Book Review
Nov. 8th, 2022 04:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariLittle Eve
by Catriona Ward
This haunting novel takes place in rural Scotland around the end of WWI. Eve and Dinah are two girls growing up among a small cult living in partial isolation in an old castle on a small Scottish island. The leader, a man they call Uncle, awaits the return of the Adder, a snake from the sea who will renew the world. One of the cult members will inherit the Adder's power and Eve is determined to be the heir. However, when Inspector Christopher Black comes to the area to investigate a murder in the nearby town, things start to go awry on the island and Eve's perspective begins to shift and secrets begin to be uncovered.
Little Eve is more gothic than horror, and it's very effective at building both the story and the atmosphere. It's dark and brooding and creepy. There are also a couple of really good twists. The revelations of what is going on beneath the surface are really well done - Ward kept things shadowy enough for long enough to make the reveals satisfying. She also does a great job with the psychological processes of someone raised in a cult who goes from true belief to questioning.
by Catriona Ward
This haunting novel takes place in rural Scotland around the end of WWI. Eve and Dinah are two girls growing up among a small cult living in partial isolation in an old castle on a small Scottish island. The leader, a man they call Uncle, awaits the return of the Adder, a snake from the sea who will renew the world. One of the cult members will inherit the Adder's power and Eve is determined to be the heir. However, when Inspector Christopher Black comes to the area to investigate a murder in the nearby town, things start to go awry on the island and Eve's perspective begins to shift and secrets begin to be uncovered.
Little Eve is more gothic than horror, and it's very effective at building both the story and the atmosphere. It's dark and brooding and creepy. There are also a couple of really good twists. The revelations of what is going on beneath the surface are really well done - Ward kept things shadowy enough for long enough to make the reveals satisfying. She also does a great job with the psychological processes of someone raised in a cult who goes from true belief to questioning.
