Review: Small Favors by Erin A Craig

Erin A Craig has become one of my favorite authors. Both of her books absolutely blew me away. I can't choose which one I like better because they were both so good. Going into this, I only knew that it was a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. I have never read Rumpelstiltskin and didn't know what it was until the last Shrek movie. Prety sure that that is also a loose retelling of the actual story. 

I was obsessed with the beekeeping that was included because even though I don't like bees near me, I respect them and try to protect them while in my yard and plant flowers every spring. My daughters girl scout troop leader had a beekeeper in the family and he taught the girls some stuff about the boxes and things.

I have also found out that I like horror set in almost puritan times. While reading this, I kept thinking back to my reading of Slewfoot and how I really enjoyed that. There were a couple times that I had to put this book down and just breath because of the animal body horror. 

We follow a girl named Ellerie Downing and she lives with her older brother, two younger sisters and mom and dad. They live in a small village where it is governed by rules to run the town smoothly. The town has to do supply runs before Winter before the snows come and close the only way to the nearest city. One day, nobody returns from the supply run but a horse who has a broken leg and severe wounds in his side. The townspeople start talking of seeing monsters with silver eyes and the divide slowly starts.

Ellerie meets a boy one day while doing laundry and he is mysterious. He won't give his name and Ellerie tells him that names are important. The boy keeps showing up and things in the town start getting worse, especially for Ellerie's family. Her mother is severly injured in a fire and the boy who Ellerie named Whitaker takes her mother and father into the city by a shortcut that will cut the journey down and stay away from the monsters. 

Erin A Craig has a way with doing slow burn romances and leaving the relationship open ended at the end just to leave you guessing and wondering how the relationship will work. I would love to see a sequel to this with the group going into the city and Whitaker having a hard time adjusting and with more creatures. 

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!