I loved the author’s debut House of Salt and Sorrows, so I was thrilled to be approved for Small Favors on NetGalley! Small Favors is a creepy and atmospheric retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I loved the vivid world building - the small town setting and the forest were the perfect setting and I absolutely could picture both of them. The MC Ellerie is very likable and well developed. There were quite a few townspeople to keep track of, but there is a chart at the front of the book which I referenced several times. It is a very immersive writing style and I loved the combination of fable/folk story, dark fantasy, and horror. There are some predictable elements but they didn’t take away from the story for me. I did feel the pacing was a little off - the first half is slower, which you can expect with the world building, but the ending felt a bit rushed and left me with several unanswered questions. I would also have loved to have an epilogue. This is a great book that I would recommend to dark fantasy lovers! 4/5 ⭐️

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for gifting me this DRC to read and review. Small Favors will be out on July 27.

"Only the Lord knows what wickedness is kept in the hearts of men."

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...or maybe not. If M. Night Shyamalan and Blake Crouch teamed up to write a YA book, it would be this one. Small Favors is The Village meets Wayward Pines. The Downing family lives in a small hamlet cut off from the rest of the world by a forest filled with evil creatures. The town has a set of rules to protect them and limits their interactions with the world to seasonal supply runs. When one of these supply runs is massacred, the panic reaches a fevered pitch. The town decides to forgo the suppy run before winter and we see the impact of isolation, mysterious crop failures and lack of supplies from the outside world. The infighting and paranoia runs rampant but is this just normal human behavior or the influence of something more sinister.

The fantasy elements in this one are minimal but the building of the town and its characters as we head towards a climax reminded me a lot of The Crucible. Lots of pointing fingers and lifelong relationships torn apart as the living conditions get worse. The evil is balanced by a heavy religious hand of the town parson and we see how dangerous blind belief can be in the face of real danger.

Ellerie is a great main character because while she is an elder teenager she tries to approach everything with logic and is dedicated to taking care of her family. We see how principled she is and what it takes to tempt her away from her responsibilities. You really feel for her as she faces adversity and the impact of her choices.

Also if you're a fan of bees and beekeeping, the Downing family are beekeepers and there are some lovely passages about their care. Probably my favorite parts! Small Favors is the perfect creepy YA with a dash of magic. It is a long book but the pace flows nicely. The big baddie is slightly predictable but I think that just meant there were good clues along the way!

Thanks to Random House Children's for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

This book is a prime example for expectations vs reality. I went into this one hoping for a fantasy mixed with a little mystery. Now while I did get a mystery, I’m still waiting on the fantastical element. I really did try to enjoy it but the more I kept reading, the more disappointment I felt.

I think if you consider this more of a horror novel then yes, it was really good. It’s just not what I was looking for unfortunately.

Book review: Small Favors by Erin A Craig

Small Favors is a young adult historical fantasy about a tiny isolated town that finds their citizens in the grip of a series of attacks from monstrous creatures on supply runs, mysterious newcomers to town, resentments against each other, bad luck and increasing violence. Ellerie Downing is a teenage girl trying to hold her family together in a town gone mad.

Amity Falls starts out as a quiet pioneer type town with kind neighbors and little need for law enforcement or weapons. But when a supply run goes wrong teenage Ellerie Downing watches her father and twin brother head to the deadly forests to find out what happened. This is the beginning of months of horror for Ellerie and Amity Falls as they discover the truth behind the monsters and the violence and cruelty each citizen is capable of.

Ellerie is a strong and capable main character that is also vulnerable. She is devoted to her family but also intrigued by a handsome new fur trapper that emerges unscathed from the forests. I thought she showed the right suspicion and naïveté that a teenager in her position would have. I loved the increasing tension and breadcrumbs that Erin A Craig dropped as we headed toward the conclusion.

I highly recommend this slow burn young adult horror novel. It has the right amount of suspense, action, world-building and characters to keep an audience of all ages intrigued.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first contact with the author, and I can safely say I have become a fan.

'Small Favors' is a very atmospheric book. The writing pulled me in instantly and I felt completely absorbed by this story, even to the point of reading at night way past my bedtime and going to sleep late. To me, this book was a pleasure to read. There was a certain vibe to this book, kind of horror-ish and creepy. I could picture it become an incredibly beautiful movie. The small-town vibe, the rules that must be followed by all members of the community, the strange happenings that begin to occur, the distrust people begin to feel with one another.

In the town of Amity Falls, the people live isolated from the rest of the world, and this isolation, hopelessness, and sometimes the dependency on certain things that they can't grow or produce themselves were very palpable. To me, the horror was built in transposing the exact feelings that the protagonist was feeling, "what am I going to do now?".

I loved the main character, Ellerie (what a peculiar name by the way!). She is very strong and I enjoyed reading her stream of consciousness. Her relationship with her family is greatly constructive, from the dependency and admiration she has for her parents, to her being a support for her sisters, and the conflicts she has with her twin brother. Ellerie reads like a very three-dimensional and fleshed-out character. Something I particularly loved was the presence and the metaphors relating to the bees in this novel, I found it to be very beautiful, and I loved the importance there is to these tiny creatures, as well as the food they produce.

The separation of the book into seasons was a great touch to the narrative. And the approaching of the winter months coinciding with more dark things happening in town was really good. All of the elements, the strange man arriving in town, weird mutated creatures, crops growing rapidly and then decaying, created an atmosphere that felt incredibly alluring and unputdownable.

I adored the ending and the resolutions to everything, this book has a certain touch of 'Wilder Girls' by Rory Power and I appreciated that a lot. Also, I have to mention that this cover is absolutely gorgeous and I am obsessed with it.

I recommend this book for people who want a delicious writing, an intriguing book, and a story well told. 'Small Favors' has become a new favorite to me.

Erin Craig’s sophomore novel is just as atmospheric as her debut. I don’t think there was a moment where I wasn’t drawn in. It is one of those books where when I did put it down, it was because I wanted to prolong my reading time.
Small Favors is set in an isolated town, Amity Falls, which lies in the middle of the mountains and is surrounded by woods, all boarded with bells. The story begins with the Downing’s bees and swiftly changes into something more sinister with the return of a single wounded horse—the rest of the autumn supply party missing and never to return.
This novel contains elements of European folklore and American cryptids put together in a new, unique way. I loved it. Although this ARC was provided thanks to Net Galley, I’ve already preordered my copy.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this book a lot—Erin is a fantastic writer, her prose is so enjoyable to read and her world building is always spot on. I loved the setting she chose for this story—nestled in the mountains, hidden from the rest of the world. So atmospheric and eerie. Ellerie and her sisters were so relatable and likable—I’ll admit up front one of my issues was Samuel. His entire story felt like it fell to the wayside a bit, but I also understand that there were so many moving parts to the plot, and the main focus was Ellerie and Whitaker—which was pretty great.
Erin writes such perfect kissing scenes.
I digress.
The story felt very fast-paced and I LOVED the whole Rumplestiltskin vibe! Plot was a bit predictable but still enjoyable. The ending—in town—was a little chaotic, maybe a bit difficult to follow, but the horror and trauma translated well. A lot going on, sometimes it felt difficult to get a full grasp of each situation before we were off to the next.
Loved this book! Definitely recommend.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy of this book to read and review.

This book reminded me of two things:
1. The Village by M. Night Shyamalan
2. Rumpelstiltskin

This book much like the authors first book has a creepy, almost ominous tone throughout it, and it continues to grow as the story progresses. When we meet Ellerie, she lives in a village that is separated from the rest of civilization, creating the beginnings of a very insular story. There are rules that the town founders have created to help keep everyone safe, happy, and alive. No matter how idyllic this village may seem, you know that something terrible is about to happen.

There are terrible creatures in the woods, and have been since the town was settled. They are kept at bay by the bells hung up around the edge of the forest. However, when the supply run meant to help the town make it through the winter is attacked, the whole town begins to turn on one another. It starts out as small pranks, then escalates until Ellerie's mom is seriously burned in a fire. Her parents leave to seek medical treatment, not knowing what they are leaving their children behind to.

This book just got more crazy as you read it, and you know something wasn't right but you can't quite put your finger on what it is. Right up until the reveal, I kept thinking.... WTF is going on! Having read this authors previous book, I knew that not everything was as it appears and I loved finding out what was behind all the chaos. This book descends into total madness by the end. However, I needed like 20 more pages of ending. I have questions that need answers! Besides the ending, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I find Erin A. Craig's books to be the right mix of horror and fantasy for me. I will definitely be checking out her future books.

Also, can we take a minute to appreciate the magnificent glory that is this books cover! This is the most beautiful book that I have seen so far in 2021 and I do not know if anything will surpass it this year.

CONTENT WARNING: blood, gore, death of an animal, mention of miscarriage, murder, death, violence

This was such an interesting book, and I was hooked from the first page until the very last one. At first, the isolated setting and religious overtones in the book reminded me slightly of The Year of the Witching, but as the story went on, it gave off Needful Things and then Rumplestiltskin vibes. However, this story ultimately synthesized all of these different elements to create a completely unique and enchanting story.

The only things that kept me from giving this a full 5 stars is that one specific part of the story was a bit predictable early on, and the overwhelming need for a thorough editing. I understand that ARCs are not finished products, but it felt as though this book hadn’t been proofread or edited at all. It got to the point where it was distracting to see that many errors.

I loved Ellerie’s character. She definitely came across as the perfect mix of responsible yet sheltered. Growing up as the oldest sister and doing the right thing to the best of her abilities is something that she just does naturally, but her family also lives on the outskirts of the isolated town. At the beginning of the story, Ellerie’s worldview starts to change—slowly at first and then dramatically, but she retains her core values of being loyal to her family and doing what she feels is right. The characters around her, both in her family and the town, are built up slowly enough to get to know them as well, which is nice and avoids the dreaded info-dump.

The plot was fascinating, and bordered on horror but was more of a psychological horror. It examines not only evil forces outside of ourselves, but the dark desires that reside within a person’s heart. To me, that’s always the scariest of scary things—the horror that lurks inside a person, and how easy it is to set it free. Juxtaposed with this darker side of human nature is romance, and I loved seeing how it developed.

This was a well-written story that I struggled to put down. I had other things that needed to be done while reading it, and honestly didn’t want to do anything else while immersed in the story. I’m definitely not above hoping for another book to follow this one, since I got so attached to the characters, and I want to see what happens next in their world!

Thank you to Edelweiss and Netgalley and the publishers for granting me the digital arc to review.

I have to say I went in optimistic about this book. While I wouldn’t say the author’s previous book I read was a favorite, it did stick out to me with its creepy tone and general premise as well as events mostly sticking with me, so I figured I’d give this one a shot. This novel had similarities to House of Salt and Sorrows with its creepiness and, sometimes, the protagonist having visions and questioning her sanity.

Small Favors follows Ellerie Downing, eldest sister in a family of beekeepers who live in an extremely isolated valley town. Things start getting weird around the village. Things go missing. Things get broken. Livestock have mutated offspring, or get killed in the night. Fields are burned. Crops are rotting. Supply runs are decimated by “monsters” in the woods. The villagers start pointing fingers at each other and the situation devolves over the course of the novel, and as the synopsis states, there’s more behind it than meets the eye: mysterious supernatural creatures that fulfill desires in exchange for small favors.

I was very intrigued by this book. With the publish date, it seemed like an interesting late summer horror book. It was creepy, it had layers, and I was compelled to figure out exactly what was going on. Several characters were very suspicious, including the love interest, so I wasn’t too invested in the romance because he was BEYOND sketchy to me. Or perhaps the book failed to provide enough reasons for me to be invested in him regardless of the overall untrustworthiness.

Overall it was an interesting premise and a quick read, but the one thing that really surprised and disappointed me was that there was literally no falling action in this novel. The climax and slight resolution happened and the book ended within the same chapter. Didn’t really answer all of my questions, and not in the good way, if you get my meaning. I expected at least one chapter or an epilogue more to ease out of the climax, tie everything together, give us more of an idea where the characters might be off to after the novel is finished, and bring the novel to a proper close, but this one VERY abruptly ended. I had to read it over and tap the screen wondering if my document was cut short.

Perhaps this is a personal preference but I do not think falling action should be skipped with a standalone. I think the book could have been a 4 star read instead of a 3 star read if there had been more falling action/denouement. I would still recommend it for YA readers looking for a creepy summer read!

Thank you to Random House Children's Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

When I tell you that I truly don't know how to comprehend what I read even hours later, I mean it. But, I mean this in the best way possible. Erin A Craig has a way with words because this book was incredible. I didn't want to put it down, but I also never wanted it to stop. I was so swept away by the town and characters that it felt impossible to leave.

I have heard so many of my friends rave about The House of Salt and Sorrow for so long, that when a friend raved about this I requested it. This was my introduction to Erin's work and I can tell you, all I want to do now is devour her other book. The way she can bring you into a scene with the simplest of details in mind blowing. Amity Falls sounds like such a typical town, but when weird and despicable things begin to happen, you get swept into the dilemmas of Ellerie, her family, the town and begin to wonder why it's all happening. The plot of this is so well developed and is evident throughout the whole novel. It's worked in seamlessly with the romance that takes place and the family issues. I love that everything within those two sub details not only adds to the plot, but at times fuels it. It's a delicate balance that is craftfully done. The idea that there are monsters that help fuel the bad things because of fear is so interesting and it keeps you sucked in and flipping pages like your own life depends on it.

Now, let me talk about the characters. Ellerie is such a fantastic main character. She's strong, determined, but also so vulnerable, even when she doesn't show it outwardly. It really brings a depth to the novel that you sometimes don't see. Her family dynamic is so interesting. Her relationship with her brother Sam reminds me of my relationship with my brother at times. Her frustration with him was so relatable, I adored her relationship with her sisters and her parents. The bond she shared with her father over the bees was so sweet in an otherwise relatively dark natured novel. Also, let me just say, I absolutely ADORED Whitaker. What a guy. He was so sweet and caring. His relationship with Ellerie was so fun to watch develop. I loved the plot and following it, but I also really enjoyed their moments together. *swoooon*

This book was incredible. It had action, intrigue, mystery, romance, found family, horror and was so well written. I highly recommend this! You won't be disappointed!

Small Favors is essentially a locked room mystery meets dark fairytale with some horror tropes swirled in. It’s dark, enchanting, and completely unsettling. And Craig does an excellent job slowly ratcheting up the tension and your unease throughout the course of the book.

Honestly, Small Favors is one of those books best enjoyed by going into it without any spoilers. There’s so many layers to this book and slowly unraveling the mystery is one of the best parts. Definitely would recommend if you’re looking for a darker fantasy mystery this summer!

Small Favors is an atmospheric YA horror story from Erin A. Craig, who brought us House of Salt and Sorrows. The world building is phenomenal, filled with tension, small town secrets and mystery and tense, bristling relationships between characters as things begin to go awry. This story was creepy and fascinating, and though at times, the pacing felt slow, I think that really added to the tension of the story and didn't take away the reading experience for me.
**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!**

When unseen monsters begin tearing her isolated community apart, a beekeeper's daughter must trust an enigmatic stranger and her own intuition to keep her family--and her whole town--from destruction.

Another chilling, grounded, folklore-infused horror novel from Erin A. Craig. She masterfully keeps us turning pages while keeping the narrative focused on family, community, and the protagonist's self-discovery. An essential addition to any YA collection. I highly recommend it!

This was a story that felt very vintage. It gave the feel from the movie The Village which was great. I loved the mystery and the characters but sadly the story itself was just boring. At around a 100 pages in I DNFed it. I was so bored out of my mind. I wished that the pacing would have been faster and just more. This authors other book I devoured so fast and this one just so slow that I lost interest and had to put it down.

I cannot stop thinking about this book. I really enjoyed House of Salt and Sorrows, so when I was given the opportunity to read this I had high hopes for Small Favors. It did not disappoint!

I will say at the beginning of the book, it was a little tough to follow the different families for me and I found myself referring back to the list of families at the beginning of the book. Once I really got into the story, I was immersed in Amity Falls and Ellerie Downing's tale and found it easy to follow along.

This was just a wonderful read as the character building and the scene setting throughout are just done so well that I could absolutely picture the town and the townfolk.

Congratulations to Erin Craig and thank you so much for writing this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacourte Press for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Small Favors is a good balance of historical and horror. It's not gory or too gross. It's not a heart-pounding, thrilling rush to escape from something monstrous. It's a slow meander through a haunted woods where every detail, every moment, every event builds and builds and builds toward the ending.

The setting and writing are super atmospheric and really pull everything together to give this book the right kind of eerie vibe. The horror aspects aren't over-the-top or too horrific to be unbelievable. They're a good balance of unnerving and spooky.

The premise of the story is good too. The idea is based loosely on the Rumpelstiltskin tale, but that aspect doesn't come into play until the end. How it's included worked, though, even if it's a tiny part of the bigger picture.

This isn't a fast paced story. There is a lot of stuff that happens as the story moves, but it's slow, building one piece at a time. It was fascinating to read about this town as they slowly lose their minds to the dark presence in the forest.

This is a good, spooky story for someone like me who doesn't normally read spooky stuff. It's slow, it's interesting, it's intense. The characters are realistic and complicated. There are a few things I guessed early on in the story, but I was happy with the reveals about what was going on. The only thing I didn't like was the ending-ending. I felt like it moved a little too quickly and didn't quite give me the resolution I'd been hoping for. Things get pretty crazy in the last few chapters, and this book could have benefited from having an epilogue to wrap everything up and answer a few "what happens next" questions.

But overall, I enjoyed this one, even though I don't normally read horror, and I'm definitely looking forward to more by Erin A. Craig.

I loved reading is his book! The characters were well defined and the story flowed well. I felt a part of the town with it’s weird happenings. A definite must read.

I was surprised by this book in a good way. It was more historical fiction than I was expecting with a twinge of fantasy. Some of the plot was predictable but overall it was an original story with interesting characters.

Wow, I really enjoyed this book. There is so much going on, and it all creates this amazing story. The characters are well built, and the world-building is rich with vivid descriptions that draw you in. The town is full of secrets, the people are full of secrets, the woods are...full of secrets. This is a YA fantasy/horror mix that will have you guessing all over the place about what is happening. It's dark and devilishly amazing! I highly recommend it!

Also, this cover is such a stunning representation of the story, and I think it was so well-thought-out!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.