This was my first Danielle Jensen novel and I really enjoyed it! It took a little bit to get into the book at the beginning and learn all the character names, but then it really picked up. Freya and Bjorn were very likable characters and got more interesting as the book went on and their past was revealed. The slow burn romance and banter between them was sooo good.

Also a huge shoutout to Danielle Jensen and her audiobook narrator who made pronunciation audio files for all the character names and locations - it was SO helpful! You can find it here: https://danielleljensen.com/saga-of-the-unfated/pronunciation-guide/

"It is hard to keep one's wit when faced with a woman as beautiful as the sight of shores to a man who has been lost at sea."

I enjoyed this book, but I will admit it did kind of fade into the background for me. The main character being so strong in the first couple of pages but then clearly by the way she's dragged around she doesn't show it. Additionally, for someone who is such an independent and honestly clever thinker I am shocked she never once thought to reveal herself and her blood. All in all, it was an enjoyable read.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to Del Ray for providing me with an arc.

I am a big fan of the bridge kingdom series so of course I had to get my hands on Fate Inked in Blood by the same author. I really did enjoy this book, the magic system was super interesting, the world was well developed, and I enjoyed the relationship. I very much plan on continuing with the series as it releases.

Freya has spent a year in an unwanted marriage and all she wants is to be a warrior and escape her marriage. But when those dreams come true due to her husband’s betrayal, she is forced to reveal a secret she’s had her whole life. Freya is the prophesied Shield Maiden and is destined to unite Skaland beneath one king who controls her fate. Forced into a blood oath to a Jarl that thinks he is the destined one to control her fate she is forced to become the Shield Maiden and is forced into many tests that she may not survive.

The beginning of this book was darker than I expected it to be but it wasn’t dark in an unnecessary way. I really loved Freya coming into her powers and also her finding herself throughout the book. She slowly puts up with less and less which was a fun character progression. I enjoyed the romance with her and Bjorn especially how slow it was because she is technically his step mother so it’s a complicated relationship.

The magic system was very interesting and I can’t wait to see more of it as the series goes on. The magic system is based around gods giving a drop of their blood at a baby’s conception. This happens a few different ways in the book but this leads to the children having some powers and I really hope we see more of the gods' children in the next book. I also really liked the world although I would have appreciated a map so I could understand where they were going throughout the book. I am curious to see new areas in the next book.

I do recommend this book as it is a really solid start to a series and it has norse mythology, romance, magic, and political intrigue.

Bloody, magical, and harsh – I absolutely loved every piece of this brutal Viking romance that Danielle L. Jensen gave us.

Our unfated couple. Freya is such a strong MC. The way she always tries to do the right thing and fight for what she believes in is admirable. I also loved watching her power grow and evolve. With Bjorn, I just loved him from the beginning. He’s extremely fierce yet has this underlying soft side. We see it from the first moment we meet him and then weaved continuously through the storyline.

I also loved the old Gods’ lore woven into the story. It was such an interesting magical system created. So much cracks open at the end and the way that ending literally put an axe in my heart… I will absolutely be counting down the days until the next book.

as a fan of the bridge kingdom books, i was extremely excited to receive this arc of danielle l jensen’s newest release, but this was a complete disappointment. the world-building, romance between the main characters, and the action scenes were severely lacking. the insta-lust completely took over the entire story starting from the first few pages. we see more and more of this in the ‘romantasy’ genre, and it certainly was not well executed throughout the book here. this had SO much potential being a cool norse mythology inspired fantasy romance, but i think we were just so focused on the romance that we didn’t get any of the fantasy aspect.

if you liked fourth wing, you’ll love this 🙂

WOW! I'm floored. I was hooked from start to finish and couldn't focus on anything but to finish reading it. The worldbuilding was well-developed, and the characters were well established for the rest of the series. Albeit predictable, the plot was intriguing and offered a fresh perspective to the romantasy genre. Admittedly, Freya's character was a little childish at times, she was an empowering character and developed into her role well overall. I look forward to reading the next installment when it is released!

Danielle L Jensen has a way of writing headstrong female leads that feels genuine and flawed in such a realistic way. Freya was relatable and imperfect but had big plans and did what she felt had to be done. She dealt with some horrible people in her life and continues to struggle with trust, but I am excited to see what’s to come for Freya and Bjorn.

Fantastic! This fits in the Romantasy canon and I absolutely loved it! So much that I ran out to get a physical copy!!!! Thank you so much to the publisher and to NG, and especially Jensen. Been a fan since I discovered her books on KU And I can wait to see what’s next.

★ 4.5 / 5

I've been recommended Danielle L. Jensen books the last few years, notably Dark Shores, but it was A Fate Inked in Blood that finally got me to try out Jensen's writing. Now I'm not going to lie—it took me a few weeks to get through the first 10%, and due to that slow start, I didn't even add this as a "currently reading" because I wasn't sure if I'd continue. Thankfully, that changed very quickly once I got to a certain spot since I then read 90% within the last week. Frankly, my disinterest in the beginning stemmed from the lead Freya's environment and treatment by others around her. It was awkward and a bit disjointed. Once she begins her warrior journey and meets characters like Bjorn and Bodil, Freya really warms up to become the character she's destined to be. If you're able to get through that initial portion, you'll enjoy this story.

I wouldn't consider this book romantasy, rather romantic fantasy, but A Fate Inked in Blood is the closest to romantasy I will ever get. It is certainly the most successful book at blending romance and fantasy together that I've read in a LONG time. It's the perfect blend of plot and romance because neither is overpowering the other. Most of this book is actually tension and set up, so depending on where Jensen takes the story after the end, I could see this trend continuing into the sequel or not. Y'all know I dislike miscommunication, so I'm REALLY hoping many conversations will be had about what happened in those final few pages. They're explicit scenes throughout the book, but they were detailed and tastefully done.

The world building is not extremely detailed, but for this story, I enjoyed the basics. Jensen details the environment wonderfully and masterfully elaborates on the Norse gods relationship to humans. The magic system is not incredibly detailed, but I'd argue that's because the magic is given to humans by the gods' blessings or intimacy with humans. Of course, the humans would not understand how it works beyond that. Thus, most of the world was built utilizing the human knowledge of the gods and their ways. I loved the bits and pieces of the gods appearing to Freya, and I'm hopeful more of that will be utilized in the sequel, especially given the plot twist about Freya at the end (more detailed at the end of this review). I could even see Freya journeying to the land of the gods or at least their world to talk to them. Also, I believe Harald (enemy clan leader) is god-touched. He was not affected by the events at the end; whereas, the reason the other survivors lives was due to them being god-touched. I wouldn't be surprised if he was touched by Odin because of his wisdom and leadership duties. Odin may be a stretch, but I definitely agree with Freya that he has some tie to a god.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Onto the characters, I've noted a few people do not like Freya as a lead and find her quite boring or not-complex. I definitely disagree with those reasons. She does not have strong foresight, particularly in regards to a certain traitor, but more than anything I saw that as Freya subconsciously protecting herself. It's very clear, especially to seasoned fantasy readers, that Bjorn is the traitor in their midst, but Freya is so in love with him that she cannot see that logical deduction. Her brain and body simply won't allow her to think it, which is indicative of her own loyalty. Maybe it's because of my own inability to be disloyal to my loved ones, but I felt so seen with Freya because she simply cannot let go of her love—whether to her mother, brother, friend or lover. I could be wronged in so many ways by those people I love, but unless they truly destroy our relationship, I know I'll always come back because of my hard loyalty and love for them. Thankfully, I’m not in Freya’s situation, and my loved ones are incredible, but you can see just how easy she’s taken advantage of due to her loyalty and godly blessing.

Now onto the twists!

Readers learn that Freya's parents ran into two gods the night of Freya's siring—not just Hlin. Hlin was merely the one who came back to fix the mistakes of the former god, so she merely granted her blood/blessing to Freya on that doorstep. Although, the plot twist of Hel answering Freya's parents' about saving Geir (her brother) was a lot to unpack. Freya has two gods blessings and blood within her, essentially warring against each other since Hlin protects and Hel is the queen of the afterlife. My mind was blown because I didn’t see Hel’s reveal coming. Everything immediately made much more sense, and the scene where she finds out occurs right after she realizes the traitor was Bjorn. I cannot imagine the pain of that betrayal, especially since Freya has been so alone and unloved by so many people she cared for. She was used endlessly, time after time, and she thought she had found the one person who would never do that. Obviously, Bjorn is more complex than that because he does love Freya, but his betrayal was the last straw for her. A part of me wishes he told her while they had alone time in the cave, and another part of me thinks he rushed Freya to leave the cave so that they could leave his father behind. He did not want to put Freya in the same position as before, his loyalties ultimately changing to her throughout this book, and was trying to outsmart them and keep Freya in the dark until they were far away. Again, maybe I'm being biased to Bjorn in this reasoning, but I did not take his betrayal as extreme as Freya because of the context I have as a reader. Also, I'm not a child of Hel, so my rage is waaay more nonexistent than Freya's. Anyway, that man is down bad for Freya, and I see him fighting tooth and nail to get her away from his dad in the sequel. I'm VERY excited to see where Jensen takes this story.

Lastly, I want to gush about Bjorn and Freya some more. Besides the fact that he betrayed her because his father is Harald and his mom is still alive, I loved their relationship sooo much. Bjorn is the definition of a strong male lead that does not overstep into toxic masculinity or other toxic male behaviors that negatively impact Freya or a woman lead. He's exactly the sort of male lead I crave because it's a hard line to walk whether he's being too masculine or not, especially given his warrior duties. He doesn't over-step when Freya tells him no, unless she's about to die, and he believes in her when she can't even look at herself. The moments him and Freya had together will keep me going until the sequel because they were GOOD. I'm not happy about the place that they're in, but I do readily believe he's going to bring some antics to the table that will show Freya his true intentions. Her cursing Bjorn to Hel is a set-back for sure, but I never said I didn't love complicated relationships hehe. I'm here for the angst! Overall, I just want Freya to be happy and not fighting. I want her to be at peace, at least as much as she can.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This wonderful story by Danielle L. Jensen delves into the mythology and history of old Nordic society. Freya was married off to a coarse man with a drop of god's blood that allowed him to always find fish to harvest. When he's killed, she becomes the nominal second wife of her region's jar who has realized she's the legendary, god blessed shield maiden predicted help someone unify the regions of Skaland under a single ruler. He is determined to be that man. At the same time, Freya is drawn to the jarl's son, Bjorn, who is also blessed by a god, given a flaming axe to wield at will.
The jarl, unaware of the growing attraction between Freya and Bjorn, assigns him as her bodyguard. Through attempts on her life, perilous adventures, and unexpected turns, Freya and Bjorn navigate the twists and turns of life with both humans and gods in play.
I can't recommend this book enough.

I almost didn't pick this one up. The cover looks very overdramatic and over-romancy, both turnoffs for me. On almost a whim, though, I started reading, and absolutely loved it.

Why is that? A lot of the things I don't generally like, it turns out I don't like because they aren't often done well. This book has a young heroine, barely in her twenties, who is Special (powers given from a goddess), is feisty, and who is drawn into a romance. But Freya's Specialness has done her no favors (she works all day gutting fish for her jerk of a husband, whose own godlike power is only good for bringing him a bunch of fish every day), she's the hard headed Scandinavian sort of person who reminds me of my own family of German farmers, and the romance feels slow burn and earned.

Freya is quickly, if brutally, delivered from her husband because the jarl of her clan has a prophecy that he thinks is about Freya and himself. He thinks that if he controls Freya, he will be able to rule a great kingdom.

There's a lot of action in the book. There's a race through an undead-infested undermountain, a battle for Freya's jarl's seat of power, a siege of an enemy fortress where Freya must prove her worth as a shieldmaiden. Freya is courageous but not battle-tested, and her responsibility as a godborn shieldmaiden weighs heavily upon her. She has the instinctive urge to protect her people and she is somewhat unthinkingly loyal to a jarl who obviously does not deserve her. It's clear that there's a lot more to the story than Freya knows and that the people who she has been told are her enemies are more complicated than she thinks. There are other Godtouched people with powers of their own that she comes across.

The most important of these is Bjorn, son of the jarl Freya serves. Touched by Tyr, he can conjure a flaming axe out of nowhere and is a formidable warrior. He's assigned to teach Freya to fight and also to protect her from the many people who either want her dead or stolen from her home. These two have great chemistry. Bjorn is one of those heroes who acts like everything is a joke but who really has a lot going on under the surface and he is true to his obligations. I liked the two of them together, even though by the end of the book there are the expected obstacles to any series romance.

I liked Freya a lot because she didn't start off a sassy idiot like so many young heroines. She has a sense of duty and a lot of courage and she's also practical instead of stupidly idealistic.

The magic system of the book is a little different than anything else I've run across lately, the politics of the world are interesting, and I'm interested to see what happens next. Perhaps it's because the book so thoroughly exceeded my expectations, but I've given it five stars.

Freyas shield maiden story is legend. I just saw a statue in a witchy shop yesterday of her. Love this telling so far. Constantly at the whim and “prophecy” of all these men around her. Just twisting words to benefit themselves. Freya is beyond badass with her powers but has to learn how to use them. Bjorn reluctantly teaches her, he is also blessed by the gods in looks and power.
Love the storytelling style. It feels battle worn and full of electrical charges.

First, thank you so much for giving me a chance to read this! This was a highly anticipated read for me and I appreciate it. Unfortunately, it was not a win. I tried getting through it at least three times and each time, I just had a very difficult time connecting with the characters. The setting was very interesting, but that was the only thing that stood out to me. I just think it wasn't for me.

This book was amazing! I've read a few Norse mythology based books that were "meh", but this one hooked me in the first few pages. Frejya and Bjorn are perfect! Little murdery, a lot spicy! I can't wait for book 2.

A Fate Inked in Blood hooked me from the first page and the action and story never slowed down. I loved the Viking lore and mythology and how the God’s played into the fantasy elements. My one complaint is that I wish the book was longer — I wanted more of a deep dive into the characters, as even by the end most of them felt surface level to me. While I thought the MMC was extremely swoon worthy, the romance seemed to lack depth, and I was left wanting more. Overall I enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading the sequel!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

Solid 4 stars

I love a fantasy that I can read in a day! Strong writing, great atmosphere. I really enjoyed the characters. Pacing was a bit weird but overall, I’m really excited to see where this goes. This is a true “romantasy.”

This book was everything I wanted and more!

One of the biggest things I love about this author’s work, is her attention to detail. I don’t know how to describe it, but she just writes so thoroughly. I feel like I’m never having to question things because her writing is easy to follow.

This book was AMAZING. I love the Norse-inspired aspect, the characters, the actions. Everything!

I adored Freya’s character. She was so strong and kind and determined. And her and Bjorn? IM SWEATING. The tension!!! The spice was great. I loved watching them fall for one another.

This book has all the makings for an incredible fantasy romance series. I am so excited for the next book. HIGHLY recommend!

Bjorn is too good for this world. That's it, that's the review.

But on a more serious note... This was another great outing for Danielle L. Jensen, who is quickly earning her place in the Romantasy hall of fame. Vikings, hidden powers, slow-burn forbidden love, this book packs a punch!

One thing that Danielle does better than many of her contemporaries is craft extremely complex -- and not always loveable -- main characters. (Looking at you, Legatus Marcus, from her Dark Shores series.) Freya's journey is both physically and emotionally demanding, and she can be irritable and behave erratically at times. She grapples with issues of identity and agency throughout this story, balancing her desires for independence and love against her moral compulsion to serve her people. Freya's duality and internal conflict is really at the root of all her actions, and while I can appreciate this about her, there were still plenty of times where I wanted to shake her by the shoulders. Bjorn, by contrast, was unfailingly patient and devoted to her. Special thanks to Danielle, by the way, for making Bjorn powerful, skilled, and fierce enough that he didn't get lost in Freya's shadow. The balance in their dynamic, and their ability to challenge one another, made the story that much more compelling.

This story plays a lot with the nature of prophecies and fate, and whether or not it's possible to change what has been written or decreed. It's an especially interesting element of the worldbuilding that those with gods blood in their veins, like Freya and Bjorn, are considered unfated. When they sever their connection to those whose fates are already written, they potentially open themselves up to a world of possibility. I'm hopeful we will see more of this in the second book.

Were there a few plot twists that I saw coming? Sure. Did it detract from my enjoyment of reading the story? Not particularly. Danielle L. Jensen is a master storyteller, and I just have so much fun reading everything she writes. The worldbuilding was exceptional in this book, and I'm excited to see what more there is to learn about Freya and her gods in the conclusion to this duology.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy! (And lest you think that influences my opinion, I also purchased two different special editions of this book myself!)

“ɴᴏ ᴏᴀᴛʜ ɪs ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪғᴇ. ɴᴏ ᴀᴍᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ ɪs ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪɴᴇss. ɪ’ʟʟ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ ʙᴜʀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀsʜ, ғʀᴇʏᴀ, ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛ. ᴍʏ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ. ᴍʏ ᴅᴇsᴛɪɴʏ.” ʜᴇ ʟɪғᴛᴇᴅ ʜɪs ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴜᴘ ᴍʏ ғᴀᴄᴇ.”

I knew I was all in from the minute I found out that Danielle Jensen was releasing a Norse Mythology inspired fantasy series!
Freya was such a strong FMC, and I loved watching her growth. I know some people may not love wehre she ended up but I loved it. Freya really ran the gamut of what a strong FMC means:
Keeping herself small for her family’s health and safety? ✔
Killing a man to protect her family’s health and safety? ✔
Learning to fight and going along with those in power to protect her family’s health and safety? ✔

I wanted her to set boundaries so badly, but this is life and death. How do you set boundaries when the price of failure is everyone you love dying?

Bjorn was such an interesting character and I loved seeing him go from being all about vengeance to caring about Freya and wanting to keep her safe.

This books ends on a cliffhanger, and we all know how much I hate those 😂. However, I will say this is the kind of cliffhanger I can tolerate and I am absolutely looking forward to book 2!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publishers at Del Rey for receiving an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Norse Mythology infused romantic fantasy, perfect for those looking for the same instant attraction that they found so enjoyable between the characters of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It is a steamy action-packed story, and while its’ storyline has its’ roots in the mythology it reads much more like a contemporary novel with just a few words and phrases here and there to remind the reader that it isn't.

While I couldn't fully connect with the motivations of the FML (I think that many will see her relationship with her family in a similar way to Feyre in the first book of ACOTAR, but infinitely worse, and therefore a lot harder for me to digest why she was so desperate to take care of them leading to this disconnect) and thought it was ridiculous that she didn't tell Bjorn about a certain oath (hello, he is of the same blood, right? I thought she would be able to see that loophole in two seconds, but she also was in flight or fight mode for essentially the entire book...so I can maybe forgive her), I was still rooting for her to become her ultimate badass warrior shield maiden self.

TLDR: Recommended for avid steamy Romantasy lovers, and all who enjoy their male leads of the strong-dark-tattooed-warrior variety.