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Review – The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig
“I don’t wish for people to die. It’s just…death is a part of the journey, isn’t it? A balance. If you have a beginning — birth — you must have an ending – me.”
This retelling of Grimm’s Godfather Death is haunting in the best way.
Hazel, the thirteenth child in her negligent family, becomes the goddaughter of Death. She was so unloved and neglected, but such a wonderful character with so much depth.
Craig’s writing is incredible. The pacing felt just right, and every scene felt imperitive, at least by the ending. I couldn’t put it down and read this book in a day, nearly in one sitting. I felt some One Dark Window vibes reading it.
The first book I read by Erin A. Craig was Small Favors, and it’s stuck with me after almost three years. I expect The Thirteenth Child to do the same.
If you like YA fantasy, single POV, gothic dark fairytale retellings with morally gray characters, you may like this one.
“Because no matter how big and overwhelming the present felt, no matter how my heart ached or rallied or sank again, no matter how I tried to wish myself out of the moment I was in, I knew that was all it was. A moment. One tiny moment in a life destined to have far too many.”
from goodreads:
This is the story of Hazel, a young healer navigating a ruthless court to save the life of the king, grappling with a pantheon of gods with questionable agendas as she fights for agency and true love in her own life as the goddaughter of none other than Death himself.
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?
Review – Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
“But all Andrew could think was if he could crack open Thomas’s ribs right then and fit his whole self inside him, he would.”
― C.G. Drews, Don’t Let the Forest In
“Don’t Let the Forest In” by C.G. Drews is a stunning and haunting monster horror. It dives deep into issues of mental health, family trauma, and inner strength, following the story of Andrew battling inner and outer darkness. The writing is so immersive, you feel as if you’re standing in the otherworldly forest with the characters.
Drews vividly brings the characters to life. Andrew is complex and tragic, making you feel every struggle and every moment of doubt during his struggles. The relationships between Andrew and Thomas, and Andrew and his sister are raw and genuine, making you fully invested.
The writing style is beautiful and poetic. Each chapter pulls you deeper, blending reality with unreal elements in a way that feels both magical and terrifying. The story has a powerful message, reminding us the strength needed to conquer our fears, and how love and imagination can lead to healing. I highly recommend Don’t Let the Forest In for anyone who enjoys an deeply emotional, dark, and gripping story.
From Goodreads:
Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him.
Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.
High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.
But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.
Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…
