By Erin A. Craig

“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?” (Goodreads).

Erin A. Craig’s previous books have single-handedly brought me out of reading slumps before, so I was highly anticipating this fantasy standalone when I stumbled upon it at the library. To my enjoyment, The Thirteenth Child carried the same dark, lush, fantastical vibe as her other novels but also had its own unique charm. Hazel’s story was one of the most creative I’ve read in a while, and the world she lives in was rich and detailed. I loved this one, and I’m sure you will too.

Craig has always been excellent at writing unique premises and creative retellings, and The Thirteenth Child was no different. The storyline hooked me immediately, and despite a little slowness in the middle, the pacing didn’t let up. The worldbuilding might’ve been my favorite part of the book. Craig’s take on a religious system was so interesting. She combined the idea of a life and death god, but also included numerous “minor deities” (commonly seen as gods of rain, fertility, or the harvest) in one “body” called “the Divided Ones,” which I thought was so creative. The concepts of life, death, and fate played out beautifully and added to the complexity of the decisions Hazel has to make.

Unfortunately, there were a few plot holes, but I only really noticed them after I had put the book down. Maybe that’s a good thing though – I kept thinking about The Thirteenth Child even after I was finished! My biggest annoyance about the plot was the huge difference between act one and act two. Act one was mostly Hazel’s origin story – how she was adopted as a goddaughter by Merrick, how she received her gift and learned how to use it, and the traumatic events that shaped her personality. I loooved this act – the atmosphere, the coziness, the character growth and relationship growth… it was so much fun despite the lack of action. Act two, however, was completely different. Hazel’s world opened up and tons of new characters and places flooded in. Even though it was fine as a story on its own, it was just so different from the first part that it felt like two different books.

My other problem was that Hazel would not stop making the same mistakes over and over again. She would make a decision, experience the consequences of it, supposedly learn from it, and then turn around and do the same thing a few chapters later. It very much annoyed me because so much pain could’ve been avoided if she had just listened to and trusted the gods who are so much smarter than her. I dunno, maybe it’s an analogy for the way we should trust God but we keep falling short 🙂

There were also a few subplots and even major plots that were resolved with very little fanfare. One plotline actually seemed to disappear overnight with a time jump, and I didn’t realize it had been resolved until Hazel mentioned how it had happened a few chapters later.

Craig writes with this beautifully descriptive and rich style that pulls you right in to the story. While some of the more gruesome scenes made me wish she was less descriptive 😉 (Hazel is a healer and mends all kind of bodily issues), Craig’s style made the setting and cozy atmosphere come to life.

Hazel Trepas was a perfect and relatable character at the beginning – stubborn, ambitious, committed, and caring. She fit the role of a healer well and I loved her work ethic and commitment to excellence. She had such a big heart even for those who had hurt her in the past. But things changed when we moved into act two – she almost seemed like a different character. She acted ungrateful towards her godfather, Merrick, and the Holy First, and she made the same mistakes over and over again without learning from them. She still had noble goals, but her stupidity began to annoy me. Multiple times I had to groan at the decisions she made. Her kind heart began to overtake her intelligence, which is fine if that’s her personality but it wasn’t at the beginning. Other than the shifting in her personality, she was an interesting and complex character. I loved the dynamic of her being “blessed by the gods” but still a side character. Though she was the main character, her place in the world seemed more like a hidden kingmaker, the life and death gods’ secret weapon.

The love interest fell flat for me. It seemed like Craig was attempting enemies to lovers, but Leo’s relationship with her (her relationship with the whole royal family, actually) didn’t seem realistic. He changed into a good guy so fast, it felt like those enemies to lovers stories where the guy is a dark bad boy but then secretly he like, volunteers at puppy shelters or something so he’s actually super nice. He seemed like an unnecessary addition to the story, a way to get girls on BookTok to want to read it rather than an original love story.

I loved Merrick, I really wish we could’ve seen more of him. The parts of the book where he was actively involved were probably my favorite parts. I very much disliked the way Hazel kept making the same mistakes and not trusting a literal god who seems to care so much for her.

The Thirteenth Child was an excellent and compelling addition to Craig’s works, full of intrigue, atmosphere, and cozy fantasy. The world building alone drew me deep into the story, and the descriptive and flowing style kept me hooked. If you loved Craig’s other work or are a fan of creative fantasy standalones, you’ll love this exploration of gods, magic, and healing.