No one in this genre can top Erin Craig the Thirteenth child is a dark fantasy that has a bit of everything.

Loved it!!!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and publishers for the arc.

If a book makes me cry it's automatically a 5⭐️ because it means I was emotionally attached enough to the characters to cry, and let me tell you oh boy did I CRY!!!

But let's start at the beginning. This story follows Hazel, the Thirteenth Child of the family, being adopted by the god of death. She is tasked with becoming a healer and we follow her journey as a healer.

The most important aspect of the story to me was the discussion around morality, what is right? is there just one right decision? should one person be the one to make the choices? 

I love the author's writing style and storytelling abilities, she is one of my favourite authors and this is just another example of her amazing work.

And if you are one of those psychos that doesn't read Epilogues PLEASE read this one!!

THE THIRTEENTH CHILD is a fairy tale-esque story of a life lived in small moments that are just as important as the big ones.

Erin A. Craig's adult debut has so many hallmarks of her YA books - the at times dark atmosphere, the feel of a fairytale all around you, seemingly small lives impacting people far beyond their "normal" circle. Being an adult book, it can approach these themes with a different tone and approach to the emotional handling. (And yes it is an adult book despite the protagonist being 18-19 for most of it - it's not a coming of age story.)

This is a book about consequences. Every decision has consequences no matter which approach you take - and nothing shows this better than the king's life. There are consequences if he dies and consequences of he lives and Hazel has to weigh these up and somehow pick which lives to save.

I really liked how this book approached family. Hazel and the royal family are at the heart of this book, both of which have very complicated dynamics. I liked that we saw several sides to her family after the initial negative impact. It was never simple but seeing her reconnect with family and find new ones added another layer to those relationships.

The Thirteenth Child is a dark fantasy that is perfect for the upcoming spooky season. Erin’s writing is exquisite and captivating and felt like a classic fairy tale. The story was perfectly paced, it was eerily atmospheric, and the world-building was immersive and engaging.

At no point throughout this book did I wish the tale to hurry up or end. I was more than happy being plunged into this dark fairy tale with rich details. Every page turned; I almost held my breath in anticipation as I started to get a nervous as I stepped closer to the ending, but I was more than happy with how the book ended.

I loved Hazel she was great protagonist. She is a strong, independent woman who aspires to be in charge of her life. I also loved how much she cared about taking care of others and doing the right thing. It was effortless following her through this journey. I really enjoyed the relationship between Hazel and her Godfather called Merick who happens to be this worlds God of Death.

Merrick was a great and well throughout character but also terrifying at times. But at no point did I ever question his parental love for Hazel. Another thing I loves that despite being a god, Merrick seemed extremely human at times.

I am weakling for DEATH as a character since reading the Discworld series, but I really enjoyed the portrayal of the God of Death. I love seeing how a god and a human would interact with each other and this book didn’t disappoint. Yes, they may see things differently but still have a family love for one another.

Hazel is the thirteenth child of a poor family. She's been promised to Merrick, the Dreaded End (aka the god of death), but he never came to take care of her until she was older. Once the god comes to pick her up he teaches her everything he can on medicine and how death can be merciful. However, when Hazel's skills as a doctor are requested by the king's he needs to travel to the castle and help save the king life. But is his life worth the future that will come? Hazel needs to figure it out and decide whose life is worth saving more.

The Thirteenth Child is a fantasy story with a gothic vibe. There is a little bit of romance, but it's not the main plot of the story, which is Hazel's growth and journey. I wasn't a fan of the writing, so I fount it quite hard to get immersed in the story. Although I enjoyed reading about the moral dilemmas that Hazel had to overcome.

Thank you to Rock the Boat and NetGalley for providing me an eARC to review!

Sadly this just didn't have the same spark I've felt with Craig's other books, all of which I've really enjoyed. It felt like a mix between The Book Thief (in terms of death personified and looking out for a young girl) and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (following a girl throughout her life who has a deal with the devil hanging over her). I do think YA-reading fans of Addie may enjoy this, but as someone who isn't really in that camp sadly I just don't think this was for me.

I just wasn't very drawn in by the characters or the premise, which makes sense as this does feel like a departure from Craig's other works. I think I was just expecting the atmosphere and spooky vibes and when those expectations weren't met I ended up a bit disappointed. I do hope this finds its audience though and I will continue to keep tabs on future releases by this author.

This was such a fun read and this cover instantly sold me, it’s absolutely perfect for autumn and I flew threw it, the characters and the plot are absolutely addicting

Thank you NetGalley and Oneworld Publications for this eCopy to review

The Theirteenth Child is Hazel and because her family are unable to look after her she was promised to one of the gods at birth – Merrick, the god of death. Only he never comes so Hazel is neglected and never feels loved or at home with her family. Finally on her 12th birthday Merrick takes her away and starts her training as a healer. Each year more and more of her role is revealed and it is not what she expected.

I found the story very slow to start, it only really picks up once the palace soldiers arrive and the love interest starts also the magic system is a little complicated so it was difficult to follow at times

Wow, I adored this book from start to finish! The Thirteenth Child is dark, atmospheric, haunting and eerie. A perfect book for these darker months.
To start with, the writing style was really engaging and entrancing - I quickly got lost in this world and with these characters, and flew through the book in no time. There is a really interesting cast of characters - both the main characters and the side characters were developed really well and there was no one I didn’t enjoy reading about, be they good or bad - or a mix! I also loved how everyone had their own distinct voice which was starkly obvious in the writing style, which made them not only all distinctly different from each other, but added to the intrigue of the book as a whole.

I think The Thirteenth Child really reads like a fairytale for older readers. There’s the magic and escapism mixed with the dark and complex emotions and themes. This combination works really well, and the beautifully vivid writing brings everyone and everything to life, providing a fantastically immersive book.

The Thirteenth Child is a book that reminded me why I love reading, especially fantasy, and I am still very much thinking about it, and the characters, long after finishing! An absolutely brilliant read.

the TLDR: this book was so goddamn amazing, I highly recommend it to literally everyone.

I was so excited when this book arrived on my doorstep. I dropped everything just to pick it up and give it a read. (And I’m glad I did!!) I really loved how unique the concept was.

Hazel is the goddaughter of Death (Merrick), and this comes with various abilities and responsibilities. I really enjoyed the relationship between Hazel and her father, however I wished he’d had more “screen time” as I really wanted to learn more about him (and I just really liked his character).

The romance was really enjoyable in this book. It’s listed as a slow burn, but it doesn’t start until quite late into the book. we have plenty of time for worldbuilding before there are any mentions of romance. I really liked how the author did this, as sometimes it feels like the romance overshadows the plot, but I didn’t have that issue in this book.

although this book is fairly chunky, I never once was bored or wondering how much longer I had left to finish it. I was hooked from beginning to end.

That being said, the end of this book was downright incredible. I was on the edge of my seat for those last few chapters, wondering what was going to happen next. It was an emotional rollercoaster for sure.

The thirteenth child is a retelling of the brothers Grimm “Godfather Death”, which I really enjoyed the way Craig interpreted the tale. I hadn’t heard of this story prior to reading the book, so it was enlightening. Remnants of the original tale are evident throughout the book, with little changes by the author to suit the needs of the book.

This had a really good premise and I enjoyed it at first but I struggled to continue caring about the story and it’s characters.

I got 10 chapters in and was disinterested with the ‘woe me’ act.

Was slightly disappointed as I loved the authors other books.

I really enjoyed this book. Filled with magic and mayhem. After the turmoil that the main character suffers throughout the book, I’m pleased the ending was happy and thought it was a nice way to end the story.

We may need to come up with a new sub-genre for this book: cozy dark gothic fairytale fantasy?

That's the only way to describe how wonderfully unique the story was. It was dark, gothic, and the stakes were high- and yet still cozy and heartwarming.

The world that the author built was incredible. It was familiar enough that you could easily sink into it but unique and captivating with the magical elements. I was completely engrossed in the main character, Hazel, and her story as the thirteenth child. You're rooting for her before she's even born and don't stop as she goes through different phases of her life. It reads like a fairytale, one in which you're -oddly enough- sympathizing with the god of Death and his "child."

There's not a moment when I was not fully invested in the story. The author's writing is absolutely beautiful. Even the slower paced parts of the plot had purpose and keep you firmly transfixed in this world.

If I had just one comment, it would be that the ending was abrupt and unexpected. It worked, in a way, especially with the epilogue, but by that point I wanted a few more chapters with the details of the aftermath. Don't yank me out of this world so fast, I'm too invested!

This is the perfect autumn read. 4.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and OneWorld Publications for approving me for this ARC. This is the second book of Erin A. Craig’s I’ve read. The first was Small Favours which I was a huge fan of. It was mysterious, eerie and unique, not my usual kind of read as I dislike horror but it wasn’t quite horror either. When I read the hypnosis of this, I knew I wanted to read it. I love a good fairytale retelling if done well so I had high hopes for this.

I loved this from the get go. Craig has a wonderful way with words and is a gifted storyteller. There are definitely fairytale elements but it is a darker kind of fairytale. Life is dark and bleak at times but there is an undercurrent of hope. The setting seems to be based on French villages and towns, not sure why, maybe due to the original fairytale, which I have yet to work out which it is based on.

This was an easy captivating read for me. I flew through the first 30% of the book. It did take a while to get to the main plot point in the sypnosis, about 40% of the way in, which is a long time. I didn’t mind as I liked learning about Hazel and her childhood but it is something to keep in mind. It never felt slow and was engaging the whole time.

I loved the world building. Craig always makes it almost realistic enough as if it is just a past time in history but with magical elements. This was the same as Small Favours. Hazel is a great character, well-written and with depth. She is a heroine that you strive to root for.

I did feel that the book did lose its momentum a bit when it reached the stages of Hazel being at the royal palace. I enjoyed the childhood part of the story more, probably because I really liked Merrick and found him an intriguing character but felt a bit shortchanged that he wasn’t in it that much. Her love story wasn’t insta-love which I appreciated and did build up over time into something believable. This part of the story also reminded me of Belladonna at times.

The ending was a bit rushed and ended quite abruptly and suddenly, it was the epilogue. There were parts of the story that could’ve been fleshed out more and others where I felt it lingered too long. Overall, it is a good book with beautiful writing. Craig is skilled at building the magic and mystery of her worlds, which is my favourite thing about her books. I preferred Small Favours and think that was a stronger.

I give this 4 stars.

This gothic fairy tale brings a young healer, the god-daughter of Death, into the Royal Court where finds herself faced with impossible choices and impossible feelings for the playboy prince. A rich story with bewitching characters, this one really took me by surprise - I wasn't prepared for the pull it would have on my heart or to be drawn so completely into Wren's world. I loved everything about it.

Okay, this book completely seduced and beguiled me. I could not put it down for the life of me.

To be honest, my entire review could be summed up by the sentence above. I adored this book. I went into not really knowing what to expect; I almost went into it blind. Which, is kind of a good thing as I didn't really have any expectations. But even if I had, they would have been completely blown out of the water. Because this book was pure gold.

Between this, Kingdom of the Wicked and Belladonna, I have come to the realisation that I really enjoy fantasy books with the personification of death/Hades-like figure. It's not necessarily something I would have thought I'd like. However, this book is unique and stands on it's own compared to the other two as Death is more of a father figure, than love interest. And I really enjoyed that alternative.

The plot follows Hazel, the thirteenth child of a "foolish hunter", who in desperation, is claimed by the god of death. It doesn't end there for Hazel, for she has, unknown to her, powers which will affect the path she's on. Chuck in a hunky prince, other gods and a kingdom of the precipice of ruin and you have a roaring good time!

I really enjoyed Hazel as the main character. She's been through a lot but has managed to stay resilient and almost, hopeful for her future. She hasn't rolled over and given up. She's incredibly likeable and endearing; my heart bled for her on almost every page. I just wanted her to have a happy life and a chance. I also really enjoyed the prince and our love interest, Leo. He reminds me a bit of Cardan; he's a playboy prince who, while has known heartbreak and hardship, has hidden any pain away from prying eyes. He also has a good amount of character development, my only qualm was that this was near the end. Leo and Hazel had really great chemistry and I loved that they had history and almost a lore.

This book had enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages as fast as you can! It's not a straightforward tale and will absolutely keep you guessing.

I really enjoyed this one, and would definitely recommend! I read the entire book in one day!

totally different fantasy book than I’ve ever read before, definitely would have shed a tear at the end if I hadn’t have been on a crowded plane 🥲

I loved every single moment of this book, it’s an absolutely beautiful read, the writing, the world building and characters, everything was just so perfect. The story is just so engrossing, I love any stories where Death is a character, whether it be Hades, the four horsemen, old Father Time , ever since I was little and first got introduced to Terry Pratchett by my brother and I loved Death the most. I am drawn in by the idea of the personification of Death and so I was desperate to read this and I was so captivated by Hazels journey, her growth and the dilemma she faces. This is an exceptional piece of writing and I can’t recommend this enough

I always love a Gothic story and I was really interested in this one from Erin Craig. I read her previous book, House of Salt and Sorrow, and really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to this.
I loved how the story was set up and we got to see Hazel grow up with Merrick and him teaching her how to heal others. It was nice to see those softer moments between them.
I also loved the relationship between Hazel and Leopold. I would have liked a little more of it, and perhaps earlier in the book too, but it was lovely nonetheless.

Erin A. Craig knows how to write dark gothic novels. The worldbuilding is so well detailed and atmospheric. The story is dark and gritty with many sad hard moments for the main character.

The story follows Hazel, a thirteenth child to a poor family who don't really want her but she is chosen by the death god who becomes her godfather, takes her away at 12 years old where she starts to learn to become a healer. While she studies Merrick gifts her with the ability to see exactly what a person needs to become well again and if she sees a skull instead of a cure they cannot be saved and Hazel must be the one to end their suffering. Its not an easy task and its one that Hazel really struggles with.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Merrick and Hazel. A god and a human and how they see things so very different but still have a family love for one another. Merrick comes across as a scary death god but I liked that we see softer moments from him when ever he was with Hazel.

The pacing is a little slower in the beginning as we see Hazels early life than I expected but I think it suited the story and really gives the reader a feel for Hazel's loneliness. I do wish there had been a little more time building up the romance between Hazel and Leopold, but I did really enjoy the moments they were together.

Overall I enjoyed this one, if you like your YA on the darker side this should be on your radar.

My many thanks to Rock the Boat and Black Crow PR for gifting me an e-arc and early finished copy of this.