Thank you Random House Children’s, Decorate Press for this eARC via netgalley.

2.75 / 5 stars

Life in Amity Falls is supposed to be peaceful, quiet, small-town life. So why are there now mysterious strangers, sightings of creatures, and chaos slowly creeping in to take control?

While Ellerie Downing loves her home and her family, she longs for more. She connects closely with her father through their shared love of caring for the bees in the hives of their property.

Amity Falls has been told of the creatures who once haunted their lands long ago. Townsfolk know not to venture out into the woods alone. When mysterious things began to happen the lingering question is are these creatures back?

This book has a very intriguing synopsis, backstory, and world. I love the idea of this plot as well as some of the things that are unveiled at the end with the explanation of what is happening. However, this book ultimately felt too uneventful and repetitive most of the time. As I read I kept questioning if I had already read certain parts before since the book was so repetitive with mundane things. I felt like the suspense would often build quickly and then basically just disappear all of the sudden.

Overall I did not enjoy this book much. While I did really enjoy the ending of the overall work as a whole, everything was kind of dull to me for the most part. I think that if this book would have been shorter and a bit more eerie it could have been a great spooky edition for anyone’s tbr.

If you liked the setting and atmosphere of The Witch, the never-ending and is-something-out-there feeling from The Ritual, and the horrible out of control townspeople of Apostle then this book is for you.

If you’ve never heard or seen any of those movies, Small Favors takes place in a fictional mountain town in the 1800s. It follows a town after something strange attacked their supplies and they now have to make it through the cool months with limited supplies.

This book was gloriously creepy and suspenseful. It was scary and also gothic. I loved the characters, and I loved the chaos of the town and how everything felt so fragile.

"Enter not the forest deep. Beyond the Bells, the dark fiends keep."

I know it's only September, but dare I say this is my FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR😱

I finished SMALL FAVORS by Erin A. Craig last week and I'm still not over it. I wasn't even aware Prairie Gothic was a thing and then before I knew it, I was transported to Amity Falls, saying hello to all the bees and staying as far away as possible from the tree line. This book is Little House on the Prairie meets monsters and mayhem, and I'm not going to stop talking about it anytime soon.

I wrote a full review for Horror Bound, and will share a link once it's published. But believe me when I say this book is fantastic. If you want a slow burn story full of psychological terror, unexplained events, with a cute and cozy atmosphere, pick up this book. And if that doesn't convince you, the strange, almost forbidden romance will🖤

A huge thank you to Penguin Teen Canada for sending me a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley. I'm heading out to buy my own copy this weekend!

Ellerie Downing lives in the isolated but peaceful town of Amity Falls. When a supply train is brutally attacked in the dark forest surrounding the town, it is believed that the monsters the founders fought off have returned. As summer turns to winter, the town continues to experience strange, terrifying phenomena, leading to a bleak winter of starvation and bare survival. Ellerie suspects there is someone - or something - turning the town violently against itself. Small Favors is haunting, creepy, and atmospheric, immersing readers in the chilling fear of an idyllic town turned living nightmare. Perfect for fans of The Village or The Twilight Zone.

I'm starting to think this author just isn't for me. I enjoy the writing, but the plot just didn't do it for me. I can definitely see where some people would love this book though. To me it was just chock full of things I have seen a million times before. It is very The Witch or Year of the Witching type vibes in the beginning that just succumbs to trope after trope about half way. I love a good creepy story, but this focused more on the town spiraling than the actual creepy elements. When the monsters did come into play, it was brief and underwhelming.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and all the characters. I love how many characters she adds into books and yet they all are unique and interesting characters. Twins is one of my absolute favorite tropes and I loved seeing all the siblings interact with one another, especially as an only child.

I love her retellings and that they are always a nice mix of genres. Retellings are always something most people love to read in theory, but are rarely executed well. I do think her previous book was better than this one, but was by no means a dissapointment.

It was quite atmospheric, which I love to see! I always have trouble imagining stories in my head, but that didn't happen here.

There were a few things that were not tied up by the end, but I enjoyed the story overall. I'm the kind of reader who likes to get every detail of the story, but not everyone would care about that.

Small Favor

Ellerie tries to be the good daughter, the helpful sister, the beloved friend, taking care of all those around her as her duty. When something tragic befalls her family, she steps up into the role of head of household, a task that may cost her more than she knows. As the town slowly runs out of supplies as winter draws near, tensions build and accusations get thrown around, and danger lurks unseen in the darkness.

I really liked the concept of the story, it was really unique and interesting. I also really liked Ellerie and her strength, intelligence and independence- she is what all main characters should be.

But geez, this was so slow, too slow for me to be honest. I understand the reason, the slow burn and building of tensions leading to a full blown melt down. I really enjoyed the author's previous story, and this had the same creepy undertones and subtle scary imagery and feels, which I appreciate. But it just kept dragging on and I struggled to stay engaged in the story, just wanting to get to the end as fast as possible. And speaking of the ending, it was abrupt, with no real resolution or closure for me the reader- and this is not a series but a standalone. I feel like there were so many unanswered questions that the story built up that I need more information about (the parents??) and I am still not really sure I understand what was behind everything. I feel super let down with this experience, but that could be my own fault because my expectations were very high. Other people seem to really enjoy this slow building horror novel, it was just not my jam unfortunately.

Samuel, the twin brother is basically the worst person ever, I hated him basically from the start of the book and he was never redeemed. Ok, I got that off my chest.

Ellerie Downing, on the cusp of adulthood when she should be excited about her future, finds herself in the midst of her beloved town, Amity Falls, in a state of collapse. Amity Falls is a tiny little town surrounded by mountains and mysterious woods. A town where the villagers have rules. Rules that are dealt with swiftly and harshly by the Elders; no need for outside intervention. Visitors? Almost nonexistent. But creatures are lurking in the woods, leaving the townsfolk on edge. When Ellerie finds herself thrust into a situation she doesn’t feel prepared for, she starts to learn you can’t trust the people you always thought you could.

Ohhhh this book! This was like The Village, but on some fantastical steroids. You ever just start a book, and from the very start, you just have that feeling that it’s going to be fabulous? That’s exactly what happened here. I was so engrossed in this storyline partly because it felt like a book version of an episode from The Disney Channel show, So Weird. I could just envision Fi rolling up in the Molly Phillips tourbus and cracking this case wide open. I loved how it straddles the line between a bunch of genres: fantasy, mystery, romance, almost a bit historical as well. My only reason for deducting a half of a star is because I needed more from the ending. There was just something missing for me that I cannot say without spoiling it. But overall? Man, 📢 I loved it! 📢 I feel like this should be getting way more hype.

A warning against isolated communities who think they are better than others with their rules of behavior for the better life. This book has the feel of a historical fiction at the beginning and then it just gets creepier. Good for that and also its warning of what can happen to a small isolated world.

DNF at 66%

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book. I really did. I loved Craig’a debut novel, House of Salt and Sorrows, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I couldn’t even finish this book.

I liked Ellerie and Whitaker and their relationship, but that’s the only thing I liked and understood. I could not tell you what the plot of this story is. All I know is there were some weird things happening in Amity Falls and there were lots of bees.

There’s absolutely no plot to this story. The story jumped all over the place. There were too many elements included that made following the characters difficult. I have no idea what I read. I can’t remember any of the elements that were in the story. This book just wasn’t for me.

I hope other people will enjoy reading it more than I did.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher and then bought a finished copy. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Small Favors

Author: Erin A. Craig

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: Young adult readers, fantasy, thriller, mystery

Genre: YA Fantasy Thriller

Publication Date: July 27, 2021

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 464

Recommended Age: 16+ (Animal death, Animal Gore, Religion, Gore, PTSD, Romance, and Language)

Explanation of CWs: There is SO MUCH animal death in this book from bees to horses and chickens and more. Also lots of detailed gore. There is a couple of small PTSD moments as well as small amounts of language.

Synopsis: 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.

Review: For the most part I thought this book was pretty good. I thought the World building was very well done and the characters were also very well developed. I liked the dynamic between the main character and her twin especially. I also loved The Village/The Witch vibes I got from the story and I liked how ultimately the undoing was simple.

However, things went fairly downhill within the last 150-ish pages. I really did not like the explanation for the big bad of the book. That explanation just came out of complete nowhere and there wasn't any build up to it whatsoever. I also thought that the ending was very rushed and you turn around between a certain character hating our main character and then back to being best friends with them was completely out of left field. I think the book would have been way better if it had kept to a very simple explanation of the events and not have invented a whole new monster.

Verdict: It was good but the best monsters are those that are the simplest.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Erin A. Craig for the opportunity to read Small Favors in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because Erin Craig's debut novel, House of Salt and Sorrows, is a stunning work of art and one of my favorite novels of 2019. When I heard Craig had another book coming out, I couldn't resist! This book is a lot longer than expected and took me a while to read. It doesn't have the same flare as her debut novel, but it certainly has its own intriguing air of mystery about it!

The setting, Amity Falls, has a very provincial, early colonization feel to it, as well as being quite religious. Ellerie Downing lives on a farm outside the main city, as most of the Amity Falls people do, and the whole place is surrounded by dense forest. The winters are harsh, and early supply runs are crucial for the townspeople on an annual basis.

When a supply run goes awry, as there are strange creatures in the forest with silver eyes killing the towns people, it is a tough debate on whether to hold fast to what they have, or risk more lives to get supplies before a harsh winter. No more lives are to be risked.

When a trapper comes to town, claiming to be staying by the river, he doesn't give his name, but Ellerie quickly becomes infatuated and insists on giving him a name: Whitaker. Without the supply run, the town slowly falls into a dark, downward spiral. People are blaming each other for theft and vandalism, even claiming to see people who are not actually there. Could these figments be related to the silver-eyed creatures?

Ellerie's friend, Rebecca, has some dilemmas (involving Ellerie's twin brother, Sam) that cause their friendship to fall apart, and Rebecca's dad goes so far as to set fire to the Downing farm, causing serious harm to their crops--and their mother. Ellerie's father takes her pregnant mother, with Whitaker as an escort, through the mountains to a larger city for medical help.

Meanwhile, Ellerie learns to tend the farm and be the caretaker for her father's bees. All the while, the town is stuck with no supplies and the threat of monsters in the woods. It sure doesn't help matters when Whitaker returns without Ellerie's parents. Or when two new people arrive in a later season, claiming to be Ellerie's uncle and cousin.

The mystery of the creatures really is the driving force for this book. Some aspects of who/what they are are somewhat predictable, while the conclusion to this mystery was a bit different than expected. It was interesting to see just how far the townspeople would go in their deranged madness, all of which started with a simple favor, strengthening the monsters and their need for chaos and destruction.

This book felt a bit longer than it needed to be and had a lot of exposition, but the character relationships eventually became rather complex, and the mystery behind the monsters was a continual interest as the plot progressed. This is a great book for older teen readers and kind of reminded me of the ways the Dark Pictures Anthology games are designed. As I was reading, I really pictured this like one of those games. It felt like a blast from the past, had its originality, but was also mundane, all at once. Definitely better for older teens and fans of a slow-build monster-mystery.

Small Favors was a great start for my spooky season TBR and I couldn’t be happier to have picked it up! It’s about the inhabitants of a small town who live deep in the mountains with a mysterious past that involves mystical creatures . Cannot wait for you to meet Ellerie (our MC)!

The story starts describing the charming town of Amity Falls and with Ellerie’s family of beekeepers . From beautiful landscapes, friendly neighbors, honeycakes and bees, Amity Falls seemed like the perfect place to live. Well…, at least until the story took a darker tone and it turned creepier and eerier. There came a point where I could hardly put it down! History seemed to be repeating itself when sightings of unidentifiable creatures start surrounding the town and with just a “ small favor” they can grant a wish. I just loved the vibes of this story plus the detailed descriptions made me feel like if I were right there besides Ellerie.

I must also mention that there were so many great characters in this story! Whitaker is one of my favorites, quite bizarre but surprisingly kind and fun. Then there were Ellerie’s sisters that I really liked and adored their sisterly love and support for each other. Plus I really enjoyed meeting so many of the town’s folks even though I learned to dislike several.

All in all, Small Favors was a thrilling and captivating read for me (and a bit terrifying). It explores subjects such as family bonds, deceit, betrayals, love and even a falling out of a society that used to be a united one. If you enjoy horror novels, you might need to check this one out!!

Let me just start by saying that Erin A. Craig is two for two with outstanding, all consuming novels. I loved her debut novel so I jumped at the opportunity to read and review Small Favors. Erin, you did not disappoint. Where to begin honestly?! This plot was phenomenal and had a slow burn that had me flying through these pages! Although some of the main character's family were incredibly frustrating at times...that seemed to be the intention. And it didn't take away from the story.

I went into reading this not really remembering what the plot was....and wow, was that a smart move. After finishing, I hadn't even realized that it was considered a horror book. That honestly is the best genre to assign it. There are elements of romance, fantasy, and history but it's got all the feels of a "not your typical horror book". I loved every second of this and will continue to jump to read anything by this author. This is definitely going to be a book I recommend out to anyone who will listen to me!

Ok! So I went into this book knowing Erin's writing style and tempo for a book but this was something else. I definitely enjoyed it but it was goosebumps and emotions all the way. I highly recommend you try it if you are interested in the synopsis.

A good story that I managed to read in a day, and could hardly tear myself away from the ending ;) The story twists cleverly and subtly, is this person who they say they are, is THIS one? An though I wasn't "scared" of the wolves, I did have to take something outside in the dark and was uneasy stepping out of the glow of our lights ;). It's a great good and evil, man versus evil, with a little mythology and a taste of Nathaniel Hawthorne, story

I really enjoyed this one. Compared to the gothic melancholy of House of Salt and Sorrow, Small Favors had more of an overbearing sense of dread. It reminded me a lot of Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power, it had a similar vibe. I don't want to spoil anything and think it's best to go in blind so I'll keep it pretty general in this review. I thought the main character, Ellerie, was a really interesting person to follow, even though she was extremely naive at times. The author also did a great job of establishing the community of Amity Falls. At times, the plot was a little cliche, but Craig puts her own interesting spin on a story that's been told before. By the end, the story was completely unique and I couldn't put it down. That's why I love her books and recommend them so much.

I genuinely don’t know how I feel about this book (and this keeps happening with horrors). There were parts of this story that I genuinely loved because Craig never fails to deliver immersive, creepy writing with fantastic horror elements…but I would argue this book was definitely too long for what the overall story delivered.

I think my biggest issues with this book is that 75% of this book is just incredibly slow in terms of pacing and the plot doesn't seem to move forward. Instead, you dig into the bleak, and desolate conditions that Ellerie and her sisters face during the near unbearable winter that they are left alone to survive.

Also, there are some characters that disappeared during the story that were never really addressed again, and considering they were the hope that the girls clung to, I just didn't really understand why it was never formally discussed again.

Overall, this one was just okay.

I loved this book! I was very excited to read it since I was such a fan of Erin A. Craig's previous work and I was not disappointed. I loved the tone of the novel and was so engaged by its characters. The author wrote a wonderful fantasy and I'm so thankful to have been given an ARC! Even the cover is beautiful!

This was so incredible. It’s the perfect read for the fall.

The historical setting was unexpected, but it was everything! The mystery of the monsters in the woods was so intriguing and creepy. I wanted to read this book in one sitting, but I also wanted to absolutely savour it. Ellerie and the whole cast of characters was absolutely lovely.

I did see a couple of the plot twists coming, but even then this book had me questioning throughout whether it was true or not. The very ending is the only thing that fell flat to me, as the book almost didn’t feel… complete? But other than that it was absolutely incredible.

Rating: 4*