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Small Favors
Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range--five narrow peaks stretching into the sky like a grasping hand, bordered by a nearly impenetrable forest from which the early townsfolk fought off the devils in the woods. To this day, visitors are few and rare. But when a supply party goes missing, some worry that the monsters that once stalked the region have returned.
As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents' deepest desires, however grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister, and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames.
As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents' deepest desires, however grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister, and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames.
466 pages, Hardcover
First published July 27, 2021
853 people are currently reading
57485 people want to read
About the author
Erin A. Craig
10 books7,038 followers#1 New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig has always loved telling stories.
After getting her B.F.A. from the University of Michigan, in Theatre Design and Production, she stage managed tragic operas with hunchbacks, séances, and murderous clowns, then decided she wanted to write books that were just as spooky.
An avid reader, decent quilter, rabid basketball fan, and collector of typewriters, brass figurines, and sparkly shoes, Erin makes her home in West Michigan with her husband and daughter.
To find out more about Erin and the worlds she creates, follow @penchant4words on Instagram and Threads.
She is represented by Sarah Landis at Sterling Lord Literistic.
After getting her B.F.A. from the University of Michigan, in Theatre Design and Production, she stage managed tragic operas with hunchbacks, séances, and murderous clowns, then decided she wanted to write books that were just as spooky.
An avid reader, decent quilter, rabid basketball fan, and collector of typewriters, brass figurines, and sparkly shoes, Erin makes her home in West Michigan with her husband and daughter.
To find out more about Erin and the worlds she creates, follow @penchant4words on Instagram and Threads.
She is represented by Sarah Landis at Sterling Lord Literistic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,590 reviews
November 11, 2020
In my utterly unbiased opinion, this book is pretty nifty!
I can't wait to share it with y'all and give you the shivers!
I can't wait to share it with y'all and give you the shivers!
August 9, 2021
with all of the secluded small town strangeness of wayward pines and twin peaks, and all of the dark mysterious magic of ‘the near witch’ and ‘winterwood,’ this book gave me the creeps, in the best way possible. not quite nightmare inducing, but definitely makes you wary of things that go bump in the night.
and i honestly wasnt going to round up to 5 stars, but the more i think about it, the more i realise i dont have a reason not to. the atmosphere is so realistically spooky - its the perfect setting. and every character gives off the vibe that theres something not quite right with them, but you cant put your finger on it. its amazing. and the pacing is really good. its a bit on the slower side, but everything feels so intentional, so its worth it.
if youve read ‘house of salt and sorrow,’ you already know EAC is a good storyteller. well, this book just proves shes a great one.
↠ 4.5 stars
and i honestly wasnt going to round up to 5 stars, but the more i think about it, the more i realise i dont have a reason not to. the atmosphere is so realistically spooky - its the perfect setting. and every character gives off the vibe that theres something not quite right with them, but you cant put your finger on it. its amazing. and the pacing is really good. its a bit on the slower side, but everything feels so intentional, so its worth it.
if youve read ‘house of salt and sorrow,’ you already know EAC is a good storyteller. well, this book just proves shes a great one.
↠ 4.5 stars
July 11, 2022
Hell yeah! The author of House of Salt and Sorrows is back with another epic, mesmerizing, unputdownable fantasy read!
I always keen on claustrophobic small town mysteries: people get trapped in the place, harsh winter comes out as the monsters start lurking around the woods. They cannot get out to provide more food and medical supplies, craving from hunger, cold, exhaustion and madness slowly takes out the direction of the place: neighbors become enemies, delusions take over control! Even your own sibling can turn into a real threat!
Who you’re gonna trust? How could you survive? When your town people, your own people become more dangerous than violent creatures, silver eyed monsters wait to hunt you in the woods, you’d better trust your own fighting skills and sharpen your survival instincts!
The story centered around the families live in small town Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain Range( world building and regulations of town remind you of Shyamalan’s “Village “)
18 years old Ellerie Downing, vibrant, resilient, independent, smart, tough heroine, who is more mature from her piers, taking care of her family, helping beekeeper papa to protect the hives. Her dear sisters Merry and Sadie help her for the house chores ( especially Sadie is sweetheart with her imaginary friend Abigail, you may remember from author’s previous book) But her twin brother Samuel’s secret relationship with her best friend Rebecca ends tragically which cause a big animosity between them and their neighbor Danforths. It results with a big fire at their land. Her mother gets brutally injured, critically burned!
Thankfully new mysterious trapper Whitaker (that’s the name Ellerie gave him because he insists not to tell his real name to her) are helpful enough to ride with her parents to the out own town: so her mother may get medical assistance she needs to get healed!
But after their parents are gone, her twin brother starts getting more suspicious, things get more dangerous around the woods. She starts seeing a woman in white dress, the very same ghostly figure Cyrus Danforth has seen before something real tragic happens to him!
I enjoyed the growing tension, the intense, dark, heart pounding, slow burn, claustrophobic atmosphere, the detailed and perfectly elaborated relationship patterns and governing style of town’s people.
Ellerie and her sisters are so adorable, easy to relate and it was quite fun to read their genuine, loyal relations. Their sisterhood bond reminded me of March Sisters. They get through the tough times together, supporting each other!
But there are still some things made me hesitate to give five stars even though I adored the author’s extra talented writing skills!
In my opinion the book was way too much long and from the beginning you may foresee the big twist and great mystery! Love story between Ellerie and Whitaker was instant, not credible enough even though I enjoyed the banters between them.
And ending was also not quite satisfying for me! There are some haphazard, abrupt conclusions and unanswered questions . I think I loved House of Salt and Sorrow more. But this book was still quite fascinating reading with riveting writing style, mysterious, dark, bleak premise, disturbing world building and great character portraits!
So I’m lowering only one star and giving my four silver, wolffish, terrifying, horrific, epic stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
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twitterm
I always keen on claustrophobic small town mysteries: people get trapped in the place, harsh winter comes out as the monsters start lurking around the woods. They cannot get out to provide more food and medical supplies, craving from hunger, cold, exhaustion and madness slowly takes out the direction of the place: neighbors become enemies, delusions take over control! Even your own sibling can turn into a real threat!
Who you’re gonna trust? How could you survive? When your town people, your own people become more dangerous than violent creatures, silver eyed monsters wait to hunt you in the woods, you’d better trust your own fighting skills and sharpen your survival instincts!
The story centered around the families live in small town Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain Range( world building and regulations of town remind you of Shyamalan’s “Village “)
18 years old Ellerie Downing, vibrant, resilient, independent, smart, tough heroine, who is more mature from her piers, taking care of her family, helping beekeeper papa to protect the hives. Her dear sisters Merry and Sadie help her for the house chores ( especially Sadie is sweetheart with her imaginary friend Abigail, you may remember from author’s previous book) But her twin brother Samuel’s secret relationship with her best friend Rebecca ends tragically which cause a big animosity between them and their neighbor Danforths. It results with a big fire at their land. Her mother gets brutally injured, critically burned!
Thankfully new mysterious trapper Whitaker (that’s the name Ellerie gave him because he insists not to tell his real name to her) are helpful enough to ride with her parents to the out own town: so her mother may get medical assistance she needs to get healed!
But after their parents are gone, her twin brother starts getting more suspicious, things get more dangerous around the woods. She starts seeing a woman in white dress, the very same ghostly figure Cyrus Danforth has seen before something real tragic happens to him!
I enjoyed the growing tension, the intense, dark, heart pounding, slow burn, claustrophobic atmosphere, the detailed and perfectly elaborated relationship patterns and governing style of town’s people.
Ellerie and her sisters are so adorable, easy to relate and it was quite fun to read their genuine, loyal relations. Their sisterhood bond reminded me of March Sisters. They get through the tough times together, supporting each other!
But there are still some things made me hesitate to give five stars even though I adored the author’s extra talented writing skills!
In my opinion the book was way too much long and from the beginning you may foresee the big twist and great mystery! Love story between Ellerie and Whitaker was instant, not credible enough even though I enjoyed the banters between them.
And ending was also not quite satisfying for me! There are some haphazard, abrupt conclusions and unanswered questions . I think I loved House of Salt and Sorrow more. But this book was still quite fascinating reading with riveting writing style, mysterious, dark, bleak premise, disturbing world building and great character portraits!
So I’m lowering only one star and giving my four silver, wolffish, terrifying, horrific, epic stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
blog
twitterm
June 13, 2025
The small town of Amity Falls is completely secluded from the outside world. It's set amongst the Blackspire Mountain range, at the edge of an almost impenetrable forest where monsters are said to lurk.
When a supply party goes missing, and evidence of a massacre is found in the woods, the townsfolk believe the monsters may have awoken and are getting closer.
Contention arises among the citizens as they try to decide how best to proceed.
They're afraid to send anyone else for supplies, but with provisions running low and winter approaching, what choice do they have?
Ellerie Downing lives with her family in Amity Falls. On the cusp of adulthood, Ellerie finally gets to vote in the town proceedings. She struggles with her decision, but ultimately votes for the path she thinks best, even though it may differ from the opinions of those she loves most.
Shortly after the vote, tragedy strikes the Downing family, leaving Ellerie to look after the family farm and her younger siblings. It's a lot, but Ellerie rises to the occasion.
Meanwhile, she's also made a new, intriguing friend. A young trapper, staying on the outskirts of town. Cloaked in mystery, the boy has never even given Ellerie his name, but the two are drawn to one another like proverbial moths to a flame.
As winter progresses, tensions rise as the supplies continue to decrease, forcing people to hide in their homes, protecting what is theirs. Bizarre and spooky occurrences also plague the town, driving everyone's paranoia higher. Will Ellerie be able to get her sisters through until Spring?
Small Favors was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I absolutely loved Craig's 2019-release, House of Salt and Sorrows and couldn't wait to see what she would come up with next.
The synopsis comp to Needful Things is legit, but it is Needful Things if it were set against the backdrop of M. Night Shyamalan's, The Village, and fused with Dark Fairy Tales.
I know, delicious, right!? Plus, Craig's writing continues to impress. It's lush, detailed and DARK. This entire story has such a vibe; the location, the atmosphere, it got into my bones.
I enjoyed how ominous it felt, even when nothing overtly scary was happening. It always felt like at any moment, a monster could appear from the periphery. The characters were compelling and I really liked the conclusion; it was unique and inventive.
I'm so happy with this and again, look forward to seeing what Craig creates next. I know I will definitely be adding it to my shelves, whatever it is!
When a supply party goes missing, and evidence of a massacre is found in the woods, the townsfolk believe the monsters may have awoken and are getting closer.
Contention arises among the citizens as they try to decide how best to proceed.
They're afraid to send anyone else for supplies, but with provisions running low and winter approaching, what choice do they have?
Ellerie Downing lives with her family in Amity Falls. On the cusp of adulthood, Ellerie finally gets to vote in the town proceedings. She struggles with her decision, but ultimately votes for the path she thinks best, even though it may differ from the opinions of those she loves most.
Shortly after the vote, tragedy strikes the Downing family, leaving Ellerie to look after the family farm and her younger siblings. It's a lot, but Ellerie rises to the occasion.
Meanwhile, she's also made a new, intriguing friend. A young trapper, staying on the outskirts of town. Cloaked in mystery, the boy has never even given Ellerie his name, but the two are drawn to one another like proverbial moths to a flame.
As winter progresses, tensions rise as the supplies continue to decrease, forcing people to hide in their homes, protecting what is theirs. Bizarre and spooky occurrences also plague the town, driving everyone's paranoia higher. Will Ellerie be able to get her sisters through until Spring?
Small Favors was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I absolutely loved Craig's 2019-release, House of Salt and Sorrows and couldn't wait to see what she would come up with next.
The synopsis comp to Needful Things is legit, but it is Needful Things if it were set against the backdrop of M. Night Shyamalan's, The Village, and fused with Dark Fairy Tales.
I know, delicious, right!? Plus, Craig's writing continues to impress. It's lush, detailed and DARK. This entire story has such a vibe; the location, the atmosphere, it got into my bones.
I enjoyed how ominous it felt, even when nothing overtly scary was happening. It always felt like at any moment, a monster could appear from the periphery. The characters were compelling and I really liked the conclusion; it was unique and inventive.
I'm so happy with this and again, look forward to seeing what Craig creates next. I know I will definitely be adding it to my shelves, whatever it is!
September 30, 2021
What a mess. I had so many conflicting emotions while reading this to where I’m not even sure what the most disappointing aspect was. Sometimes books start off slowly or things don’t make sense at first, but eventually they all come together in a beautiful, cohesive way. This was definitely not that, though. I’m don’t know what Small Favors was going for, just that it did not get there at all.
First and foremost it was boring. The beginning maybe two-thirds or so were nothing but boring and moderately stressful. Everything about Ellerie Downing’s life is miserable and only getting miserable-r. None of these characters have redeeming qualities and honestly outside of her nuclear family and a couple of exceptions the entire cast of secondary characters just blurred into the background. Oh? There’s someone in town named Winthrop? If you say so.
The back third is when things actually start happening beyond the mundane tragedies of a family struggling to survive. I was literally 350 pages into this book before I remembered—hey, isn’t this supposed to be a Rumpelstiltskin retelling?? Otherwise it was essentially the most depressing Little House on the Prairie episode since Mary went blind. Despite the long trek to this point in the book, I was expecting for there to be an epic climax of some kind. It didn’t necessarily have to make the first 300 pages worth it, but at least give me some feeling of satisfaction. There was none.
I have no idea what happened here. Everything I thought would be important to the story was not. The bees? Didn’t matter. Ellerie’s family? Irrelevant. Some rando(s) she met along the way? Medium important, but mostly an afterthought. There was no moral, no redemption, no real character arcs—this book used almost 500 pages to say nothing. The plot was just a series of bad things happening to which I guess we’re just supposed to sigh despondently and say, “well that’s……terrible.”
I’ve seen a couple of negative-to-middling reviews of this book and I just don’t think anyone has come out and said what needs to be said after reading it: this is not worth your time. I was a big fan of House of Salt and Sorrows, so this is such a bummer to write, but I just did not enjoy reading Small Favors at all. Despite all of that, though, I’m not completely turned off of picking up Erin Craig’s future books. I know she’s a good writer and the concept of this book sounded great! Just a fumbled execution for me.
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
First and foremost it was boring. The beginning maybe two-thirds or so were nothing but boring and moderately stressful. Everything about Ellerie Downing’s life is miserable and only getting miserable-r. None of these characters have redeeming qualities and honestly outside of her nuclear family and a couple of exceptions the entire cast of secondary characters just blurred into the background. Oh? There’s someone in town named Winthrop? If you say so.
The back third is when things actually start happening beyond the mundane tragedies of a family struggling to survive. I was literally 350 pages into this book before I remembered—hey, isn’t this supposed to be a Rumpelstiltskin retelling?? Otherwise it was essentially the most depressing Little House on the Prairie episode since Mary went blind. Despite the long trek to this point in the book, I was expecting for there to be an epic climax of some kind. It didn’t necessarily have to make the first 300 pages worth it, but at least give me some feeling of satisfaction. There was none.
I have no idea what happened here. Everything I thought would be important to the story was not. The bees? Didn’t matter. Ellerie’s family? Irrelevant. Some rando(s) she met along the way? Medium important, but mostly an afterthought. There was no moral, no redemption, no real character arcs—this book used almost 500 pages to say nothing. The plot was just a series of bad things happening to which I guess we’re just supposed to sigh despondently and say, “well that’s……terrible.”
I’ve seen a couple of negative-to-middling reviews of this book and I just don’t think anyone has come out and said what needs to be said after reading it: this is not worth your time. I was a big fan of House of Salt and Sorrows, so this is such a bummer to write, but I just did not enjoy reading Small Favors at all. Despite all of that, though, I’m not completely turned off of picking up Erin Craig’s future books. I know she’s a good writer and the concept of this book sounded great! Just a fumbled execution for me.
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
September 5, 2024
"Enter not the forest deep. Beyond the Bells, the dark fiends keep."
˚ ༘🍁˚.*°࿐ 。🍂 °˖
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. ⋆·˚ ༘ *ꕤ 4.25 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼 ꕤ༉‧₊˚.
˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ A captivating, atmospheric, dark fantasy retelling in an isolated and mysterious small town, with elements of folklore horror, mystery, and romance.
╰┈➤‧₊˚✧ 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 ✧˚₊‧༉‧₊˚🕯️
Ellerie Downing lives in the small town, Amity Falls, where nothing new ever happens. Life is…predictable. The most exciting thing Ellerie is getting to do is tending to her father’s bees, which is something she is very excited about.
Her father is teaching her how to care for the hives and collect honey without disturbing the colony. It is a job her twin brother, Sam, ought to be doing. But all summer, he hasn’t really been around. Sam has had the freedom of doing as he pleases with whom he pleases, even if it is with a certain local girl.
Everything comes to a halt, though, when it is discovered the townspeople on the supply run have been attacked by monstrous creatures living in the forsaken woods surrounding Amity Falls. What animals are haunting the woods? Ellerie’s father and Samuel go into the woods to see if anyone is left. They return only to report the same thing. Everyone got slaughtered by the monstrous creatures.
Tensions rise among the people Ellerie once called her friends as strange phenomena start to occur. Animals give birth to grotesque creatures, and mysterious symbols appear in unexpected places.
Winter sets in, trapping Amity Falls’ residents in the village, and reality itself twists unsettlingly. Ghosts are seen in places that later go up in flames, and neighbors blame one another for inexplicable sabotage.
Claustrophobia and dread seep into the very fabric of the community, and a stifling sense of hostility causes the town to turn on itself. Ellerie must uncover what’s really troubling Amity Falls before she loses the home and people she loves.
“We were like little wooden puzzle pieces at McCleary’s store. Just little bits of colorful chaos on their own, but once they were snapped into place, you could see they were meant to be together all along.” ·˚ ༘🍁˚.*°࿐ 。🍂 °˖
╰┈➤‧₊˚✧ 𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ✧˚₊‧༉‧₊˚🕯️
Let me just say this book is freaking CREEPY!! I was pulled into the story's atmosphere of total isolation and something creepy and insidious trying to cross the narrow borders hiding inside the pages. Its horror is not in the gory details, but in the ever-present feeling of being watched.
THIS is my jam!! I don't get freaked out by much but *chills* this story is so ominous - that for the entirety of this book, I got that prickly feeling of unease.
Anyone that knows me, knows that I can watch all kinds of horror movies, true horror, horror podcasts, etc and not bat an eyelash- the ONLY movie in the history of time that turned my blood to ice was The Hills Have Eyes. OMG. This book is so reminiscent of that movie mixed with like a gothic Little House on The Prairie, not in totality of course but in the ambiance, in the utter and total feeling of isolation and desolation.
The magic is ancient and mysterious, the people removed yet present. I really like the way the story is set in a settlement of some kind yet still in present-day (or some semblance of it.) I also enjoyed a complicated romance you can't help but root for, despite the mystery and mistrust that surrounds the character and his intentions.
The pacing is slow, so keep that in mind- normally I'm not a fan of slow paced books but Craig pulled it off so perfectly... utilizing it to build the sense of unease and dread of the story as a whole.
˖*°࿐ •*⁀➷ If you like Folk Horror, fairytale retellings, Stephen King’s Needful Things. If you like mysterious small towns, this is a must read!·˚ ༘🍁˚.*°࿐ 。🍂 °˖
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. ⋆·˚ ༘ *ꕤ 4.25 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼 ꕤ༉‧₊˚.
˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ A captivating, atmospheric, dark fantasy retelling in an isolated and mysterious small town, with elements of folklore horror, mystery, and romance.
╰┈➤‧₊˚✧ 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 ✧˚₊‧༉‧₊˚🕯️
Ellerie Downing lives in the small town, Amity Falls, where nothing new ever happens. Life is…predictable. The most exciting thing Ellerie is getting to do is tending to her father’s bees, which is something she is very excited about.
Her father is teaching her how to care for the hives and collect honey without disturbing the colony. It is a job her twin brother, Sam, ought to be doing. But all summer, he hasn’t really been around. Sam has had the freedom of doing as he pleases with whom he pleases, even if it is with a certain local girl.
Everything comes to a halt, though, when it is discovered the townspeople on the supply run have been attacked by monstrous creatures living in the forsaken woods surrounding Amity Falls. What animals are haunting the woods? Ellerie’s father and Samuel go into the woods to see if anyone is left. They return only to report the same thing. Everyone got slaughtered by the monstrous creatures.
Tensions rise among the people Ellerie once called her friends as strange phenomena start to occur. Animals give birth to grotesque creatures, and mysterious symbols appear in unexpected places.
Winter sets in, trapping Amity Falls’ residents in the village, and reality itself twists unsettlingly. Ghosts are seen in places that later go up in flames, and neighbors blame one another for inexplicable sabotage.
Claustrophobia and dread seep into the very fabric of the community, and a stifling sense of hostility causes the town to turn on itself. Ellerie must uncover what’s really troubling Amity Falls before she loses the home and people she loves.
“We were like little wooden puzzle pieces at McCleary’s store. Just little bits of colorful chaos on their own, but once they were snapped into place, you could see they were meant to be together all along.” ·˚ ༘🍁˚.*°࿐ 。🍂 °˖
╰┈➤‧₊˚✧ 𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ✧˚₊‧༉‧₊˚🕯️
Let me just say this book is freaking CREEPY!! I was pulled into the story's atmosphere of total isolation and something creepy and insidious trying to cross the narrow borders hiding inside the pages. Its horror is not in the gory details, but in the ever-present feeling of being watched.
THIS is my jam!! I don't get freaked out by much but *chills* this story is so ominous - that for the entirety of this book, I got that prickly feeling of unease.
Anyone that knows me, knows that I can watch all kinds of horror movies, true horror, horror podcasts, etc and not bat an eyelash- the ONLY movie in the history of time that turned my blood to ice was The Hills Have Eyes. OMG. This book is so reminiscent of that movie mixed with like a gothic Little House on The Prairie, not in totality of course but in the ambiance, in the utter and total feeling of isolation and desolation.
The magic is ancient and mysterious, the people removed yet present. I really like the way the story is set in a settlement of some kind yet still in present-day (or some semblance of it.) I also enjoyed a complicated romance you can't help but root for, despite the mystery and mistrust that surrounds the character and his intentions.
The pacing is slow, so keep that in mind- normally I'm not a fan of slow paced books but Craig pulled it off so perfectly... utilizing it to build the sense of unease and dread of the story as a whole.
˖*°࿐ •*⁀➷ If you like Folk Horror, fairytale retellings, Stephen King’s Needful Things. If you like mysterious small towns, this is a must read!·˚ ༘🍁˚.*°࿐ 。🍂 °˖
July 26, 2021
"Enter not the forest deep. Beyond the Bells, the dark fiends keep."
This is a stunningly beautiful, eloquently written novel. I was a little confused by some of the happenings at the end, and thinking on things didn't help clarify the rushed climax, so I'm just going to take the hit and move along, enjoying the lush atmosphere Small Favors provides. Aside from a few characters being a main part of the first half of the book, and then disappearing with no update on what happened to them (mom and dad), a character who was so unlikable and acted out of character from what we were being told (brother), I really grew attached to this quirky, creepy community and the children that tried to hold it all together along the way.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
This is a stunningly beautiful, eloquently written novel. I was a little confused by some of the happenings at the end, and thinking on things didn't help clarify the rushed climax, so I'm just going to take the hit and move along, enjoying the lush atmosphere Small Favors provides. Aside from a few characters being a main part of the first half of the book, and then disappearing with no update on what happened to them (mom and dad), a character who was so unlikable and acted out of character from what we were being told (brother), I really grew attached to this quirky, creepy community and the children that tried to hold it all together along the way.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
July 22, 2022
Ugg!! The cover is beautiful! The beginning had me hooked, it was The Village vibes for sure!! Then…..
I don’t have a clue! I don’t care! Thank you and goodnight!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I don’t have a clue! I don’t care! Thank you and goodnight!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
September 10, 2022
Ominous and lingering, Americana gone wrong with a dose of the eldritch. Love, love, love.
Concept:★★★★
Pacing: ★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★★★
This is one of those books that you either barely describe or seriously over describe—it's rich, the plot is layered, and some of the magic in the story's structure comes from knowing the movements of the plot and yet being absolutely compelled to savor it anyway for the journey. A really masterful horror-speculative from an author to watch.
In the town of Amity Falls, a family of beekeepers lives in relative harmony with their close-knit group of townspeople. Their town exists in the valley of a hard-to-travel mountain range, and monsters, perils, and death plague anyone who tries to get into Amity Falls....and out. Supply runs to the outside world are dangerous and infrequent. The people of Amity Falls are isolated.
In this setup of isolation and crowd-based community, Ellerie Downing is learning to care for the bees. And trying to find her place in the community as a young woman of seventeen with dreams and goals that don't *quite* align with the patriarchal lifestyle of her town.
When she meets a strange boy at the fringes of the woods, Ellerie has no idea that everything is about to change.
The woods are dark and deep. And something has been drawn to the glowing jewel of Amity Falls like a moth to a flickering flame...
Keep your luck with you, and don't go lending out small favors.
Ohhhhhh, this was delicious. Like the honey that this novel's bee motif alludes to, Small Favors is a book that seeps into your consciousness with a sweet yet hard-to-escape sticky residue. You're caught like a fly in the amber within the author's beautiful words, aware that the story is heading for destruction and yet unable to stop, happy to sink in.
What an interesting combination to add the Salem witch trials-esque Americana spirit to the folkloric eldritch horrors of the older worlds. You'd think this would have been done before and therefore boring in its familiarity, but the author took those familiar concepts and really tangled them up into something fresh on the market (or at least it was fresh for me, a fan of folklore horror).
I wonder how this novel would translate to an international audience, because it is so rooted in that sense of nebulously frontier Americana with all of the folklore, superstitions, and religion vs. folk that seems to have a unique flavor in this particular country and time. But then, the core concepts are familiar to a lot of Western countries that are based in Christianity, so who knows.
A fantastic entry into the folklore horror canon, and another beautifully written story by Erin A. Craig.
Thank you to Random House Children’s for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Concept:★★★★
Pacing: ★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★★★
This is one of those books that you either barely describe or seriously over describe—it's rich, the plot is layered, and some of the magic in the story's structure comes from knowing the movements of the plot and yet being absolutely compelled to savor it anyway for the journey. A really masterful horror-speculative from an author to watch.
In the town of Amity Falls, a family of beekeepers lives in relative harmony with their close-knit group of townspeople. Their town exists in the valley of a hard-to-travel mountain range, and monsters, perils, and death plague anyone who tries to get into Amity Falls....and out. Supply runs to the outside world are dangerous and infrequent. The people of Amity Falls are isolated.
In this setup of isolation and crowd-based community, Ellerie Downing is learning to care for the bees. And trying to find her place in the community as a young woman of seventeen with dreams and goals that don't *quite* align with the patriarchal lifestyle of her town.
When she meets a strange boy at the fringes of the woods, Ellerie has no idea that everything is about to change.
The woods are dark and deep. And something has been drawn to the glowing jewel of Amity Falls like a moth to a flickering flame...
Keep your luck with you, and don't go lending out small favors.
Ohhhhhh, this was delicious. Like the honey that this novel's bee motif alludes to, Small Favors is a book that seeps into your consciousness with a sweet yet hard-to-escape sticky residue. You're caught like a fly in the amber within the author's beautiful words, aware that the story is heading for destruction and yet unable to stop, happy to sink in.
What an interesting combination to add the Salem witch trials-esque Americana spirit to the folkloric eldritch horrors of the older worlds. You'd think this would have been done before and therefore boring in its familiarity, but the author took those familiar concepts and really tangled them up into something fresh on the market (or at least it was fresh for me, a fan of folklore horror).
I wonder how this novel would translate to an international audience, because it is so rooted in that sense of nebulously frontier Americana with all of the folklore, superstitions, and religion vs. folk that seems to have a unique flavor in this particular country and time. But then, the core concepts are familiar to a lot of Western countries that are based in Christianity, so who knows.
A fantastic entry into the folklore horror canon, and another beautifully written story by Erin A. Craig.
Thank you to Random House Children’s for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2021
-the fact that im actually angry i wasted my time reading this - DUDE IT TOOK LIKE A WEEK TO READ IT WAS SO BORING AND HARD TO GET THROUGH
-Ellerie. is. such. a. DRY. character - i am at a loss for words
-sis had her girlboss-gatekeep-gaslight moment at the end but at what cost 😔 (it was so dumb oh my God)
-me looking for this so-called personality she had that Whitaker was attracted to 🧐🤨
-dont get me STARTED on Whitaker- mans had a personality of a wet rag 🙄
-the author likes to do this thing where they have characters just ✨ disappear ✨ for whatever reason until they have some dialogue with Ellerie that’s necessary to the plot and then shoves em back into the basement like COME ON its so annoying
-is it JUST the YA genre that has all the girl protagonists be dumb for the entirety of the book until its convenient for the plot that she suddenly connects all the pieces and becomes a genius ?? 😑🤚
-this book DRAGGED like DRAGGED maybe the author wanted to really draw out the peculiar stuff happening but at LEAST have ambiance then😩 (ex. of some REALLY good ambiance for me was House of Salt and Sorrow- the plot moved a little slow but it had such an eerie and sinister atmosphere the pacing was compensated for-it was REALLY well done in my opinion) i feel like in this book, everything was rushed- all the ideas were half developed and nothing truly looked into
- the book was a blur of Ellerie and her bees, Ellerie and love interest, Ellerie making food and going to town meetings- LIKE DO SOMETHING 😤
-are we supposed to care for sam lol? Because i couldnt have cared less - the author never established any sort of connection Sam and Ellerie were supposed to have as twins - so anything Sam did didnt make me feel any type of way- their relationship was literally never developed at all - the author really said tell, dont show 😶
-all of her family characters weren’t necessary at all- they had a minor tidbit to do and im so SICK of authors making siblings and family members that do absolutely nothing for the plot, arent developed beyond stating the family relation but is apparently enough to give the protagonist an iNcEnTivE to be ready to literally die for them - like dude i couldnt CARE LESS
-idk man maybe ive just become more cynical but the YA genre has sucked recently :/
-Ellerie. is. such. a. DRY. character - i am at a loss for words
-sis had her girlboss-gatekeep-gaslight moment at the end but at what cost 😔 (it was so dumb oh my God)
-me looking for this so-called personality she had that Whitaker was attracted to 🧐🤨
-dont get me STARTED on Whitaker- mans had a personality of a wet rag 🙄
-the author likes to do this thing where they have characters just ✨ disappear ✨ for whatever reason until they have some dialogue with Ellerie that’s necessary to the plot and then shoves em back into the basement like COME ON its so annoying
-is it JUST the YA genre that has all the girl protagonists be dumb for the entirety of the book until its convenient for the plot that she suddenly connects all the pieces and becomes a genius ?? 😑🤚
-this book DRAGGED like DRAGGED maybe the author wanted to really draw out the peculiar stuff happening but at LEAST have ambiance then😩 (ex. of some REALLY good ambiance for me was House of Salt and Sorrow- the plot moved a little slow but it had such an eerie and sinister atmosphere the pacing was compensated for-it was REALLY well done in my opinion) i feel like in this book, everything was rushed- all the ideas were half developed and nothing truly looked into
- the book was a blur of Ellerie and her bees, Ellerie and love interest, Ellerie making food and going to town meetings- LIKE DO SOMETHING 😤
-are we supposed to care for sam lol? Because i couldnt have cared less - the author never established any sort of connection Sam and Ellerie were supposed to have as twins - so anything Sam did didnt make me feel any type of way- their relationship was literally never developed at all - the author really said tell, dont show 😶
-all of her family characters weren’t necessary at all- they had a minor tidbit to do and im so SICK of authors making siblings and family members that do absolutely nothing for the plot, arent developed beyond stating the family relation but is apparently enough to give the protagonist an iNcEnTivE to be ready to literally die for them - like dude i couldnt CARE LESS
-idk man maybe ive just become more cynical but the YA genre has sucked recently :/
July 19, 2023
࿐❁ʚ ❝Entire not into the forest deep. Beyond the Bells, the dark fiends keep.❞ ɞ❁࿐
You can really see how much Erin Craig has matured in her writing through this novel. House of Salt and Sorrows was haunting and scary and the horror aspect was extremely well done, but it was noticeably lacking in other important traits, such as writing and dialogue and characterization.
Not this book. Not only was Small Favors spooky, but it was also rich in atmosphere and characters with dark masses lurking underneath the surfaces of placid expressions. Reading it was like drinking a cup of poisoned tea; sweet and thick and smooth as it slides over the tongue but turns your stomach into a writhing mess eventually crumbling into ashes.
I loved the heady atmosphere of Amity Falls, the small and sickly sweet town that keeps up the innocent charade even as the cracks grow wider and friendship and love and other important things begin falling through them. The author did an excellent job of drawing out the madness to the point of breaking until it does just that and turns absolutely feral. The cast of characters, also; evasive, secretive and sometimes bitterly oblivious, were fleshed out and each of them had something not quite right about them that is near impossible to figure out.
The climax was bloody and awful and although this book is much less blatantly spooky than I expected, there is a unique kind of horror in watching all these people you've spent the length of the novel getting to know turning on each other in terrifying flights of fancy.
Ellerie was a beautiful, convincing character and I was rooting for her throughout the entire story. She was so tangible and had amazing development. I loved the bond she had with her sweet sisters and family. She deserved a far better romance than she was given here. Whitaker's character for me was just very strange and I couldn't bring myself to buy into the love he claimed to have for Ellerie. The romance in and of itself almost felt like an afterthought, spinning around in the midst of the madness, painfully out of place among the family virtues and mystery and horror aspects.
Though, at the end of the day, this was an excellently done, provocative, subtly terrifying tale, and I will definitely be looking out for more from Erin Craig.
࿐❁ʚ ❝The rightness of a name was woven into the very essence of the thing itself.❞ ɞ❁࿐
εწз pre-review εწз
I have much stuff and probably nonsense to say, just not atm because I need to assemble my five brain cells together before I can write a full-length review.
rtc!
εწз tbr review εწз
I wanna eat the cover pls 🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️
You can really see how much Erin Craig has matured in her writing through this novel. House of Salt and Sorrows was haunting and scary and the horror aspect was extremely well done, but it was noticeably lacking in other important traits, such as writing and dialogue and characterization.
Not this book. Not only was Small Favors spooky, but it was also rich in atmosphere and characters with dark masses lurking underneath the surfaces of placid expressions. Reading it was like drinking a cup of poisoned tea; sweet and thick and smooth as it slides over the tongue but turns your stomach into a writhing mess eventually crumbling into ashes.
I loved the heady atmosphere of Amity Falls, the small and sickly sweet town that keeps up the innocent charade even as the cracks grow wider and friendship and love and other important things begin falling through them. The author did an excellent job of drawing out the madness to the point of breaking until it does just that and turns absolutely feral. The cast of characters, also; evasive, secretive and sometimes bitterly oblivious, were fleshed out and each of them had something not quite right about them that is near impossible to figure out.
The climax was bloody and awful and although this book is much less blatantly spooky than I expected, there is a unique kind of horror in watching all these people you've spent the length of the novel getting to know turning on each other in terrifying flights of fancy.
Ellerie was a beautiful, convincing character and I was rooting for her throughout the entire story. She was so tangible and had amazing development. I loved the bond she had with her sweet sisters and family. She deserved a far better romance than she was given here. Whitaker's character for me was just very strange and I couldn't bring myself to buy into the love he claimed to have for Ellerie. The romance in and of itself almost felt like an afterthought, spinning around in the midst of the madness, painfully out of place among the family virtues and mystery and horror aspects.
Though, at the end of the day, this was an excellently done, provocative, subtly terrifying tale, and I will definitely be looking out for more from Erin Craig.
࿐❁ʚ ❝The rightness of a name was woven into the very essence of the thing itself.❞ ɞ❁࿐
εწз pre-review εწз
I have much stuff and probably nonsense to say, just not atm because I need to assemble my five brain cells together before I can write a full-length review.
rtc!
εწз tbr review εწз
I wanna eat the cover pls 🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️
October 6, 2023
•✿•➳4.5✫
"𝑴𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒔, 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝑰 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒅"
"𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚"
I'm not going to explain in too much detail because I want everyone to start this book with little information going in.
This is the 1st of October and this book is definitely suitable for this season. It's eerie and spooky but also aesthetically pleasing with the village-esque vibe.
This book will make you want to drink a cup of tea with honey, eat honey cake (very specific but you will get it if you read it), and sit outside, surrounded by a very misty pine forest where you can hear the sound of the fox wailing.
"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬"
"𝑴𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒔, 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝑰 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒅"
In the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountains. It is surrounded by impenetrable forest and that is far away from the nearby city. The people there live peacefully by helping each other, until one time a strange incident happened that shocked everyone.
Ellerie Downing lives in Amity Falls with her family and has to experience strange events in their quiet town that have forced her to keep her family safe.
"𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚"
I'm not going to explain in too much detail because I want everyone to start this book with little information going in.
This is the 1st of October and this book is definitely suitable for this season. It's eerie and spooky but also aesthetically pleasing with the village-esque vibe.
This book will make you want to drink a cup of tea with honey, eat honey cake (very specific but you will get it if you read it), and sit outside, surrounded by a very misty pine forest where you can hear the sound of the fox wailing.
"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬"
January 23, 2022
3.75
Growing up, I was especially drawn to fairy tales, legends, mythology and fantasy stories. Maybe because of that I still love discovering well-written YA fantasy novels.
When I opened up Small Favors— such an innocuous title— I couldn’t even remember adding it to my TBR just 6-7 months ago. It definitely was a story inspired by myths and fantasy.
A tight-knit community, a code of rules, and a pastoral setting surrounded by a deeply forested and ancient woods. Creepy but as the story opens we learn about beekeeping and get to know the hive and the family raising and relying on those hives.
It may have a pastoral beginning but the darkening shadows spread out from the “pines” and settles, ever so quietly in Amity Hollow.
What follows is a year of darkness, emotional strife and the hardships of winter combined with malevolence waiting in the darkness and violence. We learn how easy it is for neighbor to turn against neighbor. We see this all though the eyes of Elleria Downing, our heroine and half a set of twins.
This is a great book to go into knowing nothing as the turns in the story build upon each other. While I admittedly found the last few chapters a bit of a mess, (we got it— violence and vengeance only begets more of the same.) the long build up ends in a fairly quick and messy ending.
A 100 less pages on the build up and an extra chapter toward the denouement would have earned this fascinating tale another star. (No doubt this is because I’m a critical old bookworm and not the teenage audience this book was written for— who else would Whitaker have been created for besides Elleria?)
Regardless— I look forward to reading more from this author— she sure knows how to build a slow burning book!!
PS—the beekeeping information was stellar!!
Growing up, I was especially drawn to fairy tales, legends, mythology and fantasy stories. Maybe because of that I still love discovering well-written YA fantasy novels.
When I opened up Small Favors— such an innocuous title— I couldn’t even remember adding it to my TBR just 6-7 months ago. It definitely was a story inspired by myths and fantasy.
A tight-knit community, a code of rules, and a pastoral setting surrounded by a deeply forested and ancient woods. Creepy but as the story opens we learn about beekeeping and get to know the hive and the family raising and relying on those hives.
It may have a pastoral beginning but the darkening shadows spread out from the “pines” and settles, ever so quietly in Amity Hollow.
What follows is a year of darkness, emotional strife and the hardships of winter combined with malevolence waiting in the darkness and violence. We learn how easy it is for neighbor to turn against neighbor. We see this all though the eyes of Elleria Downing, our heroine and half a set of twins.
This is a great book to go into knowing nothing as the turns in the story build upon each other. While I admittedly found the last few chapters a bit of a mess, (we got it— violence and vengeance only begets more of the same.) the long build up ends in a fairly quick and messy ending.
A 100 less pages on the build up and an extra chapter toward the denouement would have earned this fascinating tale another star. (No doubt this is because I’m a critical old bookworm and not the teenage audience this book was written for— who else would Whitaker have been created for besides Elleria?)
Regardless— I look forward to reading more from this author— she sure knows how to build a slow burning book!!
PS—the beekeeping information was stellar!!
November 15, 2022
So um...I'm so confused but this was so good.
You definitely gotta pay attention to put all the dots together at the end but this was captivating and unputdownable. LOVED IT!
You definitely gotta pay attention to put all the dots together at the end but this was captivating and unputdownable. LOVED IT!
November 12, 2021
Once again, Erin A. Craig hit it out of the park. If you enjoyed the film The Village, or the books Strange Grace and The Grace Year, this one should be right up your alley. It’s a little bit fantasy, a little bit mystery, and a little bit horror, and I devoured every moment of it.
Ellerie lives in the small, secluded village of Amity Falls. The village is surrounded by forest, and when an unknown calamity befalls their supply party, the townspeople find themselves even more isolated from the outside world. There are terrifying beasts prowling the woods, but the worst monsters are the ones who live just doors away. Dark times have come to Amity Falls, and mysterious occurrences turn the townspeople against each other. This book begs the question of just who you’ll trust, and how far you’ll go, to protected your loved ones when help isn’t coming.
I loved the romance, the family dynamics, the politics, the mythology and setting of this book. Truly, everything about it hit the mark for me.
This is quite easily one of my favorite reads of 2021, and I sure love Erin A. Craig’s brand of hauntingly atmospheric fantasy. She certainly has a way of writing compelling stories that are downright unsettling and suck you right in!
Ellerie lives in the small, secluded village of Amity Falls. The village is surrounded by forest, and when an unknown calamity befalls their supply party, the townspeople find themselves even more isolated from the outside world. There are terrifying beasts prowling the woods, but the worst monsters are the ones who live just doors away. Dark times have come to Amity Falls, and mysterious occurrences turn the townspeople against each other. This book begs the question of just who you’ll trust, and how far you’ll go, to protected your loved ones when help isn’t coming.
I loved the romance, the family dynamics, the politics, the mythology and setting of this book. Truly, everything about it hit the mark for me.
This is quite easily one of my favorite reads of 2021, and I sure love Erin A. Craig’s brand of hauntingly atmospheric fantasy. She certainly has a way of writing compelling stories that are downright unsettling and suck you right in!
July 1, 2021
Small Favors is a quiet YA horror novel that entirely sucked me in. It's creepy and atmospheric with slow-building tension, small town secrets, and fraught relationships. Definitely worth a read.
Ellery lives in an isolated small town governed by rules created by the founders. It's a close knit community where neighbors are always there to lend a helping hand. But things start going very wrong. It starts with the deformed animals, the rotting crops, and then relationships going awry. Through it all Ellery struggles to keep her family together and help them survive. I don't want to say too much more, but I loved a lot about this. It was creepy and fascinating. Towards the later part of the book I thought the pacing could have been better and we got explanations of some things a tad too early in my opinion. Dragging it out a bit more would have kept up the suspense. But overall, a very strong book and I love seeing this kind of slow burn horror show up in YA. I received an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
In terms of content notes, there is a lot of violence, some gore, death, lost of loved ones, manipulation, gaslighting etc.
Ellery lives in an isolated small town governed by rules created by the founders. It's a close knit community where neighbors are always there to lend a helping hand. But things start going very wrong. It starts with the deformed animals, the rotting crops, and then relationships going awry. Through it all Ellery struggles to keep her family together and help them survive. I don't want to say too much more, but I loved a lot about this. It was creepy and fascinating. Towards the later part of the book I thought the pacing could have been better and we got explanations of some things a tad too early in my opinion. Dragging it out a bit more would have kept up the suspense. But overall, a very strong book and I love seeing this kind of slow burn horror show up in YA. I received an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
In terms of content notes, there is a lot of violence, some gore, death, lost of loved ones, manipulation, gaslighting etc.
Currently reading
December 15, 2025rereading this because i loved it the last time i read it! 🫶🏻
September 13, 2024
4⭐️
🎧📖🎧 An audiobook and physical book read along!!! 🎧📖🎧
Talk about juicy small town drama and delicious mayhem. 🤭🤭🤭.
~~~~~~~
***Pre-Read:
A VERY beautiful cover with the promise of:
✨The retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.
✨Small town vibes mixed with a creep atmosphere.
✨Romance.
And…
✨An adorable FMC.
😍😍😍!!!
🎧📖🎧 An audiobook and physical book read along!!! 🎧📖🎧
Talk about juicy small town drama and delicious mayhem. 🤭🤭🤭.
~~~~~~~
***Pre-Read:
A VERY beautiful cover with the promise of:
✨The retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.
✨Small town vibes mixed with a creep atmosphere.
✨Romance.
And…
✨An adorable FMC.
😍😍😍!!!
September 11, 2021
This is a cute YA gothic/fantasy/romance/tale, but unfortunately it’s not for me.
It started very well and strong enough to get my attention, but later it became very cheesy.
There are some strange occurrences in the forest and in the town, such as unusual weather, fire, mutations in livestock, and mysteries that are causing a turmoil within the community. What’s the cause?
It sounds intriguing but the development of the storyline was a bit boring.
The writing is not bad, but it’s very simple and unfortunately some dialogues are very weak.
This book is clearly directed for a younger generation.
Although I have enjoyed the characters, I was not in love with anyone.
I lost interest after 35% but as I wanted to know what was coming, I decided to continue, but several times along the way I was tempted to quit.
Once again I may be the outlier.
The storyline is loosely inspired by the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, a German fairytale collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales.
It started very well and strong enough to get my attention, but later it became very cheesy.
There are some strange occurrences in the forest and in the town, such as unusual weather, fire, mutations in livestock, and mysteries that are causing a turmoil within the community. What’s the cause?
It sounds intriguing but the development of the storyline was a bit boring.
The writing is not bad, but it’s very simple and unfortunately some dialogues are very weak.
This book is clearly directed for a younger generation.
Although I have enjoyed the characters, I was not in love with anyone.
I lost interest after 35% but as I wanted to know what was coming, I decided to continue, but several times along the way I was tempted to quit.
Once again I may be the outlier.
The storyline is loosely inspired by the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, a German fairytale collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales.
January 2, 2023
I read this book as my first read of 2023 as part of #diversefirst by Horror Spotlight in an effort to support female, non-binary, and other diverse horror authors.
I loved the setting, which was loosely based on colonial (?) America, although no specific time period or region was referenced. I love to crochet and my grandpa has bees, so all of those aspects were very relatable, sweet, and fun. I especially enjoyed the bee content.
Isolation was a common theme with this one, as the premise is set around the fact that Amity Falls is snowed in each winter with no way to seek extra supplies, while the yearly supply run is cancelled when the men who try to leave town are all killed by unknown monsters. The slow decay of mental health in an isolated environment is common with these books, and that’s present here, too. The almost claustrophobic feeling of it reminded me of the pandemic more than anything else, though, and I’m wondering if that’s where Craig got some of her inspiration.
I tend to like Craig’s books because they’re a good combination of fantasy, horror, and romance—my three favorite genres. I thought the romance in House of Salt and Sorrows was somewhat mediocre, although I liked it well enough. I was slightly annoyed with the romance here, although I won’t go into detail to avoid spoilers. Instead, I though the main character‘s relationships with each of her siblings were far more interesting. I almost would have liked a little more from her sister Mary and her best friend Rebecca.
Overall, I thought this was really enjoyable and I will certainly keep reading Craig’s work. The romances tend to be very YA, so maybe I’m just growing out of those a bit. I guess I’ll find out when I read the next HOSAS book, House of Roots and Ruin.
Past #diversefirst Horror Spotlight / #ladiesfirst Ladies of Horror Fiction Reads:
2022–Dread Nation
2021–House of Salt and Sorrows
. . . . .
After finishing House of Salt and Sorrows, I can’t wait to get my hands on this beauty! 😍
Update: I preordered the B&N ~exclusive~ edition and boy is it stunning!
I loved the setting, which was loosely based on colonial (?) America, although no specific time period or region was referenced. I love to crochet and my grandpa has bees, so all of those aspects were very relatable, sweet, and fun. I especially enjoyed the bee content.
Isolation was a common theme with this one, as the premise is set around the fact that Amity Falls is snowed in each winter with no way to seek extra supplies, while the yearly supply run is cancelled when the men who try to leave town are all killed by unknown monsters. The slow decay of mental health in an isolated environment is common with these books, and that’s present here, too. The almost claustrophobic feeling of it reminded me of the pandemic more than anything else, though, and I’m wondering if that’s where Craig got some of her inspiration.
I tend to like Craig’s books because they’re a good combination of fantasy, horror, and romance—my three favorite genres. I thought the romance in House of Salt and Sorrows was somewhat mediocre, although I liked it well enough. I was slightly annoyed with the romance here, although I won’t go into detail to avoid spoilers. Instead, I though the main character‘s relationships with each of her siblings were far more interesting. I almost would have liked a little more from her sister Mary and her best friend Rebecca.
Overall, I thought this was really enjoyable and I will certainly keep reading Craig’s work. The romances tend to be very YA, so maybe I’m just growing out of those a bit. I guess I’ll find out when I read the next HOSAS book, House of Roots and Ruin.
Past #diversefirst Horror Spotlight / #ladiesfirst Ladies of Horror Fiction Reads:
2022–Dread Nation
2021–House of Salt and Sorrows
. . . . .
After finishing House of Salt and Sorrows, I can’t wait to get my hands on this beauty! 😍
Update: I preordered the B&N ~exclusive~ edition and boy is it stunning!
December 17, 2021
3.5
i am ANNOYED
at that ending
like... i thought it was building up to something more... substantial
or even a twist a la The Village
but
meh
everything was useless and had no... purpose. everything was depressing. it built up to nothing in the end and while the prose was beautiful and it literally held me invested in the story, i wanted it to GO SOMEWHERE and it didn't
idk
i'm vvvvv annoyed
i am ANNOYED
at that ending
like... i thought it was building up to something more... substantial
or even a twist a la The Village
but
meh
everything was useless and had no... purpose. everything was depressing. it built up to nothing in the end and while the prose was beautiful and it literally held me invested in the story, i wanted it to GO SOMEWHERE and it didn't
idk
i'm vvvvv annoyed
September 4, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
there were things i liked about this book and things that fell flat. for the most part, i enjoyed it and my reading experience was decent but i do wish the author had executed some things differently.
THE PLOT
tragedy and horror strike the sleepy town of Amity Falls when mysterious creatures attack the townsfolk who dare wander into the woods. with that said, the story is whimsical and some parts felt a little off because the consistency of the plot shifted whenever it was convenient to shake things up. the horror elements were sprinkled throughout the book but they became more prominent in the second half. stuff got more interesting, chilling and disturbing at the same time. i was fully engrossed in the story because i sure do love a weird little tale. the plot got kinda messy after that and i kept waiting for something significant to happen but it felt like i was holding my breath because nothing drastic really happens until the last 20%. it was mostly just ‘all tell no show’ up till that moment and i was a little disappointed. the ending caught me off guard as well because the story seemed unfinished as there were lose ends and unanswered questions lingering in the aftermath but it concluded pretty abruptly. i was left thinking “damn, that’s it?” because the book left a poor aftertaste in my mouth. i was expecting more.
THE CHARACTER
our fmc comes off as slightly naive but i found her personality to be fresh and likeable. she’s a simple rural girl with basic dreams and a duty towards her family. i was surprised by some of her choices as i expected her to do things differently but the author clearly had other plans. i thought she’d be smarter about a lot of stuff but she was slow and also a bit stupid at times. i saw one of the major plot twists coming from a mile away and was surprised she didn’t connect the dots even though the truth was glaring at her in the face. it got kinda annoying waiting for her to finally figure it out but she didn’t until the last few chapters. granted, she isn’t the brightest main character that i’ve read and i know there are much worse FMCs out there but i still expected ellerie to be better written in terms of intelligence.
FINAL THOUGHTS
overall, the book starts off strong with an interesting setting and curious characters but we lost the plot somewhere along the way. maybe if this was a duology i could’ve appreciated the story more but it didn’t work as a standalone for me. i’m not a fan of open endings so that could be another reason why i didn’t vibe with the ending of this book. on the other hand, i liked that dark atmosphere that this book conjured and felt myself getting lost in it while reading.
“I wasn’t a man. My place in the world was nebulous, a malleable concept only given definition by the space I occupied. When I was in the classroom, I was a schoolgirl. At home, I was a daughter. When someone eventually courted me, I’d be a wife, a mother. But until then, what was I? Who was I?”
there were things i liked about this book and things that fell flat. for the most part, i enjoyed it and my reading experience was decent but i do wish the author had executed some things differently.
THE PLOT
tragedy and horror strike the sleepy town of Amity Falls when mysterious creatures attack the townsfolk who dare wander into the woods. with that said, the story is whimsical and some parts felt a little off because the consistency of the plot shifted whenever it was convenient to shake things up. the horror elements were sprinkled throughout the book but they became more prominent in the second half. stuff got more interesting, chilling and disturbing at the same time. i was fully engrossed in the story because i sure do love a weird little tale. the plot got kinda messy after that and i kept waiting for something significant to happen but it felt like i was holding my breath because nothing drastic really happens until the last 20%. it was mostly just ‘all tell no show’ up till that moment and i was a little disappointed. the ending caught me off guard as well because the story seemed unfinished as there were lose ends and unanswered questions lingering in the aftermath but it concluded pretty abruptly. i was left thinking “damn, that’s it?” because the book left a poor aftertaste in my mouth. i was expecting more.
THE CHARACTER
our fmc comes off as slightly naive but i found her personality to be fresh and likeable. she’s a simple rural girl with basic dreams and a duty towards her family. i was surprised by some of her choices as i expected her to do things differently but the author clearly had other plans. i thought she’d be smarter about a lot of stuff but she was slow and also a bit stupid at times. i saw one of the major plot twists coming from a mile away and was surprised she didn’t connect the dots even though the truth was glaring at her in the face. it got kinda annoying waiting for her to finally figure it out but she didn’t until the last few chapters. granted, she isn’t the brightest main character that i’ve read and i know there are much worse FMCs out there but i still expected ellerie to be better written in terms of intelligence.
FINAL THOUGHTS
overall, the book starts off strong with an interesting setting and curious characters but we lost the plot somewhere along the way. maybe if this was a duology i could’ve appreciated the story more but it didn’t work as a standalone for me. i’m not a fan of open endings so that could be another reason why i didn’t vibe with the ending of this book. on the other hand, i liked that dark atmosphere that this book conjured and felt myself getting lost in it while reading.
June 27, 2021
Following in the same vein as House of Salt and Sorrows, Small Favors is a dark and twisty fantastical read from Erin A. Craig.
Ellerie Downing and her family live in a small town called Amity Falls, located in a secluded valley surrounded by forest. What starts out to be a kind and peaceful place quickly turns into a mysterious scene full of seemingly random attacks, vandalism and unexplained hatred. Ellerie is determined to figure out what madness is plaguing her town, with the help of a new stranger who’s just arrived.
I didn’t even realize this was a Rumpelstiltskin retelling until after I was done reading it but it definitely makes sense with the plot and considering the fact that the author’s first book was also a retelling. I feel like I understand the direction of the story so much more now that I know that.
This one was definitely similar to House of Salt and Sorrows in that it has some fantastical elements and darker storylines included. I also found the writing style to be very consistent between the two books. The writing was immersive and really added to the atmosphere of the story.
One of the main things I enjoyed about this book was the small town setting of Amity Falls, surrounded by a dark and mysterious forest. This definitely added to the creepy-factor of the story while also keeping the reader engaged in solving the mystery of what darkness has overtaken the town.
This small town dynamic did come with a very big cast of characters. There was a list of townspeople and families at the beginning of the book which was helpful but some things did get confusing when there were big town gatherings and trying to remember how everyone is connected. Having this larger group did bring a lot of drama with it though, and I enjoyed following the various storylines between characters.
This was an interesting take on a classic fairytale and I really appreciated how original it was. The story was riveting and the pacing felt well done throughout.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Ellerie Downing and her family live in a small town called Amity Falls, located in a secluded valley surrounded by forest. What starts out to be a kind and peaceful place quickly turns into a mysterious scene full of seemingly random attacks, vandalism and unexplained hatred. Ellerie is determined to figure out what madness is plaguing her town, with the help of a new stranger who’s just arrived.
I didn’t even realize this was a Rumpelstiltskin retelling until after I was done reading it but it definitely makes sense with the plot and considering the fact that the author’s first book was also a retelling. I feel like I understand the direction of the story so much more now that I know that.
This one was definitely similar to House of Salt and Sorrows in that it has some fantastical elements and darker storylines included. I also found the writing style to be very consistent between the two books. The writing was immersive and really added to the atmosphere of the story.
One of the main things I enjoyed about this book was the small town setting of Amity Falls, surrounded by a dark and mysterious forest. This definitely added to the creepy-factor of the story while also keeping the reader engaged in solving the mystery of what darkness has overtaken the town.
This small town dynamic did come with a very big cast of characters. There was a list of townspeople and families at the beginning of the book which was helpful but some things did get confusing when there were big town gatherings and trying to remember how everyone is connected. Having this larger group did bring a lot of drama with it though, and I enjoyed following the various storylines between characters.
This was an interesting take on a classic fairytale and I really appreciated how original it was. The story was riveting and the pacing felt well done throughout.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
September 21, 2021
if you know me, you know that I absolutely adored house of salt & sorrows. so to say I’m disappointed with EAC’s sophomore novel is certainly an understatement.
I really can’t say much about this besides that it was an utter and complete bore. the characters were bland, the writing style was not as lush/atmospheric as I was expecting, the plot was nonexistent, and it wasn’t chilling enough.
I just finished this book and I really could not tell you what it was about. not because I didn’t retain anything, but because things rarely happen. something climactic doesn’t happen until almost the half way point (which literally doesn’t even affect the story). most of the time is spend watching small rumors and seeds of distrust amongst the town. not interesting in the slightest.
the ending is so bad that I almost want to knock it down to one star.
this was not my jam, at all.
I really can’t say much about this besides that it was an utter and complete bore. the characters were bland, the writing style was not as lush/atmospheric as I was expecting, the plot was nonexistent, and it wasn’t chilling enough.
I just finished this book and I really could not tell you what it was about. not because I didn’t retain anything, but because things rarely happen. something climactic doesn’t happen until almost the half way point (which literally doesn’t even affect the story). most of the time is spend watching small rumors and seeds of distrust amongst the town. not interesting in the slightest.
the ending is so bad that I almost want to knock it down to one star.
this was not my jam, at all.
Read
January 27, 2024So good! A prairie folk horror, strong coming-of-age female protagonist, small town (Needful Things vibes) religious cult horror with supernatural elements! Oh and Romance 🖤
September 6, 2021
Actual rating: 3.5 starsThere's a power in names, don't you think? Once your name is given away, you can't help but be pulled along by those who have it.
Small Favors pulls the reader along with its atmosphere of total isolation and something creepy and insidious trying to cross the narrow borders we are hiding inside the story. Its horror is not in the gory details which were enough (trigger warning: if you are sensitive to the topic of the detailed description of manslaughter, I would advise withholding from reading this story), but also in the ever-present feeling of being watched.
I swear, Small Favors is the creepiest book I've read this year!
We are introduced to the small town of Amity Falls, located in the Blackspire Mountain range. It's an isolated society of friendly neighbors. But soon enough strange occurrences take place in the town: a rotten harvest, a mutilated newly born calve, giant wolves in the woods hunting people. And most of the friendly neighbors start turning against each other, wreaking havoc upon the town's main rule: do not harm thy neighbor.
I was absolutely entranced by the pagan vibe of the story. Religion and myth clash together creating more suspense. The town of Amity Falls exists inside a circle surrounded by forest. It is literally divided by bells that mark the end of the town's territory and the beginning of the forest: as if the religious part ends where the superstitious part begins. The forest breathes its ancient stories and legends on the people of Amity Falls. Cross this border and you are on your own.
Small Favors reminded me a little bit of the movie The Village. Isolation is a physical feeling in this place. And if something horrible happens there's no one to run for help. It's the mental horror of the situation that freezes your blood.
I would rate this story higher if not for the fact that the tension that was building most of the book, snapped too fast and was too unsatisfying. It felt underwhelming. I expected so much more from the resolution with the strange occurrences taking place in the town. The author so masterly tugs at our fears; I swear I was tense as a string, ready to snap with the story's crescendo. But nothing happened. I mean, some things happen but they are far from the tempo the story picked up at the beginning.
Still, it should not turn you away from the story because the whole experience is worthy of your effort and time, and though I felt a little bit disappointed, I do not regret picking this book up. Erin's writing style pulled me right from the beginning. I was hooked and couldn't stop reading until I finished.
I was always fond of the topic of beekeeping as my grandfather used to keep bees and I would help him sell the honey on the market. It was so endearing to read about how much Ellerie (the main character) cared about the hive and compared bees to human society, acting as one. But in this case, bees were more loyal to each other than people could ever hope to be.
Also, the relationship between siblings - one of my favorite topics in books, was greatly developed in the book. I loved reading about Ellerie's relationship with her sisters and especially her twin - Sam, who was the morally grey character of the story, so to say. I despised him for the way he treated his sister and the girl he loved, but I did not hate him and even felt sorry for him.
For romance lovers, there were some sweet moments I enjoyed and rooted for, but the ending spoiled it a little bit for me.
Overall, Small Favors is a very creepy and atmospheric story but a little bit underwhelming at the end. My overall enjoyment wasn't spoiled but I am left wanting more: another small favor to satisfy my curiosity.
November 7, 2022
4.5/5 ⭐️
This story is unlike anything else I’ve read. I like that there’s answers left up to the reader to decide, like the time in which the story is taking place in or the ending for some of the characters that are never confirmed.
It’s twisted, it’s intriguing and it’s somehow comforting despite the disturbing town mysteries that unfold.
My favourite part about the story is the metaphoric symbolism as the answers reveal themselves towards the end. I got the feeling as Ellerie was returning to the chaos of the town and battling her inner impulses to either do the right thing or just sit back and observe it as entertainment, that this could be said of the chaos we often see in todays world and our own inner decision to either sit by and watch or take action by doing what’s right, even if it’s only possible in our inner circles.
At times I found the story was a bit slow, hence the 4.5 instead of 5.
This story is unlike anything else I’ve read. I like that there’s answers left up to the reader to decide, like the time in which the story is taking place in or the ending for some of the characters that are never confirmed.
It’s twisted, it’s intriguing and it’s somehow comforting despite the disturbing town mysteries that unfold.
My favourite part about the story is the metaphoric symbolism as the answers reveal themselves towards the end. I got the feeling as Ellerie was returning to the chaos of the town and battling her inner impulses to either do the right thing or just sit back and observe it as entertainment, that this could be said of the chaos we often see in todays world and our own inner decision to either sit by and watch or take action by doing what’s right, even if it’s only possible in our inner circles.
At times I found the story was a bit slow, hence the 4.5 instead of 5.
April 3, 2021
Atmosphere. Bees. Spookiness. WTF IS GOING ONness. Fairy tale retelling. Did I mention bees?
I read an arc of this book and was gripped from the very first word to the last. So yes. You're going to want to read this one.
I read an arc of this book and was gripped from the very first word to the last. So yes. You're going to want to read this one.
February 22, 2021
Lush writing, gorgeous world building, a prairie horror (which I didn't realize was a thing I needed but it's a thing I NEEDED) that will keep me from ever EVER looking out my window in the middle of the night.
November 6, 2021
"𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠? 𝙊𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩."
THIS BOOK IS CRAZY!!!
Author of House of Salt and Sorrows comes back with another creepy retelling and she did not disappoint!
Although I loved House of Salt and Sorrows much more, I truly believe Small Favors is way much darker and gruesome so don't be fooled by the gorgeous vibrant cover.
The story revolves around a small village near a creepy forest full of unnatural creatures and when you think things can't get any worse, winter comes and leaves the townspeople with no supply. Cherry on top, people start to turn against each other and there is no one left to trust. In middle of all, Ellerie needs to keep her family safe from every danger in the corner to pass the winter.
And she needs to keep an eye out on the handsome stranger who keeps refusing to say anything about himself, even his name.
If you wanna feel all the creepy, claustrophobic, spooky vibes with an amazing story and a strong heroine, this book is definitely for you.
The family dynamics were so real and complicated.
I loved the romance.
And I LOVE how this book showed that sometimes people can be more scarier than supernatural elements.
I legit couldn't put it down. Each chapter ended with a cliffhanger and I was constantly questioning whom to trust! And since I finished it I can't stop thinking about it.
The ending thoroughly made me disturb.
When the book was finished just fanning through the acknowledgements BECAUSE I NEEDED MORE AND I NEEDED SOMETHING TO MAKE THE TRAUMA GO AWAY 😫😂
Although I absolutely despised the movie Mother, this book pretty much gave me the similar vibes but in a good way.
All I can say Erin A Craig is a powerful storyteller and she definitely restored by faith in YA.
THIS BOOK IS CRAZY!!!
Author of House of Salt and Sorrows comes back with another creepy retelling and she did not disappoint!
Although I loved House of Salt and Sorrows much more, I truly believe Small Favors is way much darker and gruesome so don't be fooled by the gorgeous vibrant cover.
The story revolves around a small village near a creepy forest full of unnatural creatures and when you think things can't get any worse, winter comes and leaves the townspeople with no supply. Cherry on top, people start to turn against each other and there is no one left to trust. In middle of all, Ellerie needs to keep her family safe from every danger in the corner to pass the winter.
And she needs to keep an eye out on the handsome stranger who keeps refusing to say anything about himself, even his name.
If you wanna feel all the creepy, claustrophobic, spooky vibes with an amazing story and a strong heroine, this book is definitely for you.
The family dynamics were so real and complicated.
I loved the romance.
And I LOVE how this book showed that sometimes people can be more scarier than supernatural elements.
I legit couldn't put it down. Each chapter ended with a cliffhanger and I was constantly questioning whom to trust! And since I finished it I can't stop thinking about it.
The ending thoroughly made me disturb.
When the book was finished just fanning through the acknowledgements BECAUSE I NEEDED MORE AND I NEEDED SOMETHING TO MAKE THE TRAUMA GO AWAY 😫😂
Although I absolutely despised the movie Mother, this book pretty much gave me the similar vibes but in a good way.
All I can say Erin A Craig is a powerful storyteller and she definitely restored by faith in YA.
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