The Thirteenth Child

As the thirteenth child, Hazel Trépas is promised to one of the gods before she’s even born. But not just any god: Death himself. 

For years, Hazel waits for her godfather to come and collect her–to take her away from her neglectful parents who promised her to Death for the sole purpose of not having to take care of  her. When Death finally does come, he asks her to call him Merrick and lays out exactly what he has planned for her future. She will become a great healer known throughout the kingdom, and in order to make that happen, he bestows upon her a gift: the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick. 

But all gifts come with a price, and Hazel quickly learns hers. Some people are marked for death, and instead of trying to treat them, it’s her job to end their suffering. Permanently. Hazel is left haunted by the ghosts she’s killed, dreading the next patient marked for death. When destiny brings her to the royal court, that next patient she’s meant to kill just so happens to be the king. Hazel’s faced with her biggest dilemma yet: what happens if she goes against Death’s will? 

At the heart of the story, Craig has created a truly remarkable woman in Hazel: a strong, independent character who readers watch grow from childhood to adulthood, going along on a journey with her as she fights for agency at each stage of her life. The complexity of Hazel’s relationships are just the cherry on top of the cake (that Merrick bakes Hazel on all her birthdays): the difficult and heavy one she has with her parents and siblings; the profound and dysfunctional one she has with her godfather; the hopeful and doomed romance she has with Prince Leo; and even the complicated and beautiful one she has with herself. 

A dark and engaging standalone, filled with scheming gods, moral dilemmas, and sumptuous storytelling, this retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s “Godfather Death” is a gothic fantasy dream, with splashes of horror and romance all wrapped together in a fairytale ribbon.