Small Favors Review

I read House of Salt and Sorrow back in 2019 and I loved it. I saw that she’s releasing her first adult novel this fall, and I decided I wanted to catch up on her backlist. Let’s get to my Small Favors review.

Synopsis

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.

My Thoughts on Small Favors

I liked Small Favors. I didn’t love it. In the beginning I thought I would end up loving it more that House of Salt and Sorrow, but it sort of fell apart toward the end. But I’ll talk about that in just a second. Like I mentioned I loved the beginning. It felt like warm fall sunshine, which is a little weird for a horror story. But I enjoyed it. And despite the sticky sweet beginning I could feel the tension lurking in the forest beyond the town.

That tension steadily increased until it all came to a horrifying head in the middle of the story. With it being YA, I didn’t expect it to go that horrific that quickly but honestly it gave me chills. Unfortunately, my interest waned a little bit after because it started to focus more on just the day-to-day life with just a tiny bit of horror mixed in. It just seemed to drag a little. However, I still loved it up to that point and probably would have gave it four stars.

The thing that got me was that I saw the big reveal coming from a mile away. It was obvious from the very beginning, and the normally astute main character never saw it coming. It drove me crazy. I honestly thought about dnfing right then. Luckily, I stuck it out to the end, and it did improve some, but I’m still a little bitter about the whole thing.

My Rating: 3/5