Buzzy Book Review: Small Favors

Introducing a new, recurring monthly article: The Buzzy Book Review! In this new feature, I’ll be picking and reviewing one new release book that is getting lots of buzz that month. In future Buzzy Book reviews,  I might open it up to the reader community to vote … stay tuned!

For the first Buzzy Book Review, I selected Small Favors by Erin A. Craig. This beautiful book is getting tons of traction on bookstagram and booktok and is the followup novel to Erin’s New York Times Bestseller, House of Salt and Sorrows, a bookstagram community favourite.

Title: Small Favors
Author: Erin A. Craig
Page Count: 480
Date Published: July 27, 2021
Published by: Delacorte Press
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range–five narrow peaks stretching into the sky like a grasping hand, bordered by a nearly impenetrable forest from which the early townsfolk fought off the devils in the woods. To this day, visitors are few and rare. But when a supply party goes missing, some worry that the monsters that once stalked the region have returned.

As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents’ deepest desires, however grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister, and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames.

Thoughts:

When I was a teen, my favourite thing  to do was to hang out with a couple of good friends, watch a scary movie, and consume an unholy amount of junk food. Small Favors reminds me of those times. It’s simply a whole lotta fun.

Nowadays, I typically dislike horror – but Erin has created such an approachable yarn here that even though it does wind up in some dark and slightly chaotic places near the end … the whole building of tension with its delicious dark atmosphere is so engaging, that those “scarier” parts aren’t so difficult to digest. If, however, you do find blood and horror triggering, I might be cautious going into this one. 

While I don’t think it needed to be quite so long and the ending came abruptly after such a dizzying set of events near the end, Small Favors’ wholesome Little House on the Prairie setting meets full-out horror was such a fun juxtaposition. It made for the perfect read to transition from summer to the spooky vibes of fall. If you were a fan of House of Salt and Sorrows, you won’t be disappointed.

VERDICT: READ IT

You may also like:

House of Salt and Sorrows

Written by Erin A. Craig

Published by Delacorte Press

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The Bone Houses

Written by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

Serpent & Dove

Written by Shelby Mahurin

Published by Harperteen

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

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