This was a very fun and quick read. From the very beginning I loved the easy banter between the main characters. I laughed many times during their conversations especially their first meeting. The plot was fast and didn't ever really lull at any points in time. There were sometimes I was frustrated by the main character though, but I did still really like her. I loved Bjorn, he was written so beautifully and now I really want to read Danielles other books because she writes male leads in such a sworn worthy way that is addicting to read. The bits of spice were also nice and well written (plus no use of any cringy descriptions or names for body parts that I don't like but often show up in romantasy so that was a plus). While heavy on the romance, I think the plot was still very interesting in itself and I wanted to know more. I really liked the magic system and how many different powers/abilities people could have because of all the different gods that could grant their blood to them. I would love to know more about the rune magic though, that wasn't explained very much. I also really liked some of the side characters, they were interesting and had depth that I wanted to explore, even the "bad" ones. I could guess a good amount of the twists but some still kept me on my toes, especially one of the ones we discover right at the end (very excited to see how that develops in book 2).

Overall I would summarize the book as:
- Strong FMC
- Strong and devoted MMC
- Really interesting magic system
- Very violent world
- Sexy romance

I am very excited to read book 2 and to get my hands on a physical copy of book 1 when it releases.
Thanks to netgalley and Random House for the e-ARC.

I truly loved this book. A Fate Inked in Blood is a perfect fantasy with enemies to lovers romance (with forced proximity), meddling Norse gods, magic gifted by the gods, and a FMC who isn’t afraid to fight her own battles. This book is very character driven and I absolutely loved the FMC and the MMC (+plus the slow burn romance). There is some major betrayal in this book (coming from all sides it seems) and I CANNOT wait for the next book.

I really enjoyed this book even though it took me a while to get through it. That wasn’t at all the book’s issue; I am just changing jobs and moving so I had less time available to read. But the beginning was so strong and I loved the banter between Freya and Bjorn, and it felt like a lot of action happened in the very beginning. The middle seemed a little drawn out to me with all of the traveling and it felt like there were parts where nothing very interesting happened. But then it picked back up at the end and I really enjoyed the ending and I can’t wait to see how everything carries over to the second book! Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fate inked in blood is very heavy on the emotions of our protagonist Freya, which works to its benefit her feelings of fear, hope, betrayal and trust are felt strongly. You can't help but want to root for her and for her to agency over her fate. Emotion s again are the strong point of this book you really get a feel of Freya her loyalty to her family who don't deserve it, how much she trust Bjorn and her growing friendship with Bodil and the anguish she felt when Bjorn betrays her, which drives me up a wall because he really had every opportunity to tell her and she asked too but he lies anyway betraying her trust leaving her in turmoil.

.5/4

I pretty much only leave reviews for books I LOVED but since this was an ARC, I owe it to leave one. I want to premise that it wasn’t BAD, by any means. I did guess every single plot way, way before it happened and felt it was lacking in that suspense that’s needed in a romantasy like this one. The slow burn was good, I will give it that! Bjorn is smooooth 🫠 and the forced proximity was done so well 👌🏻 The magic side of things was super interesting too, until I found out how it comes about and then I was meh about it. I also felt it was very dragged out. It felt a tad repetitive and I fell asleep reading every night, and took me an entire week to finish, which doesn’t happen to a book that I am entirely enamored by. All in all, it was a good read and I definitely recommend to my romantasy readers 😍

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was SO excited to receive a copy of this. The premise just really caught my eye and it did not disappoint. There's so much tension between the two main characters. The enemies to lovers arc was done very well and I truly fell in love with them. I was hooked from page one and was never bored. This is absolutely going to be the best big romantasy you see all over tiktok/bookstagram.

5/5 ⭐
2/5🌶️

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher (Del Rey Books) for a copy of an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Other ARC readers have discussed the plot (and the summary also does a good job of it), so I'll skip that and talk about what worked/didn't work for me.

1) I *really* enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book (4 stars). My biggest gripe was the stepson link for the romance (which is basically in the summary so I guess I shouldn't have been surprise cringing, but I still was) + that Freya trades one crappy marriage for another (either skip the first marriage or make the actual male love interest not a forbidden romance). It just felt exhausting, how constantly punished by the narrative Freya was.

2) the last 1/3 (and really the last 6 or so chapters) of the book honestly made me ready to rate this book 2 stars. Freya doesn't seem like she goes through any character arc, or if she does, it's a negative one that makes her more set in her ways and more prone to rage (which was justified but led to a lot of destruction/death).

I especially hated how she kept sticking up for her dirtbag family, even when they proved to sacrifice her for their own selfish needs again and again. Even when she FINALLY tried to close the door on one family member, she still comes back later to try to save them and then feels awful when they face consequences for their own actions. I wanted Bjorn to abandon her, she was so annoying in protecting her horrible family at this point.

Freya's stubbornness actually made me feel apathetic the last 1/3 of the book and ready for it to be over.

3) the actual ending was intriguing (a lot of unanswered questions), but I don't know if I can get up the interest to reread this book again before the sequel (the last 1/3 of the book + the stepson romance link was that uninspiring (the former point) and squicky (the latter point) to me).

Overall, I guess this book just wasn't for me, though I overall liked the plot for a good chunk (2/3). Final point: read this book if you enjoy angsty romance. There's not a lot of happiness to be found here (maybe one or two chapters worth of happiness in the entire book--in terms of the romance, anyway).

5 ⭐️ Pure magic. That's the only way to describe this book.


There is no future where I would regret choosing you, Freya

WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ Viking style romance
✨ Norse Gods
✨ Forbidden romance
✨ plot focused
✨ insta lust
✨ magic
✨ forced proximity
✨ 2/5 🌶️
✨ tension
✨ naive fmc
✨ one horse trope
✨ betrayal


My Thoughts:

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING and preorder this book immediately!!! I can’t stress enough of how great of a romance fantasy book this is!!

I loved:

Bjorn.
I’ll rave about him all day long. The moment Bjorn entered the scene, I knew I would be in love. He is fierce, protective, and powerful!! He doesn’t hide his opinion on any subject, and he is willingly to fight.
I adore his training scenes with Freya, and the banter. He is so charming, that I would be tripping over my feet nonstop for this man.


Obsessed with the connection these two have.
They are the definition of star-crossed lovers. Their bond has so much potential, and the tension that these two have I can’t rave enough about. The amount of times I was just begging Freya to cheat on her “husband” for his son was insane. They are so perfect for each other. I legit screamed at the end with the twists. I can’t wait for book two.

The villain (well one of them)
This man is so insane that it makes you giggle a little. I enjoy having a villain that you know isn’t a true “bad” villain, but he makes you laugh a little. He is a fanatical leader, who believes in signs from the Gods to an extreme. He twists every single thing to fit his agenda to the point that you can’t help but laugh. I can’t tell if he truly is the villain of the series or if he is just the beginning villain, but I did find his crazy to be funny.

Liv
I LOVE HER. I can’t express enough how I wanted her to show up nonstop in the book.

The Gods!
I found the history and the magic system with the Gods to be so interesting. I want to run and read everything based on Norse mythology now. It was so good!! Danielle does a great job building into the world so if you don’t have a great background in Norse mythology you understand everything. I was so impressed with how world building was done in this book!

The only thing I disliked
Freya.
I know this could be huge, disliking the female main character. I didn’t dislike her by the end of the book and that is why I still gave this book 5 stars. Freya grew on me as the book went on, however her naivety at times had me hitting my head against the book. I think due to the twists at the end, Freya might turn into my absolutely favorite character in book two.



Overall, A Fate Inked In Blood is a tension-filled romance fantasy that will have you begging for the sequel. The story is entertaining, the characters are amazing, and the romance is tension-filled.


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.

4.5/5 stars

“I will be at your back until I cross the threshold to Valhalla, Born-in-Fire, whether you want me there or not.”

If you like Danielle Jensen's other works, Carissa Broadbent's works, ACOTAR, or The Cruel Prince you probably want to pick up this Norse-inspired fantasy romance.

The worldbuilding and Norse mythology are a great setting for these characters. The story drops you in and gets the action going right away without confusing names. I didn't want to put the book down from start to finish.

Freya, is selfless, strong, powerful, and impulsive. Bjorn is hot, kind, and complicated! There's great banter, a slow-burn romance, and lots of tension, connection, and passion to keep you reading.

The ending twists were predictable (due to plenty of foreshadowing), but still a ton of fun! I can't wait for Book #2 to see how it all works out and where Freya ends up (hopefully in control of her own fate!)

I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley.

This book had its claws in me from start to finish! I am a huge lover of Norse Mythology and I honestly could not stop reading. Freya is such a relatable FMC she is torn between what is best for herself or her family so she constantly gets put into positions she does not even want to be in to keep her family safe... even if they dont deserve it (in my opinion). A Fate Inked in Blood had me feeling all of the emotions I laughed I cried and at one point I even yelled in anger because I was so frustrated! I love this book, and I am so sad that i have to wait for the rest of the series. I need to know what happens, and I need to read more about her and Bjorn. This was such a solid read for me!

I want to preface this by saying that I have read over a dozen of new adult fantasy romances and for some reason they almost never work for me. However, when I read the blurb for this book??? I was immediately intrigued because it sounded like something I would absolutely love! I hadn’t read anything else by this author but after hearing nothing but amazing things about her fantasy novels, I just knew I had to read it! But honestly I was a bit disappointed because while the premise was great, the execution wasn’t the best imo so I ended up losing interest. My biggest issue was the writing; it just felt clunky if that makes sense? Though that could be due to to fact that this was an arc but because of it just about everything about the book felt a little lackluster and I wasn’t able to become immersed in the story unfortunately. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This novel was filled with quick-witted retorts and an exciting cast of characters. The Norse mythology was fresh air, delivering uniqueness throughout the book and separating itself from other mythology books of its likeness. Additionally, I enjoyed Freya's romance with Bjorn. Both Freya and Bjorn had fiery personalities which led to many arguments and miscommunications. However, despite this, they had a realistic connection that seemed to run deeper than just attraction to each other.

Yet, there were a few negative qualities that kept this story from reaching 5 stars. Firstly, there were more than a few instances where I became frustrated with Freya's indecision and bouts of anger. Granted, Freya had a lot at stake resting on her choices, but the sheer number of times she debated the same choices was quite astonishing. Also, I found myself having to stop reading periodically when Freya misplaced her anger and took out her discontent on others. These qualities fit the character and her situation but left a large impact on the readability of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and am excited for the next installment. The problems I encountered in the story are likely to be resolved once the character develops further and therefore are minor at best.

Wow, really loved this book! I truly felt like I was battling right along with Bjorn and Freya! The details and world building was superb and could truly visualize the story like Steinunn was spinning the story herself!

I really enjoyed the character building of Freya coming into her own. Freya started out almost cowering from what she could be while still enduring her hardships, but really transformed into someone that should be taken seriously.

Bjorn is another character that I loved because of his witty playfulness. I loved seeing that he remained that way throughout the book but also that he added layers to character with protectiveness the more the book developed.

I know this is only the first book, but I’m already looking forward to the second book!! It was an excellent read!

This book had a lot of potential, but ultimately it fell flat for the following reasons:
There is no character development of the FMC without the MMC, we meet him within a few pages and they both instantly want to jump each others bones.
The FMC allows other people to use her throughout the entire book, she is frustrating and it makes her unlikeable by the end.
All of the plot twists are predictable and foreshadowed too heavily.

Three stars for the potential and the quality of the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey publishing for providing an ARC, my review is obviously my unbiased opinion.

When I tell you I GASPED…

The whole book had me on my toes going through Freya’s internal conflict. Wanting to follow her heart but feeling obligated to help her people and seeing how that evolved over time was quite endearing. The journey of finding herself and her confidence proving herself worthy of the gods…

I wish the last battle was a little more drawn out and detailed it seemed quite fast and rushed. The whole ending had me wanting to kick Bjorn yet also wanting to know more and have more understanding. The cliffhanger has me wanting more and unfulfilled.

I read this right after Fourth Wing and it is a good follow up but doesn’t quite give me the same excitement. Don’t get my wrong I LOVED this book & it is a good comparison to the highs that Fourth Wing gave me but just felt a bit too rushed.

Jensen has done it again. If you loved Lara from Bridge Kingdom, you will be obsessed with Freya.

Loved the mythology woven into this story, the tension of the love interests, and Freya’s journey.

Thank you to Random House and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic book!!!!! I couldn’t put it down and cannot wait for it to hit the leaves. I love the Nordic influence, so different from traditional fae stories. I loved this!!

This is definitely one of my favorite fantasy reads ive read this year. I was in such a rough book hangover after fourthwing but this beautiful book pulled me out of it. It captured me into its world and had me day dreaming about being thrown into it. Amazing book!

I wanted to like this one so badly. I loved the Norse mythology and magic that was woven in. Bjorn and Freya first interaction gave me such high hopes that they were going to have fun banter and that their scenes would be a blast to read.

Unfortunately for me, this one just didn't hit right. The characters felt and acted inconsistent at times, the prophesy was confusing, and there wasn't enough world-building or background given for me to care about the battle between Skaland and Nordeland and why the Freya felt such deep loyalty to people who treated her terribly.

While none of these things are dealbreakers, there were a few things really bothered me and I couldn't get past.
-Freya being married to another person the ENTIRE book. I get that she was married in name only but it still gave me major ick vibes that she was technically Bjorn's stepmother and it bugged me the whole time I was reading.
-Freya's family was beyond horrible to her. They were so selfish and Freya would be upset and call them out on it or set boundaries but then would turn around and flip flop right back into sacrificing absolutely everything for them and justifying their actions.
-Freya blaming herself for literally everyone else's decision but then not being accountable for when she messed up herself.

I'm sad this one wasn't one I personally connected with since I think the concept is great. While it wasn't for me, I think there are a lot of people who would very much enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

A Fate Inked in Blood scratched an itch that I didn't even know needed scratching. Filled with rich Norse mythology, a spicy forbidden romance and breathtaking scenery, Danielle L. Jensen weaves a spellbinding story that slaps. Our leading lady is Freya, and her fierceness jumps off the page from the very beginning. Freya is reminiscent of a sassy Celaena Sardothien type, but she brings her own Nordic brand of boss b*tch energy. Then there's the bodacious Bjorn, the man that most of the romantasy girlies will undoubtedly swoon over. Jensen blesses the reader with some very sexy and vivid imagery that will live in my brain rent free forever. I'm going to need a muscled Nordic stud to lend me his fur in a cave immediately. And you'll know exactly what scene I'm talking about if you read this book. Just thinking about it now makes me blush.

High fantasy fans might find the world building to be somewhat simple and weighed down by all of the spice. but romantasy readers will eat this up because there's a decent enough magic system, rich and snowy landscapes, and most importantly - SPICE. When those hot and heavy moments pop up, I was sweatin' under my collar. I'm into it. The book ends with reveals and a cliff hanger that sets up the second book perfectly. I wanted Freya to succeed from the moment I met her and I'm so curious to see how she's going to re-write her fate and embrace her power.

Special thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!