Epeolatry Book Review: The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig
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Title: The Thirteenth Child
Author: Erin A. Craig
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: 24th September, 2024
Synopsis: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? The Thirteenth Child is a must-read for fans of dark fairy tales, romantasy, and epic fantasy alike.
Happy Birthday, Reader! Whether belated, early, or right on time, I know you will have a birthday this year. What does this year mark for you? Is this the year you’ll get your own car? Is this the year you move out on your own? Perhaps, this is the year your real life begins.
The Thirteen Child by Erin A. Craig is an epic fantasy novel that follows the life of Hazel. Born the thirteenth child to a poor family, she is promised to one of this world’s Gods, the Dreaded End. Playing to the notion of an actual godparent, Merrick, the comes for Hazel on her twelfth birthday. From here, Hazel will start her life in the service of her godfather as a healer.
Craig pulls no punches as Hazel is continuously presented with difficult choices. Having grown up in a loveless household, Hazel is not simply ignored, by mocked, especially by her mother. Every interaction between Hazel and her mother are truly heart wrenching. Even, at long last, when it seems that her mother is trying to reconcile, it’s merely another dig at her daughter.
While things seem to get better for Hazel after her departure from her parents, her role brings on new difficulties. As a healer, Merrick explains to Hazel is to end suffering, whether by healing or ending the life of the patient. Seeing Hazel come to terms with this is emotional and there are two truly gutting scenes that force her to distance herself from everyone.
Hazel’s relationships are another unique aspect of Craig’s novel. There are stretches where the reader feels alone with Hazel. While Hazel might be physically close to people most of the book, there are only a few instances where she is emotionally close to anyone. Even Merrick, meant to be the closest thing she has to a real parent, leaves her for long stretches of time, only to return to chastise her failing to do her duty as he sees it.
If there is any weak point in this novel, it would be Merrick. The mythology system seems to be expansive as characters speak about there being other gods besides those directly named. Merrick and another pair of gods, The Divided Ones, will make up most of the gods interacted with in the novel. After bestowing his gifts on Hazel, Merrick only seems to reappear anytime Hazel does something he doesn’t like. It becomes very predictable after a while that, anytime Hazel attempts something new, Merrick will be there to scold.
The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig is an emotional novel of love, lose, discovery, and salvation. Fans of fantasy featuring acolytes, magical diseases, rags to riches, and enemies to lovers will not be disappointed.
/5
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Joseph Pietris is a member of the United States Coast Guard by day and heavily involved in the horror community by night. His work has appeared in several anthologies. When not writing, he’s produced reviews and interviews preferring those works generally lost in the cracks. As an associate editor, Joseph has weeding through the submission piles of horror podcasts.
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