I thought it was amazing. Well written, intriguing, and entertaining. I finished the whole series and count it as a favorite.

The second book in the trilogy begins with a sense of hopelessness on part of the protagonist Hirka, and her love interest Rime. Their paths diverged and you get a front seat to the struggles they race while wondering if they will be able to ever be together again. The author shows you how political instability and disillusionment can have dangerous effects on a polity such as Ym. On the other side you see the human world through Hirka's eyes, the kindness of humanity as well as the evil. She struggles to tell friend from foe but realises that sometimes you can care about the enemy too. Ultimately she finds the root of the rot in her world but the solution would require great sacrifices on her part.

I'm fairly certain Siri Pettersen is a genius. Her writing absorbs me into the story, and this book was no different. I am someone who hates the long separations of characters because I am just a characters and relationship (friendship, romance, familial) focused reader. But I found I didn't have as much of an issue with that in this book because Siri's plotting and writing made the whole story flow so effortlessly but exciting. And, um, excuse me?? I did not see that coming?? Truly brilliant.

This is a beast of a book, full of lore and magic. Having not read the first book in this series, I did struggle a little to follow the story. There are a number of characters and jumps between worlds, so I would recommend reading book one first to make your reading experience easier.

This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Missed out on arc due to not downloading. I liked book 1 but this one fell flat for me, would recommend borrowing first and seeing how you like it before purchase

The Rot is an interesting read. The story written in such a way that it keeps you guessing form chapter to chapter. Suspenseful and well plotted out. Kept me guessing right up to the end.

Book 2 of Siri Pettersen's The Raven Rings cycle finds Hirka in modern-day America. As she learns to fit in among another group of strange people on her quest to find answers about who and what she is, Rime must deal with the political problems back in Elveroa. As their storylines unit once again, you'll find yourself questioning what you feel about every character and doubting your inferences until the very end.

Despite having much less time with Rime and Hirka, this book engaged me more than the first book did. The translation/writing style of this one felt much smoother, with more varied sentence structure making the immersion into the worlds more realistic for me. I thought the expansion from the small-scale conflict with Urd in book one naturally transitioned into the larger-scale conflict with some of the ancient beings we meet in book 2, promising a thrilling and satisfying conclusion for book 3.

I'm excited to read the finale of this series, and I hope it ends a little happier than books 1 and 2 have!

Obsessed doesn't even cover it! These books are dark and gritty and beautiful and I'm in love. I really connect with everything in here. The characters are well developed and I feel attached to them and their stories. I love the themes talked about in the book and love the way it makes me feel, almost, uncomfortable when certain topics come up. Siri has a way of being so honest about things that it makes you think about everything with an open mind and eyes even when what we see might not always be pretty. I hope this made sense, sometimes it's hard for me to explain my thoughts and feelings so that others understand. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This second instalment felt vastly improved in comparison to the first. I absolutely adored the Scandinavian mythology so if you’re like me I recommend trying the first one!.

The Rot is a sequel to Odin's Child, which are both volumes in The Raven Rings trilogy. Like Odin's Child, The Rot owes much to Norse mythology, but that has receded somewhat as Hirka, the main character in both volumes, was transported to our world, and more specifically, to London, at the end of the last book. Having been in London for half a year, learning the language and culture, Hirka is desperately lonely, living with her raven, Kuro, in the tower of a church. In a story full of conflict, the greatest conflict is between Hirka's father and her uncle, both unknown to her before this volume. Follow Hirka as she learns about her origin and her family, and comes up with a unique solution to her situation.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a galley copy of this novel. It is recommended for older teens and up, due to profanity and violence.

This was a confusing book for me. I struggled to keep to the storyline. I had a hard time with the names of the characters as well. This could be in part because I haven't read the first book in the series. I didn't realize it was a second book when I signed up to read it.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and give a free and unbiased review.

"He'd stood here before. With her. The wind had torn at her red hair, tangling it with his own white hair. He'd loved her. And hated her. And now he had to risk everything he had. Everything he was. For her."

3.5 ✨

It took me a little while to get through the second book in the series but one thing is certain: Siri Pettersen is a master of creating fantasy worlds! Always impressed by her ability to merge worlds together and create a realistic storyline. The Rot was full of twists, action, and violence.

Just found the story a bit problematic in a couple spots and was disappointed by all of Rime's poor decisions. Hope the last book in the series will be as good as the first!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC!

Hirka is now in the human world, she has to learn a new language, she also discovers all the human technology. However, she is not safe in this world and she will have to find new allies.
For his part, Rime must come to terms with the fact that he is now part of the council and must save his world and protect it from the evil people of the council.
I enjoyed this book as it made us see the human world through the eyes of an outsider. I thought Hirka had grown up a lot, I don't know yet if that's a good thing or not but I hope it is.
Rime also grew up, unfortunately I don't think he made the right choice and I'm not sure Hirka forgives him easily.
Anyway, this second volume was very interesting and I can't wait to read the final volume which is already in my TBR.
Quick Word: A second volume that takes us through worlds.

So many plot twists! At first, it was a little slow; I have been in a bit of a reading slump, but then the plot picked up and there were plenty of plot twists to keep me engaged.

I was worried about where the story would go after Odin's Child but it was sweat to see Hirka and Rime trying to get back to each other. I'm not sure how to feel about the lengths that Rime went to for her. I'm interested in really seeing how far the complex morally ambiguous characters are developed in the final book.

In this book, Hirka seems to start to realize that other characters won't always be there to save her from her impulsive decisions. I'm also wondering if Hirka will really examine her relationships with men because I feel like she might need some therapy to really unpack that. Also, without giving away spoilers, there was one character whose motivations I was very confused about but the book later wrapped that up nicely. I really appreciated that since that spiced things up a bit.

One thing I really appreciate: the language barrier. It resulted in some funny situations. I appreciate that it's more realistic in that Hirka had to actually learn a language when travelling to another world and there's no magic solution to the language barrier. It was also interesting to see her adjusting to the new world.

I am really excited for the next book in the trilogy!

Thank you NetGalley and Arctis for the opportunity to read the ARC!

This started out rather slow for the second book but by the end the author had a wonderful tale of love and loss between the characters that showed how good and evil can be influenced. I will be recommend this series.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This is book two in the Raven Rings trilogy. The events of this book take place almost directly after the events of book one. Hirka has traveled through the rings into present day Europe. The modern world is foreign and strange and completely different from anything Hirka has ever known. Here is where she thinks she will fit in because it is where she was meant to be. But after a devastating loss Hirka finds that thing in this new world are not as they appear.

I love, love, loved this! It took me a minute to adjust to the new setting after being completely immersed in Ym the first time around. But soon I was able to get past that and truly enjoy the story. Can't wait to see how this all ends!

I wil begin by thanking NetGalley and Arctis Books for the opportunity to read "The Rot".

After finishing this book, I'm happy to say my decision to dive deep into this series is set in stone! I LOVED what Siri Pettersen did in this second installment, and i'm eager to read more from her!

Back to the book...compared to "Odin's child", "The Rot" is very much a book about lost people...about <b>blind</b> people. We see Hirka in a new world, the human world, and get to experience with the a sense of permanent confusion, distrust and anger mixed with fear,as she tries to find a home.

The author learned a lot from the first novel, and managed to develop Hirka naturarely into a capable, still flawed young woman,that is a pleasure to follow. Unlike the first book, in which she's pulled along by the current, here, she dictates the flow.She felt compelling, beleivable, her confusion,fear and sorrow were ours, and most importantly, she felt real.

"The Rot", thankfully, got rid of the problematic stereotypes, and instead had only strong and memorable characters. We see just enough of everyone's motifs to side with or against them, we understand or reject reasons and pretty much judge the situation for ourselves.
I really enjoyed how Rime evolved into a desperate man, a young leader lost between duty and his heart. He was a sane man appearing insane to everyone else. His fire-like spirit and quick and angry approach to situations put him in a spot of isolation...a great job!; for it would be exactly what would happen to someone in his position with his problems.

As much as I complained about Urd from the first book, here Graal and Naiell take the cake!! ^_^
I did not know what to think about them 'till the last minute! Loved that for me! :)))
Stefan, Allegra and the forgotten were nicely done in my opinion, and highlighted a real situation that could play out if you're put up against someone like Graal and his charm.In addition, Stefan really caught my eye..mostly because i don't think his role was as clear cut as the author would have wanted it to be...but still...really interesting character.
On the opposite, Damayanti was kind of dissapointing me...she wasn't as cunning as I expected her to be, but in the same time still retained a lot of her connection to Graal...this is kind of funny in my opinion...she gave Rime the easy way in, but still lived....strange...maybe in book 3 we find out more.
I'm also sorry about Lindri's situation..hope it gets better, and for Svarteld...it's not fair! Rime better make amends for that one! >..<

As for the atmosphere,...it felt like a rainy day...my equivalent for confusion and loneliness. Hope someone out there agrees...-_-

When it comes to the plot, world building and magic system...all of them got developed and better explained! I cannot wait to see what Hirka will do about the blind, and how Rime will manage his position in the council...if at all...>..> I also have a feeling Graal has his own plans and the Ym is not safe from the deadborn.

Finally, the religious aspect of the story, along with the political one, were the only 2 that still leave me wanting for more information/explanation. I would really like a big flashback with the thousand year myth and how everything came to be this way. It would greatly benefit the series as a whole.
Don't get me wrong, this book does a splendid job of expanding on the building blocks of the first volume; it's way more complex in terms of plot, character motifs and personalities, objectives and world development.

Since last time I recommended this series to beginners and mythology fans.This time I will add thirst for a well developed fantasy world with young protagonists a level above many MCs out there.
You will get myths, truths, illusions about imortality and divinity and the sad and lonely life without an end, power and greed...overall..a nice mix for everyone! ^^

I cannot wait to continue this trilogy, and I hope "The Might" is even better! Hirka is such a compelling MC with lots of facets still to show us, as well as Rime.
Let the political games begin! muahahaha! ^_^

Took a moment to get into this book but once I did I really enjoyed it. It's a great sequel to the first book.

This is an enjoyable series to read. I look forward to where it goes next.

So I was completely wrong when it came to where this book was headed, in the best way possible. This series is nothing like anything I have read before, I love it. Book one is set in a kind of medieval fantasy world, and at the end of the first book, Odin's Child, I wasn't sure where things were headed. I assumed that we'd follow Hirka as she discovered her new world. But beyond that, I had no idea what was going to happen. I hoped we'd still follow Rime in Ym, but I still had no idea where things how things would unfold. I love that nothing in this series goes as expected.

This book picks up six months after the ending of the first book and Hirka is in a pretty dark place, emotionally. She is still learning the language and the customs in England while sleeping in the belltower of a church. She honestly picked up the language pretty fast in my opinion. She still struggles with some words and doesn't know the meaning of everything, but she can carry a conversation fairly easily. And it makes me wonder what the original text had her learning. This is translated work from Norway, so I'm just curious.

There are a lot of big reveals in this book, things that come to light, and thousand-year-old secrets and lies uncovered. Rime learning the truth about the Seer, the Ymling's God, and who he really was, and what he did. Hirka learning who she is, and what she was meant for, and where that leaves them and their future. It was so good.

I can't wait to read the third book