The Thirteenth Child is set in a world where children can be dedicated to certain gods, and not all of them are what they seem. In this story Hazel is dedicated to Death. But Hazel discovers that that dedication isn't necessarily a bad thing. Death has made it so that she will live a long life and she is meant to use it to help heal people. She can see what ails them and how to help but she can also see if they are meant to die. This turns into a point of contention when first her fiance and then a king who she is meant to treat are marked for death.

This book was a rather enjoyable read from Hazel struggling with the path she is meant to be on. Death is a rather interesting character as well, trying to make Hazel happy but not entirely knowing how to navigate the world of the living. It also brought up moral dilemmas and the whole idea of who should make the decisions on death and what not.

Overall I thought it was a pretty wonderful gothic book and I very much enjoyed it and would suggest it for those looking for a gothic, high stakes fantasy.

Erin A. Craig always does something new with fairy tales. She's so great at taking elements of fairy tales and weaving them into her own narrative. I really enjoyed this one. The pacing was excellent: I loved that the book as a whole was the story of Hazel's life, rather than having just a brief snapshot of her childhood before getting into the action. I liked the French setting as well.

I really wanted to love this! It started out very promising but I ended up having to push myself to finish it. I thought the romance was never going to happen, the pace just felt so strange. I will buy for my library because I love Erin Craig, but I’m not sure if I would recommend.

This is a fascinating, imaginative story that will take you by surprise as you read on. I would recommend for older teens.

The world building is written well in this book enabling the reader to picture the environment well.

The story is full of ups and downs and magical moments. Choices, challenges and changes.

The child (thirteenth) is chosen by a god for a special duty as they age, the story follows this child life and the process to achieve the goal set for them.

The Thirteenth Child is a well-written, atmospheric fantasy with a strong lead character and a compelling world. Though it occasionally falls into familiar tropes, it’s immersive read. Erin Craig is a master at Grimm retellings, and her latest is sure to satisfy fans of her other work. However, there were some inconsistencies with the magic system and how Hazel used her powers. Fans of surreal, dark fairytales will enjoy Craig’s latest.

Thank you Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5!

I’ve previously had some mixed results with Craig’s books, from loving her Sisters of the Salt series to feeling pretty mid about Small Favors, so I felt like I generally knew what to expect. This definitely falls somewhere in the middle of how I’ve felt about Craig’s books, which is that I liked it fine.

The premise and the set up are really intriguing, and I found the first 30% or so to be really interesting. As the story went on, though, my interest started to wane, and while I understand that this is a young adult novel and many young adult novels include romances, the romance in this just felt like it came out of left field for me. There were times where I thought that Hazel was being a little obtuse in a way that was mostly to move the plot along than something intrinsic to her character, which made this harder to buy into, but honestly I really enjoy the quality of Craig’s writing and I enjoyed the ending quite a bit.

I think there’s an audience for this book who will absolutely love it, but unfortunately that audience is not me. Regardless, I did like it!

My first Erin Craig book! I really liked the writing style and the flow, I easily binged this over a day. The plot was unique and interesting, I had no idea what was gonna happen at any point and I was constantly intrigued. Also, I'm immensely happy about that epilogue!

TWs - lots of death, mercy killings ish, lots of medical/surgical scenes, mental/physical abuse and neglect of a child by parents

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

As heart-wrenchingly stunning and beautifully written as everything Erin Craig writes. I devoured it in one sitting because I couldn't bear to put aside Hazel and her deeply precious brand of magic.

A MUST READ!

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

Great storyvery well written. It is a little dark you definitely understand the darkness. Hazel was the best character and her godfather Merrik was unexpectedly sweet even as the Dreaded End

I'm a big fan of the previous works of Erin A. Craig that I've read (House of Salt and Sorrows, House of Roots and Ruin, and Small Favors) so I was excited to pick this one up. The premise is fresh and interesting, and it has a familiar, kind of spooky/eerie/horror-lite vibe that the other books also had (which was one of the reasons I loved them). There are quite a few time jumps in this book, which aren't clearly outlined with a "1 Year Later" or whatever, so just make sure you're paying attention when reading. Overall, this was fun, with a good plot, strong characters, a compelling mystery, a cute romance, and a satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Craig's fantasy vibes are always impeccable so it was nice to get a standalone from her. The tie in to quasi medical care was a little much for me (a very personal thing) but otherwise a compelling and dramatic story.

I really loved the premise of this book and the authors previous novel had always been one of my favorite. I felt like this was a bit predictable and not as interesting as I was hoping. The ending felt like a let down and the selfless actions of our protagonist when exhausting. Overall I think this kind of YA is just not for me.

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.