This book is just not for me, unfortunately. I have to be frank in this review, but I found it to be dull and/or boring. It was slow, and so I found it difficult to keep reading through the story. I'm just not interested enough in any of the characters. I found myself constantly putting it off whenever I plan to read this book. I think if I were interested in the atmosphere of the story, even if I wasn't remotely interested in any of the characters, then I might have finished reading this book. It just wasn't the case for this one. I just wasn't into it.

So so so creepy. Like, one of the creepiest books I’ve read in a while. It’s a slow burn fantasy/horror story set in a rural town, with vibes of The Village (I love that movie, don’t fight me). I want more, but I’m also relieved it’s over because the ending was so intense. It is charming and terrifying and just such a well crafted story.

I'm not sure if I can find the right words to describe this beauty of a book. I read this while on holiday, with summer heat, and I got cold chills all over multiple times while reading this. The setting was just perfect, idyllic even, and the story perfectly haunting. This would also make for a perfect autumn read. I wouldn't be surprised if this would be my favourite read of the year.

House of Salt and Sorrows was great. I liked it but parts of it left me feeling... unsure.. about the whole thing. Kind of like it’s a “it’s not you it’s me” thing.

After reading Small Favors, I understand this author a lot better and her writing style. Very M Night Shyamalan. I dig it more than I expected!

I read all 400 something pages of this in two sittings. I didn’t want to put it down. While it didn’t give me nightmares, the creepy atmosphere had me on the edge of my seat. Everyone on the page felt guilty. Wrong.

A small town excluded on the edge of nowhere surrounded by violent dark woods. That is literally all I needed to know to read this book! Is that a trope? Dark scary woods? It should be! The families that live here quickly (some not so quickly) realize that *everything* is wrong and nothing is as it seems.

The minute I met *Whitaker*... I knew.
Instalove was through the roof, a bit out of place.
The scary things in the woods were very ominous throughout the entire thing and I felt like there should have been more to them at the end.

The ending left me wanting more. I’m not quite sure if that was the intention of possibly a second book or Erin just tied it all up there. Admittedly, after almost 500 pages, I still have a lot of questions.

"𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙪𝙯𝙯𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙈𝙘𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙮'𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜."

'𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐬' 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

What do you know about old fairytales such as Rumpelstiltskin and Goldilocks? 🌻 I've always thought them wondrous, so nostalgic and beautiful, how could someone come up with these stories that still live nowadays?

"Small Favors" is a story of truth and self-discovery. Erin A. Craig brings us a world of light and perspective in a time we so seek it. 🍯 This is a story of love and strength, of family bonds and sisterhood, of community and respect.

One of the most beautiful things I found in this book was the main character, Ellerie, standing up for herself as a woman. We all stan womanhood and we absolutely love to see it represented in books.

Then, the relationship between the two main characters. Oh, what a dream! 💛 Ellerie has a fearless spirit and a witty posture, a character I was so amazed to meet in a world of chaos; Whitaker, what a man! Although I was absolutely hurt by his lying and secrecy, I couldn't hate him - I was already deep in love with him.

Again, I'm in tears. At midnight today (10AUG2021), I'm in tears because Erin did it again. She caused all this chaos and pain in our hearts, only for love to flourish next.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is one of those books that it took me several days to process after I had finished it. Much like Craig's first book, it is scary and creepy with all the horror movie vibes and yet you can never quite place was exactly is so scary. I enjoyed the story and the characters. The writing was phenomenal and the setting was well done. There were a couple little things I thought could have been done better but overall I loved it! It's a great creepy read.

Erin Craig is officially on auto-buy status! I absolutely loved this loose retelling of Rumplestiltskin and I hope she continues retelling dark tales! This was a bit of a slow burn but once it picks up it is NON STOP. I want more from this world.

I almost forgot to review this, so I might as well do it now when I remember.

Erin Craig has a wonderful way of setting up atmosphere and mood in her writing. I can totally envision the small town in the woods and this sort of menacing, sinister presence in the background, the isolation and fear. I absolutely loved the creepy mood and the rising tension that something bad is going to happen.

Yet because of this sort of small, encapsulated world there is not that much that goes on. Most of the book focuses on the daily lives of our characters and the little out of place things that build up more and more. Thus, the pacing is quite slow in the middle and not much occurs. Not that this was bad but my enjoyment wandered as I kept expecting plot points and reveals to happen faster instead of being strung out for a bit too long.

I also never really got into the romance as there was always something that felt off about it. I'm not sure. I always read the main character as being younger than she actually was so the chemistry between the two reminded me more of infatuation than true feelings. I didn't even think he actually liked her for the majority of it (though this, I assume, is part of his mysterious character) because his affections came off as superficial and flat.

The bee keeping scenes were my absolute favorite though. I was totally fascinated by them and kept hoping there were more. Also, I enjoyed seeing how the town sort of... descended into madness and how easily people were manipulated and/or twisted. That's the best part.

Not the most detailed review but a simple summation of my most lingering thoughts on the book.

eArc provided by NetGalley.

So, so good. Brilliant. All the words that mean fantastic. Excuse me while I go read House of Salt and Sorrows.

I knew that I would love this book. House of Salt and Sorrows is one of my very favorite of all time YA books, and I am absolutely positive that Erin Craig could write anything and I'd be obsessed with it. Behold one of my favorites of 2021: Small Favors.

I think what Erin Craig does so well is her atmospheric world building. She has this incredible talent for creating these claustrophobic settings that, as a reader, you feel wholly stuck in until you finish the book. And even then, the world she creates never actually leaves you. I am positive I will think about Amity Falls at least once a day for most of the forseeable future. I still think about HOSAS at least once a day.

Ellerie lives on a farm with her parents, twin brother, and two younger sisters. She helps her father take care of their bees, and she helps her mother with their daily chores. After a supply run goes horribly wrong, reports of huge never-before-seen creatures materialize. These things live in the woods, and are incredibly destructive. From that point on, nothing in Amity Falls will ever be the same.

Townspeople begin reporting mysterious fires, vandalism, and other malicious acts. Strangers have appeared in town, and Ellerie becomes close to one of them. After her mother is injured in a fire that takes their barn and threatens their crops, their parents head for the big city, leaving Ellerie and Sam in charge of the farm. It's going to be a long hard winter, since nobody will venture into the woods for a supply run with those things living in the woods. Things quickly continue to spiral out of control until nobody can be trusted and it is completely unclear about what is at work in this small town.

Along with Ellerie, I was desperate to understand the creatures in the woods. I wanted the bumps in the night to be her imagination and I hoped the woman who had fingers that were too long and had eyes that were too silver was not really there. Erin Craig is one of the best horror writers of our time, in my opinion. She does such an amazing job with her characters and her world building. I love her work so much. She's an incredible writer. I'm a huge fan. This book blew me away and I can't wait to add it to my collection.

The idea that this was a re-imagining of Rumpelstiltskin (a fairy tale I've often thought needed more explanation) was certainly what drew me in. But that is really only a vague framework, a distant influence. Craig's tale stands well on it's own. We have a complex world of mythological beings. More than magic and monsters, though, this is a story of small towns and the secrets hidden by civilization. We're playing with the idea that "polite society" and the rules we all agree to follow hiding resentments and jealousies that will inevitably boil over and cause destruction. While the late chapters fall into a gruesome level of detail the slow grind of the town's decline makes for surprisingly compelling reading.

Small Favors was a haunting read. The feeling of claustrophobia this book caused—people being trapped in a small, secluded town—with mysterious creatures and oddness of the forest surrounding them and hunting for their lives and creating chaos in their wake. The plot twist was pretty predictable with how the story was being told but overall it's @ good read and once again Erin A. Craig proved she's the master of horror fairytales retelling.

Do NOT BE FOOLED BY THIS LOVELY AND DECEPTIVELY CHARMING COVER!!

Small Favors by way of LARGE TERROR.

Seriously, this book gave me the *shivers* on multiple occasions. Utterly tripped me out! If you remember M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village,” then the rules and feeling of Amity Falls will seem very familiar.

Small Favors is dark, atmospheric, tense, and chilling. Set in Amity Falls, a settlement-turned-town completely cut off from any semblance of civilization due to the natural boundaries established by God’s Grasp, the five mountain spires encircling the town and the completely impenetrable forest slowing closing in on the denizens of Amity Falls.

Legend and local lore state that the settlers and founders of Amity Falls drove “devils” back into the forest, and keep them out through a woven tapestry of bells and trinkets that will chime if anything attempts to rustle through. They also have erected these wooden statues dubbed “The Ladies” and will burn these effigies to ward off the devils in the woods. This town is also governed by a council of elders and very strict commandments meant to inspire honesty, loyalty, and above all: obedience. Very chilling, as a lot of chapters are prefaced by one of the rules and there is just this fluid undercurrent of insidious was that builds throughout the novel.

Twice a year, a team must leave Amity Falls to collect supplies such as medicines, sugar, etc., and when the team doesn’t come back, Ellerie Downing’s father volunteers, along with her twin brother Sam, to go into the woods and find the missing party.

The men don’t make it far and return shaken. Sam is even a little…off. Not long after, chaos and mayhem erupt as the town’s supplies dwindle and neighbor turns on neighbor. The tension and suspicion are at an all time high when the Downing’s flower fields (the main source of food for their bees) are burnt to the ground.

Overall, the atmosphere, the tension, the slow-burning romance, the sense of betrayal and trust, madness and hunger…it all combines to a wholly terrifying experience and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

After absolutely adoring House of Salt and Sorrow by this author, this was hands down one of my most anticipated releases of the year! I love creepy small town and no one writes ambiance like Erin A Craig.

And this book absolutely blew me away with its ominous vibe and haunting small town. This world was lush and descriptive and pulled me right into its darkness. Everything about this town felt isolated from time and the surrounding world. I really loved the world and atmosphere the author created - it had me on edge through the entire book!

But where this book without a doubt excelled at atmosphere, it fell a little flat on plot for me. I love a story that seems a little aimless until the reveal or conclusion - but the conclusion needs to deliver with a punch and unfortunately this one didn't quite hit that mark. The plot of this meandered as we watched the small town unravel which definitely added to eeriness but it carried on a little too long. And the final reveal just didn't hit me the way I wanted, it felt obvious and predictable, and the ultimate showdown was lackluster.

This sophomore novel was a bit of a mixed bag for me but I still 100% adore Erin A Craig's writing. This book definitely took some chances on the horror elements and wasn't afraid to make you hate a character (of which I did a lot). While this might not have been my perfect read, I think a lot of readers will still love this and I can't wait to see what this author releases next!

I loved this atmospheric and creepy read!

Ellerie Downing has been living in Amity Falls her entire life. It has always seemed quiet and predictable, helping her Mother cook and clean and learning from her Father how to care for their bees. Suddenly, strange things begin to happen around town and and the surrounding woods. Some begin to fear that monsters rumored to have attacked the town’s early settlers may have returned. As more and more inexplicable things occur, everyone becomes more terrified and the less neighborly Amity Falls feels.

Ellerie is a likable character who I connected with. She is caring and willing to do whatever it takes to keep everyone in her family safe. She is facing many changes throughout the story. In some ways she it seems like she is trying to hold onto memories of a childhood that is safe and familiar, and in other ways she’s doing everything she can to grow up and be an example for her younger siblings. Her strength and growth were my favorite things about this book. Her twin brother, Samuel, adds a complicated layer to her family dynamics as they are complete opposites.

This story had a slow build at first but I loved how things escalated. There was a lot of mystery and I was very invested in the characters and their well-being. I didn’t completely love the ending but that was more of a personal preference and I’m sure many will enjoy it. Otherwise, this would have been a five star read for me as it was a book I couldn’t put down - it kept me up late into the night glancing over my shoulders with it’s creepy vibes.

2.5 stars -- Had I not read this author's previous work, House of Salt and Sorrows (which I absolutely LOVED), I would have likely given this a 2.75 or 3. However, coming from a level of such high expectation after that first book, I was so let down by this one I couldn't get any higher than a 2.5 rating. This felt much more like a debut novel than her actual debut did.

The story started off really promising and I loved the premise--it felt like a mashup of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village and Stephen King's Needful Things. But the dialogue and oddly telenovela-ish romance that began to play a major role in the plot ruined things for me.

The dialogue was stilted and forced -- lot's of melodramatic exclamations and people using each other's full names fourteen times in the course of one conversation -- and I couldn't get past it.

Readers who enjoy YA and dramatic young romance may find this an engaging read, but it just wasn't for me.

Had I not known better, and you told me House of Salt and Sorrows and this novel were written by the same author, I wouldn't have believed you. I will definitely continue to read this author's work....this particular one just wasn't for me.

A small town, Amity Falls, bordered by a forest. Families who help each other, sharing during hardships, and celebrating harvest bounties together. Ellerie Downing is one of the Downing's oldest child, along with her twin brother, Sam. They have just turned eighteen and are beginning to wonder what their future will look like in Amity Falls. They also wonder what lays beyond the woods in Amity Falls? As fall harvest approaches, several men from the town leave on a supply run, a crucial journey for the town as they will return with the needed supplies so the town can survive the winter months. When only their lead horse returns, fatally wounded, a search party finds the remains of the men on the supply run. No one knows what has happened to them and now they must decide if they should send another supply party or hunker down and wait out the winter. But, something is in the woods, something dark and deadly.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat as I read it. I really enjoyed the suspense, the characters, and the setting. I wish there had been more closure at the end, especially concerning the Downing parents. Overall a great read for those who enjoy dark, deadly, and suspenseful YA tales.

Thank you to NetGalley, Erin A. Craig, and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was truly amazing. It took my expectations and just wiped them off the board and redrew them even higher, but still surpassed them. 


I immediately loved the sweet cottagecore family vibes. Ellerie was an easy character to love and root for from the beginning. Then, when the vibes started to change and spookiness emerged it was just the right amount. I’m not really a horror fan, but I do love me some spooky vibes and this book delivered perfectly. 


Also, the plotting was so clever. I really loved how the story developed. New layers kept being added, but they were all woven together seamlessly so that nothing was ever confusing (though there was some mystery). Plus, I learned some really cool facts about bees and I am excited to bring them up all the darn time because BEES ARE SO COOL!!!! 


Haha anyway I would very highly recommend this to anyone who loves small towns with dark secrets, loveable characters, and witty plotting. Thank you so much to @delacortepress for the review copy! I’m so glad I got the chance to read this!!

3.5 Stars….More quiet horror than fantasy or adventure. I loved the parts dealing with the "Watchers" and the woods in general, but less so the parts about the village and its inhabitants. It was a little slow for me at times, her writing is great but I just wanted something MORE from this story. It had the promise/kind of setup for some sort of big twist, but I realized about 65% of the way through that that probably wasn’t coming (and it didn’t). The moralistic angle of the folklore, combined with the amish-like village setting felt a little heavy.

Given the theme and plot I think had it been fully committed to that quiet horror vibe I would have really loved it (it just sort of hovered there but never really WENT there). I did like her take on fae/fairy folklore and I really really love her writing but I find myself wanting more out of her plots. Definitely recommend for teen fans of YA Historical and Horror Fiction, and those who don't need a lot of "fantasy" elements in their fantasy.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!**

I was so excited to pick this book up! It's been an anticipated release of mine ever since I read the synopsis. Also this cover is to die for! This book had a perfect spooky small town vibe. The writing was beautifully well done and kept me turning the pages. I never saw any of the plot twists coming and was surprised each time. I just had to know what was going to happen next! I enjoyed every moment reading it, even the slower sections were very entertaining. I also really liked all of the characters especially Ellerie, our strong female protagonist. She was incredibly brave, selfless, and caring, all things I love to see in main characters. I also felt that all of the side characters were well developed, like Ellerie's siblings and the other residents of the town. The town itself felt very real as there was a deep history described throughout the book. We got to see so many stories and myths about the town sprinkled within the plot. Even though so many thrilling and sometimes scary things happened in this book, the romance was also very well done. It felt very real and was something I loved about this book! Our love interest is super romantic and is a new bookish boyfriend of mine! The ending was well done and satisfying. But I loved the characters so much I wanted to hear more!

This book is perfect for those bookworms who loved books like Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables but want a thrilling and spooky twist! I gave this book 4.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨.