I was not particularly fond of this book. There was a lack of world buildign that did not help me to orient myself into the story. The characters moved around to various places within the book but there was no description of these places except for their name.

I was not fond of the main character. From the very beginning she was unlikeable.

I am honestly really sad to say that this book was not my cup of tea. It had all the elements of a great and engaging fantasy novel, but I just could not connect with the romance aspect. I felt 0 sparks!! the whole story seemed a little overly-ambitious to me, with too many things packed into one book.

I. Am. PROPERLY. Obsessed With A Fate Inked In Blood!

I have been in an reading slump since fourth wing, with nothing (and I mean NOTHING) coming even close to it… until I dove in to this incredible nordic fantasy land with vikings, magic gifted from god, politics, fight scenes, training, humor, AND a romance kindling throughout with TENNSSSIOOONNN like crazy!!! From the first page on it was NON STOP action and I couldn’t get enough, just devouring every single word! It was so easy to place myself into this world, and I haven’t left as I am literally DREAMING of the characters and theorizing what the second book might entail! I NEED A CONTINUATION OF THIS STORY ASAP.

ALSO girlies, the male main character has WIT, HUMOR, BRAINS, AND GOOD LOOKS ?! A LOVE INTEREST WITH PERSONALITY?!?!? You will not regret reading this book!! I was sent an arc to review but I’m preordering the hardcover RIGHT NOW. And I suggest you do the same!

I've read MANY books by Danielle Jensen and I have to say, this one is my favorite! I'll be anxiously awaiting the next one!!

I was a huge DLJ fan coming into this having adored The Bridge Kingdom books, so this was such an exciting ARC to get.

Freya and Bjorn were a wonderful Romantasy couple to read about. I enjoyed their slow-burn, forbidden romance, witty banter, and tension/pining. The book is well-paced and bingable from start to finish.
The unique magic system was well done. I liked that I was not bogged down with an overabundance of complex world-building like some books. The Norse mythology was interesting, gritty, and gave this book an edgier feel than the usual Romantasy books I read.

I already pre-ordered two of the special edition copies. One for me, one for my tiktok giveaways. Super excited to talk about this one on socials once everyone else has a chance to read this.

I can't wait for book two! Tysm for letting me be an ARC reader for this one!

I was hooked from the very first line.
Born with a drop of blood from the gods, Freya must determine her fate while her husband believes his fate is to be king.
Forced marriage, protection of family, husband’s son will all keep you guessing until the twist at the end. Plus a major cliffhanger!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for honest review.

What a ride!!! I was given early access to this book via NetGalley and boy am I thankful for this opportunity. This book had me hooked from the first chapter-the characters, setting and storyline (Norse Gods-yes please) grabbed me and did not want to let go. Our main character Freya is a bad ass independent woman and we love her-and don't get me started on the love interest Bjron!!!

This book was honestly everything I never knew I needed. The Norse mythology is one we don't often see explored in fantasy books and I think the author did so in a very easy and palatable way. I didn't find myself confused or overwhelmed the way I sometimes do when entering a new fantasy world. The storyline kept me intrigued and threw me curves I was not expecting. I think everyone is searching for a book to cure that Fourth Wing hangover and I think that this one has everything we are looking for. I am so excited to see where this story goes and to keep up with the characters that slammed their way into my heart. PLEASE add this to your TBR right now so that we can chat about it.

Thanks again to NetGalley and Random House Publishers for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

4.5 ⭐️

This is my first Danielle L. Jensen book so expectation wise - pretty fair. Also, my limited knowledge of Norse mythology starts with Marvel's Thor (to be fucking honest, sorry. hahaha) But omg this romance/fantasy literally blew me out of the water, or the fjord if you will. 🤭

First of all, "A Fate Inked in Blood" was so perfectly paced and well-balanced in my opinion. It had just the right amount of tension to keep me on the edge of my seat and action and politics that moved the story along without overpowering the overall plot/premise, which was absolutely fantastic. I'm usually the type of lax reader who will excuse a book 1's exhaustive world building, but I didn't feel that at all with this book. The magic made sense and not only that, it was so unique and well-done. We know that Freya, like Bjorn and few other characters, possess a drop of a god/goddess' blood. This allows them to manifest the magic of the Norse gods themselves. That's really just bad ass and I don't need to elaborate further... lol

Second, the romance?? The forbidden romance of it all was already so juicy. She's quite literally married to his FATHER. 😂 Other reviews are saying it was a bit instalovey, which is a fair assessment, however, I will argue that the additional build up was so enjoyable. The flirty banter and the pining was everything. Bjorn being the actual star though, imo.

"I rarely wear a shirt when I fight."- B. "Is that part of your strategy then? To distract the enemy with your rippling muscles so you might kill them while they gape at your splendor?"- F. "It is madness how well it works. You'd think that when I run toward them, screaming battle cries and vows for blood, that it would be the burning axe they commented on, but no. It's always, 'Look at that Bjorn's ripping muscles. If I survive this battle, I vow to drink less mead so that my belly looks like his."💀


Anyways, definitely do yourself a favor and pick this one up in February 2024. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House- Del Rey for the early copy!

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Spice: 3/5

The story combines elements of magic with historic Norse culture. I normally prefer an enemies to lovers vibe, but the MMC was swoon-worthy from the start. There are MANY unlikable secondary characters, which has you rooting for the less than perfect (sometimes cringy) MFC even more.

There was some inconsistency in the actions/personalities amongst the characters which gave me whiplash at times (i.e. random snapping by normally docile characters, MFC valuing relationships that make no sense etc). I found myself losing interest about 2/3 the way through, but overall it was decent.

Do i think this is the next ACOTAR/Fourth Wing? No. But, overall I’m very excited for this series to continue.

This book is more of a 3.5 rating for me. I found myself frustrated with the characters a lot in the beginning but really rooting for Freya. However, towards the end of the book I feel like I kept expecting her to be better and do better and she just simply did not and it made the entire character annoying to me. Truthfully I feel like she lost any redeeming qualities she had somewhere along the way and just never gained them back. Bjorn was the only character that was tolerable but that was likely due to his lack of personality. There was little to no world building, in fact upon further reflection I couldn’t even begin to explain what any of the locations besides a specific few buildings even looked like. I have no idea why there is kings as well as jarls and what the titles mean fully. The plot twist was exciting and I would read the second book if not just in hopes that freya redeems herself again and gets some kind of satisfactory revenge on the people who actually deserve it and not just the innocent people she has massacred thus far. The romance felt a bit immediate for me but the spicy scenes were good and I think the plot itself has so much potential. If you’re looking for an easy romantasy that follows the standard formula, this will leave you happy.

Thank you to Danielle L. Jensen and Random House Publishing for the ARC on Netgalley.

A Fate Inked in Blood was another great book by Danielle L. Jensen. It was a breath of fresh air having this set in more of a Norway/Viking setting - everything seemed grittier, dirtier and well away from the glitz and glam of most NA/Adult fantasy novels. Freya and Bjorn were excellent leads and the ending left my dizzy and excited for the next book.

Clever, addictive, and brilliant. Jensen’s ‘A Fate Inked in Blood’ is captivating. The brilliantly weaved story sucks you in and it is near impossible to put it down. The characters and emotions will have you feeling like you are one of them. Excellent read if Fantasy, Nordic Mythology/ themes and Romance are in your realm. The book almost finished too soon and waiting for the next will be long journey.

This was the first book I’ve read in a long time that I quite literally could not put down. I read it in two days! Would have been one if I didn’t need to sleep and eat. It was a breath of fresh air to read a story so captivating and well-written. I do not regret one minute I spent reading this book, even if it kept me up late into the night. It made me gasp, cry, and laugh out loud. The only thing disappointing about this book is how long I’ll have to wait for the second one to be released.

I feel the story was well-paced, the characters have depth, and with just enough action and slow-burn romance peppered in to keep a reader intrigued. I definitely will be checking out more books by Danielle L. Jensen.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this book on my kindle, but as soon as I finished it I pre-ordered the physical copy. I need this book on my shelf because (along with the beautiful cover artwork) it will be added to my favorite books collection that will be reread many more times.

I absolutely adored this Norse inspired fantasy romance. The relationship was perfection. The plot was fascinating especially with the twist at the end with Freya. The writing was engaging and I couldn’t put it down once I picked it up. I have already pre ordered a physical copy! I can’t wait to keep reading more from this talented author. Thank you so much for approving my arc. It was an honor.

I enjoyed A Fate Inked In Blood the most out of Jensen’s books, but I will say I had issues with pacing and it was quite predictable. I’m interested to see what she does in the sequel.

This was a nice change from the fae world! I really enjoyed this Norse/Viking fantasy!! It has everything covered from forbidden romance( yes, I like a little spice 🫣) to betrayal! You get sucked right in and the ending has you counting down the days til the next books comes out!

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I’ll update this closer to release date but just preorder this now, I’m begging you. She has done it again.

I am OBSESSED. This is my FAVORITE Read of the year. Holy COW!!!! I have never read anything by Jensen so I came into this blind but she has made a huge fan out of me. Look - I'll tell you right now, I've watched Vikings and the Last Kingdom on Netflix and I've been obsessed with Norse Mythology. I've craved something similar in a book for AWHILE. But I've never found it and I've found that adult norse mythology either sticks TOO close to the historical side that the details lose my interest or the YA side is almost too cheesy. But this my friends is IT. Jensen immediately hooks you. I found myself enthralled within the first ten pages. Freya was immediately likeable.  While it is a bit insta-like, the banter between the two characters is impeccable. The tension building is *chefs kiss*, I found myself hiding under my desk at work to read this. There was never a dull moment. I loved Freya and Bjorns struggles. The plot pacing didn't seem too fast either. There is also some spice in this and I loved it. I will be re-reading this one until book two comes out. You will do yourself a huge disservice NOT picking up this book.

This book has everything Fantasy Romance readers love.

If you like Viking/Nore-inspired stories you will love this book. If Vikings are not your thing, I think you will still enjoy it, the world-building in this book was really easy to follow.

I was hooked from the first page, and the fast-paced plot had me hooked to the very last. There is absolutely no filler in this book.

Ferya is a very strong FMC, she's not perfect, but you can see her character growth through the book, and I have a feeling she's finally going to come into her own in the next book.

Bjorn, the MMC was just perfection for me, he was funny and HOT!

The plot was a bit predictable but not to the point that would be annoying, the foreshadowing was subtle and it was fun to see that my theories were correct by the end of the book, and there were enough small things that surprised me to keep me interested.

Danielle Jensen somehow found a way to include a bodyguard trope in a fantasy book and I'm here for it lol.

Thank you to Danielle Jensen, and Random House Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book and provide a review.

Another wonderful book from Danielle Jenson! The Bridge Kingdom by far has been one of my favorite series for quite some time now and I’ve been hoping to have the opportunity to read anything else she releases. The story takes place in a more Norse environment that differs from her previous books and adds in magical elements as well as twists and turns under the very last page. 100% would recommend!