I am OBSESSED. The twist and turns that this book delivered were insane. This book is going to absolutely blow up. Magic, banter, forbidden romance, hardships it just had everything you’d want in a fantasy novel. I’m a sucker for the touch her a die trope. This book was just everything. The next big thing.

I received this ARC via NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.

This book feels like it was written for me... that's how much I absolutely loved it. 5 out of 5 freakin stars. Seriously— I've been in such a reading slump lately, but I could not put this down. From the first paragraph, I fell in love with Freya. The viking's aspect was so alive and felt so real, the worldbuilding—so incredibly refreshing. I loved the magic system and how the gods and their children were explained. I cannot say enough good things about this, I don't know why I left it on my shelf for so long.

I would 100000% recommend for anyone who loves a romantasy with a strong and not-annoying FMC, norse inspired mythology, epic battles and stakes, and loyalty to die for. Now, I've got to go read the rest of Danielle L. Jensen's books before I tear my hair out for not have book 2 of this incredible novel.

There are a lot of promising aspects of this series-opener: I liked the unique setting and focus on Norse mythology, and the magical/fantasy elements are interesting. Bjorn is a compelling character and love interest. He has obviously been through a lot in his life and struggles to find his place after being raised in an enemy kingdom. Though he's the heir to the throne, he has little interest in ruling, and carries many secrets which we only get a glimpse at by the end of book 1.

My 3-star rating is mainly because Freya felt frustratingly inconsistent throughout the story. Though this is an adult fantasy, and Freya is supposed to be in her early 20's and already married at the time the story opens, she acts like a teenager more often than not. Her voice (internal narration and external dialogue) feels jarringly modern compared to the other characters, which made it difficult to feel fully immersed in the world that the author was building. There is certainly lust between Freya and Bjorn, but I never fully bought into why Bjorn developed insta-love for her. Many impetuous decisions that Freya makes throughout the story are frustratingly stupid, as well.

This story will definitely appeal to a lot of readers, and I think others may be more willing to overlook Freya's annoying features more than I could.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!

This was TOTALLY addicting and fulfilled all my Romantasy needs (that's what she said).

I loved the Norse vibes and strong female character. And the Romance was very well done. Bjorn was very swoon worthy.

From a fantasy stand point, I was missing some world building and attention to detail. Everyone seemed to travel really quickly (for the time period) and the action was pretty jam packed. I was craving realistic pacing between action and relationship building with other characters. I needed Freya to have more than ONE person on her side. I am hoping this will be developed more as the series goes on.

Overall a very fun first book in a new Romantasy series.

Rating: 4.5

I actually had a hard time deciding on a rating for this book - at the moment it is hovering somewhere around a 4.5. While not the most complicated story, A Fate Inked in Blood is a wildly enjoyable and fun romantasy that has plenty of adventure, tension, and spice.

If I had to pick the best thing about this book, it would have to be the banter. I am and will always be a lover of banter, and boy did this book deliver. It was snappy and filled with humor and I found myself extremely entertained, even laughing out loud a couple of times. I would also be remiss to not mention Bjorn! I LOVED his character. He was immediately captivating and charming, and I found his motivations and reactions realistic and supportive of Freya. I know he will be a new addition to many readers favorite book boyfriends!

To go the opposite direction, I need to mention the main character. While she was described as a strong and fierce warrior, I struggled with Freya’s inability to make a decision. She spends much of the book waffling between what she wants and often makes the wrong choices, and, knowing they are wrong choices, still does not take charge to change her circumstances. I wanted her to show more assertiveness in her character, and I hope that we see more in future books.

This book is just plain fun. I loved the Norse setting, and the concept of the unfated and their powers felt fresh despite being a common trope. I’m not one who usually sees twists coming in books, but I do think most of the big ones are easy to pick up on. That being said, it did not hinder my ability to enjoy the story. With a small cast of side characters, this is an easy book to get into, and I ended up devouring it in 2 days. This was my first Danielle Jensen book, and I will be looking forward to her future releases. If you enjoy forbidden romance, Norse mythology, and sexual tension you can cut with a knife, then I highly recommend you pick up a Fate Inked in Blood!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.

Despite me being very hyped for this new release, I did not end up loving it. I love Danielle Jensens Bridge Kingdom series, it’s one of my favorites. Therefore I know that she‘s capable of writing a great story.
But this one, is a bit of a disappointment. The story was only mildy exciting and the love interests lacked real chemistry in my opinion. There was no reason for them to be in love or develop feelings. They kinda just suddenly had them. I don’t feel like I watched it happen.

I’m not saying it’s a bad book, the world is super interesting and there’s a lot of potential in the characters. And as mentioned, the writing is amazing. But for some reason I couldn’t get myself to care about them. But maybe that’s just me, as I’ve seen so many people obsessed with it!
I probably will still give the second one a chance, because the ending managed to make me interested in how this will continue.


If you loved From Blood and Ash, this might be for you. This story is basically fbaa, but make it viking style!
This might be something for the romantasy newbies!!

4.5 stars ⭐️ it's halfway through February and I can already tell this is going to be one of my top reads of 2024

Freya, a fisherman's wife, dreams of battle and being a warrior - and she gets all that and more.

🗡️ tropes
- insta lust
- touch her and die
- forbidden romance
- slow burn
- one horse

🗡️ best parts
- Jensen always has the most immersive worlds. You hardly realize she's worldbuilding because you're just EXPERIENCING it
- Bjorn. Funny, charming, and one of those fictional men who have zero red flags. Or if he does, I'm just colorblind
- The tension was just incredible. I find it hard to enjoy insta lust stories sometimes but this with the slow burn was just so well done
- Norse mythology is something I'm always a sucker for in ANY book. Find you a good immersive Spotify playlist and settle in, the atmosphere is impeccable

🗡️ why not 5 stars?
- The plot did feel like it dragged at certain points. Certain aspects were predictable (though still enjoyable), and I found myself skimming parts because I couldn't refocus. But it always picked back up and got me reinvested!

Overall, this is everything I would expect from Danielle Jensen and a book I can't wait to see released to the world. Highly, HIGHLY recommend.

biggest thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Danielle L. Jensen for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

🌟🌟 Book Review 🌟🌟

A Fate Inked in Blood
By. Danielle L. Jensen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first time reading a Danielle L. Jensen novel. I have no words for this book. 📕 I will be reading more of her novels! It was incredible! This story is filled with Viking feminine rage, battles, political intrigue, gods & goddess, and a slow burn to cleanse the palette. I absolutely couldn’t put this book down. This book left me breathless for wanting more. I can’t wait to see what the next book beholds.


Thank you to NetGalley, Danielle L. Jensen, Random House Publishing Group and Del Rey for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A Fate Inked in Blood hit all the notes - Danielle L Jensen said “I bet I can make a romantasy that has strong world building, war, violence, competent women characters, gray area villains, and tense yearning…” and she did it. I feel like if you liked Fourth Wing, you will like this one even more. The Norse mythology was on point; the way she sprinkles the information throughout instead of info dumping is stellar. The characters were pretty terrific as well, even though sometimes I wanted to strangle the MC because her pre-conceptions were grating me (I pretty much knew who the “spy”among their ranks was straight away). When you can get me to not even really know who the bad guy is, because the world is too complicated for black and white? You got me on the edge of my seat. The romance was tense, which I enjoyed. It borders on the taboo which adds extra angst and tension. However, I don’t know if I like them together. We shall see how the rest of the series goes…

This book also deals with emotional manipulation from family members, borderline abuse. That part reminds me more of ACOTAR. Freya is there for everyone, but no one is there for her.

Since the book is single POV it doesn’t allow for a more expansive world view, but that is what you get in romantasy. This world would allow for a more grand story, with multiple POV providing a fuller picture. I don’t think the author is heading that direction, but it would be so cool as Freya’s POV is pretty limiting. Overall though I did enjoy the ride and can’t wait for the sequel! I do think it can only get better from here on out.

Wow. Just wow. This book knocked my socks off, and ripped my heart out so I am in desperate need of the next book asap.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book over-delivered if possible. The world building was the perfect balance of familiar and new, I think the use of Norse gods instead of the typical Greek or Medieval was a breath of fresh air and then to have it done so well. Despite not knowing much about the time or religion the world was built so well I wasn't lost or confused for a moment. Freya's story never went where I expected so I was racing through to see where it would go next, and if that lump of worry would be resolved. Her story is not one of roses and sunlight, but I still wouldn't put this book as one of the darker ones, there was still that line of hope that made sure while I was worried I wasn't dreading what would happen next (personally real life is dark enough, I crave stories that don't make my day even darker).

I did see the final twist coming, but not in a way that ruined the book, but more in the I see the impending storm can we hurry up and get through that so when it finally arrived it was almost a relief. And personally I hate when the twist comes "out of no where" if there hasn't been breadcrumbs to see in hindsight, I find the twist to be more vexing than enjoyable. But this all just makes me want to plunge into the next book even more.

I love anything written by Danielle and I knew going in A Fate Inked in Blood was going to be fantastic, but I was completely blown away by how phenomenal this was. There are seriously no words!

Worth all five stars and more!! No one does forbidden romance and slow burn with complex characters and rich world building like Danielle L. Jensen. She is a master at her craft!! The way she weaves this story is absolutely beautiful! I loved these characters and this rich world she built. The amount of research that went into this story and the mythology was perfection. I loved that the FMC was naive and strong and how Danielle stayed the course with her actions throughout this book. I saw the ending coming and knew that Bjorn would turn in the end and was working for his father that raised him and that Freya had two god bloods within her, what I didn't see coming was that Bjorn's mother would still be alive that was a real shock. and that Freya would be Hel's daughter I cannot wait for book two to see if Freya forgives him and to read the groveling that will take place. I cannot wait to explore Nordeland and see how the rest of this story unfolds. I would love to see a lovable strong side character that is Bjorn's friend in Nordeland in book two.

Seriously, this is one of the best books I've ever read!!! Danielle is an amazing writer! Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book!

This was a 3-3.5 for me... I loved the concept, but the $ex scenes were super cringe. This was a decent story, but also very predictable. I'm willing to check out the next book, but can we please stop calling her private parts her $ex!? There are so many ways to describe female anatomy without just calling it her $ex.... I just cant....

I did really enjoy the Viking aspects of the story and am curious to see where it goes from here.

Oh my, do I LOVE Danielle L. Jensen and everything she does!

This was an absolute adventure, rich with Norse mythology and unique magic, prophecies and betrayals. The plot moves quick, and grabbed my attention from the jump in the most all-consuming way. It was so hard to put this down!

Let’s start with the world: this follows the children of Norse gods and their inevitable effects on their home clans at war. The magic is so fun to explore, and everything about the world made me want to learn more about Norse mythology. The plot follows Freya after she is outed as not only the child of a god, but one who is fated to alter the entire destiny of her home land. Her powers grow and change along the way, usually through high stress and action packed conflicts. She also learns about parts of her history that were previously unknown, band continue to effect every step she takes.

I really enjoyed the romance overall in this tale. Bjorn is one of my favorite types of LI’s: he’s witty and flirty, but also fierce and protective while also always having faith in Freya’s abilities. These two have good chemistry, with lots of tension as well as a healthy dose of forbidden romance undertones.

The one single gripe I’ve got with this has to do with Freya’s characterization. It felt like, even halfway through the story, I could only name one single trait about her and it was “fierce, sometimes to her own detriment). I felt like much of her personality was boiled down to her desire to protect and fight, but not expanded upon further. This certainly improved as the story went on, but even by the end I found myself wanting to know *more* about her. I hope this changes in the next installment!

Thank you to Del Rey books and NetGalley for the eArc of this! I cannot wait for the sequel to come out!

Norse mythology has a cult following in my community so I know local fans will devour this. This epic romance with a nod to Norse mythology certainly lives up to the promise! This was my first book by the Canadian author, and I really, really enjoyed the forced proximity forbidden romance between rivals and lovers between a young woman who has been hiding the fact that she has magical powers due to a drop of the goddess's blood. The relationships and character growth in this book are what I like best about it. The author has a gift for developing relationships that are authentic and convincing. There was a lot of tension created by Freya and Bjorn's humorous banter. I thought the relationship itself developed gradually, keeping me on the edge of my seat. Freya was a bit frustrating to read from at times, especially because I figured out some of the story lines before they were revealed and even though I kind of knew what was going to happen, the MC didn't seem to realize it. Four of five strong stars!

"A Fate Inked in Blood" by Danielle Jensen immerses readers in a richly imagined Norse-mythology inspired world filled with intricate political intrigue, compelling characters, and captivating magic systems. The story follows Freya, a shield maiden, blessed by the gods, who battles to unite a nation conflicted by a power-hungry king amidst struggling with her growing desire for his fiery son, Bjorn. The setting was brought to life with Jensen's imaginative world building, which evoked a sense of wonder and adventure.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its well-developed characters, each with their own motivations and internal conflicts. Freya, despite her young age, reads as a mature character due to the difficulties she has endured, especially with her family's blatant disregard for her. Bjorn had a similarly traumatizing upbringing in which he was captured by the person who murdered his mother. Also, the chemistry between Freya and Bjorn was evident, and I adored the banter between the two.

Overall, "A Fate Inked in Blood" is a gripping romantasy read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Coming into A Fate Inked in Blood, I really wanted to love it. I adore mythology and Nordic-inspired fantasy and it sounded so up my alley, but the sheer amount of flat, irrational characters in this one made for an extremely frustrating read.

Warning, for me to talk about the issues I had with this book more in depth, there will be spoilers ahead.

For starters, the characters in this book are so bafflingly stupid. For instance, the Jarl forces his Tyr-blessed son and heir into a death match against Freya in a scheme to force her to use her powers. Then he proceeds to become upset that Freya was burned by Tyr's fire despite the fact that he never warned his son about his real plan ahead of time.

Both of them could have been gravely injured the other or worse, and to me this was such a reckless gamble. It would have been much smarter for the Jarl to have a less consequential warrior threaten Freya's brother's life instead.

Also, this might boil down to personal preference, but I disliked that the romance was insta-lust right out of the gates. Here for me it didn't make logical sense for the characters or in the context of that moment. Right off the bat, Freya stumbles upon a stranger bathing in the fjords. She suspects he might be a raider, but instead of stabbing him or raising the alarm to protect her village and family, she stands there ogling him and bantering with him instead. For someone who lives in a cut-throat warrior society, this felt so unbelievably careless.

Overall, if you're looking for a viking-inspired fantasy with compelling, nuanced characters, you might have better luck with the Bloodsworn Saga.

This book blew me away. Good lord was it good. Norse mythology is so fun and Jensen really brought the the gods to life in Skaland.

Freya is a fun character from the jump. Even though she’s 20 she’s not aged up but actually a teenager in actions. She truly feels mature because of all she’s endured. From the first 3% I was invested in the story Jensen created, partially because of Freya. Then you have Bjorn, a tall menacing while smirking mortal touched by the god Tyr and him and his fire axe are HAWT. Freya and Bjorn’s tension and will they won’t they was fab fab fab and I ate it up. Like it was there but the romance didn’t take up the entire story.

There are some great secondary characters, lots of LOTR and Percy Jackson type vibes - one true hero who will unite the land. But Freya and Bjorn, and their secrets, made this more tense. Although most of the twists were predictable, it didn’t take from the joy of that last 10%.

My one annoyance was Freya about 60%-90%. Like her back and forth, her inability to discern what is happening, her devotion to her family. I was over it a little. But again it didn’t take away from my excitement in the story.

Overall, a FAB read. And I can’t wait for book 2.

I really wanted to like this, but I just found it incredibly boring. Absolutely no chemistry between the main love interests, too many secrets and just could not hold my attention. It’s taken me 5 days to read 50% of the book and I’ve had to push myself every day to read.

Thank you Netgally, Danielle Jensen and Del Rey for the ARC of A fate inked in blood.

I absolutely loved this book and the world the author created. True the world building was a lot in the beginning but the story just flowed after. I could not put this book down and finished in 3 days. The song was mind blowing. I highly recommend reading if you love fantasy.