Little Eve by Catriona Ward | Book Review
Little Eve gave me a little struggle but I'm not sorry I read it.
Little Eve by Catriona Ward
Released October 2022
Source: Received for Review Consideration
A heart-pounding tale of faith and family, with a devastating twist
“A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away.”
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.
My 2 Cents for Free!
I loved The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial by Catriona Ward. Both leave you off kilter and force you to keep reading because you must know how they end. For some reason, Little Eve never seemed to grab me in the same way. The pace felt really slow once the book hit the midway point and I couldn't get a hold on any of the characters. I nearly DNF'd it at numerous points but I kept going because folks were saying the end was worth it and I'm nosey and I really did need to know how it ended. I don't regret finishing it because it did pick up but it's not a book I'll be rereading. Not that I ever reread much of anything because I have too many books waiting.
Little Eve starts out with a man delivering a slab o' meat to a family living on an isolated island. Unfortunately, he finds out they won't be needing the delivery . . . I don't want to say anything else (and it's not because I didn't actually read the book - sheesh people need to stop saying that about people who don't rehash and spoil the entire plot) but I will say that even though it appears that the book has been somewhat spoiled by this discovery, things aren't what they seem. Which is typical in Catriona Ward's work. She takes you on a disturbing adventure every single time and this book is no exception. Terrible things have happened. So much terrible. It's never thrown in your face but it's a disquieting story and the reveals are pretty damn horrifying.
Some people will figure it all out but I wasn't one of them. I didn't see some things coming and they were a bit shocking. This is one of the author's earlier works, reprinted by TorNightfire, and all of the bones of the story are there but something about it just didn't grab me the way the others did and though I felt unnerved for most of it (I love that) I was also a little bored in the middle and wish the characters had come more to life for me. Ah well, they can't all be five stars for everybody, can they?
2.5? 3? Hell if I know.
⭐⭐⭐
That's too bad this one wasn't as good as her others. I tend to DNF books that don't pull me in or that start drag these days.
ReplyDeleteI need to do that far more often.
DeleteWhat an interesting premise. Just ignore what people say. Write the review the way you want. lol
ReplyDelete