“They call her the tailless girl. Wolfgirl. I’ve heard Ravengirl, too.”

Odin's Child came out originally in Norway by a Norwegian author in 2013, but is finally releasing in English March 23, 2021! It is the first in a trilogy named The Raven Rings, and it is a fantastic beginning to what promises to be an epic fantasy based on Norse Mythology.

I devour mythology of all kinds, and Norse mythology is no exception. Odin's Child is a reimagining of the Norse mythology realms and what it means to be different. It is the kind of story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, biting your lip as you lean into the moment with the characters. It sucks you in and before you know it, you very nearly forget you're not part of it. This is the kind of sweeping fantasy that fills the mind with color and emotion and action, and I am absolutely invested in it for the next two book translations.

In a realm known as Ym, Hrika is a fifteen year old girl on the precipice of womanhood. In a few months, she has only to pass the coming of age ritual known as the Rite, to demonstrate her ability with the Might. But as that day appears, her father reveals a secret that shatters her very understanding of herself and the world she lives in.

Hrika isn't just a girl whose tail was lost in a childhood accident. She is Hrika the Tailless, an Odin's Child, a creature of myth and horror. Despised and feared, the closer the Rite approaches, the deeper the danger to her life. Especially when her best friend (and sometimes opponent) is the heir to a seat on the Council and one of the most powerful in the Might they've seen in generations. After all, a tailless girl is an acceptable friend for a boy, but not the kind of company an heir keeps. An heir with his own secrets to a council whose secrets are deepest of all.

Hrika is a wholly believable and likeable main character whose thoughts and actions don’t follow today’s YA protagonist angst. I very much think I would have befriended her had I been a Ymling. The raven lore is fascinating for it is symbiotic and sacred in Odin’s Child, especially when you consider how frequently the raven plays in many mythologies, not just Norse. It also calls into question how exactly Odin got his two ravens which is a question I would very much enjoy seeing answered in the coming books. Rime is another character that you can’t help but root for, even if his motivations and actions are far murkier.

“Imagine lacking something that everyone else has. Something that proves you belong to this world. Something so vital, that without it, you are nothing. A plague. A myth. A human.”

Just how far will Hrika go to survive and how will it change not only her, but also the only world she has ever known?

I will caution that while it is labeled Young Adult fantasy, I would probably place this more on the new adult/ adult side of things. The protagonist, Hrika, and Rime are young, but the author does not hold back on descriptions of gore and death. There is violence, xenophobia, blind religion, and sexual aggression as well.

This book was everything I ever needed, but didn't realise it could be. Myth, legend, reality, heartaches of all kinds, it has everything.

Such a richly-composed world, reminiscent of the kingdoms and relationships with Lord of the rings, the tale weaves a tapestry between kingdoms, types of being, reality and magic.

It also doesn't shy away from the light and dark within a person, really showing the reader how both are necessary, but that morality must win everytime.

There's a sweet undercurrent of love that grows throughout the story, that grounds the reader in emotion that they can relate to.

All in all, a wonderful tale about being different, and really knowing who you are as a person.

Odin's Child is a delightful start to a fantasy trilogy. Hirka was a compelling character, and I enjoyed the slow build and the gradual, well-planned world building, which let the reader to discover new information as needed without info dumping. The translated prose flowed nicely and allowed me to make swift progress, finishing just over 600 pages in about six hours of reading time. The plot was gripping and I turned the last page of this first book eager to find out what would happen next, so I hope there will not be a long wait for Book Two. I found the romance between Hirka and Rime a little forced at times, but I am willing to wait and see how it further develops in the later books. And for once it was nice to see the antagonist presented with enough depth that we get some inkling of what he is thinking and why, rather than just moustache-twirling evil. All up, a solid and enjoyable read for fans of fantasy with a folklore bent, and I would certainly be keen to read on in the series.

I think advertisers and reviewers are doing the book a disservice by saying it’s based on Norse mythology. It might be loosely inspired by it, but if you come in expecting something predictable or formulaic or even something like a retelling, you are dead wrong. There were moments where I felt like I was getting literary whiplash because I could not see what was coming. I am furious I’m going to have to wait for the translation of book 2.

The story is a work of high fantasy with in-depth world-building and a unique premise. I'll be honest, the first 1/4 of the book is slow. Don’t let that deter you. It picks up and then doesn't slow down. I would’ve liked to get into the action a little faster, but I still enjoyed the beginning because it laid the groundwork marvelously not just for the rest of the book, but for the whole series.

One of the most detailed and fascinating parts of the book was the depiction of their religion. We got to learn about the holy symbols, death rites, what they consider blasphemy and many other things. We also saw how it influenced their government, social classes, and other aspects of day to day life. It stood out not just for its originality but because that level of detail is so often lacking in YA fantasy.

The three narrators were each memorable and distinct. Often in books with multiple perspectives, there's usually one I don't enjoy as much. I was engaged with each of the three plots though and liked seeing how these characters' fates came together. Urd especially was a great character. He was twisted, manipulative, and wicked smart: the kind of character I love to hate. Even while rooting against him I couldn’t wait to see what he did next.

This is a small thing, but the book had chapter titles, which have fallen out of favor in recent years (for reasons unknown to me). I was glad to see them.

All in all, this book was a lot of fun and I am furious I’m going to have to wait for the translation of book 2. I would recommend this book to: high fantasy lovers, people who like action and world-building without a lot of romance, and anyone with an interest in global literature. Happy reading!

P. S. If you’re not squeamish, check out the original cover.

One of the best fantasy novels i've read in years. Why did this take so long to be translated? I can't wait for the next installments.

This book is one I’d been interested in reading for some time, but it had yet to be translated into English until recently from its original Norwegian; it was certainly worth the wait!
Odin’s Child is chock full of Norse Mythology and just enough Romance to make things interesting. I loved the extensive world building and intricate detail, and never found myself bored for a moment. This one is an easy 4 ⭐️!

Odin's Child

If you're looking for a slow burn type of fantasy book, then you'll enjoy Odin's Child. Pettersen takes their time weaving an intricate story about Hirka, Rime, and and Council. In a world of tailed beings, Hirka is born tailless, which only a child of Odin can be this way. As the tailless can bring rot to this world, they are killed upon discovery.

Unfortunately, this is as far as I made it into the book. While the story is interesting enough to make a reader want to keep going, the drawn out scenes made me feel like I would never get to the point of the story.

Odin's Child will enthrall the patient reader who loves a slow build. I'm not that kind of reader, so this book was not for me.

The beginning is perhaps a bit slow and some things are understood in retrospect, but the more it goes on the more intriguing this story becomes, because of a protagonist who is absolutely not predictable and characters whose true nature is revealed to the reader in a measured but compelling pace. A fascinating, well-described world that incorporates well the quotations from major works of the same genre and pays worthy homage to the Nordic myths, and a writing style that makes you want to know what will happen in the following episodes.

I absolutely loved this book. The translation seemed to be done wonderfully. I felt like this story had me hooked pretty quickly and then I couldn’t put it down. I am remaining hopeful that the rest of the series will give answers and be just as great as the first.

I enjoyed reading this book. I found I couldn’t put it down and read from start to finish in one sitting. Thank you.

Odin's Child begins with one of the best opening chapters I've read in a fictional piece in quite some time, reminiscent of Sabaa Tahir's "An Ember in the Ashes Series". The reader is instantly thrown into the action and the fantasy world, as Thorrald finds an abandoned child and must make a decision to let her live or end her life. The reader is then transported 14 years later with Hirka, the young girl from the prologue, alive and well, living amongst a people from whom she is different -- tailless. As the Rite approaches, a sort of coming-of-age ritual to measure a child's ability to bind the Might (magic), Hirka becomes more and more nervous about her inability to do anything with the Might! With the help of her friend, Rime, she's hoping she can pass by the watchful eye of the Seer and pass the Rite to live a normal life with her friends and father. But obviously that can't happen! Follow Hirka along on her epic quest to navigate fitting into a world where she doesn't belong.

The best way I can describe this book is "sprawling". It's been a long time since I've read a fantasy novel that truly transports me to a different world so completely. It did take me a little while to feel comfortable with how everything worked since the author chooses to envelop the reader into the world rather than rely on explicit descriptions and explanations of how things work. It took me awhile to read the first 50% because of this, but it wasn't painful, just a remarkably different YA experience. The one thing that I didn't love was the foreshadowing with Urd's character and some of the other details about minor characters. It felt unnecessary to leave some of that information unknown, and made some of the scenes with these characters a bit confusing for me.

I loved the character development of Hirka, Rime, Eirik, and even some of the "villains" in this book. I'm antsy to read books 2 & 3 at the end of this year and next year! If you are a patient reader who is looking for a unique story and an immersive experience, you'll want to read this one.

I absolutely love this book! If you are like me, you probably have a fascination for mythology of the Greek or Norse variety! I strongly recommend this book to people who love Norse Mythology! I am so excited to read more by the author!

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.

I was intrigued by this cover originally, but I honestly had no expectations going in, but Odin's child really delivered! I have never read a translated version of a story before so this was really interesting - and Norse Mythology? Yeah, honestly the only Norse mythology I really knew going in was what my husband tells me about the video games he plays (yeah, sad I know).

ANYWAY, Odin's child follows Hirka, an outsider in her world - something that makes her relatable and I really enjoyed reading about a character I can relate to. It was interesting following Hirka on her coming of age journey and what is expected of her regarding rituals in her community.

This is the first in a trilogy and I'm excited to see what's coming next in the trilogy. Full of beautiful characters, and leaning on the mature side for YA this is a must read,

This book was a really fun and enjoyable read. The characters were relatable and had great depth. I definitely recommend it and will be ordering copies for my library.

This book was received as an ARC from Arctis Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Being a huge fan of mythology with both Greek and Norse, I was excited to hear about Odin's Child. I was expecting a heart racing story and I got it and more. Imagine being Hirka and thinking that you live this life and finding out you were meant for another life and you are being hunted and you don't know why? I admire her courage and her determination of breaking through and the story got even more exciting. This book is a pure reflection on why I enjoy all of the mythology. Full of adventure, drama, conflict and inspiration. I can't wait to put this as a future contender for our book club.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This book definitely includes Norse mythology and politics. If these are topics that interest you then you should definitely read this book.

I just reviewed Odin's Child by Siri Pettersen. #OdinsChild #NetGalley

I've always been fascinated with Norse Mythology and more so as of late. This book scratched an itch I didn't know I had. Perfect for fans of The Gospel of Loki or Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology. This is a wonderful fictional account of Odin's Son.

The beginning captivated me, but it soon became dragging. It starts of with a slow pace but it slowly begins to pick up. Sometimes the switch of characters was a bit jarring, but other than that it was a good story with a good plot. I would recommend to read this if you enjoy anything having to do with mythology.

This book had a lot of really amazing elements. The one I want to focus on the most is the incredible world-building that occurs using traditional Norse mythology. The ability to create an absorbing world using such ancient practices was the most entertaining part of this epic.