Small Favors by Erin A. Craig
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, Samual, is free to roam as he wishes.
Early 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.
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Erin A. Craig books bring back that nostalgic feeling of hiding under the covers with a flashlight reading scary stories books as a kid. That weird, insatiable need to continue, to freak yourself out even though you know it will bring nightmares. It’s that "scary stories around the campfire” feel that I chase whenever I read one of her books and so far, we’re two for two on success. Small Favors is a strange chaotic mix between the “easy” but magic Pioneer lifestyle of Tuck Everlasting and the small town mentality/horror of Midnight Mass. I couldn’t look away. Typically, mob mentality, small town close-mindedness, and religious hypocrisy are just one way tickets to rage-ville for me, these are tropes I do not enjoy. They make me too mad. And yet, this book managed to have all three and I still couldn’t bring myself to close the book. This is a horror story that will give you chills and excite you enough to race to the end, but it’s also a very subtle, juvenile type of horror. So if this usually isn’t your genre because, like me, you scare too easily, then this book is the perfect/safe introduction to this thrilling world of monsters and frights.
This book starts in the heat of summer with Ellerie and her brother Samuel now newly “adults” (18 in the town of Amity Falls). Ellerie works to prove herself to be just as capable, if not more, than her twin, while he galavants around town, shirking any and all responsibilities. Right off the bat there’s a clear line drawn between Ellerie and Sam. You have zero false illusions about sibling connection there. Right away secrets start wearing at the families of Amity Falls, tragedy strikes one after the other, and eventually the town is left desolate and desperate to sit out a long winter. This is where it truly begins. After months of cold weather, little to no socialization with the outside world, and low food supplies, it becomes hard to tell friend from neighbour. Are the strange events that begin to occur just small grievances being taken out on one another or is it something not of this world? This book made it really hard to see the difference between humanity and monsters. It was absolutely chilling.
The things I liked about this book were various. I loved how it was set as an old pioneer town in the middle of nowhere. Immediately I’m brought to mind stories like the Donner Party expedition, Tuck Everlasting, and the Wild Wild West. Mix in a bit of small-town vibes, religious hypocrisy, and straight-up horror, you’ve got yourself the perfect “scary story” my friends. The entire book had a slow-burn build to it. We’d get happy moments/day-in-the-life moments with little bits of horror sprinkled through and it kept me on the edge of my seat as I never knew when to expect something creepy to pop-up. This is exactly the kind of suspense that keeps me hooked until the last page has turned. I loved the use of old lore/legends built in and the very ambiguous line between men and monsters.
What I didn’t like was that the entire structure of this book followed her previous novel. If you’ve read House of Salt and Sorrows, the transition this plot made won’t surprise you. It was an entirely original plot, which was great, but the sequence of events felt very familiar. Because of this I was pretty quickly able to guess the likely conclusion to this story, but I still really enjoyed the ride. I also don’t think the author delved enough into familial relationships. Yeah, under the right circumstances friends and family can turn on each other, but to make that feel more terrible, you need to show us those close ties first. I felt like that was what was lacking. I know that Ellerie used to be close to her siblings because she states it, but I never actually see it, so therefore am not very heartbroken or emotional over the course of mistrust her family goes through.
Overall it was a great scary story that brought back a lot of nostalgic feelings for me. It had the absolute perfect setting and a fast moving plot with great writing. I just wish some of the character relationships were built on a bit more and that there was maybe a few more twists thrown in. 4.5 stars, if you’re looking for something thrilling, this is a fantastic pick!