I liked Bridge Kingdom, but this was a definite no from me. The world and Norse inspirations was cool, and that was about it.

There is instalust/love, which I never find realistic. Like okay.

None of the characters are likeable. Freya’s family sucks, which I think is supposed to make me like her for being noble for protecting them but just makes me roll my eyes because literally just leave them. The plot happens and Freya complains. It’s predictable and made me feel like Freya had no brain cells. The king is power-hungry, and gasp, is bad. No one’s motives are interesting to me, and the ending was, I suppose, a twist, but one that was unsurprising to me.

This is purely a me thing, but I’m tired of books with misogynistic societies that don’t get dismantled. What isn’t a me thing is the following quotes. Yes, this is an ARC, so hopefully they’ll be removed before publication, but I doubt it.
- “A woman is only worth your time if you might end up in her bed, is that the truth of it?” (Freya)
“And if it is?” (Bjorn)
I waited the entire book for this to get addressed, and I was sorely disappointed.
- “The escalation had been all desire, my desire, for while Bjorn’s body had reacted, that was only because he was a man and men had little control over such things” (Freya)
Hold up. How about we hold men accountable for when they feel sexual desire and stop blaming women for “tempting” them?

Anyway, this book was meh, and I am not in a hurry to see where it goes next.

Freya, the dreamer. Freya, the shield maiden.

Freya was blessed by the gods but has hidden this secret her whole life. Then one day, her dreams for adventure and becoming a warrior suddenly come true. Immediately, she is forced to take on a new role and way of life. There are those who wish to control her fate, but Freya has desires and a destiny of her own and will stop at nothing to protect those she loves.

This Norse-inspired novel is a fantasy romance filled with magic, adventure, betrayal, deception, passion, and empowerment. The ending will have you desperate for the story to continue!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this early release copy.

I loved The Bridge Kingdom series so I was super excited to dive into A Fate Inked in Blood. The first few chapters drew me in and I couldn't put it down. At the 20% mark or so, everything kind of fell off. I don't know if it was the pacing or just the never ending wishy-washiness of the FMC, but I stopped being on her side. There are so many times when she's told that she's in charge of her own fate, but refuses to do anything to help herself that I kind of just wished that the MMC would set her on fire. I also was confused by the drop of blood powers because they're supposedly rare, but almost half the people we meet have power. The twist was fairly predictable, but I will be continuing on with the next book in hopes that Freya's journey does in fact lead to major and much needed character growth.

A Fate Inked in Blood was my first book by Danielle L. Jensen and I really enjoyed it! It took me a bit to get into it as there was quite a bit of word building, but once I got invested I read the book really quickly.

When shield maiden Freya is discovered to have a goddess's blood the current jarl - Snorri - takes an interest in her. He believes that she will be the key to make him King. He jarl orders his son Bjorn to keep Freya safe by any means necessary as there will be enemies trying to get ahold of her to defeat Snorri in his quest. Freya doesn't understand what's so special about her, but soon the tests set for her by the Gods make it clear that Freya is in fact blessed by the Gods.

Freya's journey is difficult, but she has one constant - Bjorn. He believes in her like no one else. But with Freya married to the jarl (Bjorn's dad - eek) this makes their relationship very sticky. Can Freya fight her attraction to Bjorn while doing her best to pass the God's tests?

I really enjoyed A Fate Inked in Blood. If you were a fan of the show Vikings this book has very similar vibes. I love learning about the Viking culture and I liked how bits of it were sprinkled throughout A Fate Inked in Blood.

The slow burn between Bjorn and Freya was so good! I loved their chemistry and the way Bjorn saw the strength in Freya. He believed in her when at times she didn't even believe in herself and gah they were so sweet. I do feel that their relationship was a bit of insta-love, but I still enjoyed their journey together.

The last 20% of the book kept me on my toes and I was not ready for that ending. Looking forward to the next book!

Title: A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated #1)
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Length: 432
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: February 27, 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice Level: open door
Thoughts:
This one made me feel all the things! I was hooked from the very beginning and ate this one up in 2 sittings. The slow burnnnnnn in this had me in a chokehold! We get so much witty banter and forced proximity situations that I was squealing over. The world building was minimal in a good way. The character development was rich. The plot was fast and action-packed. And the ending has me wanting book 2 RIGHT NOW. But like I’m also satisfied for now? But like I still need book 2 right now 😅

I’ve already pre-ordered two different copies of this book, and I have no regrets.

Read if you love:
Fantasy romance
Slow burn
Forbidden romance
Forced proximity
Strong FMC
Protective MMC
Not knowing how to pronounce any of the characters names

Special thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

Honestly, this gave me “John Gwynne if he were a woman and wrote way hotter romances” vibes. I didn’t know I loved Norse mythology so much. Freya and Bjorn were incredible leads and I cannot wait to see where they go from here.

I find this even better than bridge kingdom was!!!

Honestly, I’m giving this book 5 stars based on the vibes and brooding love interest alone. I LOVED the setting of A Fate Inked in Blood; combined with a super interesting magic system and the realization I’m a big fan of Nordic mythology and just Viking content in general. Our main character, Freya, has been hiding godly magic her whole life, keeping the fact she was blessed by Hiln a secret. When her husband betrays her to the Jarl of the region, she is taken away from her family and friends to fulfill a prophecy foretold 20 years ago. Freya struggles with choosing between her grief over the deaths she’s indirectly caused and her own personal burden of protecting her remaining family. On top of all this, she must attempt to smother her growing attraction to the Jarl’s son and her personal bodyguard, the charming and witty, Bjorn.

I flew through A Fate Inked in Blood, I throughly enjoyed every aspect and I’m itching for more. Unfortunately, one of the betrayals at the end can be seen from a mile away, and is a bit overused in the fantasy romance department. That being said, there was another betrayal that completely blindsided me and I didn’t even connect the dots until hours after I finished the book - the realization literally hit me like a truck. I think this is a great addition to the ever expanding fantasy romance genre. Is it completely ground breaking and brand new? No, but it does have enough to keep you hooked and I might be in my Viking era now due to this book alone.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and the author for proving an early copy, I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

I don’t even know what to say. I was liking this book a lot, and then 90% in sooo many twists happened and the book became incredible instead of just like-able.
The characters were complicated, and I had an easy time making assumptions about them which always turned out to be wrong. I had favorite characters for sure, and was furious when one of them died soon after meeting them.
I loved the romance in this book, I loved the ending, I loved practically everything about it. I don’t know what else to say for fear of spoiling something for future readers, so I’ll leave it at this; read this book if you like realistic mythological fantasy!
Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for this ARC!

“You are mine, Born-in-Fire. Even if only the two of us know it.”

First five star of the year and this book was everything and more!! The Norse mythology, the forbidden romance, the plot?! Top-tier 🤌🏻

This story felt like a breath of fresh air in the adult fantasy world. I was truly captivated from start to finish and can't wait for book two (and to get my hands on a physical copy of this to add to my collection in February)! ❤️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




Thank you Danielle L Jensen, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for granting me access to this beautiful story for an honest review!

Perfect book for fans of Game of Thones and Vikings of Vahalla. An epic adventrue of Sheilf maden who is gifted with a drop of Hiln's blood and the firehand the Jarl's son who has a drop of Try's blood who are subjected to the jarl's interpretation of seer's prophecies and fate.

“𝐀 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝” 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

An action-packed adult romantasy based on Norse mythology.

𝘉𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘺𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘨𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳. 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘺𝘢’𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘫𝘢𝘳𝘭, 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘉𝘫𝘰𝘳𝘯. 𝘛𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘺𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵: 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘴’𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.

𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘚𝘬𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘢𝘳𝘭 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘺𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘉𝘫𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘺𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘫𝘰𝘳𝘯.

This was an overall pretty good read. I loved the Norse mythology and the Viking feel to it, and there was SO much action I really just flew through the pages. I really enjoyed the slow burn, forbidden romance full of banter and snark (especially on Bjorn’s part). The mmc sort of made this book for me, his character was truly my favorite part of it. The only issue I really have is with Freya, the FMC. She was just very hard for me to root for or to get excited to read about. I am still really looking forward to the next book because I think the plot definitely has some chops to it!

Thank you so much to Del Rey for my review copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 𝐀 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 is out 2.27.24!

3.5 ⭐️
I am still pretty new to the fantasy genre and I think that impacted my reading experience…. It was a little hard for me to get into in some parts and took me a while to get through but overall, it was good. Highly recommend a general knowledge of Norse culture- I think it would’ve helped me so much! I enjoyed the ending and I have a feeling that I will like the second book even more than the first. The banter was good, the spice was there if you like a few chili peppers in your Romantasy! (I’m not big on spice so I did skim over some parts- especially if we’re using “sex” as a noun to describe body parts… I cringe…)

Although it wasn’t a 5⭐️ read for me I definitely understand why others LOVE it! And of course- the cover is GORGEOUS- just had to put that out there and state the obvious haha

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Freya is living a life of duty and loyalty but there is little joy or fulfillment. She is in a loveless marriage bound to a man she detests. She has lived her entire life hiding who she really is and unable to follow the desires of her heart. Until her husbands betrays her and she is forced to fight for her life and the secret she has been hiding is finally seen by all. Freya possesses a drop of gods blood and is the prophesied shield maiden who can shield from any attack. It is said that whoever controls the shield maiden can unite Skaland under one rule. The fanatical jarl who believes he is destined to be king binds Freya to himself with a blood oath and orders his son Bjorn to be her protector. Freya has always dreamed of being a warrior so she is anxious to prove herself in training. She must also learn to control her magic because she is about to be tested by the gods to see if she is worthy of such a gift. Of all the tests she endures the hardest proves to be her attraction to her sworn protector and new husbands eldest son Bjorn. This is one of the best fantasy romances that I have read. I was completely captivated with the story from page one. The writing was immaculate and I could easily build a picture in my mind of this world and the characters. I loved how each character layered and complex. Everyone here has an agenda and Freya struggles with who to trust along with her own ideals of morality. The push and pull between Freya and Bjorn was done beautifully. The banter between these two was perfection. Seriously this is going to be on my favorites of the year. I loved it so much I already pre-ordered my copy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review and Danielle L. Jensen for writing a new favorite.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review A Fate Inked in Blood.

It took me a few days to gather my thoughts to write this. I love Danielle Jensen's work - The Bridge Kingdom is one of my top series of all time. I went in with high expectations, but was met with disappointment.

First off, there were great elements to the story. The amazing lore about the gods and how their gifts manifest in humans is what drew me to this title in the first place. The beginning of the book was awesome; it was fun to see Freya (the FMC) feel a bit of rage and accidentally reveal her secret.

As the book continued, I felt my own rage. On behalf of the FMC. At other characters. At the FMC. It was very hard for me to follow this woman as she continues to be used and has no one that truly stands up for her.

I struggled with following some plot points. The zealot king is obviously off his rocker, but he throws out some ridiculous quests for the FMC to prove herself. Sometimes I'd have to reread a passage to figure out what was going on.

Would I read the next book in the series? Most likely. I'm SO hopeful that book 1 was a lot of setup and book 2 is where things pick up - maybe Freya embraces her rage and takes the reins on her own fate.

I will hold off on posting my review elsewhere until after release day.

This book feels similar and unique at the same time, something like a combination of ACOTAR, Percy Jackson, and Throne of Glass, while being set in a world of Norse mythology.

The books biggest flaw is the pacing, it moves too quickly to really give the characters time to breathe, especially after big events. The first chapter demonstrates this the most, to the point where I wished that there was an extra chapter of "before" to really show Freya's growth and evolution.

A slower pace could also improve the world building - which is very cool sounding, but not built up to the point where the world feels lived in. That and character relationships which seems to just snap into existence when a slow build would often be more interesting (especially Freya's relationships with women, which tend to just spring into existence when a slow build of trust would be more satisfying).

This book also treats injuries weirdly. Some are semi magically treated, but others get ignored/forgotten despite being very concerning injuries? I can't tell if it's just ***magic*** or forgetting them when it's convenient.

All this said, this book is very interesting and I hope that the pacing issues can be resolved in the sequel(s?). While some of the twists are a bit predictable, they have interesting connotations for the sequel that I'm curious to see how it plays out.

In short, it's an easy romance-fantasy book that sets up an interesting world and characters that could use a slower pace to truly expand on the story.

I absolutely devoured this book!!!!! I love anything mythology and I thought this Nordic inspired story was next level! I was hooked from the first chapter and as soon as I finished I rushed out to pre-order a copy. This is the first I have read by this author and I can't wait to read more.! The only negative is that I have to wait so long now for book two and to see what happens next!

Norse mythology at it's best. Written and narrated so well that I was in the mud fighting right along with the characters, felt the deep, bitter cold of the mountain passes and fumbled & stumbled about in the darkest of dark passages. Eagerly anticipating more of this story.

DANIELLE L JENSEN how did you do this? I got two chapters in and could not out the book down. Honestly I am so grateful to Del Ray for granting my wish on NetGalley for this ARC. It was stunning.
 
A Fate Inked In Blood is an adult fantasy inspired by Norse Mythology (!!) and follows Freya, who is unhappily married and hiding a major secret- she possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood. This makes her a shield maiden, and wanted by everyone seeking power. After the death of her husband and surviving a fight to the death against Bjorn, the son of a powerful jarl. This jarl wants to use Freya for her power to unite the nation of Skaland and assigns Bjorn to train her. Her and Bjorn have an immediate connection but there’s one problem- she’s married to his father now.
 
I really love any type of mythology and it’s been some time since I’ve read anything based off of Norse mythology so I really enjoyed that aspect in this book where people can have a drop of god/goddess blood and that gives them certain powers. This fantasy book had some great fight scenes, the start of an epic romance, and it kept me glued to the book the entire time I was reading. I enjoyed this book so much and already can’t wait for the sequel.

I feel like all that time I spent watching Vikings was in preparation for this book! Now I feel like I need to go back and watch it again.

This Norse-inspired fantasy romance was full of fascinating mythology. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the gods, and how god-blood impacted mortals. Freya was a frustrating character to say the least, she rubber-bands between hating her family and wanting to protect them. With her young age and inexperienced with the world it’s understandable that she feels an obligation to her family and would put herself at risk to save them. I feel like she shows growth toward the end of the book, and the last couple of chapters showed her potential. Seeing as this is going to be a series, I hope that the next book can keep the momentum.

Bjorn. Honestly, not a fan. He lacked substance and depth. But, gosh, could you count on him for a sexually explicit remark. The insta-love was rough, I thought they were joking in their first interaction only to realize that, sadly, they weren’t. Freya, girl, there has to be better out there for you to pine over.

There were several supporting characters I enjoyed (two). Some of the ending did not come as a shock, and was relatively predictable. There’s a trend in most fantasy romance series where the first one ends a *very specific way*. This book was not the exception, but that doesn’t make it bad. The mythology will bring me back for the next book. In the meantime I think I’ll rewatch Vikings.

A Fate Inked in Blood is out February 27 2024.

Thanks to the Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book wasn't what I thought it would be. It's perfect for fans of Jennifer Armemount's From Blood and Ash series. The banter between the main characters is top tier. This book really shined with how well the author researched the material and included little things missing from most fantasy books.

I'm rating it four stars because the writing was really well done, but there was just something that fell flat for me. But it may just be because of the cheating aspect, which I personally don't really vibe with. It could loosely be construed as not cheating though from a certain perspective.

Themes/Tropes:
Bodyguard trope
Forced and Arranged Marriage
Blessed by the gods
Very Viking society
Viking raids and battle sequences
Return of the King ghost army vibes
Banter
Spector character
Well researched

Content Warning: polygamy, m*rder of spouse, casual and public n*dity, graphic violence, strong language, adultery/cheating, m*sterbation, explicit s*x, explicit revelry, animal sacrifice, attempted su*cide, death of parent

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.