The Thirteenth Child

By: Erin A. Craig

Narrated by: Christine Lakin

Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Drawing on the Grimm Brothers’ dark fairytale, “Godfather Death,” this new novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows is a sweeping, fantastical saga of actions and consequences.

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 listeners 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-listen for fans of dark fairy tales, romantasy, and epic fantasy alike.

©2024 Erin A. Craig (P)2024 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"A haunting, deeply romantic tale of life and death, and one girl who walks the fragile cord between them. Steeped in folklore and rich in atmosphere, I was enchanted from the very first page.”—Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning

“Sumptuous, gothic, ornate—yet bracingly fresh and alive. Erin Craig writes fairy tales that feel both magical and real, marrying epic arcs with intimate, human stories, each making the other more potent and thrilling.”—Melissa Albert, NYT bestselling author of The Hazel Wood

"Craig delivers yet another enrapturing masterpiece. I loved every minute of it!"—Lauren Blackwood, NYT bestselling author of Within These Wicked Walls

Cute read

Not my favourite of Erin A. Craigs books. It was enjoyable, but didn’t quite capture my interest like her other books have. Still a cute read and the narrator does a great job.

A great story to in this case listen to... make sure to add this to your list you won't regret it.

A wish was nothing but a hopeful regreat... Erin does a beautiful job with the story of Hazel and her Godfather Merrick . We get to experience her life span and all the multiple great characters that are part of it especially Leo. This is a love story in more ways than one and we get to experience all the Rollercoaster of emotions along with Hazel. I can't wait for another story by Erin.

Love this story

Such a beautiful and lovely story. I enjoyed every moment of it. I definitely would recommend.

Luxuriating in itself, possibly to it’s detriment

I just finished this book, so I’m still processing it a bit. But, my first takeaway was that I spent the last 9 hours waiting for it to end and playing it on 1.2 speed to hurry it along.

The world is a delight. I have a lot of questions still about its mysterious gods, their gifts… about the ways they understand mortals and have their own “human” qualities.

Unfortunately for the author, none of my interest stayed with the primary character or her meandering plot.

It felt like there were four or five instances where *something* interesting was developing and then suddenly it was no longer the focus and we moved along to the next thing. I just kept waiting for the point of it all to become clear and when it focused in on a royal family and plots for destruction and revenge I will admit I was extremely disappointed.

The real kick in the pants was the abrupt ending and the epilogue which endeavor to wrap the meandering mess up in a too tight bow that doesn’t satisfy the time invested at all.

Favorite Author

Book does not disappoint. I love this author. I wish I had more books to listen to!