Little Eve

Little Eve

Catriona Ward

USA publication date: Oct. 11, 2022 by Tor Nightfire

Genre: Gothic, Horror

Rating: 3 👢👢👢

Summary: “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 thoughts: The cover and the brief synopsis captured my interest for this read. From the gory opening scene to the ending plot twist I never felt truly engaged with this one. It was a fairly intriguing plot. Eve tells the reader how she lived on the island of Altnaharra with Uncle and several others as they prepared and awaited for the coming of the Adder. The secluded island provided everything a reader might wish for: a small tight knit clan community with limited interaction with others, a suppressive and abusive leader, creepy rituals, and secrets galore. The unravelling of the story was sluggish at times. Many of the plot twists could be deciphered early on. Some of the story didn't really seem to be necessary and in my opinion only added confusion.  Overall the book felt unfinished, so while there is a seemingly satisfying conclusion it didn't provide comprehensive closure. 

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.