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!

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 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 cannot get over how obsessed I am with this series. AND THE WHIPLASH. I need book three.

Now an actual review.

I loved the integration of our modern world into the magic and laws of Ym. Seeing our world through Hirka's eyes really drives home how much we waste and misuse on our planet, in terms of resources as well as the chemicals we pollute everything with. There's a lot of great discourse throughout the book regarding Earth's degradation the more "modernized" we become as a people.

As far as characters, everyone from book one really gets even more fleshed out in this, and those new characters introduced add a lot of information to the history and worldbuilding that answers a lot of questions from book one. The plot twists throughout this were so well-delivered and definitely felt like the information had been left as a breadcrumb trail throughout book one. Nothing comes out of the blue because if you pay attention, it makes sense what's being revealed.

I'm really intrigued for how the story continues (and concludes). I'm enjoying that, just like the first book, nothing is clear cut and simple and the characters have to make tough choices.

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

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.

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!.

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.

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

This series has surprised me once again by not going in the direction that I thought it would and I LOVE IT. While the Raven Rings series might initially sound like it would be standard young adult fare, it is anything but. This review will contain spoilers for The Rot, but also the previous book in the series, Odin’s Child, so proceed with caution! 

The book starts off with Hirka adjusting to her strange new life in England. You may recall that at the end of Odin’s Child she travelled through a Raven Ring to her homeworld so the Blind would no longer be able to invade Ym. Hirka has learned some English and has been living in a church thanks to the charity of a priest, helping out with day to day tasks. Unsurprisingly, she’s constantly shocked by this new world she originated from, with the cars whizzing around, cell phones, and the need for identification, credit cards, etc. The only thing she has left is her quickly dwindling supply of herbal remedies and Kuro, the raven, who is getting sicker by the day. Hirka isn’t as safely anonymous as she first assumed - people are after her and she is forced to go on the run with Stefan, a guy who’s been hunting the Blind on Earth.

This is a complicated story with more than one twist that really subverted my expectations. For one, Hirka is Graal’s (the leader of the Blind, and brother to the Seer) daughter and while this initially disturbs her, he turns out to not be a huge monster the way he’s portrayed. Or at least that’s how it seems right now (I am hugely skeptical about this). The Seer himself was trapped inside Kuro and came through the rings with Hirka and he wants vengeance against his brother, so he’s trying to use both Stefan and Hirka to build an army to topple Graal. Hirka’s playing both sides, total double agent sometimes and… geez, there really is a lot going on in this book! It really kept me hooked! 

On the flip side, we have Rime’s POV in Ym as well. He’s the Ravenbearer, though the title is all but meaningless after he and Hirka basically toppled an important chunk of Ymish society. I like Rime, but man is he daft sometimes though it makes sense because he’s a measly nineteen years old. He makes some dumb decisions because he’s quite focused on getting Hirka back since he’s madly in love with our flame-haired tailless girl. His POV chapters really kept me uncertain about Graal’s overall goodness because of how he interacted with Graal’s agents and the history with Urd in the previous book. 

The plotting of this series is turning out to be far more intricately detailed than I could have expected and I am delighted. I feel like I can’t predict what will happen next because so far I’ve been wrong about so many things! Yes, it is marketed as young adult, but it will definitely appeal to folks who typically only read “adult” fantasy. I can't wait for the release of the third and final book in the trilogy! I’m hopeful for an early 2022 release of the final book.

When i've enjoyed the first book of a fantasy series i'm always scared to read the next one in case it doesn't live up to my expectations. This book was perfect!!

I loved being back in this world and loved the new characters we were introduced to. I also loved learning more about the characters we met in the first book.

This is a great fantasy series and i'm excited to see what happens next.

Title: The Rot
Author: Siri Pettersen
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5

To protect her homeland of Ym, Hirka left it behind. She traveled through the raven rings, a stone circle that can be used as a portal, to an unfamiliar world. A world without the Might, a world where none of the people have tails, a world that seems rotten at its very core. That world is modern-day Europe.

Hirka was supposed to fit in with humans here. And her departure was supposed to be save Ym from the invasion of the blind. Yet none of that has happened. Instead, Hirka finds herself just as much of an outsider among the humans as she was among ymlings—even more so when she discovers that she has blood of the blind running through her veins. Meanwhile back in Ym, Rime—now the Ravenbearer—is fighting an ongoing battle against the blind, not to mention against his fellow Councilors, as well as with his own despair over losing Hirka.

Separated by worlds, unsure who to trust, and hunted for reasons they cannot understand, both Hirka and Rime must find a way to stop a thousand-year-old evil from destroying not only Ym, but every world in existence.

I love this series! Phenomenally well-written, engrossing, and just plain fascinating, I wanted to binge-read the entire thing (except for you know, responsibilities). I liked how Hirka and Rime are forced to grow while being separated by worlds, yet their bond remains strong and sure. I cannot recommend this highly enough!

Siri Pettersen is from Norway and is an award-winning author. The Rot is her newest novel, the second book in The Raven Rings series.

(Galley courtesy of Arctis Books in exchange for an honest review.)

This story will take you on a roller coaster of emotions! A layered fantasy that will draw you in and keep you suspended as it unfolds.

We pick up right where we left off in Odin's Child, if only a bit forward. Hirka's journey has always felt inescapable in a way, where her choices would mount to something grand. She has always had a calm about her even when she was on the verge of losing it. Love is what motivates and moves her, the people she has come across through her journey are written on her heart.

The amount of information that was unloaded in The Rot blew my mind. The pacing was quick but it never felt rushed. The sense of urgency was for good reason! I absolutely groan when the characters make decisions that seem wrong; yet sometimes things must come down to be built up proper.

I cannot wait for the third installment! Thank you to Arctisbooks for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

What a great book. This is a second book in the Raven Rings trilogy and I love the duel points of view as we see what Rime and Hirka are doing. We have a new setting as well as the world we know from Odin's Child. I can't wait for book three.

ARC from NetGalley

Well, this certainly isn't where I thought the stones would take Hirka. I liked this book a lot more than the first one. It was an excellent read, multifaceted and intriguing. Lots of morally grey characters. The modern-day setting was a sharp departure from Ym. I'm quite intrigued to see what happens in the next one. Do recommend.

Phew. I’m ready to go back to Ym after this. Pettersen certainly does not suffer from a sequel slump with this one. It was absolutely fantastic! I will note, however, that this one is significantly more mature in content than Odin’s Child, and I feel strongly that it is more suited for mature, adult audiences than those in YA. More on that further down in the review.

We go from Ym to our world’s Europe in the next installment of the Raven Rings trilogy. At the end of OC, Hirka leaves Ym and goes to our world, where, though everyone is like her—tailless—she finds herself no more connected to those around her than she did in Ym. She does, however, find some who are willing to be kind to her, even though they raise their brows at her every time she speaks.

The brilliance of this installment, to me, lies in the fundamental inability for the reader to trust the characters. I’m going to come right out and say, TRUST NO CHARACTER. I mean it. NONE. I found myself dropping my jaw so much while reading this book, and that was mainly because every time I made an assumption about the reliability of a character, well, one knows what happens when one assumes something.

The armchair traveler will also get quite a ride out of this one; Hirka takes us to quite a few places in Europe and back again, and Pettersen skillfully immerses the reader with the settings and descriptions. I just love when authors can put readers right into a place, and the book magically takes them there. Many read to escape and learn new things and go on adventures. The Rot does this well; it was one of my favorite aspects of the book overall.

I have only two major qualms with the book. My first is the language in it. The Rot is being marketed as a YA book—age 14 or grades 8 and up—(as the first was), but it contains strong language in abundance. Just a bit of nitpickiness—grade 8 is younger than 14. My second is that Hirka forms a mutual attraction with a character much older than she, though she is a character of only 16. I won’t elaborate, as it spoils some of the plot. I’m not ignorant of the ages of consent around the world, but I’m sensitive to those types of situations, as I teach adolescents.

Druthers notwithstanding, this middle–of–a–trilogy book is one of the best second–parters I’ve ever read. I don’t know how many have just made things worse, but The Rot is most assuredly not one of them.

My thanks to Arctis Books via Edelweiss for the ARC, for which I heartily give my own opinion.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

I had to run to find book one as I hadn’t realised I had dived straight into a 2nd instalment but I am so glad I did. I hope to find a good fantasy story in pretty much every book I read and this set did not disappoint! I loved it all and I can’t wait for book 3!

A great follow up to a story of such grit, horror and terror. I adore this world and the story here, and cannot wait to see how the story continues. Thank you for the arc!

Thank you Negalley and for the Arctis Books for a copy of The Rot by Siri Pettersen in exchange for an honest review.

Odin's Child was without a doubt one of the best reads of this year, and the Rot did not disappoint as the second book on this series.

Hirka has crossed the rings to another world and as soon as you opn the book you'll have to readjust from the Ym to a world that is more familiar to us. The story will jump between Hirka and Rime without being boresome.

There are plot twists, jaw dropping revelations, and once again I ended the book with a few more theories in my brain. I cannot wait to read the final installement.

I really enjoyed book 1 but this one surpassed my expectations. A really great continuation, the fantastic characters and new found friendships are vividly brought to life. I loved that it takes place in our world and I was super excited about the parts in Stockholm. Can't wait for book 2.