Small Favors

De: Erin A. Craig

Narrado por: Rachel Music

Duración: 14 h y 21 m

Resumen del Editor

The instant New York Times best seller

From the critically-acclaimed author of House of Salt and Sorrows comes a mesmerizing and chilling fairy-talesque novel about Ellerie Downing, a young woman in a small town with monsters lurking in the trees and dark desires hidden in the shadows - in Amity Falls, nothing is more dangerous than a wish come true.

"Unique, enchanting, and haunting." (Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times best-selling author of the Cursebreaker series)

"Full of beasts, bargains, and blood, Small Favors is a folk horror tale that feels like a classic but is utterly fresh. Sweet, dark, and complex as wildflower honey." (Hannah Whitten, New York Times best-selling author of For the Wolf)

"A deliciously dark fairy tale filled with bone-chilling horror and breathtaking romance that will keep you turning the pages long into the night." (Kara Thomas, author of The Cheerleaders and That Weekend)

"As dark and romantic as it haunting, Small Favors is an eerie fairytale that I couldn’t put down." (Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching)

Ellerie Downing is waiting for something to happen. Life in isolated Amity Falls, surrounded by an impenetrable forest, has a predictable sameness. Her days are filled with tending to her family's beehives, chasing after her sisters, and dreaming of bigger things while her twin, Samuel, is free to roam as he wishes.

Early town settlers fought off monstrous creatures in the woods, and whispers that the creatures still exist keep the Downings and their neighbors from venturing too far. When some townsfolk go missing on a trip to fetch supplies, a heavy unease settles over the Falls.

Strange activities begin to plague the town, and as the seasons change, it's clear that something is terribly wrong. The creatures are real, and they're offering to fulfill the residents' deepest desires, however grand, for just a small favor. These seemingly trifling demands, however, hide sinister intentions. Soon Ellerie finds herself in a race against time to stop Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves from going up in flames.

©2021 Erin A. Craig (P)2021 Listening Library

Reseñas de la Crítica

A Reese’s Book Club Recommended Spooky Read!

A PopSugar Best Book of July pick!

"[A] gloriously dark fairy tale.... Erin A. Craig has conjured a spellbinding tale of magic and horror." (Shelf Awareness, starred review)

"If you’re looking for a book to give you goosebumps as you read, you’re going to want to add this one to your TBR!” (The Nerd Daily)

"A chilling tale about what lurks in the shadows of the people you think you know." (Tor)

Great Story

I really enjoyed listening to Small Favors. The story's many twists and turns kept me wanting more. The narration was very good and the characters were strong. I'd highly recommend this one.

A spooky yet sweet read

This was the perfect book for fall. With a mix of mystery, horror, and romance this book was a great find for my October reading.
If it feels a little slow at first hang on the story unfolds into an intriguing mystery! Some twists were easy to predict, but still fun to read.
This mixes the world of small farm towns with what lurks in the shadows of the forest and within the hearts of its occupants.

My cup of tea

Love this one. It’s a very slow burn, but little tiny things are constantly happening to add up to the chaos at the end. Love all the female characters. I also really like the narrator, I like the acting and the different voices for the different characters.

Possible Spoilers below:
Two things I don’t like:
1. We don’t see the character arc of the brother Sam going from who Ellerie knew him to be to who he winds up being in the majority of the book. It all happens “offscreen” without us getting to see it and makes his part feel hollow
2. There are characters who are from England who turn up in the book. They could have been from literally anywhere else and it would have been more interesting. It’s like the exotic spice chosen was mayonnaise.

That said I still really love the book and have read it twice. I definitely recommend it, you just need the patience for it to build up very gradually to enjoy it.

Slooow burn

This book is such a slow burn but it was a good slow burn. Personally I enjoyed it and it's slow pacing. I would recommend this book to friends

Slow and spooky

Good book! It was a little slow at times, and a little scary at others! Not my typical read, but I enjoyed it!

Excellent narration! Made the book so enjoyable.

The ending was a bit disappointing. Well written, loved the characters and plot. Narration was so well done it brought the story to life.

Amazing Retelling

Craig does it again! I love her ability to take old fairytales and make them fresh and tasty!

Beautifully written, satisfying conclusion

What kind of book is this?
Contemporary fantasy with supernatural elements in a realistic, technology-free, rural town setting (could be mid-1800’s America). Modern nations like America and England are mentioned in character dialogue and modern religions (e.g., Christianity) are mentioned.

Spoiler-Free Summary:
Small Favors offers beautiful dialogue that is captivating and perfect at setting readers off balance as plot events unfold. The main protagonist lives in a rural, isolated township that suffers a string of misfortunes as the story opens. Before long, the villagers begin to suspect or recognize that there is something more behind their ongoing, and escalating, misfortunes. Our main character and her siblings unravel the mystery piece by piece.

Unfortunately, I glanced at several reviews indicating that this book had a “bad ending” so that was kind of looming in the back of my mind the entire time I was reading. I wish I hadn’t seen those statements because: a) it's untrue; and b) endings for mystery books are entirely subjective! I found the ending more than satisfactory and I particularly enjoyed that it wasn’t a last-page reveal, but rather the author took their time to let us process the conclusion from the protagonist’s POV.

Overall, Small Favors was a solid 4.25 out of 5 for me. A great weekend diversion. I would recommend it, particularly if you can read it at the same time with a friend.

Slow starting but good

It was slow starting at first in my opinion- but the best part of the book was the last three chapters, I loved it! I wish we would’ve gotten an epilogue with answers that the book left unanswered. But other than that I really enjoyed it!

A wonderful magical mystery

It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a book as much as this one. The perfect blend of everything you want in a story. I’m so glad it was recommended to me :)