Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Small Favors by Erin A. Craig

40 reviews

krispy_reading's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Intended Age Demographic: 12 - 18 (source: Kirkus Reviews)

I enjoyed this book, but the ending was definitely YA. I need to track down a similiar book but in adult. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Medical trauma, Abandonment, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Murder, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Pregnancy

bwwilhelm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is not for the faint of heart, but it was damn good! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Blood, Murder, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Grief

bogdanalovesmarigolds's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

This book was one of my favourite reads of the year. The magical realism and the atmosphere, the story, the buildup, and the overall characters… everything… were just beautiful and perfect. I loved the buildup of the plot and the overall troubles that steadily rose in the book. Whilst this is a very rich story, it is gruesome and sad at times but that only allows it to be more breathable. I loved the writing, it was like honey. The only negative is I wanted more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Medical trauma

ladyashhbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

marchhare89's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

“Would you follow me into the underworld?”

This just might be my favorite book of the year so far as well as an all time favorite. It was so much more than I expected and I was absolutely blown away. I saw someone describe this as “prairie horror”, which is something that felt made for me. It’s like The Village mixed with Midnight Mass. Small Favors is unsettling, immersive, atmospheric, and beautifully dark. Unending stars from me. 5 is not enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Violence, Animal death, and Blood

tkatt20's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Small Favors was everything I had hoped it would be and more. This book had the perfect amount of suspense and untrustworthy characters, I found myself completely unable to put it down. Every character had a story and role to play and different motives, it plays masterfully into the human condition and how some people will do anything in their power to help themselves or the ones they love. It makes you think twice about trusting anyone you meet or even your family. This was definitely more of a slow burn thriller with a lot of suspense leading up to the ending, but its so well written I never felt it was boring. There was always some sort of action or event going on, and I loved the descriptions of the bees added in between and how it weaves in with the darker aspects of the story. 
 While I did truly love this book, I do believe it could have used an extra chapter right at the end or an epilogue. Open-ended books can work in many cases, but I dont usually favor them, and there was one very glaring question I was left with that would have been resolved by this addition and would have made this book perfect for me. Any books by Erin A. Craig have been added to my must buy list and I'm looking forward to any future novels by her!
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

Minor: Religious bigotry, Vomit, and Suicide

nrogers_1030's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Pregnancy

tays_books's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Gun violence, and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicide

elephant_mouse's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol, Medical content, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail

ireadinbed's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved the entire experience of reading this book. 

It gave me the same feelings I often had reading books as a child. I cannot remember the last time I felt so well immersed. It did a good job of dropping red herrings do I couldn't quite figure things out whilst also giving me enough crumbs that my fairy story loving brain was a buzzing!

I found parts of it quite dread inducing but in a fun way. Like it was surprisingly scary, I didn't expect it!

I connected a lot with the characters and some over arching themes about what desperation and bad luck can do to us.

Just genuinely very well done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Body horror

Moderate: Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol