This was wonderful! I loved the writing style, the characters, the world-building…everything about it was top-notch. I will definitely be recommending this book!

I enjoy when this author comes out with a new book! I will literally read anything she writes. Her covers are also incredible and suck you in!

Although this wasn't my favorite by her, I still liked it. It kept me engaged for the most part and the pacing was set just right. There was always something going on whether it be from the gods or her making decisions that went against what she was supposed to be doing. I understood why she made some decisions, but because I kind of figured what would happen in one scenario I just wanted to jump into the book and shake her! It made me want to continuously listen at that point so the plot did its job, haha.

There is a lot in the plot about death, cause and effect, and finding love and nurturing when she wasn't shown it her whole life. Hazel dealt without her whole life and still tried to do everything right and please the gods even when they didn't deserve it. There was a lot of chaos, but sweet moments mixed in that made it all worth it. I loved understanding her gift and seeing what others were gifted as well. It was pretty cool.

The only complaint I had was that the ending felt a bit anticlimatic and felt rushed. It did at least conclude everything for the most part, but I feel like the little epilogue could have also been a bit longer.

Overall, this was a good book and I am looking forward to her next one.

Hazel Trépas is the thirteenth child, destined for a life intertwined with gods and mortality in Erin A. Craig’s The Thirteenth Child. Promised at birth to Merrick, the god of death, Hazel grows up waiting for him to claim her. When he finally arrives, he gifts her an extraordinary ability—she can instantly diagnose and cure illness. But there’s a catch: she must also end the suffering of those marked for death.

Hazel’s journey is filled with heartache, sacrifice, and tough choices as she struggles with her role as both healer and harbinger of death. Craig’s writing is immersive, and Hazel’s complex, relatable character drew me in from the start. With rich world-building and a compelling blend of magic and moral dilemmas, this dark fairy tale retelling of “Godfather Death” had me interested immediately.

I recommend.

Words cannot describe how much I loved this book. I flew through it and finished it in less than 24 hours which doesn’t often happen when I read Fantasy.

Craig has created an incredible gothic atmosphere in this novel. The first half of the book gave a sense of desperation and eerie tension reminiscent of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The overwhelming despair and loneliness of Hazel are so palpable that they instantly drew me in. However, by the second half, the tone of the story shifted, and I found myself wishing that more of the book was written with this vibe. With deeper romantic moments and more of Hazel's interactions with others—even if they led to tragedy. I also wanted more exploration of her time at the castle, especially the ballroom scenes. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of Craig's work.

*Thank you to Erin A. Craig, ​​Random House Children's | Delacorte Press Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

I wanted to love the Thirteenth Child so bad. It was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and since reading House of Roots and Ruin, I constantly think about the ending and how much I loved Erin Craig's creativity (and I am desperately awaiting the next installment of the series).

With her previous two books that I've read, I wasn't a huge fan of her character building or the romances, and I feel the same way with The Thirteenth Child. I feel like it tried to hard to pander to what's trending but ultimately failed. I think Erin Craig really shines the most with her atmosphere and plots, and her overall haunted fairytale vibe more than those features. I wasn't entirely familiar with the retelling of this novel (Godfather Death) either, and this book didn't feel compelling enough to make me seek out other retellings of the story or to even learn more about it.

The Thirteenth Child didn't give me the same energy and excitement I had with Craig's previous works, and this novel feels to me, as a bit of a stepdown in terms of quality. This book was a slog to get through, and it took me months to realize that I was going to be perfectly fine DNFing and not continuing with the book as I had anticipated. I found it difficult to get through and rather anticlimactic. I wanted so much more out of this novel than what I got.

I really liked Craig's Sisters of the Salt, and I'll continue to read what she puts out next from that series, but I don't think I'll be moving forward with her standalones. I'm hoping her debut, A Land So Wide, will better.

I absolutely adored this book from Erin A. Craig! Every time I read something from her I am immediately hooked! She really has a way with her writing that immediately draws you in and makes you not want to put the book down!

I also love retellings and this was a great reimagine of the Grimm Brothers’ “Godfather Death”. Which follows Hazel, the thirteenth child in her family who will become a powerful healer in the story.

From the get go I was drawn to Hazel’s character. She is endearing and relatable which makes her the perfect main character in my eyes. Her upbringing is filled with loneliness and heartache which has you rooting for her from the get go.

The writing style was also beautifully done and flowed off the page. It was powerful and heart aching and kept me hooked until the very last page. I’m still reeling from the end of this story and the perfect epilogue that warmed my heart!

I have fallen in love with these characters and this story and I can’t wait to see what Erin A. Craig writes next!

*Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press and Erin A. Craig for sending me a copy of this book to review. All thoughts are my own.*

3.5, rounded down. This started off with promise & then got stuck in the middle. I think many readers would lose interest since it was slow to move forward/change. The ending picked up and was intriguing.

Something fell a little short for me with this novel. While I have loved Craig’s other books, this one felt slow and dragged in places.

Erin A. Craig's books will always be an immediate buy for me. House of Salt and Sorrows was the book that got me back into reading and her books always have a way of sucking you into the story. When The Thirteenth Child was available to review, I immediately put in a request.

This book is one of my favorites of 2024. This book was so beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time and I was captivated in reading Hazel's life as a thirteenth child and daughter of the Dreaded End. The epilogue of this story had me sobbing and I relistened to those last chapters just to feel the full extent of it. I am so excited to be ending my 2024 reads on a high note with The Thirteenth Child.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the opportunity to review The Thirteenth Child. All thought and opinions are my own.

* I received an e-arc via Netgalley and the publisher, Delacorte Press for review. Thank you for the opportunity. All thoughts are my own*

I just LOVED this book and it’s probably going to be in my top reads this year! I fell in love with Erin’s writing in a House of Salt and Sorrows, and this one certainly lived up to my expectations. This book destroyed me!

Hazel is promised from birth to a god. When her godfather, the Dreaded End, Merrick, finally comes for her he lays out to her what he’s planned for her future. She will become a great healer and will be known throughout the kingdom for her skill. To aid her in her endeavors, Merrick gives her the ability to instantly know what a patient needs for a cure.

All gifts come with a price of course, and Hazel can see when Death is coming and there is no cure that can save her patients. She therefore must end their suffering for them and take their life. She is haunted by the ghosts she has killed and longs to run. Destiny brings her to the royal court where she meets Prince Leo and his father, the king who is marked for Death. Hazel wants to save him, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?

Full of magic, gods, royal courts, death and heartbreak, The Thirteenth Child is one you won’t want to miss.

All the stars!

The Thirteenth Child is the story of Hazel, born as The Thirteenth Child to her parents, and on the day of her birth, 3 Gods were vying to be her Godparent, but her parents chose the God of Death in this world. The Godfather pretty much ignores his Godchild for most of her young life, and since her parents are expecting her to be claimed at any moment, they don’t treat her that well. As a result, Hazel is desperate to be loved, and when her Godfather finally takes her away, she has high hopes for how her life will turn out. What happens, though, is far from what she imagined. She is trained to be a healer by reading many medical texts, teaching herself every way you would need to cure someone. Of course, she does this as she expects it to impress her Godfather. Hazel, being desperate, goes to extreme lengths in her life to do what she feels is right and, at times, makes some wild choices. The Thirteenth Child is a dark and haunting young adult novel, and I think there are some significant lessons to be learned from this book.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Yes! Someone finally wrote a Godfather death retelling! My life is now complete!

The Thirteenth Child by Erin A Craig is a YA fantasy retelling of the Brother's Grimm story Godfather Death.
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?

I'm a suck for anything and everything Erin A Craig writes, after the amazingness that is Small Favors. And this one is no different. The plot is enticing and the characters are all motivated in their own twisted ways. How can you say no? You need to do yourself a favor and read this book immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with a digital arc of this book!

The Thirteenth Child is a young adult fairytale retelling of the Brother's Grimm fairytale "Godfather Death". It follows Hazel Trepas, a young thirteenth child who has been promised to the Dreaded End, Death himself. After a grim childhood in a volatile house with parents who generally dislike Hazel, her godfather, Merrick, finally rescues her and whisks her away to a special home he built for her. Once there, he reveals to Hazel that he has given her a gift. She can now heal anyone of any affliction, but this gift comes with a price: she can tell when someone is going to die and must kill them. Soon after, Hazel is enlisted by the royal family to help the ailing king, but when she finds that he is supposed to die, Hazel finds that she might have to defy Death himself.

Perhaps the strongest part of this story was the atmosphere. And from glittering masquerade balls to a plague that causes a person's blood to turn to gold, this story certainly has the atmosphere nailed. I also thought the romance was particularly compelling. I loved Leopold and his development from beginning to end.

That being said, I did find the relationship between Hazel and Leopold to be lacking in some parts. The development was slow in the beginning and then entirely too rushed near the end. They really just needed more time to get to know each other before rushing into a relationship. I also thought the pacing of the story overall was off. The beginning was rather slow, almost to the point of me DNFing it, and the end happened so quickly that it was hard to really know what happened. Overall, I did enjoy the story and I think it absolutely merits a reread. 3.5/5 stars.

This went on a bit for my taste, interesting idea but didn’t enjoy it as much as I wish I had. Not much more to say.

This was a fascinating retelling of a dark Grimm fairytale. Erin A. Craig is a phenomenal writer that has such a gift of retelling a story in a brand new light. This is a great standalone novel that I finished in two sittings.

I absolutely loved this book! It was so unexpected and fresh in it's take of the thirteenth child and "death" concept. I adored the fmc and appreciated the author spending time with her actually as a child at the beginning of the book. She established Hazel's status in her family hierarchy and how neglected and abused she was in comparison to some of her older siblings. Her parents were vile and yet you could understand them.

Death taking her in and dissonance of his "caretaking" versus his future aspirations for her was so refreshing. Hazel is so precocious and stubborn - I loved reading about her learning, what drives her and what she ultimately wants for herself.

This book is so different and absolutely perfect for the spooky and holiday season both! I'm tempted to reread and jump into this world again!

I always love Erin’s books and this one was just as wonderful as her others! Beautiful writing and an addicting story!

Erin A Craig has quickly become a new favorite for me with their earlier works and their unique authorial voice continues to shine in this most recent work.

What I Adored
1. As a stand alone dark atmospheric fantasy this story allows the reader to become fully invested in its charecters and complete their story arcs in one tome
2. The pacing was perfect for creating a somewhat errie atmosphere without dwelling too long on any one section.
3. Dialogue was expertly handled throughout the work.

Who i woud recommmend this title for
The Thirteenth Child is an excellent read for existing fans of Erin A Craig while also serving as a delightful entry point for other readers of dark fantasy.

A wonderfully dark, enchanting fairytale. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and the candlelit journey of Hazel, the thirteenth child. I liked that the romance did not take center stage and the focus was more on Hazel’s personal growth and relationship with her Godfather. The ending was just perfect and wrapped up the story completely.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s Delacorte Press for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #TheThirteenthChild