Small Favors

No he tenido el gusto de leerlo aún, me estoy aguardando para el mes de terror. Pero laPortada es un cosa hermoso y el libro en pasta dura… recomendado. La historia igual es muy bella, ya me han adelantado de que va y estoy que ya quiero que llegue Sep. u Oct.

Small Favors is set in a secluded little town with a harsh winter setting in and 'monsters' hauting the woods. This book was spooky and eerie in all the best ways. Full of mystery and made you not sure what characters to trust, this book was hard to put down. A cross between Rumpelstiltskin and Shyamalan’s 'The Village', with easy to relate to characters and a beautiful aesthetic.

Ellerie lives on a farm in a small remote village with her family. Her father keeps bees and her mother takes great care of everyone. Ellerie’s twin, Sam, has been distant so she’s helping their father more often. Merry and Sadie are the younger siblings and now their mother is pregnant again. The crew that left for a supply run never made it far. They were killed and no one knows what happened. The village believes that huge wolves with silver eyes are to blame. Ellerie meets a young man that she describes as having a vulpine face, supposedly he’s a trapper, wandering by the creek edge as she’s washing laundry. He says his name is Price but she doesn’t think he’s telling the truth. She decides to call him Whitaker Price. Sam is accused of getting Rebecca pregnant and Sam insists she’s sleeping around with others. Rebecca’s father is accused of starting a fire in Ellerie’s family’s fields and might hang for it. Weird things keep happening to the villagers; small acts of violence that they’re blaming each other for. One night, Ellerie wakes to the farm ablaze. Their mother is caught in the fire and has to be taken to town for medical treatment. The unusual young trapper that Ellerie has gotten to know, takes Mama and Papa into town and returns to let the rest of the family know they made it safely. Whitaker, the mysterious trapper, suspiciously won’t answer any personal questions that Ellerie asks him. Ellerie finds this strange but enjoys his company and wants to spend more time with him. Mind tricks seem to be working on the citizens. The villagers spiral out of control and Ellerie does everything in her power to save her beloved town. Unique spin on the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, 5 stars!Likes/dislikes: An absolutely perfect book! Beautiful writing, vivid imagery, strong characters and amazing world building. Great character development.Mature content: PG-13 for drinking, kissing, premarital sex mentioned but not described.Language: PG-13 for 22 swears, no f-bombs.Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths by monsters, shootings between villagers, fighting.

You don't get your usual tropes in this fantasy, which makes it a great option for a quick read that's just a little different than typical fantasy.

I was so sad when I finished the book, I really didn't want it to end. It was very gripping and really beautifully written, the author has a talent for making everything seem like its happening in front of your eyes like a film. Very few authors have that. It would make a great film, as would her other book; 'House of Salt and Sorrows' the only criticism I would have is that the father, Ellerie and Whitaker felt very much the same characters as in her other book. There was literally no difference. Also I feel she was strongly influenced by Stephen King I'm not sure but the book was very similar to Stephen kings 'Needful Things' I feel like that's where she got her inspiration and then mixed it with the fairtytale of Rumpilstilskon. So although not truly original (but then what truly is) she had some fresh ideas and twists and it was very atmospheric although I really would have liked to find out what happened next there were some loose ends not tied up but perhaps that added to the mystery and suspense . As soon as I finished I started again. I really hope she writes another book as she only had this and one other.