Small Favors

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Manufacturer: Erin. A. Craig
Brand: YA Fiction, Fantasy Fiction
Brew: Hardback
Steeping Time: 480 pages
Tea Service: Personal Choice
Strength:

Synopsis: Ellerie Downing is waiting for something to happen. Life in isolated Amity Falls, surrounded by an impenetrable forest, has a predictable sameness. Her days are filled with tending to her family’s beehives, chasing after her sisters, and dreaming of bigger things while her twin, Samuel, is free to roam as he wishes.

Early town settlers fought off monstrous creatures in the woods, and whispers that the creatures still exist keep the Downings and their neighbors from venturing too far. When some townsfolk go missing on a trip to fetch supplies, a heavy unease settles over the Falls.

Strange activities begin to plague the town, and as the seasons change, it’s clear that something is terribly wrong. The creatures are real, and they’re offering to fulfill the residents’ deepest desires, however grand, for just a small favor. These seemingly trifling demands, however, hide sinister intentions. Soon Ellerie finds herself in a race against time to stop Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves from going up in flames.

If you’re looking for a trip of a book, you’ll find it in Small Favors.

Most book reviews of Small Favors will say that it has a vibe akin to The Village, which I have to agree with 100%. HOWEVER. The similarities are mainly in that it is an isolated village with a close-knit community that rarely ventures outside of its borders. Yes, there are woods surrounding the village. And yes, some sort of monster or creature lurks in the darkness. But the ending is not the same, so don’t let this comparison make you feel like the story has been spoiled or that it’s not worth reading.

This isn’t my first novel by Erin A. Craig. I absolutely loved her debut novel House of Salt and Sorrows, and after I finished it, I quickly sought out her second book, Small Favors. After finishing this one, Erin has now moved onto my ‘immediate purchase’ list. I don’t care what she puts out. I’m buying it the second it drops.

Small Favors is drastically different from House of Salt and Sorrows, from setting to characters to plot, but one thing that stayed the same was the spooky factor.

I read Small Favors while still quarantining with covid, which meant I was sleeping alone. My husband holed up in our spare bedroom/office, and I stayed up many nights, sneaking in a few chapters before finally falling asleep at 2 a.m. There were quite a few nights where I ended up sleeping with a night light on because I’d spook myself so badly while reading, which I consider a win for Erin. I’m glad that both of her stand-alone novels gave me the shivers in the best possible way.

I’m not sure if this was because I was still exhausted from covid, but I did feel that it was on the slower side of most things I’ve read recently.

That being said, there isn’t anything I’d have cut from the story. I enjoyed every sentence, every chapter, and I wouldn’t take anything out of it. I love that it’s broken up into sections by season as well. It’s a unique way to showcase the progression of time with a simple stand-alone page with one word.

All of the characters felt well-rounded and fleshed out, and I really liked Ellerie as a main character. She was easy to relate to, and I was with her every step of the way. The rest of her family members were all very unique and wonderfully individual. I found them all memorable and easy to grasp. On the flip side of that, there were a lot of townspeople. I’ll admit that I couldn’t and didn’t keep them straight, and just sort of went with it when things got more intricate and intertwined later in the book. To Erin’s credit, she does include a village guide, so to speak, in the beginning of the book where you can reference back to get a clearer picture of who someone is if you need it.

In all, I thought Small Favors was an engaging read with a very satisfying story and ending.

If you like spooky tales with an isolation factor and mysterious monsters lurking just past the treeline, I think you’d enjoy this one. It has a strong, young female protagonist who is doing her damnedest to hold not only her family together, but the entire village, too.

Have you read Small Favors? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about it! Want to read it for yourself? Click here to get a copy of your own.
Cheers,
Lydia