This was a super interesting young adult read! I loved the dynamics of Hirka navigating through her journey, and I found her to be a super well written young adult character.

The setting was incredible and the mythology of the world was developed super tightly.

Overall, my one criticism is that the pacing is a little slow and the book is very backloaded, but I did enjoy this one! looking forward to getting to the next

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Can't wait till volumes 2 and 3 are translated! I feel in love with this compelling, fast-paced tale. Hirka is fantastic, as are the other characters. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I will begin by thanking netgalley for the opportunity to read "Odins Child"

Norse mythology books will always be a big hit for me so knew I would enjoy this going in and was not one bit disappointed. Really well written with great world building. Cam not wait for this story to continue

this interesting yet heartbreaking story had me going in circles with my emotions! the worldbuilding was great, and i loved the adventure we went on!I'm sure some things were lost in the translation, but overall this was a fun read!

The first book of the Raven Rings serie. The story is kind of mainstream, a young girls who finds out she is different from the rest, because of this she is afraid to fail a test everybody has to go through and she has to leave the people she loves, because she might hurt them. But this story is told with so much detail and written so well, that it is still unique in a way. The book is quite thick, so it took me a while to finish, but I enjoyed every moment.

Very cool, and very well written. Can't wait to read others in the series, and by this author. Would tell my friends and family to look out for this book and this author.

Odins Child synopsis sucked me in straight away. I love Norse Myth! I was excited to dive straight in.

This story tells the tale of Hirka, who unlike anyone else, has no tail. When she turns 15, she is considered a woman and has to go through a ritual but because she is different, can she complete the ceremony like everyone else?

The story begins off from there. This is a steady story with takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. This is YA but it doesn't have a too predictable plot as well as taking you on this fantastic journey.

I didnt expect much from as I did and this is quite a surprise. I would definitely recommend to any YA fan

This. Book. Is. Phenomenal! Uuugh Everything about it was perfect. The storyline, the pacing, the characters. I wish I could read it again for the first time.
Hirka is the heroine I wish I had had when I was growing up

Although it had a slow start, I really liked this book. I really liked Hirka's journey as she grows into an adult and tries to find herself. I'm looking forward to reading the other two books.

Interesting book based on Norse mythology but with a twist. The monster in this tale is actually a human girl thrust into a world of ymlings wh9 are like humans but have a tail. They also wield the “might” which is like a magic system that lets them have powers.
So our female lead, Hirka, is the only one without a tail, so she's pretty much an outsider, wherever her father takes her. She used to have a tail, but the wolves ripped it off when she was little. At least, that's the story she believes.

I was gripped by the story of 'Hirka the Tailless' and her world. A splendid fantasy novel told with verve and considerable depth.

I want to begin by thanking NetGalley and Arctis Books for the opportunity to read "Odin's Child".

I did really enjoy the novel but found the stereotypical characters a bit annoying. I was really hoping for something more unique. Sometimes the characters seemed to have flaws in their characteristic background. They seemed to handle some situations well but when the main character had someone learn her true identity...she behaved as more a child than she had before.

I also really wanted more descriptive detail!! What about the tail?! We don't know why she doesn't have one. How long are the tails? The color? I felt the overall story was planned well but some plot points were just not executed well enough.

I do look forward to the second book and I hope the author has figured out how to improve from this one <3

I wil begin by thanking NetGalley and Arctis Books for the opportunity to read "Odin's Child".

This was my first time reading from a Norwegian writer! The book's description really got my attention, and I was more than enthusiastic to dive into a world based on Norse mythology.

In this first installment, we follow Hirka, a fifteen year old, born without a tail in a world where people are ruled by superstition, position in society and blind faith in a thousand-year-old legend. We get to see her coming-of-age story, along with the political intrigue reflected in Rime, her friend, who 's a complete contrast for her.

I must say I enjoyed my time reading this novel, and I very much look forward to the next one. However, I do have negative things I want to mention.
First, I felt some characters were there just to represent a stereotype(Urd,Thorrald and Hlosnian for example)...they fulfill a specific role and after that we move on to the next plot point until it's time for them again, OR we have a really by-the-book arc for them (I was very much dissapointed with the wasted potential when it came to Urd's story...why he was so repulsive to the council? I don't think the minor explanation with Ramoja was enough. Why have him be so blind in his arrogance and so quick to act? I certainly would have loved a more complex antagonist.)

The next issue I have is with the main character herself. Hirka is trained by her father to be a healer...and in this regard she is a perfect example(calm and logical when faced with injuries/patients), but also a naive girl when dealing with people in general. I get that she was raised to fear crounds, but her repetitive cycle of people finding out what she is and her response to that read more like a twelve year old than a fifteen one. So I guess my complain was inconsistancy with her characterisation.

Another thing was Ilume's use (she is Rime's grandmother). We have a build-up to this image of her and the council as keepers of tradition and a set of universal truths, immobile and blind to an outside perspective, just to amount pretty much to nothing. I found the climax scene nicely done and I was glad Rime got to do that alonside Hirka and the others, but in the same time... not getting any repercussions or expected reaction from these people felt ideal.

Lastly, I would have liked to see the religious aspect of this world in more detail. As we have a legend that basically dictates Hirka's life, I would have appreciated some time in a different perspective.

I also have positive things to say for this novel: the writing style is easy o read and balanced in description and dialog; we get a pretty detailed map with all the places and their unique characteristics (Mannfalla was both majestic and common as any other capital, Ravnhov was distinctive as it's people...my favorite place in this book, Blindbol was the unknown and Elveroa was the home we compare with everything else we see).
The religious aspect of the book was the most developed in my opinion, alongside the historical one. We had constant inclusion of belief in everyday life, both for those under the Seer's protection and those rejecting Him.
The magic system is a soft one, but well contained, to the point it felt as a rarity..and the Rite itself was a pleasant surprise!(I really hope the next book confirms what Ilume said about the purpose of the Rite).

We also have a slow burn romance in here..which is just right given the age of the people involved and the obstacles. Hirka is very much infatuated without knowing in the beginning, and gets to realise what is the dept of her feelings, while also experiencing fear, contradictory emotions and the weight of what is right in regards to the love interest. The final desicion was the correct one and I will defend it all the way through!

Finally, as a wish list, I hope to see more political stuff in the next installment, alongside the impact regarding faith and other unfinished threats brought to a conclusion, as well as an expantion of the world and it's magic. Cannot wait to see who is Hirka really and what are the Blind!

I recommend this book for beginners in fantasy, and for those wanting to read a Norse inspired story with a main protagonist that is very much an ordinary person.

Enjoy

I have a tremendous amount of admiration for translators and polyglots. It is an amazing skill and talent to have dedicated your life to learning the words and culture of others. RESPECT! Knowing nothing about the publishing industry (except that it produces beautiful, magical tomes of wonder), I often wonder how much of a translated book are the words of the Author and how much is the Translator. Do they transcribe word-for-word, or is it more of a translate-the-message-and-general-gist?

I am not sure if this is a book that suffers from being badly translated or if it is poorly written. I want to imagine the original to be more lyrical and poetic, like the ancient epic norse saga The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes. That could explain the bloated story line, repetitive comments and conversations, and a damsel-in-distress who is as dull as a box of hair.

I feel like I've read this before. Apart from the medieval Norse fantasy world that you have to navigate yourself, it didn't feel very original. It has all the usual YA fantasy cliches, a menacing Scooby-Doo villain and the ability to travel across country multiple times, make friends, and establish a reputation as a reputable healer within a time frame that rivals Series 8 of Game of Thrones in it's absurdity. This book didn't work for me. Needed more ravens.

Thank you to Netgalley and Arctis Books for the ARC.

I received a free advance readers' copy and am leaving this review voluntarily...

Odin's Child is a Norwegian book translated into English. It's actually the first book in a trilogy known as Raven Rings. Hirka lives in a realm known as Ym, where the people have tails. However, she was born without one. She' always assumed she was mauled and that's how she lost her tail. However, just around her fifteenth birthday, when she was due to take part in the Rite, a ritual which all ymlings at her age must do, she finds out an awful truth. She never had a tail and is actually Odin's child, a creature which ymlings fear and despise because they bring the "rot". She must do the Rite but she also has another secret which would be revealed if she does the ritual.

The characters in this book were created well. Hirka and Rime, her best friend, were instantly likable. I rooted for them throughout the story. I also enjoyed the pacing of the story. It moved quickly without dragging on as some books tend to do sometimes.

I love books about mythology and I liked the fact that the author incorporated ravens into the story especially considering how important they are to Odin. I would love to see if the author explains the significance of them to the Ymlings later on in this trilogy.

I would definitely read more of this trilogy and cannot wait for the rest to be translated.

Due to some adult content, this book should be read by adults. There is some attempted sexual assault within this book which may be a trigger for some readers

I read an English translation of this book.

Things I liked:
- female protagonist, who finds her own power along the way
- fantasy setting
- fish out of water story

Things I didn't like so much:
- Lack of describing a tail (everyone but Hirka has one). How long is it? Which color? Is it skinny like a cat? Or more like a giraffe?
- Pacing - there was so much repeating about inner thoughts, summarizing stuff we just read.
- World building - some elements of the world were very well outlined, but I missed a lot of details about Odin and what an Odin's child would be. The book is called "Odin's Child" - so you figure at least you will know what that would be.
- Length - could have been 25% shorter and still pack all the action.
- Fantasy world very similar to the middle ages except for the magic stuff.
- Traditional gender roles, while there are a few outstanding female characters, the fantasy world is very binary and patriarchal. In a world where people have long tails - why not having non-binary people and people in same sex relationships?

I was invested enough to keep reading, and would read the translations to book 2 and 3.

im a fan of YA fantasy

This is a YA fantasy story based on Norse Mythology. It was written by a Norwegian author, talk about being in the origin

That being said, I definitely recommend this book if you are able to get it.

It tells the story of Hirka who is very different from everyone else around her (that being the very common plot of every movie, series or book) - that's because she has no tail (thats new cause its in that world)

When Hirka turns 15 (yup YA alright), she is considered a grown woman who has to go through a certain ritual; the only problem is that because Hirka is different, (touché)

she's not sure she can complete that ritual like everyone else. The story takes off from there and becomes a long journey for both Hirka and her best friend Rime. (i like her)

I really liked this novel because it became kind of nostalgic to me. It reminded me of when I was younger and enjoyed reading a fantasy novel now and again. Furthermore, this is a solid story that is not really predictable and that takes you on quite a fantastic journey. I didn't expect much from it, but I was definitely happy about it and enjoyed reading it from beginning to end.

•Character development- 4☆
• Story Plot- 3.5☆
• Side characters- 4.5☆
• Flow of the story- 4☆
• Overall - 4☆

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of mythology and folklore, but it usually runs to Egyptian. Lately I've been reading more on Norse history, so I was excited to see this.

Unfortunately, it wasn't great. I'm not sure if the translation made it harder to read or not, but it was choppy. I will probably still give the next book a try though. Sometimes the first one isn't always the best, but it gets better after that.

**FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PUBLISHERS!! PUT THE DAMN GLOSSARY AT THE FRONT OF THE BOOK!! USE CONTENT WARNINGS!**

I want to say thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC! If Goodreads had partial ratings, I'd give this book a 3.5 stars.

This book was what I thought it'd be, but not at the same time. I enjoyed the concept and the typical outsider trope. I appreciated the journey Hirka went on. I really enjoyed Eirik's character. He was hilarious. Until I found out his son was Hirka's age, I totally shipped Hirik (Eirka?).

There were a few mentions of rape; one being past tense, and one as it's happening. I really wish there were content warnings about this kind of stuff.

There were a few points that made me not love the book entirely.
1) The magic system was never explained. "Might" was capitalized every time but it never specified it was the magic flowing throughout the land. I spent a large portion of the book confused by the Might and binding.
2) The entire book went on a rollercoaster of interesting highs and insanely slow lows. I wasn't slightly interested in continuing to read until 30% in when Eirik is introduced. I found myself wanting to know more about his situation. But then Hirka leaves, and then I found myself not caring again until the Rite at 50%. I thought, "yes! the point of the book!" And then the rollercoaster went downhill again, and I didn't care again until 80%. It was frustrating to go through points where I could have stopped reading and not been bothered about it.
3) The ending was super rushed. The entire scene at Bromfjell happened so quickly I had to reread parts multiple times to gather what was happening. It wasn't the ending I was expecting, but more description I think would have made it easier to take in. I felt like the Mr. Krabs meme.

I wasn't truly invested in the whole book, but I'm curious enough about the new land that I might give book two a shot when it releases. It's not a bad book, but I personally prefer more world-building with explanations and detailed descriptions of action scenes. Not to mention Hirka realized something very world-changing and we got no more than a sentence about it.

Eirik is still supreme. Erik > Rime.