August 15, 2024
"Godfather Death," a lesser-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale, gets a gothic update in Craig's latest stand-alone fantasy. Hazel Lafitte's birth doesn't feel like a gift to her parents, who already struggle to support their 12 other children. But to everyone else, a 13th child is a rare and intriguing thing, and Hazel is promised to the Dreaded End, the god of death, whom she will come to know as Merrick. Merrick plans for Hazel to become a gifted healer and bestows upon her the surname Tr�pas. For many lonely years, she studies medicine in isolation. She also learns that she's as cursed as she is gifted. Hazel sees many cures in visions, but sometimes she instead perceives a skull--or deathshead--that commands her to kill her patient. When the king falls ill with a mysterious plaguelike illness, Hazel is summoned to find a cure. As she grows close to the king's family, she questions her talents, sees deathsheads she can't accept, and encounters other gods who are pulling strings. There are glimmers of a fascinating world here, though shallow characterization lessens the impact of Hazel's dilemmas and decisions. The opening scene will appeal to fans of Margaret Owen'sLittle Thieves, and while readers expecting similar depth may be disappointed, the haunting atmosphere and worldbuilding details have wide appeal. Most characters read white; Merrick has "deep obsidian skin." An intriguingly conceptualized story that struggles to create a compelling cast of characters.(Fantasy. 12-18)
COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
September 1, 2024
Grades 8-12 Hazel is the last of 13 children, and as a baby, she was informally adopted by the Dreaded End--the god of Death, Merrick--who promises to collect her properly one day. By her twelfth birthday, she's almost given up, but that's when he finally appears, ferrying the girl to her new home, the Between. After a year of studying, Merrick gifts her with the supernatural power to see anyone's sickness and know the cure. She becomes a renowned village healer quickly, but some people simply can't be healed, and they must be shuffled into death by Hazel, as well. After not being able to save her first love, she gives up on companionship for good, but everything changes when the royal guard comes to ferry her to the palace to heal the king. With eerie atmosphere, this interesting take on the Grimm tale of Godfather Death follows a girl faced with a terrible question: Is letting a dangerous man live worth the love of a prince? A strong choice for fairy tale fans.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
September 13, 2024
Gr 9 Up-The rare yet rather extraneous 13th child of a poor huntsman and his wife begins defying expectations from the moment of her birth. When Hazel is claimed as the godchild of the god of death Merrick, the Dreaded End, the attachment imbues her with a gift-she can diagnose and heal nearly any ailment, with the caveat that she is also expected to end the suffering of those marked unsavable. The emotional weight of this charge is already becoming difficult for Hazel to process when she is sent to heal the king from a strange illness known as the Brilliance. A growing affection for the infuriating Prince Leopold pushes Hazel to question her entire destiny. Sparks fly as Hazel and Leopold's feelings blossom, and she must reckon with the conflict between her duty and her heart. Brooding and romantic in tone, this Grimm-inspired fairy tale has all the dark, Gothic vibes. The gods are surprising and ruthless; Hazel's sometimes brutal responsibilities contrast believably with her warm personality. The central romance suffers a bit from a late introduction, but readers who enjoy spending ample time within a world will be thrilled by the expansiveness. VERDICT A sweeping and atmospheric addition to the slate of YA retellings.-Allie Stevens
Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.