of the best opening chapters I've ever read. It hooked me right from the beginning, and Ward did a fantastic job building on that intrigue as the plot progressed. This was one of those reads where I found myself completely immersed in the events of the story and desperate to see how it was going to turn out. Unlike the other works I've read by this author, I was able to guess where this book was going, but it didn't make the experience of watching it unfold any less enjoyable, in a messed up kind of way.
When I started this review, I thought about not including a summary of the plot at all. I think that this book is best experienced with as little prior knowledge as possible, which is why I ultimately settled on the single sentence above. I will, however, let you know that this is a cult book. There is murder. There is intrigue. And it's a hell of a ride from start to finish. If any of those things sound enticing to you, you should give this a read.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Suicide, Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Kidnapping and War