Gothic horror is the genre of my heart*. So since Spooktober is coming up (already?) I’m excited to share my review of a book that falls into that genre!
*well besides magic schools but that’s a trope. oh also fairytale retellings! and I have a lot of room in my heart apparently…
🏰 Scottish Castle
🩸Dark
♨️Morally grey characters
A huge thank you to the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
TL;DR: A family that may or may not have abilities lives on a secluded island…but everything is not right. Age Rating: 16 and up. This is a dark book so keep that in mind.
Little Eve is for anyone who likes their horror dark, atmospheric, and character-focused. It’s extremely unsettling, and disconcerting, and it definitely sent chills up my spine multiple times.
This story follows a family on an island who is preparing for the apocalypse. They wait for the Adder to come and give them his powers, as they separate from the rest of the world. Most of the book is focused on Eve, as we read about what led to one terrible night when things all went so horribly wrong.
I’m going to be honest: the book had me going like this most of the time:
The beginning is incredibly weird. In fact, I almost DNF’d it because I had no idea what was going on and I didn’t care. However, as the intricate truths behind this family and their relationships unveil themselves, I found myself getting dragged into the depths. This is also translated, so it’s possible that might have played a small role in my initial discomfort as well.
speaking of discomfort!!!
What a segway! Little Eve is very much an uncomfortable book, partially because it takes place in Scotland during World War I, and partially because it very much has cult energy. I’m not saying anything else (spoilers smh) but as you sink deeper into the trenches of this novel, you’ll understand that this is more of a character-focused horror story than anything else.
Honestly, my advice to you is that if you’re thinking about picking this up, give it a chance. It ends up being a twisty, dark story that I really only began to appreciate halfway through. There’s a reason it’s written in such a vague, disconnected way, and Eve’s journey is one that is incredibly well-written.
Little Eve is a gothic tour-de-force of atmospheric horror. I truly cannot wait to read another Catriona Ward book! This comes out on October 11th, so be sure to order a copy, add it to Goodreads! Tell me: what’s your favorite subgenre of horror?
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If You Like Horror Books, Check Out These Reviews!
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A Fictional Bookworm 
Looks like this is really good even the beginning is unimpressive. Great review!
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It is! Thank you so much💜
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