Odin’s child by Siri Pettersen

Book one in The Raven Rings trilogy

Publisher : Arctis

Publication date : March 23rd, 2021

Source : eArc from Netgalley

Rating : 4 hearts

Synopsis

An epic fantasy trilogy from Norway about thousand-year-old secrets, forbidden romance, and what happens to those who make a deal with the devil comes at last to the United States!

15-year-old Hirka has always been an outsider in the world of Ym: she’s the only person without a tail, and the only one unable to access the Might, a current of power that runs through the earth.

Her differences become more and more of a concern as the date approaches for the Rite—the ceremony where everyone is to be blessed by the all-knowing Seer and the Council of powerful families who rule in His name. With only a few weeks until the Rite, Hirka discovers the shocking secret behind why she is tailless and Mightless: she is not from this world. As an infant, she was brought through an ancient stone circle known as a Raven Ring, and as long as she’s in Ym, the passageway between worlds remains open inviting terrifying creatures called the blind to follow.

No one can know the truth of Hirka’s identity, especially
not Rime, her childhood friend who just might become something more. But is Rime is hiding secrets of his own?

The first in a trilogy, Odin’s Child is a thrilling modern fantasy epic. 

Review

This book tells us the story of Hirka, a young girl who is different because she has no tail, so she has always been a bit of an outcast. The twelve people of the council rule the world and protect the Blind people. At 15, Hirka is old enough to participate in the ritual ceremony, the problem is that she doesn’t feel the energy of the earth like everyone else. So she discovers that she is not from this world and that because of her the Blind are invading this world and killing people.

I like Hirka, she is reckless, not afraid of many things, she sometimes does as she pleases at the risk of being in danger. She has not had a simple life but she is happy all the same. She finds Rime, her childhood friend and her little crush even if she takes a long time to accept him. Hirka will know betrayal, fear, danger and she will discover who she really is.

Rime is an intelligent boy, he is the grandson of the Seer, he should have taken her place in the council but he preferred to become one of the assassins of the council. He will do everything to protect Hirka, he will sometimes arrive too late but he tries to do his best. He too will feel betrayed, he will discover things that deep down he already knew but the revelation will be a shock to him.

I liked the story very much, the fact that the council hides a lot of things from the people, including the fact that they are only protecting themselves. There are some people among the members of the council who are not really reliable.

And then there is Eirik, I really loved him, he is a good clan leader, he is understanding but he will not give up and will not give in to the council.

I also really liked the bond between Hirka and her raven. It is a very strong bond between them.

Siri Pettersen is a Norwegian author and the trilogy has already been released in full there. Volume two is coming out in October in the US, so there will be 2 volumes in one year. I love this idea.

Quick word: An exciting first volume and a story that promises to be full of twists and turns.

Chronique

Ce livre nous raconte l’histoire d’Hirka, une jeune fille différente parce qu’elle n’a pas de queue, elle a donc toujours été un peu mise à l’écart. Les douze personnes du conseil gouvernent le monde et protège le peuple des Aveugles. A 15 ans, Hirka est en âge de participer à la cérémonie rituelle, le problème c’est qu’elle ne ressent pas l’énergie de la terre comme tout le monde. Elle découvre donc qu’elle ne vient pas de ce monde et qu’à cause d’elle les Aveugles envahissent ce monde et tuent des gens.

J’aime bien Hirka, elle est téméraire, n’a pas peur de beaucoup de choses, elle n’en fait parfois qu’à sa tête au risque de se retrouver en danger. Elle n’a pas eu une vie simple mais elle est heureuse quand même. Elle retrouve Rime son ami d’enfance et son petit coup de cœur même si elle met du temps à l’accepter. Hirka va connaitre la trahison, la peur, le danger et elle va découvrir qui elle est.

Rime est un garçon intelligent, il est le petit fils de la Voyante, il aurait dû prendre sa place au conseil mais il a préféré devenir un des assassins du conseil. Il va tout faire pour protéger Hirka, il arrivera parfois trop tard mais il essaie de faire de son mieux. Lui aussi va se sentir trahi, il va découvrir des choses qu’au fond de lui il savait déjà mais la révélation lui fera un choc.

Jai beaucoup aimé l’histoire, le fait que le conseil cache beaucoup de chose au peuple, y compris qu’il ne fait que se protéger lui-même. Il y a des personnes parmi les membres du conseil qui ne sont pas vraiment fréquentables.

Et puis il y a Eirik, lui je l’ai vraiment adoré, c’est un bon chef de clan, il est compréhensif mais il ne lâchera rien et ne veut pas céder au conseil.

J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé le lien entre Hirka et son corbeau. C’est un lien très fort qui les unit.

Siri Pettersen est une auteure Norvégienne et la trilogie est déjà sortie au complet là-bas. Le tome deux sort en Octobre aux USA, ce qui fera donc 2 tomes dans une année. J’adore cette idée.

En bref : Un premier tome passionnant et une histoire qui nous promet pleins de rebondissements.

About the author

Siri was born in 1971, under the northern lights of Norway, with a severely overactive imagination. It survived countless attacks from the outside world, rendering her an expert escapist, frolicking in a wide range of media: Design, web, comics, illustration, animation and text. Anything for a good story. In 2002 she won a national comic contest with “Anticlimax”, the comic strip that made her “Newcomer of the year” in the Norwegian Sproing Awards. Siri has worked as an Art Director for many years, but she is now writing full time, devoted to her fantastical worlds.

Links

Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54303436-odin-s-child?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=GyI9uIKIyF&rank=1