LITTLE EVE | Catriona Ward
10.11.2022 | Tor Nightfire
Rating: 4/5 stars
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.
Things I love: Cult stories
Authors I love: Catriona Ward
Mix them together and you get one fantastic, creepy read!
Little Eve is the story of a Scottish isle that is home to a downright creepy cult that has “found children from the sea”. It was clear from the start that this book was going to have some unsettling moments and it certainly delivered on those. While I was creeped out by several character’s actions, it was the claustrophobic and isolated vibe of the isle that really made this book a winner for me. Ward does such a fantastic job of making Altnaharra come to life that I could feel myself there. The pacing for Little Eve is a bit slower than I’ve come to expect from Ward’s previous books, but it didn’t stop me from being invested in what was happening.
One thing that I think could potentially bother readers after having chatted about this story with a fellow bookstagrammer is the non-linear timeline. The story alternates between narrators, but with each new section, the reader finds themselves in a different year, sometimes with a substantial time jump. I found myself flipping back to the start of a few chapters to confirm I knew where in the progression of the story I was.
Overall, this is another solid story from Catriona Ward and while it didn’t take over Sundial’s spot at number one for her books for me, it is definitely one I will remember for quite a while. Needless to say, I’m not going to look at honey the same for a bit (IYKYK).
A huge thank you to Tor Nightfire for my gifted copy!
What Jess Reads 
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