Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Small Favors

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Small Favors, by Erin A. Craig

5 reviews

ashlikes's review

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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reading_ali's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I came into this book with very different expectations of what the world building would look like. But was not disappointed with what the actual story is about. This is historical with a touch of creepy/fantastical creatures. Not a fantasy world with some historical setting.
The characters were fine, but there was absolutely no diversity, and quite a lot of patriarchal ideas that were supposedly being challenged. But again, I came in thinking this would be a very different world, not an actually somewhat accurate depiction of 1800s americana life. So beware some misogyny
There were also aspects that frustrated me, simply because clues about the
Spoiler
romantic interest being one of the forest creatures were quite obvious. I understand that a love struck teenage girl wouldnt want to think of the worst, but still it was weird to me she wouldnt see certain obvious clues as to Whitaker not being all that he claims to be. Specially form day number 1, he would refuse to tell his name, which quite frankly is such an obvious clue to something being wrong. Also the fact that she trusted a stranger so easily felt unrealistic. And the ending was simply flat and :-/ like ok… too fast, too good to be true.
Also still don't see how she knew that Lyra was the Queen’s name, because Whitaker never hinted that that was her name….just wish thr author wouldve dived in a bit deeper into that and developed the name bit so it wouldnt seem so out of nowhere

Overall I enjoyed having so many characters and things happening. Read the book in two sittings and it was creepy and wonderfully rural and atmospheric. Super fun.Just wish the romance was also developed a bit more, it also felt :/ flat and a tad too normal.

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betweentheshelves's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte for an advanced copy of this to review! House of Salt and Sorrows was such a creepy, atmospheric retelling, and I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Which makes me sad, because look at that cover! It is gorgeous!

The strongest aspect of this book is the way Craig creates this creepy atmosphere in the book. You can feel that something sinister is happening, but you don't really know what it is. You're drawn into this town that's extremely isolated, with these people that aren't quite what they seem. It feels a horror movie atmosphere and this was my favorite thing about the book.

As far as character goes, they're well fleshed out and interact well with the setting. I just didn't necessarily like any of them. Ellerie is probably the most likeable, but even then, there was just something that made it difficult to connect with her. Maybe it was the setting, maybe it was something else. I can't really put my finger on it, but it made the book hard to get into for me.

Also the plot. I'm not necessarily a plot reader, but I had a really difficult time seeing where this was going. Or seeing the point, really. By the end, I didn't really see the motivation behind the monstrous creatures. I wanted this to be expanded more, because this aspect of the plot fell flat for me.

Overall, I don't think this book was necessarily for me. If you like novels that really focus on creating a creepy, spooky atmosphere, this one might be for you! Keep an eye out for it when it comes out on July 27th.

---
Oh I wanted to like this more than I did. Review to come on Thursday!

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offictionandfantasy's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley and Delacorte in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I sat down to read a couple of chapters of Small Favors and ended up reading the entire book.

Erin A. Craig has a way of doing that, a way of weaving her spell around her readers so throughly with her compelling worlds and duplicitous characters that one more chapter becomes two, then ten, and then you’re reading the acknowledgements and wondering where the day went. The same thing happened to me when reading House of Salt and Sorrows and I’m not sorry to see she’s done it again.

If you enjoyed her debut, Small Favors takes the storytelling up a notch. Craig still paints the world with a fairytale feeling, but it’s far more Grimm Brothers than Disney. She knows when to focus on the details and she knows when it’s time to jump forward. I adore her storytelling because I fall into it effortlessly. There were shades of The Grace Year in Small Favors, but it’s also Rumpelstiltskin and Little House on the Prairie gone awry, with just a pinch of The Crucible. I love, love, loved it.

The characters as well are interesting and … shadowed. I spent most the book trying to figure out who the true villain was. Sometimes I was right, at least a little, but I certainly didn’t guess the whole thing. Siblings Ellerie, Samuel, Merry, and Sadie paint an interesting quartet – each one compelling but each one flawed. Small Favors is more than the story of a family – it’s the story of a town. Be prepared to meet a lot of people and learn a lot of names. This may be off-putting for some, but for me it made the game more interesting. Some characters are developed better than others, but the ones we need to know the best… we do. Then there’s the mythology, the edge of Van Helsing… ah. You must read this. You simply must.

I know this may be controversial, but I so very much loved the ending. It’s the sort of ending I think a lot of readers will be annoyed with – I’m sorry! But I think it made perfect sense and was clever and honest. Too may YA books wrap everything up with a lovely ribbon tied in a bow and that was not the case with Small Favors. I’ve probably said too much already, but know that this is the sort of ending you have to appreciate and rage over all at once.

Would I recommend Small Favors? Absolutely. With her sophomore novel coming hot on the heels of her first, not only would I recommend Erin A. Criag’s books, but she’s become an insta-buy author for me. Small Favors is compelling and leaves you guessing about the darkness in everyone’s hearts. I eagerly await her next book.

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