I STRUGGLED to get through this. I was bored the entire time and so annoyed with Freya’s indecisiveness and “woe is me” nature. Like girl - who has the powers here??? And you’re letting your magic less husband have sway over you??? Fight for yourself!

Compared to her other series, this is my least favorite and there were a BUNCH of times I feel asleep during this.

This book was so captivating and beautiful. I can't wait to see what else in store within this world and for the characters. I was hooked and invested from the first page and never wanted to put it down. Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book.

5 stars | 2 spice

Okay... I'll be honest.... did I only buy this book for the gorgeous cover and shiny edges? Yes. Did I go into it completely blind without any idea what the plot would be? Also yes....

SO WAS I SHOCKED WHEN IT TURNS OUT THAT IT WAS ABOUT A WOMAN FALLING FOR HER HUSBAND'S SON???? YES. But also like go girl.

I never expected that this one would end up very far up on my top reads so far this year and I was pleasantly surprised by the writing in this book. It was so good, the world building was great (although if I could change one thing it would be to add a map somewhere). I love the idea of a viking fantasy, I've never read or heard of one before this book.

The chemistry between these two characters is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Here I was reading it and practically SCREAMING at the characters to just get together already. I read this in two sittings and couldn't put it down. I will say Freya got a little annoying at times, but I had to put myself in her shoes with how young she was and it completely makes sense.

This was the perfect blend of fantasy and romance. There's action, adventure and some shocking plot twists I didn't see coming but there were also a few I did see coming but it didn't take away from the story at all.

I can see this series easily becoming the next ACOTAR or TOG. If you are a romantasy fan or even just a fantasy fan I highly recommend this book. I will be forever patiently waiting for the next book to come out so I can binge that as well. I actually regret not reading this the SECOND I got the preorder in.

Engaging story. Definitely will most likely be a home-run series for Danielle L. Jensen. Good romance. Shattered some tropes while embracing others. A tad too angsty-martyrish in some bits. 4.5 stars

This gradually become a tale of two halves when it came to this book. The first half, while at times dull, had my attention as we learned about Freya and how she is thrust into the world of the gods and vikings.

Then we reach the second half of the book and my attention dropped significantly. Our main heroine grew to become whiny and over the top with her constant reminder that she was "unfated." I felt like we jumped too fast into new scenes with information that would have been stronger if we had more time to delve into certain plot lines. Information is thrown at the reader, but at the cost of it not being explained or described very well. We have a twist of sorts that you could see coming from a mile away, which let certain characters off the hook way too easily. I hope this is addressed in the next book. I struggled through the last 100 pages of the book and practically jumped for joy when I reached the last page that it was over. 😬

Would I recommend this one to fellow Fantasy lovers? I'm currently undecided. If Book 2 grows a stronger story line I'll definitely consider it!

Wow! This is steamy and unique, with a really compelling plot that kept me hooked throughout. I really appreciated that this dove into Norse mythology, as that's not something that I know much about. I loved our protagonist and the love interest had me swooning so hard! Looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

This book was really pushed.
I found it boring.
The mc was supposed to be badass but I honestly found her really whiny.
I didn't really find anything worth praising.

Fairly predictable but I enjoyed the journey. I loved the magic and the two main characters with their snarky conversations. Danielle Jensen is a must-read for me and I can't wait for book 2!

4.5. I'm a sucker for Norse mythology and the-grumpy-one-is-soft-for-the-sunshine-one, so this story worked really well for me. The banter is solid, and Freya's a strong character with literal god-like powers. The attraction between Freya and Bjorn is reminiscent of insta-love (not my favorite), but it works.

I’ve been a fan of past works by Danielle Jensen, but, unfortunately, A Fate Inked in Blood just didn’t do it for me.

Freya and Bjorn were not standouts, in my opinion. At times, Freya could be quite annoying, and Bjorn felt forgettable. The romance was fine. It did feel like instalust. I, however, did enjoy some of the banter between Freya and Bjorn.

The plot was not particularly gripping and sometimes predictable. The Norse mythology did feel refreshing for the romantasy genre which was nice. I just wish the magic system and world building were explained more.

Overall, A Fate Inked in Blood wasn’t bad, but I’m not interested enough in Freya’s journey to continue with this duology.

I really enjoyed this one – it grabbed me right away, I was fascinated by the world, the magic, the characters, I couldn’t wait to see where it went. It did lose steam a teeny tiny bit for me in maybe the last quarter or so, I can’t quite put my finger on why. I will definitely read the next one and anything else Danielle Jensen publishes though!

DANIELLE!! Again? First you had me with the Bridge Kingdom and now this???? Ma’am please let me go from your hold. I loved this so much

This is book one in the Saga of the Unfated and I find it to be a wonderful beginning of what should become an exciting series. The story's focus is on Freya, a young woman who had been married off to her village's fishmonger. Hers was a miserable existence married to a cruel man. It ended abruptly when she discovered that her closely held secret had been discovered and as a result she had been virtually sold as a second wife to the ruler, the region’s Jarl. Furious, Freya kills her ex-husband and accepts her fate.

What Freya doesn’t know is that part of the secret that she had been hiding was that she had been blessed by one of the Viking gods and had magical abilities. The jarl wanted her as his Shield Maiden, the one person who would make him king of all Skaland. Unfortunately for Freya she finds an immediate attraction with and connection to the jarl’s son, Bjorn. Keeping a discrete distance the two form a partnership to navigate the treacherous road ahead.

The book is filled with fierce battles, magical encounters, and family drama. I am familiar with the magical Nordic genre because of a computer game to which I have been long addicted. As such, this book captivated me from the start. I found myself rooting for Freya even though I could not always do so with Bjorn.

The book did not have the kind of satisfying ending I wanted. It left the reader hanging in an uncomfortable place. But then if you are going to write an exciting series, you need to leave the story in such a way that the reader is encouraged to come back for the next installment in Freya’s adventure. And I for one am very much looking forward to the next volume in this excellent series!

Danielle L Jensen really gave us the Viking fantasy romance of the century.

Not only were the moments between Bjorn and Freya swoon-worthy but there were so many laugh out loud hilarious moments.

Danielle’s writing is so visceral in A Fate Inked In Blood that you feel as if you’ve stepped right into the story.

All this to say how much I LOVED this book and I cannot wait for the next in the series.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for an eARC of this epic book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this romantasy! The world building was excellent, the pacing was consistent, and there a lot of attention-grabbing action. The romance was swoonworthy as well. Totally recommend :)

A Fate Inked In Blood is a Nordic inspired fantasy in which the Norse gods can "give" their powers to babies, and these babies grow up to possess powers reflecting those of the god. AFIIB follows Freya, who has the power of the shield maiden goddess Hliln. Freya has been told to keep her powers secret her whole life to keep her safe. One day a beautiful stranger literally washes up on her shore, and becomes the catalyst for Freya's journey to begin. This beautiful stranger is named Bjorn, and he is a child of Tyr. Freya & Bjorn have instant chemistry, witty banter, and this follows them through the book. AFIIB is a story about a woman trying to protect her family, despite her family throwing her to the wolves. This story is woven with lore, magic, slow burn, twists, betrayal, and lots of battle. Reading this book was like reading episodes of Vikings, which I adored. I highly recommend for anyone who loves Norse mythology, fantasy, "good for her" moments, bodyguard x princess vibes, and a richly thought out storyline.

I personally cannot wait for the next one! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC

It took me a while to finish this, but that was due to life changes and does not reflect on the book in any way. I absolutely loved this book and would have devoured it in one sitting if I could have! I loved the settings, the characters, the magic - All of it just came together to create an absolutely entrancing story.

There's a sea of books inspired by Greek mythology, so it's fun to come across something a little different. A Fate Inked in Blood draws heavily from Norse mythology, which adds a thrilling element to the magic, chaos, romance, and politicking of the story.

Freya is a woman with a secret trapped in an unhappy marriage. Until her husband sells her out as being a child of the goddess Hlin and the foretold Shield Maiden, prophesied to bring the realm under a single king. She's married off to the local jarl, who's set upon using her for his own ends. And meanwhile, she can't seem to stay away from the jarl's handsome eldest son, Bjorn.

A Fate Inked in Blood is rich and engaging, and kept me reading from start to finish, wondering exactly where Freya's journey would take her. Her scenes with Bjorn crackle with chemistry, the will-they-or-won't-they tension complicated by the fact that she's married to his father. The constant power struggles, too, make for intriguing reading. Honestly, my only real qualm is that the pacing gets a bit slow at times, plodding from one action point to another without much direction.

Overall, a really enjoyable read. I look forward to book 2!

4/5

I am a HUGE fan of Danielle L Jensen and I love that she had delved into norse mythology! I absolutely LOVED this book and I want everyone to read it! Danielle does a wonderful job of storytelling and weaving in a tiny bit of romance.

Super interesting and captivating story! It was a very different fantasy romance for me and I enjoyed it. I thought the authors writing was fantastic and it immersed me into this world. It includes a lot of popular tropes that I believe readers will love. As a reader something that I enjoy is being able to connect in some way with the characters in the story and I had a hard time doing that. I personally love that the author provided different resources for us to help us pronounce names properly. I like knowing how to pronounce names and if I am unsure how to pronounce them it can often be distracting for me when trying to read a fantasy book. I would definitely recommend this book and think many will really enjoy it.