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.
LITTLE EVE
Catriona Ward
I really struggled initially to get into LITTLE EVE. I tried reading an ebook copy but I could not get into a reading rhythm and kept picking it up and putting it back down.
So I requested an audiobook copy to see if that format would help me get into the story.
It did not.
The entirety of my reading experience felt trying. I recommend you look up content warnings if that’s something you do or even if you normally don’t. There is a lot that happens to the characters in the book that may be triggering to readers.
That was not the problem though.
The very first problem I came across was the way this book is written. Ward highlights a lot of people, places, and things and it’s difficult to tell what is important and what can be filtered out. There is an excess of pointed information.
Or at least that’s what it feels like. And it feels like that because a lot of what’s written is indecipherable.
There are descriptions that are metaphors. Turns of phrases, creatures, and places I’m unfamiliar with. No sentence is clear and says what it means. Everything has a few meanings and I got stuck repeatedly in that muddy water.
It felt like work!
If we look at the characters they are constructed haphazardly in fragments. It is entirely up to you how the picture of your character comes out all Ward is doing is giving you the paint.
And for almost every reason I’ve stated as making it difficult is exactly why I liked it.
There are more than a few things that I liked in fact.
There are little Easter Eggs embedded within the text. Little treats to consume that help to keep your attention. It’s structured like a sequence of parables and the text feels otherworldly. Almost written in a different language.
If you’ve never read Ward I don’t suggest you start here. This book is not for everyone but if you are already a fan of Ward and her creativity, you will enjoy this book and these exploits.
Overall, I liked LITTLE EVE but did not love it. It felt arduous at times, and a little rough around the edges.
LITTLE EVE…⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire for the advanced copies!
Little Eve is out now!
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