Title: The Thirteenth Child

Author: Erin A Craig

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?

A thirteenth child, Hazel, is chosen to be goddaughter to The Dreaded End, the death God, and he gives her the gift of healing. This gift finds her at the court of the King who is very unwell. She also meets someone who wasn’t that nice to her before, Prince Leopold.

This author smashes it again! You can expect:

A dark fantasy,
With high stakes,
Some horrible Gods,
Accompanied by sinister goings on,
And a sweet romance,
With a storyline that will hook you!

Some highlights for me were Merrick, Phemie, the deathshead and the way Hazel was so good for Leopold!

I’d say the last 20% were a maelstrom of emotions – I was reading and flapping over pages with big wide eyes, couldn’t get enough!

That ending, although beautiful, nearly finished me off though!