This was a spooky upper YA reimagining of the Brothers Grimm tale, Godfather Death. The book follows 18-year-old Hazel, the godchild of Merrick, the Dreaded End, who’s been blessed as a healer to know the cure to anything. And while I did enjoy it, I think this book could’ve done phenomenally well as an even darker New Adult or Adult fantasy, since it’s rather hard for me to grasp a literal child not being questioned for their healing abilities; but that’s a personal thought. 🌿

I thought Hazel was a well done protagonist, even if her thought processes were a bit rushed to me. She’s grown up with no love and it’s left with a rather pragmatic world view, but she’s still optimistic when it comes to helping others. I wish her relationship with her brother, Bertie, in their late teens would’ve been explored more at the end instead of randomly cut off, and I did find myself wishing for more Merrick time as I really enjoyed their dynamic with each other. 💀

Her budding relationship with the Leopold felt a bit rushed as well to me. It randomly went from “I can’t stand to be around your self-entitlement” to “can we please passionately kiss?” in what felt like a few chapters. I don’t mind sudden attractions in some cases, but I feel like I missed this shift while reading. 😕

The last thing that really got me and annoyed me the whole time reading was the fact that the world is set in a France-like country. Now why would this make me irrationally mad? I was expecting something Germanic since the tale that inspired this book is German in origin and getting a French-afied world for this GERMAN folktale felt both odd and slightly wrong. I don’t want to imagine these characters sitting down and eating crepes when they could be eating, oh I dunno, APFELKUCHEN?? 😠

Other than that tiny rant, I still enjoyed the tale itself once I got over my annoyance. Would definitely recommend this for a fall/spooky season read. Thank you goes to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review, and to the author for writing a rather interesting take on this dark folktale. 👑

Publication date: September 24!

Overall: 3.75/5 ⭐️

This was such a magical and atmospheric book. It’s the perfect book for the upcoming cozy season, and I absolutely loved it. I was hooked from the start

I had a bit of a slow start getting into this book, but then I fell in love with the richness and depth of this story. I wanted the Dreaded End to be Hazel's savior once he showed up, but he ends up being too hands off with strict expectations, like many parental figures, I suppose. The Brightness is a fascinating concept for a disease, as well as the societal belief that it relates to a purging of your sins. But what pulled me in even more was the true anxiety I felt, along with Hazel, at seeing the Death's Head when trying to cure the victim. The book got more and more intense with deeper and deeper layers the further I read: Her brother and his crazy God and the expectations of the God's devotees! The ramifications of defying the Death's Head! The Court intrigue! It's a lot, but all handled with a deft hand by Craig.

The Thirteenth Child begins before Hazel is born, when she is claimed by The Dreaded End, the god of death who eventually becomes her mentor. All her life, her parents resent her for being chosen, but not collected, by this god. She is their thirteenth child, and they have better things to do than to feed, clothe, shelter, or care for her. Hazel grows up lonely with the exception of her brother Bertie, who is ultimately taken away from her by another god. When her godfather finally comes for her, Hazel’s new life is not immediately what she hoped it would be, but the opportunities opened to her create a new path. She grows up as many teenagers do, with moments of defiance, procrastinating on her studies, and imagining what kind of life she will one day have.

A core theme throughout The Thirteenth Child is the distinction between godhood and humanity. The narrative explores how the character’s perception of time, morality, and fate differ based on each character’s nature. Ultimately, it is a story about the value of humanity and the difficult choices that we make despite having such limited information compared to a god. Erin Craig also excels at establishing immersive settings and atmosphere. The setting does change more in this book than in others I’ve read from her, but I still found these aspects to be some of the strongest overall. The downsides for me were an underdeveloped romance and inconsistent pacing. There are a few major time skips of several years each where we are told that major plot points are resolved, but it would have been much more impactful to see these moments on the page. The plot could have been streamlined a bit to prevent the page count going too high while also giving these vital moments and conversations the time and detail they deserved.

Advanced copy provided by Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

I LOVED the dark atmosphere of this book! There is elements of romance. A perfect book for fall! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press!

I would recommend The Thirteenth Child to those who love fairytale retellings. This was so well-written, with amazing world-building and a lovely atmosphere.

Hazel is a thirteenth child, unwanted by her family. But at birth, she was claimed by a god, and she has now spent years waiting for her godfather Merrick, better known as the Dreaded End, to come and take her away. When he finally does arrive, he reveals the many grand plans he has made for Hazel’s future and a gift – she is to be a renowned healer who can discover the cure for any patient. However, hand in hand with this gift comes a curse too, she can also tell when a patient cannot be saved and will be tasked to end their suffering. With her healing powers making her famous across the land, Hazel is eventually summoned to the royal court to heal the king who has been stricken by a mysterious illness. But she immediately knows that her efforts will be futile, for the king has already been marked for death. With the kingdom in a precarious position, the king’s death would cause anarchy, but can Hazel go against the will of Death?

While I enjoyed this author’s earlier book, House of Salt and Sorrows, the sequel didn’t really appeal to me so I decided to skip it. But The Thirteenth Child sounded quite interesting and I was looking forward to reading more of Craig’s writing.

I don’t know if this is a retelling of some fairytale, but it certainly has the feel of one.

The author wove a fascinating world where gods exist and choose mortals to show favor to, and magical diseases plague a kingdom already on the brink of chaos. The descriptions were vivid and brought it all to life – and I have to mention, all the details of the birthday cakes made me so hungry!

On the downside, I wish the story spent more time on Hazel’s training – it basically amounted to her reading a billion books, and the reader just had to accept that she became an amazing healer at the end of it at age 13, because magic. It definitely required some suspension of disbelief, even for a fantasy novel.

The writing was excellent and perfectly set the mood of the narrative. This was a fast paced read throughout, and I finished it in a single sitting. While the book didn’t feel overly long, I did find that the plot meandered a bit at times and if these parts had been trimmed, it wouldn’t have greatly affected the main plotline. Due to the way it was written, I also felt that the book was distinctly in two parts, Hazel’s childhood and then her time at court (which was the real focus in the end and felt rushed). It needed a little more cohesion so the two arcs flowed better together.

Hazel was an interesting and likeable character, and it was nice that the book spent so much time on her childhood as it made her arc much more well rounded. I wasn’t as fond of the time leaps, it felt to me like just an easy way to make the book span more years.

Her relationship with her godfather Merrick was intriguing and the different ways each of them view life in particular was very well explored. Despite their differing viewpoints and experiences, it was lovely how they came to care for each other as family.

I’m a bit conflicted on the end honestly. It made sense, it was all quite exciting the way things worked out, but I thought that it was way too rushed. The entire plot changed direction literally in the last 15% of the book and then it was just one thing after another that didn’t really allow for much time to take any of it in. The epilogue also felt kind of incomplete, only focusing on Hazel and Leo and a ‘happily ever after’ ending, not bothering to discuss the fates of several other rather important characters or tie up their storylines properly.

Overall, The Thirteenth Child was an entertaining read and I would highly recommend it! I’m looking forward to Craig’s next book, whatever it might be.

Really enjoyed this Fantasy read! Author Erin A. Craig does another fantastic job creating a gothic atmosphere in this fairy-tale re-telling.

Highly recommended Fall reading, with spooky vibes and great writing.

I am struggling to come to terms with my feelings on this one. I was very excited for this release and very hopeful for it. I think this author does gothic, atmospheric, immersive fantasy very well. And I can't decide if I didn't love this one because it didn't live up to her previous writing, didn't live up to my own outlandish expectations, or just didn't fit in with my personal preferences of today. I need to stop pretending, stop being in denial, that I'm going to enjoy a young adult book as much as I would have years ago. Because, sadly, it's just not happening. And that's no fault of the author or the story. I'm just simply in a different place in my life and reading experiences these days. Regardless, I'm settling on a middle of the road rating for this one. It was good, not great. It wasn't bad, but there were parts that fell a little flat for me. Objectively, though, I think this is going to be a very popular read for spooky season coming up.

This is by far the strongest piece in Craig's works so far. It maintains an aesthetic and narrative constantly intruiging to the reader.

Adaptations by Craig tend to play just enough with their source material to conjure originality while still maintaining the essence of the original story.

Very worthwhile read and a must for a YA collection.

I really struggled over whether to give this book 2 or 3 stars. In places it was great: atmospheric, thought-provoking, lushly detailed, and powerful poignant. In other places (far too many), it felt underdeveloped--both in plot and characterization--predictable, confusing, and juvenile. If you read the synopsis, you already know the plot for at least 2/3 if not 3/4 of the book, which is a big pet peeve of mine, so I will definitely not re-has that in my review!

I realize this is a fairy tale retelling so much of the story may already be "known," but I kept waiting for something INTERESTING to happen to make the action fresh and frankly WORTH retelling. And although many of the events of Hazel's early life, up to the point when she reaches the castle, should be very powerful, and they do have a big effect on her, they felt two-dimensional and very "surface-level." This caused most of the "big scenes" to have very little emotional impact. The dilemmas that Hazel faced came across as little vignettes in her life seen through a dim lens, instead of turning points in her growth as a person that should be fraught with indecision, worry, doubt, and fear.

This could also be due to the inexplicable pacing of the plot. We zoom through Hazel's early years, drop in on moments that are described with crystalline and beautifully painful clarity, and then we zoom along again, with only Hazel to TELL us how the moment affected her as we drop into another "seminal moment." This made the last bit of the book feel rushed and lacking in depth.

The world-building was confusing as well. SO many of the issues, problems, and bad decisions in Hazel's life could have been avoided if Merrick had just been PRESENT in Hazel's life, and if he had COMMUNICATED with her. So why didn't he? Because he was an omnipotent god and didn't realize he should? Yet neither he nor the other gods were actually very omnipotent. I kept thinking, "Why doesn't he just do this? Why can't he do that? Why did they have to do that?" And my questions were never answered. What exactly were their powers? Why did they interact the way that they did? Why did their powers have limitations (when it was convenient for story purposes)?

The romance was sadly lacking as well. We either did not need it, or we needed much more. It felt tacked on.

I think the biggest problem with this book is that it aimed to tell a big impactful important story. But the feelings, actions, motivations, and personalities of the characters were never truly fully realized, and that led to what feels like one Merrick's birthday cakes: frothily decorated with beautiful airy sugary confections meant to delight the senses, but the savory depth the reader is seeking is just not there.

I can never get enough of Erin Craig’s writing. The worlds she writes completely take over my brain when I start reading them. The thirteenth child was a beautiful dark fantasy and the bit of romance was the cherry on top. I loved the relationship between hazel and Merrick and was absolutely sobbing at the end. Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse for sharing this with me.

When Hazel was born, the unwanted thirteenth child of a poor couple, she was claimed by not one, nor two, but three different gods. Her parents granted her to the final one, the representation of Death itself. But Hazel doesn’t know him as that, she knows him as Merrick, her godfather, and the only one who ever wanted her.

It was Merrick who taught her how to be the greatest healer in the land, and the one who granted her all she could ever want, except for company. Her life can be lonely, but Merrick has promised that it will be great. When she gets a call from the palace to heal a member of the royal family, she thinks now is her chance. But her gift comes with a dark side—she can see how to heal those who can be healed, but she can also see those who must die, and she must end them with her own hand. Which side of her gift will present itself when she treats the royal family?

I received an advanced reading copy of The Thirteenth Child in exchange for an honest review.

The Thirteenth Child is a young adult fantasy novel by Erin A. Craig. I have loved Craig’s books before, and in fact, her last book, House of Roots and Ruin, was one of the best books I read last year. Of course I was absolutely thrilled to be getting an advanced reading copy of her newest book!

The Thirteenth Child starts out having these very intense fairy-tale vibes. This is apparently a fairy tale retelling, but I’m not sure which one (if you know, let me know in the comments?), but the vibes are perfect for it. In fact, we start out with Merrick telling a story, the story of how he came to “adopt” Hazel, and then, once the reader is firmly cemented in that feeling of being in a fairy tale, the story begins to unfold and the plot truly begins.

Hazel is a great protagonist. She’s easy to root for, especially as she starts out so downtrodden, but she never gives up hope and never stops trying. While she’s faced with incredibly powerful forces often, such as gods themselves, she’s not one to cower, and occasionally even goes against them! It made sense for her to act that way, though, seeing as she was raised by a god, just as it made sense that she spent so much of this book craving connection to others.

My favorite part of this book was actually her relationship with Merrick, and I’d go so far as to claim that that is the prevalent relationship in this book. Sure, Hazel meets other people, and even grows fond of them, but it’s with Merrick that we get to see her growing into herself. I did also enjoy the scenes with him because, even as an all-powerful being, he’s a little lost on what to do with this new child who he now has to raise. I just love that dynamic.

Between the tone, the characters, and then the stakes that rose up as soon as Hazel heads to court, I had a great time reading this book. I finished it over a single weekend, unable to tear myself away from the pages. This is a great read for those who love to read fairy tale retellings, or just those who love the tone of fairy tales. Also a great read for those who love the “lost adoptive father” dynamic I mentioned, and who are just looking for a good fantasy story.

The Thirteenth Child will be released on September 24. You can preorder your copy from Delacorte Press here.

Fantasy story of a girl, the thirteenth of her family, who is adopted by Death and schooled in the healing arts. The pace of the story was extremely slow moving and not much happens until the last quarter of the book when she is tasked to cure the king of his Shiver disease.

It was a miss for me but fans of the author may enjoy it

I haven’t read that good of a YA book in a while. Not only did I care for Hazel but I felt like her. I understood her and I came to feel for her. She was written so extremely well. I loved this story more than I realized, and I only realized it as it was ending (may or may not have been crying a little). A great read, and so well done. Glad this is coming out soon so the rest of the world gets to read it too.

I think this novel is a perfect fall read. It has some melancholic (and kind of spooky) undertones, but I love the story of Hazel's determination and resilience, and even her confusion over wanting to do the right thing but being unsure what it is. I enjoyed the character growth, especially with several of the side characters, and the ending really surprised me. I don't often read YA anymore but this one did feel like it crossed over into adult at times, not from anything explicit but because of the tone/challenges to the character.

THE THIRTEENTH CHILD, by author Erin A. Craig, is a retelling of the dark fairytale "Godfather Death". Hazel Trepas is a thirteenth child--considered lucky to the gods, but most unlucky for the "foolish huntsman" and his wife, who already could scarcely afford to feed the twelve children they had.

"There once was a very foolish huntsman who lived at the heart of the Gravia Forest."

After refusing offers from the Holy First, and the Divided Ones, Hazel's parents accepted the final offer from The Dreaded End, the god of death.

"His was the face of the Dreaded End, the god who loved me . . . who had raised me when my own flesh and blood cast me aside."

I loved Hazel's character, how we watch her grow from an unwanted "extra child", to when her Godfather comes for her and explains that she is to become a great and celebrated healer. Although she's gifted the ability to see the exact cure needed, she also sees when a patient is claimed for death and must act accordingly . . .

Hazel's personality is truly captivating. Finding love and acceptance from Merrick as he teaches her, seeing the highs and lows of what being a healer entails, and trying to figure out what it is SHE wants from life.

I also felt for Merrick, who loves Hazel as his own, yet has to let her make her own mistakes as well.

After she is called to the palace to read the King, everything she was taught is questioned. What is truly right or wrong? How do you justify these choices to the ones you love the most?

Overall, I enjoyed everything about this novel. From the magnificent characters (all who felt "real"), to the different atmospheres of the places we're shown, and the emotional gauntlet we go through with Hazel, this book checked all the right boxes.

Highly recommended.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc of this book. All opinions expressed are uniquely my own.*

This novel is Very Typically YA which isn't necessarily a bad thing but also is a step backwards for Craig, whose masterful command of atmosphere and imagination usually sets her stories apart. The story follows a young woman, Hazel, who is marked by destiny when she is born a thirteenth child, and claimed as goddaughter to the god of death. Hazel's destiny is, ironically, to become a healer, saving those who can be saved and easing the passage of those who cannot. When a mysterious plague sweeps the nation, Hazel is called to find a cure.

I think the story's biggest challenge was its unstable sense of place. Hazel's work takes her all across the country, not spending enough time in any one location for Craig to establish her trademark ambiance. This places an uneven burden on character and plot to carry the story, neither of which are up to the task. Hazel is bland with few defining characteristics, prone to moralizing and poor decision making. Her love interest, prince Leopold, is your average "heart-of-gold" rake, his character arc and their romance following highly predictable patterns. Even the gods, certainly the most interesting characters in the story, are single-minded and juvenile. I was half glad, half disappointed that Craig dodged the "immortal mentor grooming mortal protege" romance trope. I don't think it would have played well here (and don't feel it has much of a place in the YA genre generally), but do think it could have been a compelling direction for a more mature story. The plot itself was painfully easy to predict, leaving me wishing that Craig had opted for greater twists or at least a more unexpected ending.

After thoroughly enjoying House of Salt and Sorrows, I eagerly dove into The Thirteenth Child, expecting another dark, immersive tale. Unfortunately, while it began with promise, I ultimately felt let down by the overall execution.

The book draws on the Grimm Brothers' "Godfather Death" and follows Hazel Trépas, a healer promised from birth to Merrick, the embodiment of Death. The concept is fascinating, and the dynamic between Hazel and Merrick is one of the highlights. Their relationship—complicated, poignant, and full of tension—stood out as the strongest part of the novel for me. Merrick's dual role as both protector and harbinger of Hazel's fate added emotional depth, and their interactions were some of the few moments that truly captivated me.

However, beyond that, the story faltered. The plot felt meandering, and despite its high-stakes premise—Hazel navigating a perilous court while making impossible choices—the pacing and character development left much to be desired. While Hazel’s internal struggle with her gift (or curse) was compelling at times, it lacked the emotional impact I had hoped for. Her choices felt almost “too easy,” especially toward the end. She wasn’t a young child anymore, and it was frustrating to see her make decisions that she knew would have dire consequences without much reflection. It just didn’t make sense to me.

The romance with Leo felt underdeveloped, and the court intrigue failed to deliver on its potential. For a story promising a sweeping fantasy saga, it missed the mark, as themes of morality, destiny, and identity didn’t resonate with the complexity I expected. It felt like the story was torn between being a dark fairy tale retelling and an epic fantasy but didn’t quite succeed at either.

That said, fans of atmospheric fantasy and fairy tale retellings might still find enjoyment in The Thirteenth Child, especially if they’re drawn to stories about fate and the choices we make. However, for me, it was a disappointment compared to Craig’s previous work.

I've heard so many good things about Erin Craig's books that I leapt at the chance to read The Thirteenth Child. I'm so glad I did! Rich and deeply atmospheric with beautiful storytelling, this is the second book this week that has left me a little broken but in the best possible way.

An engrossing and haunting tale of life, loneliness, love, and death with strong Gothic vibes, the story follows Hazel's life as the thirteenth child of an impoverished and neglectful family who is promised to The Dreaded End, the God of Death. I love the Gothic elements and the overall dark and eerie mood. It's so immersive, and the entire story has an enigmatic fairy tale-esque feel to it.

The story travels from Hazel's childhood with her family as she waits for her godfather to take her away to her teen years where she learns her healing craft, to her adulthood. Hers is an enchanting, dark, and lonely story that gripped me from the start, and I loved her growth over the course of the story. Through all the trials and tribulations and massive amounts of time spent alone and/or lonely, Hazel learns so much more than the power of healing.

I’ve read a few books now that have forced me to admit that I like Death. I never thought I’d say that, but this dark and Gothic fantasy gives Death (aka Merrick) so much depth. Merrick is a fascinating character, complex and mysterious, tender and brutal, and more human than he realizes. His relationship with Hazel is as compelling as his growth as a character, and I loved their complicated connection. As her godfather, he is more of a loving parent than her real parents ever were, and even when instructing her on the harsh realities of her gift, he still offers her kindness. Merrick is one of the few who show Hazel any form of love and acceptance.

Hazel is a gifted healer, and she also has the ability to tell if a person is meant to live or die. She struggles not to interfere in their fates and learns some hard lessons about life and death. I felt so bad for her! I can't imagine having this gift and feeling powerless to stop certain things from happening. When Hazel is tasked with healing the King from a mysterious illness, Hazel faces even more challenges, especially when her feelings for the prince begin to grow. Though her healing gift is amazing, I definitely wouldn't want what comes with it, though it definitely makes for some interesting, thought-provoking conversations and reflections in the story.

This story took me completely by surprise. I was in a bit of a reading slump when I started it, and I didn't expect to become so immersed in the story. The worldbuilding, the magic, the characters, the romance - it's all woven together so well. And that ending! Ooof, I read it three times and cried each time, too. It's poetic and beautiful and heartbreaking, and I would kindly ask the author to rip my heart out again because it concluded perfectly. lol

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.