Small Favors by Erin A. Craig is a critically acclaimed 2021 YA folk horror and dark fantasy novel set in the remote village of Amity Falls. The story follows Ellerie Downing, a determined young protagonist caught in a terrifying web of supernatural bargains with monstrous creatures demanding “small favors” that escalate into chilling madness. With its eerie rural isolation, ghostly visions, and unraveling community secrets, Small Favors has captivated fans of dark fantasy YA and folk horror, earning widespread appeal for its masterful blend of suspense, atmospheric storytelling, and folklore-infused supernatural elements.
For readers searching for books like Small Favors, this blog post offers a carefully curated list of 10 books to read if you love Small Favors. These selections share the haunting tone, thematic depth, and mood that define Erin A. Craig’s work, tapping into YA folk horror books and dark fantasy YA novels with strong female leads navigating grief, fear, and supernatural dread.
What Are These Book Recommendations Based On?
The foundation for these recommendations lies in their shared tone and mood with Small Favors. Each book creates a palpable tension through suspenseful, atmospheric storytelling that transforms ordinary, often rural settings into landscapes of supernatural chaos and creeping dread. Like Small Favors, these works linger in the unsettling space between serene natural beauty and sinister, mythic evil.
Central to this list are the folk horror elements that mirror the eerie myths and monsters binding Ellerie in Amity Falls. These novels often unfold in isolated mountain villages, cursed estates, or shadowy forests where ancient legends and supernatural bargains echo the Rumpelstiltskin-like creatures that offer desires at perilous costs. The folklore-infused settings themselves act as characters, deepening the suspense and sense of dread.
The core themes explored across these books resonate deeply with Small Favors. Coming-of-age under pressure sits at the heart of these tales, featuring protagonists wrestling with grief, identity crises, familial burdens, and societal expectations amid supernatural and dark fantastic challenges. These stories depict complex emotional landscapes alongside external threats, emphasizing resilience and growth.
Genre-wise, these are primarily dark fantasy YA and folk horror novels, with narratives anchored by courageous, relatable female leads confronting monstrous supernatural threats. Some recommendations include Erin A. Craig similar books—both her earlier and later works—while others come from authors who share Craig’s cinematic pacing, folkloric twists, and mastery of suspenseful, character-driven fairy tales.
Overall, this list highlights books like Small Favors that embrace rural dread, haunting myths, and dread-soaked suspense, ensuring readers find new favorites within YA folk horror books and dark fantasy YA offerings.
10 Recommended Books Like Small Favors
1. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig (2019)
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy, Folk Horror
Themes: Grief, family curses, forbidden romance, mythical sea horrors
One-Sentence Review: A haunting retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses where sisters unravel a coastal curse amid ballroom illusions and vengeful gods.
What You Can Expect From This Book:
- Tone and Atmosphere: An atmospheric buildup from grief-soaked mourning to nightmarish, eerie revelry, capturing tension similar to Small Favors’ seasonal dread and fractured community.
- Setting and Folk Horror Elements: Set in a crumbling seaside manor isolated against harsh coastal cliffs, the setting parallels Amity Falls’ mountainous seclusion while showcasing haunted familial secrets and mythical sea monsters.
- Main Characters: Annaleigh, the resilient protagonist, defies family expectations and traditions, much like Ellerie, while grappling with loss and a mysterious outsider who stirs both hope and danger.
- Why Fans of Small Favors Will Enjoy It: This direct Erin A. Craig similar book melds folklore, monstrous bargains, and cursed families, echoing Small Favors’ blend of suspenseful folk horror and dark fantasy YA.
House of Salt and Sorrows is a perfect complement for readers craving more of Craig’s masterful fusion of fairy-tale dread, tragic romance, and atmospheric horror.
2. The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith (2021)
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy, Dark Folk Horror
Themes: Identity, revenge, witchcraft in isolated asylums, forbidden magic
One-Sentence Review: In 1911 New York, a seamstress discovers her witch heritage after familial tragedy and infiltrates a secretive magical school to seek vengeance.
What You Can Expect From This Book:
- Tone and Atmosphere: Eerie suspense suffused with grit and magical dread, reminiscent of the slow-burning paranoia and supernatural escalation in Small Favors.
- Setting and Folk Horror Elements: Combines urban and rural fringe settings, including isolation in convent-like asylums and hidden enclaves where folk magic and societal judgment entwine.
- Main Characters: Pennie, a tough, grieving heroine, mirrors Ellerie’s protective instincts and coming-of-age struggles amid magical and communal threats.
- Why Fans of Small Favors Will Enjoy It: Embodies YA folk horror books’ core with old-world myths, supernatural bargains, and richly atmospheric dread aligned with Small Favors similar books.
The Witch Haven captures Erin A. Craig similar books’ tension between duty, dark secrets, and the struggle for identity amid witchcraft and folklore.
3. Belladonna by Adalyn Grace (2022)
Genre: YA Gothic Fantasy, Folk Horror Romance
Themes: Death, grief, poisonous romance, haunted estates
One-Sentence Review: Orphaned Signa uncovers deadly poisonings at a gothic manor and allies with a death spirit to expose sinister family curses.
What You Can Expect From This Book:
- Tone and Atmosphere: A chilling, slow-burn horror atmosphere builds gradually, echoing Small Favors’ creeping village paranoia and mounting dread.
- Setting and Folk Horror Elements: The isolated manor, steeped in local legends and death omens, serves as the perfect backdrop for eerie supernatural family legacies.
- Main Characters: Signa’s mature, fiercely independent nature recalls Ellerie’s balance of personal growth and survival against otherworldly forces.
- Why Fans of Small Favors Will Enjoy It: The poisonous romance and haunting folk elements align well with the themes and atmospheric tension characteristic of Small Favors similar books.
Belladonna rivals Erin A. Craig similar books in beauty and terror, offering rich gothic folk horror and emotional complexity for dark fantasy YA fans.
4. The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (2017)
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy, Necromantic Folk Horror
Themes: Power, exile, revenge, dark rituals
One-Sentence Review: Tea raises her brother from death and becomes an asha bone witch, shunned for wielding necromantic powers in a world steeped in folklore.
What You Can Expect From This Book:
- Tone and Atmosphere: Brooding suspense with ritualistic horror and sinister magic, paralleling the monstrous pacts and dark tensions in Amity Falls.
- Setting and Folk Horror Elements: Isolated training grounds and encounters with mythical beasts anchor the narrative in rich folkloric traditions and rural mysticism.
- Main Characters: Tea’s status as an outcast and her fierce loyalty echo Ellerie’s resilience amid suspicion and supernatural upheaval.
- Why Fans of Small Favors Will Enjoy It: The combination of dark folk rituals and supernatural bargains aligns this book with YA folk horror books and Small Favors similar books.
The Bone Witch deepens the genre with necromantic folklore and atmospheric dread reminiscent of Erin A. Craig’s style.
5. The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher (2020)
Genre: Folk Horror, Dark Fantasy (YA crossover)
Themes: Portals, isolation, family bonds, eldritch rural dread
One-Sentence Review: A woman discovers a terrifying hidden world through a mysterious wall hole in her aunt’s rural museum and struggles to survive.
What You Can Expect From This Book:
- Tone and Atmosphere: Tense, claustrophobic suspense and creeping dread perfectly mirror Small Favors’ atmosphere of paranoia on the fringe of the known world.
- Setting and Folk Horror Elements: An isolated Wisconsin backwoods setting steeped in impossible folk tales and eldritch creatures evokes the rural dread central to folk horror YA books.
- Main Characters: Resourceful and relatable protagonist tries to protect her family as the boundary between normal life and nightmare dissolves, akin to Ellerie’s struggles.
- Why Fans of Small Favors Will Enjoy It: Pure folk horror with rural isolation, deceptive entities, and unraveling communities fits perfectly among books like Small Favors.
T. Kingfisher’s The Hollow Places amplifies grounded terror and eerie realism, making it a standout dark fantasy YA recommendation.
6. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (2012)
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy, Modern Folk Horror
Themes: Prophecy, class divides, ley line magic, ghostly hunts
One-Sentence Review: Blue Sargent joins prep-school boys searching for a magical ley line and a dead Welsh king amid small-town myths and spectral dangers.
What You Can Expect From This Book:
- Tone and Atmosphere: Atmospheric suspense builds gradually with supernatural mysteries, reminiscent of seasonal tension and haunted isolation in Small Favors.
- Setting and Folk Horror Elements: Rural Virginia’s sleepy towns hold hidden magic and ghostly folk legends, evoking similar eerie settings to Amity Falls.
- Main Characters: Blue’s fierce independence and psychic abilities reflect Ellerie’s determination, while group dynamics add layers of emotional complexity.
- Why Fans of Small Favors Will Enjoy It: This mix of folklore quests, forest spirits, and dark fantasy aligns with core YA folk horror books and Small Favors similar books.
Maggie Stiefvater crafts mythic rural dread that hooks Small Favors fans looking for sprawling supernatural YA tales.
7. Uprooted by Naomi Novik (2015)
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy, Folk Horror
Themes: Corruption, dragon bargains, woodland witches
One-Sentence Review: Village girl Agnieszka is chosen by a wizard to fight a corrupted Wood, uncovering deep, ancient folk magic.
What You Can Expect From This Book:
- Tone and Atmosphere: Eerie, escalating dread set against shadowy forests, paralleling the sinister rural isolation of Small Favors.
- Setting and Folk Horror Elements: A cursed valley plagued by sentient woods and dark magic creates a fairy-tale folk horror vibe akin to Erin A. Craig similar books.
- Main Characters: Agnieszka’s growth into a powerful protector recalls Ellerie’s transformation amid supernatural threats to her home.
- Why Fans of Small Favors Will Enjoy It: The deceptive magical pacts and folklore rooted in forest horror resonate strongly with fans of dark fantasy YA.
Uprooted offers richly atmospheric woods horror that complements the folkloric and suspenseful elements in Small Favors.
8. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (2017)
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy, Russian Folk Horror
Themes: Winter spirits, faith versus folklore, family survival
One-Sentence Review: Bold Vasya defies her village’s strict piety to appease household spirits and fight encroaching demons in medieval Russia.
What You Can Expect From This Book:
- Tone and Atmosphere: Chilling, slow-building winter suspense akin to the growing chaos and dread in Small Favors.
- Setting and Folk Horror Elements: Isolated northern forests and villages steeped in Slavic myths and household spirits bring pure folk horror ambiance.
- Main Characters: Vasya’s fierce independence and defiance echo Ellerie’s strength and survival instincts.
- Why Fans of Small Favors Will Enjoy It: The blend of rural folklore, monstrous deals, and strong female leads fits well among YA folk horror books and Small Favors similar books.
Arden’s novel captures haunting isolation and folkloric magic that will appeal greatly to Small Favors enthusiasts.
9. Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan (2019)
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy, Slavic Folk Horror
Themes: War, blood magic, deceptive alliances
One-Sentence Review: Spy Nadya wields divine voices and navigates tense, precarious alliances in a land torn by war and dark magic.
What You Can Expect From This Book:
- Tone and Atmosphere: Tense, treacherous suspense layered with folk magic betrayals and supernatural machinations, akin to the suspense in Small Favors.
- Setting and Folk Horror Elements: Isolated mountain territories filled with Slavic myths and blood magic rituals echo the dark rural enclaves in Small Favors.
- Main Characters: Resourceful and cunning leads who, like Ellerie, must negotiate trust and betrayal under extreme supernatural threats.
- Why Fans of Small Favors Will Enjoy It: The folklore-laden magic, monstrous bargains, and atmospheric dread strongly align with the themes in Small Favors similar books.
Duncan’s Wicked Saints delivers a gritty folk horror and dark fantasy experience well suited for fans of Erin A. Craig’s work.
10. The Year of the Witching by Alexis J. Henderson (2020)
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy, Folk Horror
Themes: Witchcraft, patriarchal cults, dark prophecies
One-Sentence Review: Imogene discovers her witch heritage and wields forbidden blood magic in a theocratic settlement rife with secrets and oppression.
What You Can Expect From This Book:
- Tone and Atmosphere: Oppressive, suspenseful mood building toward rebellion, echoing Small Favors’ escalating communal paranoia and supernatural dread.
- Setting and Folk Horror Elements: An isolated, Puritanical settlement reminiscent of Amity Falls, with themes of cult-like control and supernatural bargains.
- Main Characters: Defiant Imogene channels Ellerie’s strength, navigating grief and identity in a hostile environment.
- Why Fans of Small Favors Will Enjoy It: Cult paranoia, dark folk magic, and rural horror make this a key title among YA folk horror books and Small Favors similar books.
Henderson’s folk-infused dark fantasy offers haunting dread and complex heroines matching the spirit of Small Favors.
Conclusion
These 10 books to read if you love Small Favors enrich the reading experience for fans by amplifying the immersive, eerie atmospheres and folkloric mythologies that make Erin A. Craig’s novel so compelling. Together, they capture essential Small Favors elements—including rural isolation, supernatural bargains, dark fantasy tone, and strong female protagonists confronting grief and identity—that define the allure of YA folk horror books and dark fantasy YA narratives.
For readers who love Small Favors, exploring these recommendations offers a gateway to more thrilling, haunting stories filled with complex characters and unputdownable plots. Each book reflects the emotional depth, suspenseful pacing, and folkloric darkness that resonate with Erin A. Craig similar books, ensuring your next read is as enthralling and unsettling as Small Favors itself.
Dive into this curated list of books like Small Favors and immerse yourself in supernatural bargains, monstrous secrets, and the shadowy corners of folk horror and dark fantasy YA.
Discover more about YA folk horror books and dark fantasy YA by exploring these expertly selected novels that echo the haunting storytelling of Erin A. Craig’s Small Favors.
