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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's more like a 2.5 star read for me as I found this repetitive and frankly a little boring but I wasn't sure how much of that is on me and my fractured reading time. This is a historical story in the earlier half of the 20th century where a 'family' is off the coast of Scotland on an island waiting for the end of the world more or less and thinking (in theory) that there is snake -god-whatever that gives them power.
It's centered over a couple of the women in the group, Dinah and the titular Eve. Content warning this is about a cult, child abuse, child sexual abuse, forced abortion, infanticide and generalized flipflopping narratives that took more energy than I had to give it to be honest.
Murders happen. Their interference with the town ends in killings. And honestly this was way overly long even though it wasn't that long of a novel. IMO this would have been better off as a novella, more tightly written instead of meandering back and forth through the years rehashing things.
It's centered over a couple of the women in the group, Dinah and the titular Eve. Content warning this is about a cult, child abuse, child sexual abuse, forced abortion, infanticide and generalized flipflopping narratives that took more energy than I had to give it to be honest.
Murders happen. Their interference with the town ends in killings. And honestly this was way overly long even though it wasn't that long of a novel. IMO this would have been better off as a novella, more tightly written instead of meandering back and forth through the years rehashing things.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Rape
I found the pacing of the book to be very slow, and since I'm not a fan of cult stories, this book didn't really appeal to me. However, I did like the gothic atmosphere of the island of Altnaharra, which was pretty much the only aspect of the book that I enjoyed.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Well hello creepy cult novel. Catriona Ward can write a group of characters that just eek their way under your skin. Uncle has master ick factor and boy does she write him well. The whole shebang just screams run. Creepy gothic castle on an isolated island that is only accessible by a causeway when the tide is out. Weirdo little town that just lets these people stay locked up in said castle without wondering what the crap is going on up there with these clearly emaciated children. The whole thing gave off a seriously medieval vibe though the timeline places it firmly in WWI with a followup timeline a couple of decades later.
I freaking devoured this book. It was so good and sketchy. I was totally entranced by the atmosphere and there were plenty of cringeworthy moments. The psychological games played with the plot were fantastically done and even when I had one of the big twists figured out I was just enraptured. A super disturbing read like a train wreck you can't look away from. Dark and weird. Just like I like 'em.
I freaking devoured this book. It was so good and sketchy. I was totally entranced by the atmosphere and there were plenty of cringeworthy moments. The psychological games played with the plot were fantastically done and even when I had one of the big twists figured out I was just enraptured. A super disturbing read like a train wreck you can't look away from. Dark and weird. Just like I like 'em.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia
Minor: Sexual assault
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read December 2024
A story that feels like it should be exactly my cup of tea, but that ended up underwhelming.
I guessed the “big” twist really early on, which doesn’t necessarily have to take away from my enjoyment of the book (Like, my guess could always be wrong, and finding out you were right can also be satisfying), but unfortunately for this book it did lower my enjoyment.
Also, it just read a bit too slow for me (why are some of these chapters so long?!) and the smaller twists didn’t really surprise me either..
«Lleva el mar contigo a donde quiera que vayas. Que Su sangre sea tu sangre. Que Su coral sea tus huesos, y tu carne, la arena suave de Sus océanos. Siempre contigo.»
Cuando empecé el libro (anoche) y de pronto me descubrí casi a la mitad de madrugada, quise investigar un poco sobre Catriona Ward. Un artículo de El Mundo la nombra “la reina de la novela gótica” y ahora, habiendo terminado de leerlo, puedo afirmar y defender que lo es.
«La isla es el tío, y el tío es la isla.»
Un sangriento crimen ritual, dos narradoras poco o nada fiables, saltos temporales, secretos e intrigas, manipulación y aislamiento, todo ello enmarcado en el más que desapacible clima de una pequeña localidad costera de los años 20 del siglo pasado, enferma de prejuicio y superstición. Pero, ¿qué a pasado en realidad? ¿Cómo se ha llegado a tal brutalidad? ¿Quién está contando la verdad? ¿Acaso alguien es totalmente honesto?
«No tienes derecho a conocer todas las verdades, Evelyn. Eso me lo dijo alguien hace tiempo.»