I bought Small Favors by Erin Craig because I enjoyed her other book, A House of Salt and Sorrows. I was hoping Small Favors was going to be set in the same world as A House of Salt and Sorrows, but instead it was set in a pioneer-times small town. The story follows 18-year-old Ellerie Downing and her siblings as they fight to survive the winter without their parents. There are monsters, mysterious boys, a no-good brother, and a town full of hateful, vengeful people. I’ll leave it at that to avoid giving spoilers.
My complaints:
- Too much animal death. It started to feel gratuitous.
- The ending felt rushed and failed to address a few plot points, leaving us to just wonder.
- I didn’t believe the love story, Ellerie and Whitaker barely interact with each other, she knows literally nothing about him, not even his real name, but we’re supposed to believe she’s in love with him? This is one of those books that really didn’t need a love interest. It didn’t add anything to the story.
Craig is really good at writing suspense and mystery, but sometimes all that suspense-building doesn’t really go anywhere. Her books will have your heart pounding, that’s almost a certainty, and her twists on fairy tales are always interesting. I just wish I wasn’t left with so many loose ends.
I do look forward to reading A House of Roots and Ruin, the sequel to A House of Salt and Sorrows, I just hope it’s more like House of Salt & Sorrows and less like Small Favors. Skip this one.
Bent Shelf Book Reviews 