The Thirteenth Child made me cry. There. I said it. I found the gauntlet of emotions in this one: hope, dread, love, laughter, tears, and heartache. It was a beautiful dark fairytale following Hazel, the God daughter of the Dreaded End himself — the thirteenth child, unwanted by all but her Godfather but even then she waited birthday after birthday for him in a family that barely cared for her. When Merrick, her godfather, arrived he whisked her away and had her study medicine — which would be her calling, and a gift with a price. Hazel was destined to be able to see the cure for any disease, unless, she saw the Deathshead and their flame was to be snuffed instead. She carried out her duties, a burden and heartache so great that the ghosts followed her, but then it all changed when it was the King himself was destined to die.

A story of gods, love, choosing between what is destined and what is right. I fell in love with every page of this book. It was beautifully crafted and impossible to put down. I loved that Erin Craig didn’t shy away from the heavy parts of the story and instead dove straight in. There honestly aren’t enough words to say how much I truly loved Hazel and her endless compassion and honesty. So light a candle, bring the tissues (perhaps the salt, too) and let this story haunt you well into the late hours.

Thank you so much to Penguin Canada for the opportunity to read early.

There is nothing you can say that would convince me that there is a bigger Erin Craig fan on the planet than me. I LOVE HER WORK.

When I tell you I was excited for her new book, there are not words. I was SO EXCITED. What I think Erin Craig does so well, probably better than any other living writer, is her ability to create her claustrophobic atmospheres where her characters interact with the environment and each other. After I read the House of Salt and Sorrows for the first time, I thought about it every single day. I still do, years later. I love her work, and I think her ability is unmatched.

There are a few things I wish I had known before going into this book. Her other work is horror. This book was not, at least to me. The world here is also more expansive than anything she's done before. But as always, her characters are visceral and well-rounded, leaping off the page.

This is the story of Hazel, a thirteenth child. She is claimed by a god, the Living End, who provides a life for her that would have otherwise been impossible for her. As she grows, she becomes the person that she was always meant to be...an exceptionally talented healer. The king hears of her talent, and as he's suffering from an uncurable illness, he calls for her to cure him.

There is a lot more to this story, but I don't want to spoil it. Just know that Erin Craig has given us another masterpiece, one I am chomping at the bit to add to my shelves and reread over and over. In living with Hazel for a while, I learned something about myself, which is something I think only the best books can accomplish. I know this is a book I will be thinking about for a very long time. It's pure magic.

TW: Gore, abusive parents, death