#the thirteenth child

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb:

Drawing on the Grimm Brothers’ dark fairytale, “Godfather Death,” this new novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows is a sweeping, fantastical saga of actions and consequences.

All gifts come with a price.

Hazel Trépas has always known she wasn’t like the rest of her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised away to one of the gods, she spends her childhood waiting for her godfather—Merrick, the Dreaded End—to arrive.

When he does, he lays out exactly how he’s planned Hazel’s future. She will become a great healer, known throughout the kingdom for her precision and skill. To aid her endeavors, Merrick blesses Hazel with a gift, the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick.

But all gifts come with a price. Hazel can see when Death has claimed a patient—when all hope is gone—and is tasked to end their suffering, permanently. Haunted by the ghosts of those she’s killed, Hazel longs to run. But destiny brings her to the royal court, where she meets Leo, a rakish prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. And it’s where Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet—to save the life of a king marked to die. Hazel knows what she is meant to do and knows what her heart is urging her toward, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?

From the astonishing mind of Erin A. Craig comes the breathtaking fairy tale retelling readers have been waiting for— what does a life well-lived mean, and how do we justify the impossible choices we make for the ones we love? The Thirteenth Child is a must-read for fans of dark fairy tales, romantasy, and epic fantasy alike.

Review:

Inspired by the Grimm fairytale "Godfather Death" this story follows a girl who has never belonged searching for her own family as she grows, and it doesn't help that her godfather just happens to be the god of the Dreaded End. Hazel is born as the 13th child in her family, and 13th children are considered extremely rare and meant to be given to the gods. The god that claims Hazel is Merrick, the god of the Dreaded End, yet while she was promised to spend her life with him he meets her and leaves her with her family promising to come back some day. For a girl in a poor family with 12 other siblings... theres not enough mouths to feed and the resentment towards Hazel from her family begins..... and she spends most of her childhood alone, waiting for Merrick to return, On her 13th birthday he does, and he takes her with him telling her how he's planned her future: she will become a gifted healer and has gifted her with the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick. Yet with every gift comes a price and for Hazel that means despite being able to see the cure needed... for those who are marked for death and with no cure it is up to Hazel to cure them... but permanently ending their suffering and killing them. As Hazel grows and takes on more patients, the ghosts that haunt her begin to grow and when she is brought into a royal court things only begin to take a bigger turn as a rakish prince shows interest in her and she'll be faced with the consequences of saving someone who was meant to die... and going against the gods. This was definitely a Grimm-esque fairytale and one that I think anyone who enjoys a fairytale will enjoy. It definitely can be slow at times but you do get to see Hazel grow (albeit slowly) throughout the novel and I enjoyed the ending of it. Its got a great fairytale vibe to it and one that will be a cozy read with a warm cup of tea on an afternoon.

Release Date: September 24,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[elliepassmore]

The Thirteenth Child review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: Gothic settings, fantasy, fairytale retellings, healer + death

Big thanks to Netgalley, Delacorte, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was another one of my most anticipated releases this year and once again it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I'm not familiar with the fairytale it's based on, so perhaps it is following that more closely, but this book lacks the creepiness I've come to expect and love from Craig's books. Between one of the characters being a god of death, the plague sweeping the kingdom, and the ghosts Hazel sees, you would expect this to be on par with House of Salt and Sorrows in terms of spookiness...but it wasn't, nor did it have the less creepy but still tension-filled vibes of House of Roots and Ruin.

The story follows Hazel from when she quickens in her mother's stomach to when she is 18 and being called on by the king. While there's a decent mix of good and bad things happening to her throughout her life, I felt a distinct lack of forward moving tension throughout a lot of the book. When she's a kid, there's a lot of rich tension between how she's treated and the fact she's been promised to the god of death, Merrick. And then there's ~some~ tension after she begins training as a healer, but it doesn't feel active, it feels passive. The plague that's causing its victims to weep gold from their skin and eyes should be creepy and have lots of tension for Hazel....but she solves it almost immediately and then there's kind of just a lot of nothing going on. Even when Hazel is making things happen, she is very much a reactionary character. Curiosity kept me turning the page, but mostly from a "how is there still 40% of the book left" perspective.

All that being said, I did like Hazel as a character and I thought the concept was interesting (the concept, of course, is Death's goddaughter and not the mysterious plague). Merrick cares deeply for Hazel, but he's also a god and doesn't totally understand how humans think or work. Of course twelve years is a long time to a human...but to immortal Merrick it's nothing, and he doesn't understand why Hazel is miffed by his absence. Likewise, the idea that Death is training his goddaughter to be a healer is an interesting twist, made even more interesting by the flip side of that coin.

We do get to learn a lot about Hazel as she grows and I enjoyed following her as a character. In a way, I actually think this book would've worked a lot better if it really had been following Hazel throughout life, or at least farther through life than it did. Nettle & Bone is my favorite T. Kingfisher book and has a similar plot structure of following one character into adulthood, then having the bulk of the tension + plot occur, and imo it works very well. That aside, Hazel has a lot going on in her life and is no stranger to tragedy. She's able to keep a level head while also being compassionate to those she's caring for.

Leo is an infuriating prince...but he's also someone willing to listen and change. As snarky as he is, it's clear that he's also lost and at least some of his acting out is a result of that. When Hazel rightly calls him out (on more than one occasion), he actually reflects on his words and actions, and then takes steps accordingly. While I did think they knew each other too little for a romance to be feasible, I did think the budding romance between them was cute and I was rooting for them.

Hazel also grows close with Leo's two sisters, Bellatrice and Euphemia, though this largely happens off page. I would've liked to see more of this development because while Euphemia is a child and thus easy to like, Bellatrice is more closed off and I have a hard time believing she'd so easily make friends with Hazel. But apparently the two end up close enough to read each other's expressions with ease and for Bellatrice to tell Hazel her deepest secret.

There's a lot of scheming going on behind the scenes as well and while I guessed some of it, some of it still left me surprised. In that vein, I have to say that there's a lot of worldbuilding in this book, but Craig does it in such a way that it never feels infodump-y. There's quite a bit about the gods of the realm (obviously) but there's also some interesting information about medicine from Hazel's studies as well as about the politics of the country, thanks to Hazel treating the king. The way it's written definitely makes the world feel more expansive than just what's going on with Hazel and the rest of the country. I also liked the tidbits we saw of the gods and the various religious sects that follow them.

Overall, not my favorite Craig book and definitely not horror. I did enjoy the characters and particularly seeing how Hazel grew up. While there were some things I had issue with in this book, I still plan on reading A Land So Wide and Lenore's book.

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: The Thirteenth Child

Author: Erin A. Craig

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2024

Genres: fiction, fantasy, horror, gothic, retelling, romance

Blurb: Hazel Trépas has always known she wasn't like the rest of her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised away to one of the gods, she spends her childhood waiting for her godfather - Merrick, the Dreaded End - to arrive. When he does, he lays out exactly how he's planned Hazel's future. She will become a great healer, known throughout the kingdom for her precision and skill. To aid her endeavours, Merrick blesses Hazel with a gift: the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick...but all gifts come with a price. Hazel can see when Death has claimed a patient - when all hope is gone - and is tasked to end their suffering, permanently. Haunted by the ghosts of those she's killed, Hazel longs to run...but destiny brings her to the royal court, where she meets Leo, a rakish prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. It's where Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet: whether to save the life of a king marked to die. Hazel knows what she is meant to do and what her heart is urging her toward, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?

[books-and-strawberry-tea]

This book is literally making me hyperventilate. I’m so fucking excited to have it. @pikaychuwu helped me get it. She’s a life saver. Australia wasn’t getting it till march next year and I just couldn’t wait that long. Praise be to Queen @pikaychuwu 💝🥰🎃🎀🌷

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig

The Thirteenth Child is a sweeping yet haunting fairy tale about a young girl named Hazel Trepás who is promised to Merrick, the god of death.

The youngest of thirteen, Hazel spends her childhood unloved, unwanted, and unseen, as she waits for her godfather to come and collect her. When he finally arrives, he says that she will become a great healer, someone who is gifted with the ability to diagnose ailments in sick people and cure them. However, her gift also comes with a steep price, for not everyone can be healed, and it's up to her to end the suffering each time a new deathshead appears.

This comes to an inflection point when she is ushered to royal court to treat the king, who is suffering from The Brilliance, an illness where the body leaks then solidifies into gold. Though he is marked for death, Hazel is torn. What if she saved him? Is there a bargain she could strike with the gods? And if there were, what would happen if she went against her godfather's wishes?

Romantasy fans will love this! Craig's writing is lush and atmospheric, with vivid descriptions that make readers feel as if they've been dropped into a dark Grimm Brother's fairy tale. That said, there's also a warmness at the core that burns with hope as well as humanity. It makes for the perfect blend of magic and sentimentality.

Hazel is a lonely and secluded character for the most part, a woman who yearns for company, for someone who will look after her and think of her first, and because of that, she feels somewhat reminiscent of Addie La Rue. They have a similar longing in the soul. A desire to belong, not only to the world, but to some of the people in it. I loved that, as well as the tenderness it welled in me as a reader.

A powerful and intimate fairy tale, through and through!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.

4/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[blurrypetals]

The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig - blurrypetals review

originally posted nov. 22, 2024 - ★★★★★

I was at Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago to browse and, as I do, I was scanning books I was interested in with my Goodreads scanner. A bookseller walked past me as I held this book up and she stopped everything she was doing to frantically tell me, "I finished that last night. There are no words. Just....10/10."

Between the dark and dramatic atmosphere, perfectly paced plot, enjoyable and interesting characters, and wickedly cool worldbuilding, this is one of the best books I've read all year. I might have to go back to B&N and thank that bookseller for the recommendation!

I've never heard of the fairytale this is based on, Godfather Death, but I read a quick summary of it in preparation for this review, and I must say, I think Craig did an excellent job making the tale her own.

I really enjoyed the lore with the gods, how common it was that children were given up to them. The illness Hazel has to deal with, the shivers, was also incredibly vivid, incredibly disgusting and mesmerizing.

The characters were also wonderful. The spoiled prince angle could have gotten a little tired, but I think Craig struck a perfect balance between tropey and serviceable here. He reminded me a good deal of my beloved Adrian Ivashkov from the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines books by Richelle Mead: a momma's boy with substance issues and a heart of gold who hides that heart of gold with sarcasm? My guy!

Hazel was also an incredibly smart, capable protagonist, wonderfully flawed from her emotional stunting growing up with the family she started with, then being neglected by Merrick, expected to be a fully formed adult after years of nobody teaching her. But despite her upbringing, she's still interminably kind, a dedicated doctor, no matter what.

I always love a book that can utterly envelop my attention in its world from the moment I start to the moment I finish, and this is one of those books. I felt haunted by Hazel's ghosts the same way she was, and I was so wrapped up in the mystery of the shivers, the world of the gods for the three days it took me to read it. I'll definitely have to read Craig's other work soon, and I'll absolutely be keeping my eye out for her future work!

[shxpeshifterr]

[moplayspoke]

Oh my goodness. I just finished The Thirteenth Child. 5/5⭐️

The first 20-30% is interesting but nothing too special. But it gets better as it goes on. Similar vibes to ODW.

Now I am sitting here, teary-eyed with a swollen heart, just trying to put simple thoughts together.

[beckysbook5]

First Lines Friday!

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page. Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to…

[siriuslygrimm]

Healing Hazard

#BOOKREVIEW - Healing Hazard - #TheThirteenthChild #blog

Entrusted to the care of a god, the future of a particular thirteenth child is to be a great healer in court but there will untold costs in Erin A. Craig’s The Thirteenth Child. Born the thirteenth child to a family already struggling to make ends meet, Hazel was promised by her parents to the god the Dreaded End and she spends her childhood mostly forgotten and waiting for the god to come claim…

[yuarru]

[rtfics]

My own black kitty, Kismet.

[elliepassmore]

The Thirteenth Child release!

Hazel Trépas has always known she wasn’t like the rest of her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised away to one of the gods, she spends her childhood waiting for her godfather—Merrick, the Dreaded End—to arrive.

When he does, he lays out exactly how he’s planned Hazel’s future. She will become a great healer, known throughout the kingdom for her precision and skill. To aid her endeavors, Merrick blesses Hazel with a gift, the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick.

But all gifts come with a price. Hazel can see when Death has claimed a patient—when all hope is gone—and is tasked to end their suffering, permanently. Haunted by the ghosts of those she’s killed, Hazel longs to run. But destiny brings her to the royal court, where she meets Leo, a rakish prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. And it’s where Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet—to save the life of a king marked to die. Hazel knows what she is meant to do and knows what her heart is urging her toward, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

This book follows Hazel as she grows from a child into a adult, and all the trials and tribulations that come with that. While this is an Erin A. Craig book, it isn't like her others. Instead, this reads more like a slice-of-life/coming of age story about a girl who happens to be the goddaughter of Death. There is tension, but it's not the spine-tingling tension you would expect if you've read the Sisters of the Salt series or Small Favors.

There's a lot of really rich scenery and moments in this book. Hazel includes lush descriptions of both the good and the bad, and doesn't shy away from the horror she sees in her life as a healer, and one in the king's court at that. But she also describes and clings to the good things in life as well, cherishing her personal relationships in particular, and all that she learns from those.

Interested? Check out my full review!

[paternostergays]

starting to sense a pattern here

[books-and-strawberry-tea]

SHES HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE SHE-

[terapsina]

I'm a bit late to the party with this particular epiphany but you know what's really fucked up? The Timeless Child reveal retroactively means that the Time Lords weren't moved by sentiment to save the Doctor on Trenzalore, - the Doctor was gonna regenerate anyway - they sent that sparkly, sparkly regeneration energy to cover their tracks.