Small Favors

By: Erin A. Craig

Narrated by: Rachel Music

Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Critic reviews

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!

Haunting

This book was eerie and haunting and sad but wonderful a little predictable at times, but it was still good. One of those stories that makes you wonder and you just wanna keep listening to stay immersed in that world.

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 :)

This was spooky, gory, and horrific...

I don't know what I expected when I set into reading this fantasy horror, but this definitely delivered it. This was spooky, gory, suspenseful, and horrific with a touch of romance woven in. There are plenty of content warnings, namely a ton of violence, gore, death, loss of loved ones, etc. This would be a great late summer, early fall read.

I loved the historical tone that the secluded Amity Falls had. It was a very ambiguous time period, though potentially in the 1800s? It really added to the creepiness and the isolation of the story. I also loved the setting itself. With the monster-infested woods surrounding this very small town of God-fearing people and all of the rambling creeks and farmers' fields really helped to show the devolution of the townsfolk. Over the course of the story, more and more characters give off the vibe that there's something not quite right with them.

Honestly, I was on the edge of my seat from moment one. I will say that the pacing is on the slower side. But that tends to lend itself to the feeling that everything happening is very intentional. It starts off very slow with the day-to-day events broken up by something terrible happening every so often. Then the frequency of the horrific events speeds up over the course of the book and in the end it's absolute chaos.

Overall, the story telling in this was immaculate and I can't wait to read Erin A. Craig's next book.