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 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨.

Small Favors is the first book I’ve read that I would consider part of the “folk horror” genre. This book skyrocketed the genre to a favorite of mine! The creepiness in such a beautiful and simple landscape made for a recipe that I could not stop reading.

Ellerie Downing’s life is simple and beautiful, if a bit stifled and boring. Think Little House on the Prairie--living off the land, helping out neighbors, close-knit family. The community of Amity Falls lives safely within the confines of their space, believing that the woods outside of their community are filled with horrors. When the horrors begin to appear within the community and neighbors begin to turn against one another, Ellerie finds the bravery inside herself that she needs to save her family.

Small Favors contains a bit of everything a YA reader could want--horror, suspense, romance, and even a bit of information about beekeeping. I believe this book is an excellent addition to any high school library collection and to the personal library of teenagers and adult readers alike. Don’t miss this one! Erin Craig is a masterful storyteller!

I'm not really sure how to describe this, other than amazing. Other than atmospheric. Other than chilling. This book was addicting, and I'm not ready to put it down.

My favorite thing about this has to be the setting. A small town, isolated from the world. Filled with neighbors who've been feuding for decades. Tales of monsters inside the forests run rampant. All of this combines into something that is so chilling. It was so creepy, yet so hard to put down. Watching things slowly devolve into madness in the town had me hooked, and even though I was dreading the way it would all end, I wouldn't change a single thing about this.

I also really loved the world and fantasy aspects this set up. The monsters in the woods were done incredibly well, and as things started to come together, I couldn't look away. I had some things guessed from the very beginning, but this didn't bother me. I wasn't reading this looking for a twist. I was just looking for another book like House of Hollow or Slewfoot.

I wasn't a huge fan of the romance between Whitaker and Ellerie, but I did love the way it kept me guessing the entire time. It definitely added things to the story, and I loved the part it played.

Reviews for books I loved are some of the hardest to write, and this is no exception. I loved this so much, I'm off to order my own copy. This was that good.

Thanks to Netgalley and Erin A. Craig for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Amity Falls is a small, quiet, religious town surrounded by forests. Ellerie Downing lives there with her sisters, brother, and parents, tending to the beehives and wishing of something more. She gets far more than she expected when creatures that were thought to have been long dead, if they even existed at all, show signs of having returned. Now to dangerous to get supplies from outside the town, the townsfolk face the winter and seasons ahead with dwindling supplies and short tempers. As tensions rise and something sinister creeps closer and closer, beings who will grant you any wish for a small favor, Ellerie must fight to save everyone she loves.

3 Reasons to read SMALL FAVORS:
1.) The haunting mood: As seen in HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS, Erin A. Craig has a way of infusing a haunting, tense mood into books. SMALL FAVORS combines an isolated town, strange newcomers, cabin fever, low supplies, and supernatural beings into a sinister concoction.

2.) The edge-of-your-seat plot: While the beginning was a bit slow, the story picks up pace quickly about a third of the way in. At every turn, I was preparing for the worst as Ellerie and the town face more and more setbacks and neighbors start to turn on each other. Each piece of the overall puzzle is slowly revealed until the big finish.

3.) The relationships: While there is a lovely romance, the relationships as a whole between Ellerie and her sisters, her brother, and her (ex?) best friend are all well-executed in addition to the romance. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Ellerie, her brother, and Rebecca, Ellerie’s best friend growing up and the soon-to-be mother of allegedly Ellerie’s brother’s child. It’s complex and complicated and soon shows her brother’s true colors.

Fans of Craig’s first book, HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS will find the same tense, haunting atmosphere in SMALL FAVORS but in an entirely new context. SMALL FAVORS is an excellent spooky time read for a quiet night.

I've heard a lot about the authors first book though I haven't read it. I was eager to give this one a try. I love creepy atmospheric reads, especially those that build tension in waves. This book was just that. It's a mix of genres from horror, fantasy, lore and much more. From all that I've read online, it seems like the first book was much better than this one. I'll read that soon and let you know what I think about that.

Coming back to this book, the author has written the book in such a way that the sense of dread increases as the story unfolds. The main mystery element was a bit predictable. I also wish the story could have been shorter and more punchy. The book was about Ellerie Downing from Amity Falls. A small isolated town that kept to themselves. A series of strange things happen in town and everything seems to unravel.

Her twin brother Sam, becomes unreliable and selfish. Her parents had to leave town urgently. So Ellerie was stuck on the farm fending for herself and her 2 younger sisters all by herself. I loved the creepy elements of the story, but I felt the first half of the book was too slow and bland and the second half was overloaded with it. I learnt a lot about bees and how an apiary works which was pretty cool. Whittaker, Ellerie's saviour/friend was definitely an intriguing character.

So how does Ellerie and Amity falls survive with little to no provisions through winter? Especially with monsters creeping around in the woods? Read to find out!

I would recommend to anyone who loves creepy books.

One of my favorite movies as a teen was “The Village” so I was really excited to find this book and have that movie as one of its comp titles. It definitely has some similarities but it’s a remarkable story on its own.

If you’re a fan of slower and not as in your face scares like “the village” or a fan of the Supernatural tv series, then I highly recommend this book for you to read. It’s just the right amount of scary that you’re looking over your shoulder while reading, but not enough to leave you with nightmares.

Erin A. Craig does it again. House of Salt and Sorrows was one of my favorites of 2019. This one had me hooked from the start.

Amity Falls is a small town where everyone helps their neighbors and follows the town rules. On the surface, it seems like a great place but underneath the facade, the people of Amity Falls are jealous, petty and vindictive. After men die on a supply run, monstrous creatures are seen in the woods. Mysterious sightings of a strange woman occur. The children in the town meet a little girl named Abigail that parents are convinced is an imaginary friend. All of a sudden, bad things begin to happen- fires, field rotting, things go missing, and strange acts of vandalism occur. The townspeople are beginning to turn on one another as mistrust and violence spreads rapidly.
Ellerie has her share of problems. Her twin Sam is irresponsible and reckless and has secretly been courting her best friend Rebecca. She has a lot of responsibilities in her house, helping her Mom, taking care of the bees with her dad, watching her younger sisters Merry and Sadie. Ellerie meets and befriends a mysterious stranger who won’t give her his name. She named him Whitaker. When her mother is injured in a fire, Whitaker takes them to a hospital in the city. When Ellerie needs help with the bees, he steps in. When Sam leaves, Whitaker is there. When her long lost uncle Ezra and cousin Thomas appear, Whitaker warns her. Who can she trust- the stranger who won’t tell her anything about himself or the long lost relatives she’s never known? What power is making the townspeople turn on each other and can it be stopped?

Erin A. Craig may have become my favorite YA author. I loved The House of Salt and Sorrow but Small Favors was even better!

I don't read a lot of horror because I'm a wimp but Erin always delivers the right amount. So, to all of the wimps out there, you can probably handle this horror novel!

There were many characters in this story and sometimes I struggled to distinguish between them but I tried not to focus on that. Ellerie Downing was a very compelling main character and her interactions with Whitaker gave me butterflies.

The atmosphere was my favorite thing about this book. When I first started reading this story, I wasn't sure if the setting of Amity Falls was going to be my cup of tea but Craig's writing managed to immerse me even into my least favorite type of setting. It's truly impressive.

The plot itself had a few minor holes and unfortunately, it did keep me from giving this book 5 stars. However, it was nothing that would ruin the book for you (at least I don't think it would).

Can't wait for the next creepy fairytale retelling.

Thank you to Random House Children's and Delacorte Press for an advanced reading copy!

A dark wood and a harsh winter entomb the residents of Amity Falls in their small town, and as supplies slowly dwindle, paranoia grows, neighbor turns on neighbor, and the once-friendly townsfolk begin to take on a sinister edge.

I read and loved House of Salt and Sorrows, Erin A. Craig's debut, so I knew I wanted read Small Favors the moment it was announced. I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into when I was finally able to pick it up, but this book was amazing. Small Favors nails small town claustrophobia. The pace is slow, but because of the thoughtful pace, the tension builds to a fever pitch by the end of the book. I loved it!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After most of The Young Folks staff, including me, raved about Erin A. Craig’s debut House Of Salt and Sorrows, I had high expectations for her sophomore novel. I found House of Salt and Sorrows to be addicting–creepy and mysterious enough to keep me curious but also full of depth and characters that I came to care for in the few hundred pages. Small Favors has that unique blend of pathos while also being creepy. Just like with House of Salt and Sorrows, Erin A. Craig delivered on a story so well told, I’ll be able to evoke images from it long after I’ve finished.

Small Favors takes place in a small town–Amity Falls–nestled in God’s Grasp–a valley made out of five peaks that is cut off from most of civilization. Mostly self-sufficient, the town is reliant on the Rules that govern the town and presided over by the town’s Elders to keep order. After the monsters that once plagued the town appear to come back and her mother is gravely injured in a fire, eighteen-year-old Ellerie Downing and the rest of the town become suspicious of one another and the outsiders that have found their way to Amity Falls.

Ellerie tries her best to keep her family together but the growing tension with her twin brother, the absence of their parents, and the strange happenings in town make it hard for her to even keep her own head clear.

What’s so wonderful about this book is how the tension mounts and the questions pile until the reader is forced to hold their breath and read in wonder and a burning need to know what happens next. The characters are so well drawn that any slight argument between them feels keenly felt. Erin A. Craig certainly knows how to write relationships and the sister bonds that I loved from House of Salt and Sorrows exist here as well.

It’s also impossible not to feel as if Amity Falls–the woods beyond, the fields that make up the Downing’s land, the tiny main street–is also a main character. I felt as if I’ve been to the Falls for how well the author describes it. If you’re looking for a book that truly transports you–this one is it. Though chilling and probably not as welcoming as other fictional small towns, I really loved reading the care and detail that went into describing the place, its people, and story.

This book was perfect for the summer heat but I would urge anyone interested to check it out during late August or September, when the book is set. This is a book you can certainly binge read but also that you can savor as the air turns crisper. Either way, you’re in for one of the best books releasing in 2021.

🐝🐝🐝

Thank you to Delacorte Press (via NetGalley) for the ARC!

This was another solid fantasy horror from Erin A. Craig. I was in the middle of reading two other books when I started this (normal for me; I'm always reading multiple books), and I had to put them all down to focus on this one, because I HAD to find out what was going on.

Craig is great at building the mystery and suspense in her worlds, and making things just creepy and unsettling enough without giving things away, and that, to me, is the best kind of horror. The unknown lurking just at the edges of the story (in this case, literally, since the woods surrounding Amity Falls hold the mysterious creatures) is so much creepier than in-your-face scary, in my opinion. It lets your imagination fill in the blanks, which is always worse.

I guessed some of the mysteries (not sure if I'd classify them as plot twists?) or at least had an inkling of where the plot was going, but it was still lots of fun. I loved the setting, and I loved the slow build-up of the reveal. The small town and close-knit community made the effects of the creatures that much scarier since everyone knows and trusts each other.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I will say if you enjoyed HOUSE OF SALT & SORROWS, definitely check this one out as well! It's a solid and engrossing follow-up, and I can't wait to see what Craig comes up with next

I'm so disappointed that I didn't enjoy this as much as her previous novel.
I'm hoping the final copy is vastly different than the earc because there was a lot of jumping around and some scenes made little sense when characters literally just dissappear between sentences and I got so confused.

There were quite a bit of characters introduced who literally had no reason to be. Some characters dissapeared for half the book and we never got answers for what happened.

I mean, it was an ok read but definitely not my favorite type of book.

If you enjoyed watching the wickerman and m night movies in general you'll like this I feel.

If you're in the mood for an creepy slow paced read with a possibly unreliable narrator (who can tell? ;)) give this book a try. If you want something with more substance and action to it, you might want to give this one a miss.

Craig knows how to write a convincing creepy small town though the monsters could have used work. Ellerie, the main character, was a bit difficult to connect with, for me at least but she still was the most likeable of the bunch.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Small Favors takes place in a small village set in the middle of a vast forest. Legend has it, the founders of the village had to fight off monsters in the woods to claim the land. When strange things begin happening around town in varying degrees is it a sign that these creatures have returned? And what does this mean for the town and it's residents?

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I was so excited and drawn in by the premise and gorgeous cover. As a fantasy nut, I was stoked to see this author's take on what I assumed was a fae realm and creatures that inhabited it. But the creatures honestly seemed like an afterthought. In 438 pages they didn't appear in more than 1/4 of them. This book was far too long for the story it told, but when it finally did reveals it was a roller coaster. I was so excited for jaw dropping reveals after intense buildups but was let down at the reveals that were presented.

Overall, this is not a quick read and does not pack the punch you would expect from a story this length. If you're willing to tough it out, you may find the reveals and township itself to be satisfactory, but I was promised creatures. This is appropriate for anyone 12+ but the younger ages could struggle with the length.

The author of the House of Salt and Sorrows has written a unique horror fantasy titled Small Favors. Ellerie Downing and her family live in the isolated village of Amity Falls, located in the mountains of western North America. Ellerie is coming of age, just finished school , now bides her time tending the family beehives and helping out with her two younger sisters. Her twin, Sam, is becoming evasive and has been seen in the company of her best friend Rebecca, a lot! Ellerie is doing the family laundry at the creek, feeling that life is passing her by, when she meets a handsome stranger who refuses to give her his name, but charms her just the same. When horrible accidents start to befall the villagers and grossly deformed animals and crops appear, they are sure that the legendary monsters who terrorized the early settlers have returned. Things grow progressively worse and a horrible accident almost kills her mother. Crops are destroyed, the supply run failed, and the townsfolk doubt their ability to survive the winter. Something sinister is going on and Ellerie must get to the bottom of it or risk losing everything. The novel begins with soothing, peaceful life in the village and on the Downing farm, then becomes creepier and creepier as the story progresses. It reminds me of a cross between M. Night Shamalyan's The Village and Stephen King's Needful Things. This is a young adult book but the writing is excellent so adults will enjoy it too. The fight scenes are descriptively violent and the subject matter is scary but it is a great read for older kids. I couldn't put it down!! Many thanks to Net Galley for the ARC! I

I'm not a huge horror reader because I don't like being scared( and yet I watch all kinds of true crime stuff) go figure how that works. Haha. I fell in love with Erin Craig's House of Salt and Sorrows so I was looking forward to reading the next book she put out. The writing in this book was just as good as her other one which was great.

it was very atmospheric, the characters were well written, the monsters in the forest, I had to force myself to put this book down because I was just compelled to keep reading it, and getting absolutely nothing done. Also, can we talk about this cover It is absolutely stunning! Like number one cover of the year. The biggest issue I had with this book was that it felt a little too long. Like even though I read it compulsively I wish it ended a little sooner.