This was an intriguing tale that felt both familiar and yet very unique. The author beautifully explored relationships , things magical and the mundane, all while keeping the pages turning with a heart pounding plot.

How was this better than the first book?? Monsters in a small town, can't tell who to trust, A dark, heart pounding slow burn of a book is a MUST read!

I was so anxious to get this title, and rightly so! Once I started this book, I could not put it down. My library did decide to purchase a copy, and it has been checked out since the moment it hit our shelves. This dark and horrific fairytale-like story will keep you up at night. I highly recommend reading it as we enter into the fall season. It's just the right amount of "chilling" to get you in the mood for Halloween.

Slow paced and eerie with a building sense of dread. Erin Craig has done it again :) This is such the perfect follow up to her debut.

I just could not get into this book. The writing was very atmospheric, but it was very slow paced, and that’s just not what I’m looking for right now. However, I know others would really enjoy this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I didn't know what to expect after learning it was a Rumplestilskin retelling, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
While I would call this a more loose retelling, it was still masterfully executed. The story was unique and incredibly creative! I loved all of the characters, and they were all well developed. The writing was strong, and Erin Craig did a great job of showing not telling. There was lots of imagery, and the setting was very well done. The small town vibe definitely made me think of the Village, although I don't if it was supposed to.
I felt I knew each character, each character had an individual personality, and they were relatable. This book did a great job of showing the harsh realities of frontier-era winters on top of the retelling aspect. Each of the characters' struggles were well depicted.
The plot was perfectly executed- while I didn't guess the plot twist looking back there were geniusly planted subtle hints as to the identity of Rumplestilskin, and I loved the twist on the classic tale.

My only complaints were that the romance was rushed and underdeveloped, and there were a few characters who by the end of the book we have no resolution for. There's no mention of them, and we don't know what happened to them.
I loved this book and I am glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone to read it!

I really enjoyed this book by Erin A. Craig! Her writing is wonderful, the story is riveting, and it has just the right amount of murder and romance. The story is unpredictable and I can't wait to order this for our library.

Thank you to Netgalley & Delacorte Press for an e-ARC of Small Favors in exchange for an honest review!

This is the second time that Erin A. Craig has completely 100% wow‘ed me; first it was House of Salt & Sorrows & now, she comes in with Small Favors. Holy heck. Am I obsessed? I’m a bit obsessed. Small Favors was released less than a month ago, and I’m already at the edge of my seat waiting for Erin to put out more books so that I can devour them all!

To be completely transparent — it took me a month to read Small Favors. I started reading the e-ARC a couple weeks before it’s release date & didn’t finish reading it until long after I had my pre-ordered final copy in my hands. Small Favors was definitely slow-paced for me, which is usually a big no-no when it comes to my attention span, but bro, this is it.

If I had it my way, my life would be narrated in Erin’s beautiful prose. A fellow Michigander with this much skill in their fingertips? I am so proud. Even with the book being slow-paced, her way with words made me want to remain in this universe (but only reading it, because being in this universe IRL would be terrifying) forever.

As with House of Salt & Sorrows, Small Favors contains a lot of creepy. Side note: I don’t believe her debut novel was classified as horror, however spooky friends — don’t let that fool you! I strongly recommend picking up House of Salt & Sorrows, because Erin sure knows how to crawl under your skin and give you the creepies.

If you like Folk Horror, Small Favors is for you. If you like fairytale retellings, Small Favors is for you. If you like Stephen King’s Needful Things, Small Favors is for you. If you like mysterious small towns, Small Favors is for you.

I am well-aware that this book is just me obsessing over Small Favors & Erin A. Craig’s writing, but I have nothing bad to say about this book. As Nike says, just read it.

Erin A. Craig is a MASTER at suspense. I couldn't put this down until I uncovered what secrets lurked in the woods and what fate awaited Amity Falls.

A loosely-inspired Rumpelstiltskin retelling, Small Favors is a dark mystery that unfolds in the town of Amity Falls. We follow Ellerie and the Downing family as things begin to take a turn for the worse. Failed supply runs, weird and mutated animal births, crop failure, and mistrust begin to spread through the town like a plague. When winter inches closer, the town must hunker down and try to survive with limited rations as things begin to get restless and the air begins to feel angry.

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.

All in all, this is a dark, suspenseful, and near-gruesome story that will haunt you until you finish it.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this book, but I really enjoyed it! Parts of it were a little bit predictable, but that didn’t take away from the overall story. The end left me with many questions and the hope for a sequel!

Creepy and chilling a dark fairy tale. Set in a small town surrounded by woods on all sides, Amity Falls raised the bells to ward off monsters. But they’re not working. And after freak killings what can they do to protect the town?

I enjoyed this book and if you're looking for a unique story, I definitely recommend picking this up. It's a bit of a mystery throughout the book what is really going on but by the last quarter (ish) I started to get an idea and it was really interesting how Craig brought everything together.

If you're looking for a book that is different and will keep you turning the pages, consider picking this one up!

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14+
Overall: 4 stars
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

A special thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

I think I need to stop reading horror. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the book, but it’s been like two weeks and I still feel unsettled whenever I think about it. I read and loved Erin A. Craig’s debut, House of Salt and Sorrow, when it first came out, and I remember it being a bit creepy, but I think this book creeped me out a bit more. I’m not sure if it’s objectively creepier or if I’m misremembering the first book, or what.
One thing I will say, is that the synopsis for this book? Not at all what the book is about. Technically it’s not wrong, but it gives a very incorrect idea of what is going to happen. The first paragraph is correct, but everything about strangers and favors? You don’t hear anything about that until the last 15% of the book. So that was weird.
The book itself was really good. I loved the writing, the plot, the characters. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t put it down. I loved Ellerie and her sisters. All of their characters wormed their way into my heart immediately. Sam infuriated the hell out of me, and just about nothing that he did made any sense to me when contrasted with Ellerie’s perception of him prior to that year. Ellerie is constantly saying he’s acting out of character, but we never actually get much of an explanation as to why he’s such a jerk when he didn’t used to be.
I loved Whittaker and his and Ellerie’ relationship. I guessed his secret from the start though, which did make some—a lot?—of their interactions a little infuriating at times. But they had really good chemistry and despite that, I enjoyed their scenes together.
Was the book perfect? No. But it was a fun, creepy, atmospheric read, and if it seems like something you’re interested in, you should pick it up.

Erin A. Craig does it again! ‘Small Favors’ is just as hauntingly beautiful as her debut novel ‘House of Salt and Sorrows’. I went into this book with very high expectations and I definitely did not leave disappointed! I loved the creepy atmosphere and I cannot wait to see what Craig does next!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this cryptic horror where there were so many mysteries and questions. Not knowing who to trust and why things are happening creates support for the protagonist to figure it out and stay alive. Lovely descriptions, a ripe scenery, believable characters.

*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This reminded me a bit of Tuck Everlasting mashed with Frankenstein. It has an incredibly dark but very small-town feel to it. While I guessed one of the big twists early on, it still kept me hooked to the very last page. Definitely worth a read or re-read!

ARC provided for an honest review by NetGalley and Delacorte Press/Penguin Random House.

A wholly engaging mystery set in a small town featuring great characters and a pulse pounding, nerve wracking atmosphere.
Ellery lives in a small town that is constrained by the "rules" set by the founders of the town. While the town is tight and supportive, when things start getting weird, things start to devolve. Watching Ellery struggle to keep her family together and safe is such a journey and packs so much into the plot. Honestly, my favorite part was the writing style and how detailed and lush it is.
While the book contains some elements that generally aren't to my taste (instalove, unanswered plot elements at the end) they were easy to overlook because of how much the story and writing completely drew me in.

What a delightful story. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and it kept me guessing until the very end. I’m not a big fantasy fan, but this one was much more like a fairy tale- creatures in the woods, mysterious silver eyes peering back at you, unexplained accidents, and struggles to survive. The main character, Ellerie, is a great lead. She’s resilient and strong but has her weaknesses and faults….. much like any person. But, writing teenage girls can be tricky. A lot of times they come off as annoying, but I loved Ellerie and was rooting for her the whole time.

From Goodreads: 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.

I will say I thought the book could have been about 50 pages shorter. The town is being torn apart, and it seemed like that topic went on a bit longer than necessary. I got the point, but the fighting just continued. But my thoughts also could be simply because I was so excited to get to the end and see how it all worked out that I didn’t want to keep reading about the turmoil. In any case, that’s just a personal stance and is no reason for other people not to read. This book was great and is definitely one I would recommend to people who like this kind of story.

Yes!!! The nightmare fairy tale I've been waiting for. This story is filled with the monsters that stalk us In the woods and watch us through our windows. But what's revealed in the story that's even scarier than those monsters, is the darkness that can fester within us during our times of hopelessness. Like many other reviewers, I agree it's a dark fairy tale mixed with themes from Needful Things, The Village, and Rumpelstiltskin. Amity Falls is an isolated village that has lived in mostly peace for years until a supply run goes wrong. Right from the start the reader hears the gory (yes lots of blood and guts) story of monsters preying on the townsfolk who enter the woods. Ellerie Downing is the main character and she must protect her family and her family's farm bees at whatever cost.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc! This was a beautifully written story that will stay with me! Had to order my own physical copy! Erin A. Craig has become an auto buy author for me! Her books are hauntingly beautiful!