This book was such a pleasant surprise. I love romance fantasy, it’s been my favorite since I can remember.

The problem with my favored genre as of late? I can’t find one book that isn’t cheesy, childish, or over the top. I have been in a romance fantasy slump..

Until, this book. This book felt almost nostalgic. It gave me the feeling that romance fantasy books gave me in the past.

-Romance.. and when I say romance. I mean, actual romance. Beautiful words, long gazes, and sweet kisses. This isn’t just throw an alpha male on the page. The author has made the main male character have depth. I appreciate that so much.

-The BANTER. I LOVED when Bjorne & Freya would argue, or banter. They were made for each other.

-Fantasy over spice- another negative to most fantasy romance? It’s all spice. I NEED PLOT. This has an amazing overarching plot, an easy magic system that was easy to follow, and a fantastical world I enjoyed so much.
(There is spice JUST SO YOU KNOW, and it’s gooooooooodddddd!!! Tastefully done!)

My only negative? I thought the ending started to drag a bit. I found Freya to get a *bit* annoying. She became a little self centered at times, and started to make rash decisions that were not thought out in the least. Other than the ending, I loved the pacing of this book. It’s super fast paced.

Overall, this was such an entertaining read! I am appreciative to have found another fantasy romance that I can recommend! I can’t wait until the next installment.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the Norse mythology aspect of this book and the general plot, I feel like there were a lot of pieces that needed better development. The main character, Freya, starts the book as a daring and jaded fishwife who has discovered that the magic she has kept secret for most of her life has wound her fate into a complex power struggle between power-hungry jarls who think that as Shield Maiden, Freya can help them become King of a united Skaland. Freya encounters many dangers as she navigates this new prophesied role - but the most dangerous part of all might be her forbidden feelings towards Bjorn - the son of the jarl that aims to control Freya's powers.

I found Freya's character development to be confusing and frustrating and the romance to be unsatisfying in its development. When Freya meets Bjorn she's snarky and fearless, but as soon as they're in close quarters it's insta-love. I feel like there's a "Fated mates" type of bond that's supposed to be happening between these two, but I wish it had been a bit more of a slow burn because Freya's pining started almost immediately. Book two is set up for more of that tension though - and I did really enjoy Bjorn's character, so I will be interested to see where this goes.

I also found the motivations and relationships in this book to be a bit confusing. At no point does Freya have an ally that she can completely trust - and any chance at female companionship is quickly sputtered out by death of betrayal. In a story where the main character feels consistently used by men I had hoped to find more complex female characters for her to engage with and befriend. Bodil was an attempt at that kind of mentor/mother figure - but she was gone as quickly as she was introduced. I do not feel we had enough time with her to feel the full impact of loss that Freya felt. I wish that the relationship had been more developed. Freya's family were also confusing. They start out seeming like a normal family with perhaps a spoiled mother, and as the book goes on her family go from hot to cold with their behavior towards Freya, all while Bjorn basically tells her "So what if they die" right after fearing that Freya is going down a path of needless violence.

Overall, I did enjoy the book enough to continue the series - especially because of the events that ended the book - but I do think there could have been a lot better development of characters in this. It just wasn't the five star read I had hoped it would be.

There are good bones in this book; the delivery just felt flat for me as a reader.

The Norse mythology, the fierce and strong FMC, the rugged and dedicated MMC, the trails and tribulations, the "how will they get out of this" - it was all good. The world building - good. The pacing - good. But for some reason the delivery, the writing felt flat. The adversaries felt flat. Over all, it felt like the base recipe was there, it was a contender for 5 stars, but the seasoning didn't delivery. Will not be continuing this series.

A Fate Inked In Blood is an incredible story packed with romance, action, mythology, politics, magic, and intense suspense.

The world-building here is top-tier, with Norse mythology interwoven into this High Fantasy flawlessly. My favorite part, however, is definitely the forbidden romance!!

This book really just cements the fact that I need to read anything & everything that Danielle writes.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.

Riveting, fast-paced Viking-lore romance with a cliff- hanger ending!*

Freya is stuck in an abusive marriage to keep her loved ones safe until she meets Bjorn, a handsome son of a neighboring jarl, and in a wild twist of fate she murders her husband and reveals her secret: she is a daughter of Hiln and gifted the ability to protect herself by invoking the obscure goddesses name. What follows is a wirl-wind adventure and slow- burn romance as Freya grows into her powers and finds her fate as she fights for the people she cares about.

Cannot wait for the sequel to find out how Freya's journey ends!

Wow! This book really captured my attention. I love the main characters and their interactions. The author has woven an amazing tale using Norse mythology, viking raids and fated individuals in such a unique way. I can't wait for the next book!

Page 9: a space between italicized “dear” and regular font “husband” in the 5th paragraph down.
Not a fan of the italics but maybe it will grow on me.
Page 12: a space between italicized “catch” and regular font “sea.” Maybe this is a formatting issue; the spaces aren’t being put in after the italicized words?
Love how I can “hear” the accents, if that makes sense. Really good job on that!
Your satire and sarcasm are making me laugh, literal perfection!
“Glowed like eclipsed sons” I love that.
Page 35: I love the banter.
Page 58: space between “only” and “knew” in the first paragraph.
Using marriage as a power move is horrible. I feel bad for her.
Since Bjorn is Snorri’s son, couldn’t Freya be bound to him? Not just Snorri?
It’s giving How To Train Your Dragon paired with the first season of Vikings.

“It is hard to keep one’s wits when faced with a woman as beautiful as the sight of shore to a man who has been lost at sea” (p.151). New favorite quote!!!

Page 169: space between “sacrifices” and “implied.”
Page 172: space after “seas.”
Page 185: space after “husband.”
Page 247: space after “test.”

“I don’t want to rule,” he answered. “I want you.” DAAAANNG Page 282 is my new favorite.

Page 283: space after “new.”
This is also giving Outlander vibes with the romance part of the story.

Knowing that your family is trash, that your mom gave you up for your brother, and then abandoning the one person who loves you and is saving you from a horrible fate… why is Freya listening to Hlen?? When she knows it’s her?? Why???

Snorri just straight up annoys the crap out of me. Bjorn is the only one acting on logical and isn’t crazed.

Page 315 okay I think I’m a kindhearted person but on God, I would straight up give her brother and his dummy wife the kiss of death for a single sock.

Overall, really good book! Posted my full review to Goodreads. Above are my thoughts as I progressed through the reading with page numbers. I think the end was a great setup for book 2, and a redemption arc for both characters. Definitely hoping for more magic and excited for the new world building, and how the culture/life/hierarchy will be different.

OMG THE ENDING

I loved this book!!! It had my attention from chapter one and it didn’t slow down. I felt like I had to keep reading no matter what, so I ended up staying awake so late.

FREYA AND BJORN❤️‍🔥🔥 I was dying to see them together the entire book😮‍💨

Also, can we talk about how WILDLY everyone treated our girl Freya?? (besides bjorn)

10/10! CANT WAIT FOR BOOK 2🙏🏽

A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L Jensen
⭐️3.75/5 stars

Freya, born with a drop of blood from a goddess, is one of the few in her world who is unfated. Throughout her life she has hidden her power. But when she is betrayed by someone close to her, she is thrust into a new life, learning of her prophecy to wield her power to unite the kingdom, but this power comes at a cost. As she fights to write her own fate, she faces lies and deception, battles, and a forbidden attraction unraveling with the one ordered to protect her.

This is a Norse-inspired romantasy featuring a bad*ss shield maiden - Freya Born-In-Fire and her fire-axe wielding protector.

Major tropes: enemies to friends to lovers, forbidden love, slow burn, betrayal, & a little bit of spice 🌶️🌶️

I really enjoyed this book, especially in the last 150 pages. The first half of the book read slower to me, but the ending was worth it, and I’ll definitely be continuing the series as it comes out!

A Fate Inked In Blood is perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash (but with less plot complexity and less spice). I think it’s perfect for someone exploring fantasy romance because the world is easy to dive right into.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this one early!

I really loved the world building, the magic system and learning about the gods and their children.

Y'all the slowburn was real with this one lol but then it did not disappoint.

I loved Freya and Bjorn and I really hope they get to overcome what happened at the end. I honestly I hated Snorri since the minute he was introduced and literally every single time he spoke I rolled my eyes lol.
I have to admit I guessed who the traitor was and I'm glad I was right because I really do not like that character. I had 3 guesses for who the woman talking to Harald was and oh my I'm so glad it was who I wanted her to be!

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

First, big thanks to Del Rey for allowing me to read A Fate inked in Blood! This is my first time reading anything by Danielle L. Jensen and let me just start off with WOW. Amazing world building, wonderful characters that are complex and compelling to root against and for. Jensen truly sets a scene with every paragraph she writes, it was a joy from start to finish. Also, this book scratches that romantasy itch like no one's business! Loved this book, I will eagerly be awaiting the next in the second book in the Saga of the Unfated!

I thought nothing could top Jensen’s Bridge Kingdom duologied but I was mistaken. A Fate Inked in Blood kept me on the edge of my seat. I read it in 13 hours because I was picking it up every spare second. I will read anything Danielle Jensen will write,

LOVES
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

SPICE
🥵 medium

RECOMMEND
💳 100% yes

I’m so happy I got the chance to read this eARC. I’ve been looking for a Viking fantasy story and this is the first one that checked all the boxes of what I’m looking for.

If you like the History Channel’s Vikings with more magic from the gods, this is definitely the story for A Fate Inked In Blood is good & l mean really, really, really good. My only complaint is that this is Book 1 in Jensen's Saga of the Unfated series & it's not releasing until the end of February 2024. This means that I don't know how long I'll have to wait for Book 2 & I need to know what happens next.

A Fate Inked In Blood is the perfect mix between the History Channel's Vikings & Netflix's Viking Valhalla. Jensen uses magical & mythological elements in this story that sets it apart from other fantasy stories that incorporate Norse mythology.

A lot happens in this first installment of the Saga of the Unfated series & it's a great introduction. A Fate Inked In Blood may be the first Danielle L. Jensen book, but it will not be my last. Hopefully , you will enjoy this story as much as I do.

Thank you for the advance reader copy.

What a wild ride this was!

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Freya. She is a child of a god, but has had to hide her powers from everyone around her. Until one fateful day when everything starts to unravel and Freya’s life will never be dull again.

Freya was a strong character and definitely wanted more out life than her family wanted for her. Throughout the book I felt so bad for her because she kept getting beaten down and always being told what to do. Even when she tried to break free everything was reeled in. It was hard to read about what was happening to her. And yet, she remained strong and did what she needed to do for her family and innocent lives. It’s crazy because I would have never done half the things she did when it came to complying, haha.

Bjorn was similar to Freya. He wanted someone to look at him and not just see a weapon or something to be conquered. They were never treated like another human being. Both were definitely made for each other and I loved seeing where their relationship went. It was slow and full of forbidden stares and touches. Yes, please!

I have been wanting to read more books with Norse/Viking vibes and this fit that as well as satisfying my need! I liked learning about their gods and the powers that were given to some. The world-building was cool and easy to understand.

Plot twists were in full-swing from the beginning and it was hard to put down even if I had to for life things. It was so easy to get lost into the pages. I couldn’t believe what was happening and that ending was insane! I don’t know how I am going to survive until the next book.

Overall, this was such a fantastic book! Very different from this author’s others and she definitely ups the spice in this one!

What more could you want from a book than Norse mythology and a strong FMC! This book captured me from the first page and is one of my favorite books for this year. Thank you to NetGalley and Danielle Jensen for the arc!

You can really tell how this author has grown since her previous series. I really loved all the Nordic history that was in this book and I love our main character as she navigated becoming the Shield Maiden. I definitely saw the twist coming, but it was still a fun journey getting there. I like how the author isn't afraid to sacrifice characters that you love to make you really feel connected to the cause of the book. It's refreshing.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A Fate Inked in Blood is a fantasy romance inspired my Norse mythology. I loved the Viking vibes and the Norse mythology aspects of the book. I’ve never read a Norse mythology book before, but was able to easily follow and pick up any new lingo. It was very action packed from start to finish with lots of doses of romance scattered in. I was hooked from the first chapter of the book and the pacing made it so I didn’t ever want to put it down.

If you enjoy romantasy books, enemies to lovers, or books about gods I would recommend this book. Easily a solid four star read for me. I will definitely be picking up the next book when it releases!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The romantic chemistry between the main characters is to die for. Jensen blends wit, characterization, plot, and world building for a wonderful fantasy-romance.

To be honest, the twist at the end was a little cliche, but I enjoyed the rest of it so much it doesn't bother me. Looking forward to the next one.

Received this book from NetGalley! As I have just finished 2 books from this author (bridge kingdom), it was a nice change up to get lost in another world of her creation. This was my first Norse legend book, but I honestly loved it. The gods, the magic, the characters! Loved it all.
The cliffhanger that ends on has me so VERY eager for book 2 of this series. I knew the ending would be rough because of the slow burn and build-up of the mmc and the mfc. As this book is only 1 POV, I would have preferred dual POV. But honestly, I thought that Freya was a kickass character. All in all, I think this is closer to 4.5⭐️ than 4. I can't wait to see this book published and fingers crossed that I won't have to wait too long for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love this book, and it had so much potential, but ultimately fell flat.

I enjoyed the characters and their complications, the mystical beings and gods, and the story overall. We get an interesting arc of the characters, and the romance was fun.

However, this book felt extremely slow and drawn out. I had a hard time picking it up as I never felt like things were picking up.

Overall, it wasn't a bad book and I think fans of this author will enjoy it, but it just wasn't for me.