If there is one book I recommend evreyone to read it is this one. Danielle Jensen has done it again and words cannot describe my love for the story, fantasy, and romance all in one. Jensen has a way with words that i just seem to always connect with. Her main charcaters - being the women are always badass and never fail to show how powerful women can be. OBSESSED.

This was exciting!!! I think I enjoyed this more than the Bridge Kingdom series. I pictured “Vikings” and “Vikings Valhalla” the whole time.
The scenes were beautifully depicted. I could see each character perfectly as I read. Freya was amazing. Her beginning was a perfect start, and I eagerly await to see her grow. Ylva was the perfect witch in my head. She is awful!!!! And love love love Bjorn! I loved the culture and mythology of the Norse history entwined into the story.
The only criticism I have is the cover. If I based a decision on aesthetics- the cover would be a reason I wouldn’t want to read this story. I’m not sure if it’s because it has a girl on the cover which screams juvenile fiction to me. It could be better designed. All in all though, and excellent beginning to a new world and story.

HOLY CRAP!!!!!
Before I dive in, I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This masterpiece of a book was more of 100000 stars out of 5. The main character, Freya, dreams of becoming a warrior and leaving her terrible husband, Vragi. Vragi is blessed by the Gods and uses it to control everyone around him and use them to further his greed. Freya has decided this is the life she will live and for the sake of her family she will suffer it. Until her deepest secret is revealed and their territory's Jarl, Snorri, takes her as his wife as her goddess blood is prophesized to make him king. Freya leaves with Snorri to find that every man of power wants her dead or for themselves. Freya must find her own path and make her own fate where she does not become the monster that is foretold.

This book had me in its clutches, I only set it down to sleep one night and then yesterday I could not set it down even if my life depended on it. I beg everyone to put this on their list for next year and buy IMMEDIATELY!!! Freya and Bjorn's yearning and banter was the best part and the end *chef's kiss*. Freya is headstrong, independent, fierce, loyal, loving, self-sacrificing, and so witty. This book is filled with all the best tropes:
-force proximity
-powerful FMC
-touch her and you die
-hot Vikings
-banter between forbidden lovers
-powerful female warriors
-MMC who loves his powerful lover

I could have finished this in one sitting if it was not the holiday season and I am begging for book two. This was my first Danielle Jensen book, but I will be reading the rest of her books because her writing was so easy to get into and the world building was seamless. Freya moved from place to place but I was never once confused about the setting. A major fantasy writer writing a Norse mythology book is a dream and it's such a unique fantasy right now when everything is the same type of magic system. It was so refreshing.

This is a great book to dip into fantasy with. It's fast pace, easy understanding world building and and magic system. I loved Norse history in this and was perfect for looking for a read out of the fae world. I liked our mfc Freya although there are a few times I did get a little annoyed with her but overall enjoyed her character. Another wonderful story by Danielle L. Jensen. Thanks to netgallery, Danielle L. Jensen and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey
for the earc!

This was a super enjoyable read! Action-packed and sexy with lots of magic--this is probably one of my top fantasy reads of the year. I tore through my arc of this book only to regret hitting the end so fast because I'm so eager for the rest of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored this book! Most books take me 10% into the book atleast before I am into it and even sure I will finish it. Danielle Jensen had be hooked in the first chapter and kept me there. Pre-ordered this one immediately after finishing!

I absolutely loved this book!! From the first chapter, I was hooked and I couldn't get enough of these characters. Feyre was a great character that I instantly connected to, and I can't wait to see what happens next after that crazy ending!!! Ms. Jensen has a winner on her hands and I can't wait for this book to be released out in the world.

I was hooked on this book by page one. To anyone who knows me, that means a LOT. We run off vibes in this house and beginnings are SO HARD to get into. But page one, I was Team Freya all the damn way.

Realistically, it was literally the first paragraph that hooked me on Freya. So often, we see fmcs who can't hold their own, but Freya's wit delighted me from the start. As it did someone else. She aggravated me in the same breath the entire book, again, like someone else, but she always wins me back.

I think it's only fair I send Danielle Jensen my therapy bill after this, considering I won't know peace until the next book is out (if then). This book did a number on me. I read it in two sittings and was bursting with the need to scream about it. I resisted, barely, and only because my book club has already decided it'll be our March read.

This book is female rage incarnate, and I think it'll speak to so many of us.

Love love love love. Anything this women writes is pure gold. Add this to your TBR and read it NOW!

The willed building, the characters, it’s just a masterpiece

Holy cow - this book y’all!! If you loved Bridge Kingdom and the Dark Shores/Skies series, this one will not disappoint! A Norse-ish fantasy world with characters you’ll fall in love with, and we’ve only just started to scratch the surface. I can’t wait for the next installment in the story!

My review will be posted to Goodreads. The review will be posted 12/22/2023.

A Fate Inked in Blood follows our protagonist, Freya, who has the blood of a God in here. We follow her along her journey to watch as her fate becomes molded into a quest of danger, sacrifice, and love.

This was an anticipated read of mine based on the synopsis. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. This was a hard read and I felt myself wishing it to be over faster.

To begin, the writing style is not something in my favor. I immediately knew from the first couple of chapters what kind of story this would be, yet I was determined to complete it. What I mean by this, is that everything is so very literal and there seems to be no underlying meaning to any of it. It read in a way that everything was essentially spelled out for me, in the sense of, “They were climbing the mountain. The mountain was hard to climb.” You know what I mean? There were also some events that occurred from one jump to the next with no reason as to how they ended up there. Just messy writing.

The romance was also not my cup of tea. I knew what would have happened from the beginning with the so called gorgeous man. Very boring and overused. Now for the smut, this was also very bland. It didn’t engage me as a reader. I don’t read books for the sole purpose of smut, but I did expect something fresh from it but this didn’t happen.

The characters also fell short. I found myself not liking any of them, nor were any memorable enough for me to write about. There was no development for any of them, and so much was thrown around that I found myself being confused.

As for the ending… I saw this coming from a mile away and it didn’t leave me with any shock value. I am not sure if this was the authors intention or not, but it was not in my favor.

Overall, I gave this a one star. I am sure that many others may enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley. Del Rey Books, and the author for providing me with a eArc in exchange for an honest review.

"Her fate is inked in blood. It's carved in her bones."

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this. I just kinda knew vikings and magic. I love going into books as blind as possible. I enjoyed this book SO MUCH!

My only two cons are the overabundance of saying how good looking Bjorn was and that some spots were a bit slow. HOWEVER, the slower parts had tons of world building.

I loved the mix of magic and Norse gods. AND THE TENSION AND BANTER... my word the tension. Every single time Bjorn and Freya would flirt, I'd kick my feet with giddiness.

❗️❗️Possible Spoilers Below!



I KNEW IT. I FREAKING KNEW IT! I was about to be a little disappointed by the ending but YALL I WAS NOT! When does book 2 release, because I need it now!

Thank you to the Publisher, Danielle L. Jensen and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a let down in the fact that I had such high expectations for it (since I really really liked the bridge kingdom). Something fundamental was missing for me to really invest in this story and these characters, however, I think when this comes out a lot of people will gravitate and love it.

Lord, help me. I did not in any capacity like this book. There were so, so many things I hated. The heroine was one of them, the story was another. This book could’ve been everything my Norse mythology lover self would’ve wanted but it just wasn’t it. Nobody is sadder than me, especially because I love Danielle and her books are usually incredible. Thanks to the publisher for the arc!

I have officially found my first 6 star read. I am utterly shocked and impressed and have an incredible urge to read all of @danielleljensen’s books. Have I already added them to my kindle? Yes, I have. Also, I need book two immediately and this one hasn’t even been released yet.

This was my first Nors fantasy book and to say I am obsessed is an understatement. Freya is so flawed based on her upbringing and all she has been through but she is strong and mighty. Bjorn is hot as hell and might be my new favorite MMC. The politics and gods in this book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I did not want to put this one down. From chapter one, I was completely hooked. The world building was sprinkled throughout so it wasn’t overwhelming and the chemistry between Freya and Bjorn had me sweating.

I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for Book 2. I’m looking forward to seeing more world building and character development. I felt like this book did a good job at laying down a solid foundation for the series, but I can’t wait to see where it goes. I’m a fan of complex characters and I think this books delivers. Freya can be naive, but is also smart, caring but has a ruthless side. She doesn’t always know what to do and makes mistakes, and I have a feeling wild slide even more into morally grey territory in future books. I love Bjorn and I hate him. I won’t say more and spoil anything. There are some pretty big twists (that I did see coming, but still enjoyed) and turns and does end on a big cliffhanger.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing, for providing an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is set to release on February 27, 2024.

This book was such an adventure! A magic-filled Norse-inspired romantic fantasy, it follows Freya, a fishmonger’s wife who secretly wants to be a warrior and despises her marriage. Her life takes a turn when she meets Bjorn, son of the region’s jarl. This journey unveils her true identity and reveals the god or goddess from whom her blood originates.

Being new to a Viking-type world in books, I appreciate the well-executed world-building and easy-to-understand magic system. Despite some repetitiveness, it can be overlooked as the plot improves towards the end. The ending may seem a bit predictable, but credit goes to the author's skillful foreshadowing.

I’d say it's a great start to the series. If you love romantasy, slow burn, forbidden romance, forced proximity tropes, and strong Viking men, you will enjoy this book.

Review will be posted on Goodreads

This ended and the next day i still wanted to pick up this book and go back to the world. It has a lot of action, it gets right to the conflicts and romantic interest. The plotting feels pretty fast paced yet allows for backstory to unfold seemlesdly in between. The female MC is immediately revealed to be selfless, and it can be a strength and a weskness as it applies to her role. It's more of a slow reveal of the worldbuilding, knowing its viking culture and most likely a similar setting as the nordic locations. The magic system and kingdoms are slowly built upon. I think the finished book though will have maps, a list of gods, etc and that would help.
Overall, loved the romance, tension and plot twists.

This book was amazing. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this title when I picked it up, but I was immediately sucked in to Freya's world. I think the characters had great dimension to them, though I did predict some of the outcomes, it didn't feel redundant or overly predictable. I will anxiously be awaiting the next title in this series. While there could've been some things that were improved (predictability for example), I am giving this five stars because I couldn't put it down and I feel as if the book on the whole was really enjoyable. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!

This was a really fun quick read for me! I loved the magic and the world and I’m really excited for book 2 🤩