Genres: Dark Fantasy, YA Fantasy, Fantasy | Release Date: 26 September 2024 | Standalone | Pages: 494 | Publisher: Rock the Boat | Review
“Mortals weren’t meant to see this much.”
Erin A. Craig
Overview:
I won’t lie, The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig beckoned to me the minute I laid eyes on this spectacular cover. But after I read the blurb to this dark YA fantasy, with its alluring thread tying it to the Grimm Brother’s Godfather Death? I. Ate. This. Up. Honestly, I did! I abandoned any sense of prior bookish commitments and just immersed myself in this beauty. Clearly, I’m going to tell you it’s worth it! But before I do, I best give you an overview, am I right?
As the thirteenth child, Hazel Trépas has been promised to a god since birth. But Merrick, the Dreaded End, has ironically never been good with how fast time slips away. When he finally comes to collect his goddaughter? More than a decade has passed. But he has lofty plans of Hazel becoming a healer, as well as a gift to bestow, allowing her to immediately deduce a cure for her patients. But just as Hazel can tell what will cure someone, she can see when Death will collect a soul… And is tasked with ending their suffering. When the King is meant to die, Hazel’s faced with the biggest choice of her time. Can she end a life, when he could save thousands doomed to die in war? How will she keep her promise to his children, including the Crown Prince, Leopold? What happens if she defies Death?
Happiness Boost:
The Thirteenth Child wraps you in a dark cloak and whisks you away to a land of gods, dire choices and the ultimate question: what is life worth, to the Dreaded End? I’ve been enamoured by books before, as we all know by now. But this dark YA fantasy? It has smashed any barrier I kept around my heart regarding what death and life mean to me. We mark the passage of time by Hazel’s birthdays, from her lonely childhood to the dreaded choices she must make as the healer to the royal family as an adult. And by the time I got to the end of the book? My heart had been broken into tiny pieces on the floor, it’s that good.
I’m so ecstatic about the epic word-building within The Thirteenth Child, as well as the characters we meet along the way. Every single one has a purpose, and you can never quite tell where their loyalties lie. But, Leo? You, my confused young man, are an absolute *gift* in this tale. This prince is multifaceted, and it is Hazel who sees through his brash, carefree ways to the vulnerable man who wants to become a better person. Their relationship warmed me right down to the very essence of my being. Can you tell I’m a huge fan?!
Ah glitterbugs… What a treat Erin has given us readers! I’m completely enchanted by The Thirteenth Child, and need to dig out the other books I have here by Erin. Clearly I’ve been missing out on reading some phenomenal stories! This moody, gothic-like tale overwhelms the senses with a richness unlike any I’ve ever read before. And, if you take away nothing else from this review? Let it be the knowledge that you MUST buy this book. Yes I’m giving you an order. But trust me, you’ll thank me for it!
Downside:
This book, have a downside? I will hear absolutely no criticism of this epic tale of life, death and love.
Final Thoughts:
The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig is a dark YA fantasy featuring life, death and the devastating choices awaiting a kingdom in peril. This is the perfect standalone story! Honestly if you don’t pick this up for your TBR, you’re making the wrong choice. I promise you, you’ll love this! Am I getting a little incoherent in my excitement? Probably. But that’s just a sign of how good this fantasy is… So if you love what you’ve heard from my review? Just click on any of the links below to order yourself a copy! Happy reading, glitterbugs!
You can order a copy of The Thirteenth Child via these links:
