Small Favors

by Erin A. Craig

It's The Village meets Needful Things in this mesmerizing and chilling novel set in the secluded town of Amity Falls--Ellerie has the chance to have her secret wishes come true, but there's a price to pay. From Erin A. Craig, the New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows.

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 of tall pines. The Downings are beekeepers by trade and the honey their hives produce is celebrated and revered throughout Amity Falls. Though 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 the monsters that stalked the region have once more 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. Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves, go up in flames. Small Favors is a beautifully creepy, gothic tale, loosely based on the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin.

• ISBN10: 0593425626
• ISBN13: 9780593425626
• Publish Date: 27 July 2021
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 11 October 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Random House Inc
• Edition: International edition
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Yes! Erin A. Craig (author of House of Salt and Sorrows) is back with another fantastical tale - SmallFavors. I knew right away that this latest world was going to thrill and chill me – much like its predecessor.

Ellerie Downing has spent her entire life in a town village called Amity Falls. It's an isolated town, with supply caravans taking days to get to and from. The isolation had once been a treasure, but now it appears to be fatal.

It all starts when one supply party goes missing. Then, tales of monsters crop up within the town and very alarmingly valid stories. With winter coming, the town can't afford to go without supplies. But they can't keep sacrificing people to the woods, either. Not for a journey they certainly won't survive.

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

Guys, I think I'm in love. There is something so beautiful and enchanting about Erin A. Craig's writing. I first fell in love during House of Salt and Sorrows and fell once again here with Small Favors.

Small Favors felt like a darker remix of Little Red Riding Hood and Rumpelstiltskin. That sentence is evoking a lot in my head, but I'm worried that this is because I read the book. The Little Red Riding Hood comparison is more about the isolated location and vibes.

The slow-building of tension is just... chef's kiss! It's perfect and left me utterly unable to put the book down, even for a second. I had to see what was happening to Ellerie and her family. I was so worried that they wouldn't make the winter or that the monsters would come for them.

The truth of what was actually happening is so much darker, and I loved every minute of it. In that sense, this story feels very much like a fairytale in that it has an important lesson to teach the readers.

That lesson hits hard, and it hits home. I'm noticing a trend here with Craig's writing. She gets us attached to these characters and then puts them through hell and back to further force our emotions into these tiny little knots. And we thank her for it!

In case it wasn't obvious, I really enjoyed Small Favors, and I am seriously looking forward to seeing whatever world Erin A. Craig designs next, as I know I will be diving headfirst into it.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks