The Thirteenth Child

Written by Erin A. Craig

Narrated by Christine Lakin

#1 NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER • Drawing on the Grimm Brothers’ dark fairytale “Godfather Death,” this sweeping novel from the author of House of Salt and Sorrows is a fantastical saga of actions and consequences.

“A dark, delicious treat from start to finish.”—Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 24, 2024
• ISBN: 9780593943533

Erin A. Craig

Erin A. Craig is the New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows and Small Favors. After getting her BFA in Theatre Design and Production from the University of Michigan, she stage-managed tragic operas filled with hunchbacks, séances, and murderous clowns, then decided she wanted to write books that were just as spooky. An avid reader, a decent quilter, a rabid basketball fan, and a collector of typewriters, Erin makes her home in West Michigan with her husband and daughter.

Reviews for The Thirteenth Child

[Callee Moore · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This may be more of a 3.5 for me because it took so long to get going but I really enjoyed the final 1/3. The beginning would’ve been better with more of the Godfather I think or just something MORE. Very slow beginning and middle. Good storyline. Good plot. Likable MC’s. Well developed side characters. Unexpected, strong villain.

[pmtracy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an incredible story! The last 100 pages flew by and the ending leaves you in tears.

[spiritedstardust · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

13th kid gets adopted by the god of death and becomes a healer.

But my god, hazel is a DUMB bitch.
The choices she made were beyond stupid. And what was the point of Merrick in this, where was he?
The plot just became ridiculous. It had potential but overall felt clumsy and silly with so many loose ends.

[deslivres5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh boy, I really enjoyed this one!
I was not familiar with the Brothers' Grimm fairytale "Godfather Death" but supposedly The Thirteenth Child is a retelling of that fairytale.
There is so much to entice: a thirteenth (unlucky?) child, a creepy/loving godfather, meddling gods, magical gifts, romance, royalty, war and (lots of) cake!
And the ending is heartbreakingly lovely!

[gingirl70 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Erin A. Craig has an engaging writing style that keeps me reading for longer stretches than I plan on. The story itself is a retelling of the Brothers' Grimm Brothers “Godfather Death". Considering the source, I wasn't expecting a happy story. Poor Hazel has to make some very hard choices. Most of them are don't work out the way she plans. I've seen other reviews that say she's whiney and willful, doing what she wants when she was warned not to. She practically raises herself, with nobody there reliably to guide her. Of course she is a tad selfish and thinks she knows best. Where it lost a star for me though was the constant indecision. Just make a choice and be done with it. The constant wavering back and forth became grating by the end.

[eboods · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Yet again I'm enchanted by Erin Craig's writing (I'm not biased by name!) the characters were sweet and well thought out, and it truly just feels like a vacation in a book. It reminds me of reading fantasy for the first time and being totally enveloped in a story and world. Really really well done.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this on ebook to review through NetGalley..

Thoughts: This book ended up being quite a bit different from what I thought it was going to be, but I still enjoyed it. The synopsis makes this sound like Hazel spends most of her time navigating the royal court. In reality, nearly half the book is spent following Hazel as she learns her healing skills and grows up. She does spend time at court in the second half of the book. The book is more about navigating the will of the gods and how little gods understand humans than anything else. Before reading this, I had also read Craig's "The House of Salt and Sorrows" (which I thought was okay), and "Small Favors" (which I liked).

Hazel is unwanted by her parents and, as a thirteenth child, ends up given to a god Merrick....the Dreaded End. Much of her early life is spent in destitution, being ignored and abused by her parents. Her parents expected Merrick to take her when he claimed her, but he has disappeared, and no one has any idea when he will show up to claim her. As a result, Hazel's parents see her as an unexpected burden. When Merrick finally does show up, he has plotted out Hazel's whole life; she will be an amazing healer. Of course, Hazel doesn't have any say in the path her life is going to take, and she must tread carefully so she doesn't anger the god of death himself.

The synopsis makes this sound like most of the story takes place at court. Instead, this story follows all of Hazel's life, not just her years at court. We watch her grow up from one of many children (and an unwanted one at that), to a pre-teen struggling to meet Merrick's expectations and fight through solitude, to a young adult learning to work and heal people, to an adult navigating the royal court.

There are a lot of very well done characters in here, and I enjoyed the story overall. I do wish Hazel had done more to take control of more of her life...I found that a bit frustrating, but she is in a tough position. I did enjoy the look at a god, Merrick, who thinks he is trying to do good by his human but is being very heavy-handed with decisions in her life. The contrast between Merrick's viewpoint as an immortal god and Hazel's perspective as a human was incredibly well done and explored in an intriguing way.

This is well written and easy to follow. While it wasn't at all what I came in expecting, I did enjoy it.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. There are some wonderful characters here, and I loved how the different perspectives of an immortal god and a human were contrasted. I was surprised at the long breadth of time that this explored and expected this to have more intrigue. I wasn't expecting a story of a girl whose life is planned out by a god. I continue to have somewhat mixed feelings about Craig's books, there are things I like about them and things I don't enjoy as much.