A review by emilywemily6
The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig

dark hopeful mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

In general, I really liked this book. The dark fairytale/gothic vibes were there but not oppressive like other books, which fit my mood well. I liked Hazel as a character and found her backstory and relationship with the God of Death fascinating- such a cool premise for a story! I too had no idea how she was going to get out of the situation she was in for most of the book, though at a certain point the path ahead became obvious. This added to the tension of the story. I didn't really like the romance between Hazel and Leopold because it went from strangers antagonizing each other to true love really fast with only a couple interactions in between. I would have liked this book better if the romance was not included. I also got frustrated by Hazel's repeated poor choices (as in, making the same poor choice more than once), though as a teenager I guess that's understandable. Hazel's own internal struggle against ending lives that are destined to end (to put people out of their misery) was not one I connected to since she could ease their suffering and not try to prolong their life.
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