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The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig

Young adult

The Thirteenth Child

YEARLY LOOK-BACK

Once a year, we break our own rules and share a book from earlier in the year that wowed us.

by Erin A. Craig

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Quick take

A gothic retelling of a girl whose godfather is death itself—and she is the only person who can defy him.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, 400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, Magical

    Magical

  • Illustrated icon, Underdog

    Underdog

  • Illustrated icon, Coming_of_age

    Coming of age

Synopsis

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?

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of The Thirteenth Child.

The Thirteenth Child

THE BIRTHDAY STORY

With a punch of sharp sulfur, the little match snapped to life, flame biting at its wooden stump, hungry for a wick to feed on.

My godfather’s voice rose out of the dark like a ghoul crawling from its crypt, all rustling leaves and the smoky taste of autumn.

“There once was a very foolish huntsman who lived at the heart of the Gravia Forest.”

The match’s flame was nearly at his fingertips, eager to singe his skin, the wooden stick all but spent, but he paid no mind.

“We don’t have to do this, you know,” I said, and offered him a long taper to light. It was amber in color, rich and golden and warm and lovely.

The candle cast dancing shadows across my cottage as the flame grew stronger, more resolute. I met Merrick’s eyes—a strange combination of silver and red irises surrounded by a void of pure black—and smiled. I could recite this story by heart, but I let him tell it. It was his favorite part of my birthday.

“Throughout his life, this very foolish huntsman made series after series of very foolish decisions, until at long last, on one particular night, he finally made one very clever choice.” With a swift snap of his elongated, knobby fingers, the match went out, and a curl of silvery smoke wafted into the rafters. “The huntsman, you see, though very poor and very foolish, had somehow found himself a very pretty, very young wife.”

“And we all know what happens when very poor men have very pretty wives,” I cut in, unable to help myself.

“They’re blessed with lots of pretty children,” Merrick intoned testily. “Are you telling this story or am I?”

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Why I love it

The end of the year is one of my favorite times at BOTM. It’s always satisfying to look back at the previous twelve months and think about all the books that we loved. One tradition I’m particularly fond of, though, is our “Yearly Look-Back,” when our team gets the chance to select a book we read and loved from earlier in the year and recommend it to members in December. This year, I am thrilled to share The Thirteenth Child.

Our story begins with a girl named Hazel, who has the bad luck of being the thirteenth child in her family. Before she is even born, her parents promise her to a god—and not just any god, but the god of Death. When Hazel’s mysterious godfather finally arrives in her life, he takes her under his wing and trains her as a healer with a special gift: she can discover the cure for any illness in an instant. But this new gift comes at a heavy cost, and as Hazel navigates growing up with unimaginable powers, she must make difficult choices that will either save the ones she loves or leave them for dead.

I read The Thirteenth Child many months ago, and I’m still thinking about Hazel’s story after all this time. Erin A. Craig has created a splendid world filled with magic, gods, and a little darkness. It’s the perfect book to end your year of reading, so light a candle (or twenty), crack open the cover, and venture out in the footsteps of Death…if you dare.

Member ratings (256)

December 2024
Homeseeking
Definitely Better Now
Beautiful Ugly
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year
The Thirteenth Child
December 2024
View all
Homeseeking
Definitely Better Now
Beautiful Ugly
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year
The Thirteenth Child