Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Another "adult" book that is giving ya vibes...
I think if this book was written to be a YA book it would have been better overall.
Insta-love trope is also getting really old... it didn't feel very believable in this book.
Also, the plot seemed like it needed more developing.
Now for the good:
I did enjoy the Viking inspired world that was created with decent world building.
The magic system was also done very well.
I think if Fourth Wing is your vibe, you'll like this one.

First, a big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of Danielle L. Jensen's "A Fate Inked in Blood" – “A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance.”

“A Fate Inked in Blood” is a single point of view from Freya, our God-blessed Shield-Maiden forced to hide her gifts and stuck in a loveless marriage. The interaction we see with Freya and her husband is a small section of the book and I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of this relationship. I wish the author had spent a little more time building this world before Freya’s husband betrays her.

This moment is where Freya starts her journey, moving from near-death experiences, difficult choices that could get her and those she loves killed, and the reality of being hunted by others to either possess her, kill her, or use her for their own purposes. With all of the events going on in this story, Freya felt and acted mature for her age. Her world of growing up during the Viking era definitely shaped her character of facing hardships.

One thing that I did relate to a lot was throughout the book Freya had initially wanted to join a Warband, traveling on raids and gaining glory to enter Valhalla. When faced with each challenge and conflict, Freya is faced with the harsh and smelly reality that joining the Warbands might be skewed and not what she had hoped for.

Overall, the writing in this story is true to what you would expect from Jensen. It does a nice job of capturing what I would expect of the Vikings. If you are a fan of Norse Mythology, then you are really going to love this story. Mythology is definitely and interest of mine and having a really basic understanding of Norse Mythology, I didn’t feel lost. As the story went on the worldbuilding, magic system, and lore all worked really well together.

I do feel that the pacing of this story needed a little work. Freya is constantly moving and being pummeled with issue after issue. The relationship between Freya and Bjorn was instant and could have maybe used some more development. Also, this could be me, I do read a lot, but I felt like this story was a little predictable and the plot twists weren’t as unexpected. Some of the conflicts felt a little too convenient. They built up this one fight with the Undead when traveling up the mountain, only for it to feel a little underwhelming to me.

Overall, these issues did not detract from the story. I really enjoyed “A Fate Inked in Blood.” I am also upset that I have to wait so long for the series to continue.

Thank you, NG and Random House Publishing Group, for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

The world building! Holy cow. Next level. Jensen is a genius. Viking vibes? Forbidden romance? Gritty characters? Yes, please. The prose is fantastic, I would expect nothing less from this author. Overall, so good.

The main character was hard to connect with at times and the adult aspects of the story are a little more explicit than I usually read.

This was a great romantasy that had me continuously wanting to read more. I felt like the world building was done well by giving us the information that we needed while also leaving room for us to learn more in future books as to not overwhelm the reader too soon. I really enjoyed the story line and the connection between the FMC and MMC, however I did feel that the ending was a bit predictable. Despite this, I still felt like I was completely drawn into the story and I am very much looking forward to reading the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to preview this book. While I did end up enjoying this book, I never really felt connected to any of the characters sadly. Overall the story was a good time and was entertaining, I’m not 100% sure I will be continuing this series when the next one comes out.

Holy cow! I didn’t think anything could ever top TBK, but boy did this! Nordic gods and Vikings and magic and THE WORLD BUILDING! this was just such a great romantasy. Freya and Bjorn are everything. The banter and humor are just perfection and I loved every second of this book.

I loved this book! It was such a unique story. Loved the characters and I’m so exited to see where this story goes

I absolutely adored this book and am very happy to have chosen this for our in store book club. I was already a fan of Danielle's Bridge Kingdom series, but this book was SUCH a treat. I love the tension and banter in this book.

4.5
I had a lot of fun with this book, and flew through it. I kept finding myself wanting to keep picking it up to read, which hasn't happened in awhile. Norse mythology isn't an area I've read a ton about, and I appreciated the gods focused in this book weren't the basic Odin, Freyja, Thor (there was one child of Thor). The book is fast paced and keeps you wanting to read what comes next. The main character Freya is a bit compulsive and acts before she speaks. She is fiercely loyal to her family and will do anything to save them, even if the sentiment is always returned. I will admit the "traitor" of the book doesn't come as a shock, but at the very end there was a slight twist I didn't see coming. Overall, this is a fun, fast paced read and I am excited to see what happens next. Though again, the main characters impulsiveness can be a bit much at times.


Thank you NetGalley for the arc from Random House Publishing Group

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for an honest review!

A Fate Inked in Blood has a great blend of Norse mythology, mystery, feminine strength, drama and slow burn steamy romance to keep you turning the pages until you’ve burned your way through the book at lightning speed.

The pacing is well done - the plot moves along at what feels like a steady speed even with plenty of action and twist and turns. Every page feels like a new hazard or player enters the game and every time it seems like the truth is being revealed those ideas are dashed. Reading as Freya tries to do the right things to protect her friends, family and village but the gods and her enemies block her at every turn. You cannot help but just hope for her to have even a moment of rest, peace and happiness.

The romance builds in a way that makes the payoff even better. The forbidden love angle makes it even steamier. The ‘everything and everyone else can burn’ mentality from Bjorn makes it even more swoon worthy.

And that ending? Give me the next book now. I love an ending where it confirms things (that I may not have wanted to actually be right about!!!!) that heighten the stake’s exponentially and completely change the game. Jensen has me hooked and impatiently waiting for the next one.

I got the ARC from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley!

A Fare Inked in Blood is a Norse-inspired romantasy. We follow a young wife named Freya who is discontented with her life of gutting fish and her cruel husband. When she finds out her husband betrayed her secret of being a shield maiden, a daughter of Hlin, she murders him and becomes the wife of the power-hungry jarl. This begins her journey with plenty of temptation in the form of Bjorn, her son-in-law.

There are so many things to love about this story. First, and foremost, Freya is not only relatable, her choices are choices I believe many women would make in her shoes. In many a romantasy, the female lead is, at times, annoying because their choices do not stem from motivations we can understand. However, I found myself understanding both her good choices and her bad. Freya realistically embodies the feminine rage many a woman experience of gendered expectations of sacrificing for one's husbands and family.

Along with this is the fact that Freya is not a virgin. While this is not unheard of in romantasy, i.e. Sera in Flesh and Fire series, it is definitely not the norm.

Lastly, I prefer enemies to lovers because of the built-in slow-burn and witty banter. Even though it is not an enemies-to-lovers romance, it has both of these in abundance. Highly recommend to all romantasy lovers!

Hello Viking, Norse gods high fantasy book.
I’ve read other Danielle books that I enjoyed, but I am fully obsessed with a Fate Inked in Blood. As soon as I finished it I wanted to read it again. The world building is so good, I didn’t want it to end!

The first chapter sets the stage with a feisty fmc. She is stubborn but has had to make sacrifices for her family.
There is Banter. There is flirting. There is fire. All of which continues through the whole book. Sprinkle in forbidden romance which is also forced proximity and you have such a delicious book. *keep in mind, Freya is married. It is a forbidden romance. So it is kind of a slow burn, but the tension makes up for it.

Also there is Bjorn. Lord have mercy. There are no words for him. I love him. We need more.

There are trials, tests, journeys, blood oaths,gods, gifts, and betrayal.
Honestly, It was an incredible book and I cannot wait for the next one.

But seriously Danielle, when is the next one coming out.

This is a fantasy book that is both strong with the fantasy and the romance. It is Viking inspired with a strong female main character that brings adventure right from the start. I enjoyed the world building as well as the pacing as it didn’t feel overwhelming. Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Random House for the advanced copy of this book.

This is easily one of my favorite books so far this year. The world building is so well done and immersive. I loved all the Norse mythology influences. Especially since it focused on the lesser-known Norse gods. Freya is a complex protagonist, and I had an easy time connecting to her. The inner battle she has surrounding loyalty and family obligations felt very realistic and relatable. From the get-go Bjorn is such a lovable character, the ultimate book boyfriend. He’s a fierce warrior with a gentle heart. Each character has their own personal agendas which makes it hard to trust anyone’s intentions. There were so many twists, most of them caught me by surprise and some I found to be predictable. As for the romance, I liked that it was slow burn and wasn’t the main focus at all times. It made for a more equal balance of fantasy to romance which I appreciate. The plot did start off a bit slow, but I didn’t mind because there’s so much information about the magic system and gods to take in. Once the plot really gets going though it’s so hard to set the book down. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Freya and Bjorn in the next book, especially after that cliffhanger of an ending.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

FINALLY a romantasy book that is equally strong in both fantasy and romance! I will be recommending this book to absolutely anyone who is at all interested in romantasy because damn it was good. The world-building is strong, and I think it helps that the author created this world off of the foundation of Norse mythology.

Yes, this book has tropes, and yes, it can be slightly predictable at times, but it is done well enough that it is engaging. Further, the twists are never THAT predictable. I truly could not put this book down, and read it in about 24 hours because I had to know what happened next.

I think I am just so excited that I finally found a romantasy book that was equally strong in the fantasy side, because I want this book to be the next fourth wing. It actually deserves it.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc!

Where do I even begin. This review might be all over the place as I try to collect my thoughts because one thing Danielle L. Jensen is always going to do is write a climatic and chaotic ending.

I had a rocky start getting into the book as I felt some of the character interactions were a little stilted, but once we really got into the story I devoured it in 2 sittings. The common thread in this authors writing is how completely immersive it is. Every book i’ve read from her I can see so clearly in my mind and is so cinematic that I don’t want to put it down until I’ve seen it through to the end. The world building and magic was so interesting, I love reading about different gods from old stories that aren’t just greek myths, and the political intrigue never disappoints. I did see most of the plot twists coming but there were still some that shocked me and i’m always so excited when authors are able to catch me by surprise.

Freya was a very complex female lead and even if I didn’t always agree with her choices, I appreciate how she wasn’t always one note. She was a victim to her surroundings and her choices weren’t always going to make sense given how she was influenced by the world around her. Even so, she was still badass and strong willed in her beliefs of doing what she thought was right at any given time. I appreciated how her and Bjorn were an even match and that there was none of the usual power imbalances we can sometimes get in political fantasy stories like these.

Now, this is indeed a romatasy. I think the perfect balance of romance to fantasy is completely subjective from person to person. In my opinion this author does write it pretty well. There were times we did toe the line a little too much into the romance part for me to take it seriously. I do giggle at the ridiculousness of great love confessions in a war camp, and I roll my eyes at least once every romatasy I read where they get it on two hours before a big battle. Time and place and all that. But I guess you gotta get it done since death is always looming. But all jokes aside, the fantasy parts and the conflicts of the world were still so entertaining, and it was written well enough that I wasn’t too bothered. I’ll always be a sucker for love that defies the odds of powerful magic and evil overlords lmao.

I did have some issues but as this was an arc copy I’m honestly not against reading the finalized version, as this was such an entertaining read. Obviously i’ll be picking up the second book as soon as it comes out. This was one of my most anticipated of the year and I’m glad it didn’t disappoint.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com for my honest opinion.

The first half of the book was slow. I almost DNF'd the book. But the second half was much better.

There were a lot of descriptions of things which kind of pulled me out of the story sometimes. It was a lot more telling rather than showing. It was a good book overall. I will read the sequel when it comes out.

It is definitely a slow burn romance wise. The one spicy scene was long. I honestly kind of skimmed it.

The first 3/4 of this was a little slower for me. I found Freya to be kind of wild in a way where she didn't think or stop to consider anything, even with counsel. Bjorn was a great companion, but also kind of shifty in a fun way.

Then the last 1/4 was a lot in a good way! It was great action and revelations one after another. The ending was a great surprise and makes me excited for book 2.

We start with Freya, a viking in an unhappy marriage who conceals her powers and suffers through her fate in order to protect a family who doesn’t appear to care about her. We quickly learn that Freya is the prophesied Shield Maiden, blessed by a goddess and fated to bring about the unification of her nordic land under the rule of whichever man controls her.

Except, as this book says over and over and OVER, those with a drop of god’s blood are “unfated” and control their own destiny. The book has to say this repeatedly because none of the plot suggests that it is true, given how every prophesy comes to pass and Freya just goes along with whatever powerful men who control her family tell her to do.

The magic system and worldbuilding assumes that you already know a lot about Norse gods and viking traditions, so very little is explained. Still, it’s ultimately not that important for the main plot, an enemies-to-lovers (kind of? brat & son-of-an-enemy to lovers?) situation where the two are actually in love/lust at essentially first sight. There are some plot twists, a big reveal in the last chapter, and lots and lots of action-packed fight scenes.

This will appeal to fans of other popular romantasy books like Fourth Wing, From Blood and Ash, and ACOTAR. There are similar plot beats, characterizations, and general level of spice.