My favourite time of year is when I get a new Erin A. Craig title in my hands. They always have a hint of mystery and a mild thrum of fear goes through me when I pick one up. In this case, I’d been eagerly waiting for what would be beyond the title page of The Thirteenth Child and I was not disappointed. The story that followed was of love and loss, what truly makes a family, and what marks us all as humans. There’s a bit of romance of course, but I love the exploration of family dynamics as well. Rather than del Toro, or Shyamalan, this story gave me darker Studio Ghibli vibes—if those vibes bit a little harder and drew blood.
Hazel Trepas has never been like her siblings. As the thirteenth child born to her family and promised to one of the gods, she has been waiting her entire life to be whisked away by Merrick, the God of death. When Merrick finally arrives, he tells Hazel of his grand plans for her life as one of the most celebrated healers. To do this, Merrick has blessed her with the ability to see the ailments of the sick. Unfortunately, she also sees those that Death is claiming and must end their suffering. She’s haunted by those she’s taken, and when she is placed in the royal court to heal a dying king. She knows what she must do, but her heart is urging her to defy Death itself, which may have devastating consequences.
This is such an incredible story from beginning to end. Hazel hasn’t had the luckiest of lives, and what’s more, she’s so desperate to be acknowledged and loved. As a thirteenth child, she’s been promised to a higher purpose, that she’s unable to fulfil until Merrick arrives. Waiting for her Godfather has been full of pain, and loneliness. When Merrick finally comes for Hazel, her relationship with him only gets more complicated as she’s working on becoming a healer. Complicated doesn’t even begin to define how I felt about Hazel. It took me quite a while to figure out why I was frustrated at first, and when I finally figured it out, some of the themes of this book became more defined.
What I loved most about this book was the thorough exploration of what it might mean to be human. Merrick isn’t the only God that Hazel interacts with, which I won’t go into too much detail because of spoilers, but despite all of the unfortunate circumstances that have happened to Hazel, they have not stripped her of her ability to be compassionate, to fall in love. Even when that compassion has her seeing ghosts of those she’s killed rather than let suffer. Even when her actions have serious consequences to the delicate balance of the world she lives in. Hazel is the epitome of the phrase “to err is human”.
Although there is romance within this book, that’s not quite what I focused on this time. This time, it was the love between a father and daughter. Merrick and Hazel has a tenuous relationship at the beginning because of the mystery surrounding the events of her birth. However, Merrick is a surprisingly warm god toward Hazel and loves her as his own child, despite lacking some of the “human-ness” that would help him understand her better. The one thing that he shares with Hazel is the longing for companionship. There’s so much more I want to say about him but that gets into spoilers, but I did love Merrick a lot, even if he had trouble figuring out the idea of an apology.
There is a larger story surrounding Hazel, and as she navigates it all, I loved the way that small actions have larger consequences. Craig created such an incredible world and the ending was perfect for the book in my opinion, and made me want to wrap myself up in a blanket and tell this story to someone else. This story melds into something beautiful that you almost forget you’re in a fairytale. Each world that Craig crafts is based on a fairytale, but has taken a life of its own and become something more. I have two copies of this book because I loved it so much, and I hope you pick up your own as well.
The Thirteenth Child is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
This is the story of Hazel, a young healer navigating a ruthless court to save the life of the king, grappling with a pantheon of gods with questionable agendas as she fights for agency and true love in her own life as the goddaughter of none other than Death himself.
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?
