I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait until it’s published so I can read again, and then every other book in the series.

Danielle’s books always captures me within the first capture, but this book had me the first page. She can build a setting perfectly and so quickly in all of her books.

I’m typically not drawn to Viking fiction or Viking fantasy, but this story was beautifully written and tasteful. Freya is a young fisherman’s wife in small river town and Bjorn is beautiful Viking who comes across her after she accidentally injures him via piscis. After some blackmailing by Freya’s awful husband, she must leave her village and family with Bjorn, as she has now been betrothed to his father, Snorri.

The world building, plot, and characters are memorable and transcendental. Can’t wait for the rest of this series!

I absolutely loved Danielle’s the Bridge Kingdom so I went in with very high hopes for this book!
I have never read any books based on Norse mythology so I also was interested to see how the fantasy/magic system would work.
At times, I did find the mythological aspect a bit confusing at the beginning of the novel, for a layman of things Norse. But as the story continued, these confusions were remedied.
I also saw people say that they think this book was better than Bridge Kingdom, and I disagree.
While I really enjoyed this novel, I did find most of the characters to be incredibly infuriating and incredibly unlikeable. Even the MMC (Bjorn, the love interest) I found annoying in some instances.
However, the world building and magic system was so beautiful and unique, and Danielle told Freya’s story so well.
I also loved the slow burn romance and tension throughout this book! While I do think the romance was a bit short lived, I have high hopes for the sequel to this book!

"Not all scars we earn are skin-deep, Freya Born-in-Fire. There is no less honor in them."

Wow. This will be one of the best releases in 2024. I am already excited for the second installment.

"A Fate Inked in Blood" is a Nordic mythology-inspired story about fate, betrayal, anger, and a woman fighting for her own autonomy in a world where every god and every man wants to take it away from her.

Freya, the narrator, dreams of one day being a warrior like her brother. However, she is stuck in an unhappy arranged marriage to a fishmonger. One day she meets the young and handsome Bjorn, son of Jarl Snorri. Freya is then betrayed by her husband and is pitted in a battle to the death against Bjorn. During the battle, she is forced to reveal her deepest secret- she is a daughter of Hlin, the goddess of protection. It is then revealed that Freya is the prophesized Shieldmaiden who will make Snorri King of Skaland. Subsequently, she is taken back by Snorri and forced to swear a blood oath to him, and Bjorn is ordered to protect Freya with his life.

The tension throughout this book between Freya and Bjorn runs *hot*. It is a sloooow burn for most of the book, but you get swoon-worthy dialogue such as:

"I, I, I, Freya. You love that word because you relish taking the blame for everything, whether it is your fault or not."
"I wanted you the moment I first set eyes on you. I wanted you in Fjalltindr. I want you now, and tomorrow, and all the tomorrows, Freya."
"I used to dream only of fire and ash. ... Now when I close my eyes, all I see is your face."

One of the main themes of this book is Freya grappling with her new role of warrior and Shieldmaiden. She thought that was who she wanted to be, but once she was tossed onto the battlefield and saw the truth of her power and what it means to be a warrior and a weapon, someone who is deadly, she must fight an internal struggle that nearly destroys her.

Freya also struggles with controlling her fate and autonomy. As a child of the gods, she is "unfated", meaning she can alter her destiny, but is stuck being used again and again. We see her character development well throughout the book. Time and again she acts selflessly, always putting others, even those who do not deserve it- before herself, much to her own detriment. Despite the circumstances she finds herself in, I appreciated watching her do her best to take her power back.

"So many of those in my life were content to take and take from me, leaving me a barren well."
"Again, I was rendered nameless. Just a tool, just a weapon to be welded by all the men around me."

If you like:

-Slow burns
-Spice
-Political intrigue
-Touch her and die vibes
-Forbidden romance
-Forced proximity
-Norse mythology

.....then I would check this out. This would also be a great "intro to romantasy" book, as the magic system and worldbuilding are not overly complex. This book is very fast-paced, was a super fun read, and one that I will definitely come back to.

*This review will be posted on my GoodReads, Instagram, and TikTok two weeks from the publication date as requested. by the publisher. On publication day, it will also be posted to Amazon. I will come back and edit this review with the links.

Thank you again to NetGalley, Danielle Jensen, Random House Publishing Group- Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review this story!

Loved reading the exciting and engaging story. When Freya becomes a shield maiden, she is forced to marry the jarl, but the jarl puts his son, Bjorn, in charge of Freya's safety. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting story. Can't wait to read the next story in the series!

I absolutely LOVED this book! And that is an understatement.

Synopsis: Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

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, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he's destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, 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. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.

This is extremely fast paced, keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what is coming next!

I loved the relationship between Bjorn & Freya. The tension between the two lead characters is phenomenal.

Spoilers :

The scene where Freya throws the axe into her husband's skull, I felt that! I really felt like I was in the story the entire way through this novel.

I loved the behind dad's back vibe. Freya was "destined" to be with Bjorns father, whom is already wed. Freya doesn't want anything to do with him as far as a relationship goes. So the wife and Freya came up with a plan to "trick" everyone into thinking her and the Jarl were together. The battle scenes, the tension, not knowing what's coming next, the relationship between characters is just everything I want in a book and more.

Freya gets upset with Steinunn because her song makes Freya appear to be a monster, in which the singer says maybe you are. Throughout the book I thought they were on good terms and were friends. I didn't expect that.

There is so much to talk about with this book that I can't possibly fit it all in.

Overall this was a great read and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to read it.

I've been a Danielle L. Jensen fan since her "Bridge Kingdom" series. That series had me hooked from the first page. A Fate Inked in Blood was no different. I can't wait to see what else Jensen has in store for the future. She has easily become one of my favorite authors.

While this was my first read from this author it will certainly not be my last! Her writing captivates and pulls you in from the very first page. Freya ans Bjorn, while clearly above average, are incredibly relatable as they struggle to forge a path forward. The question becomes who is doing the choosing; is it themselves? Or, is someone choosing for them? Overall, this was a highly enjoyable read and what I can only hope is an excellent start to a new series. I would love more from Freya and Bjorn.

I really love Danielle Jensen's work and wish I'd fallen in love with this a little more than I had.

Being a Viking/Nore-inspired Romantasy, I knew I had to request this (thank you, Netgalley/Random House!) so I was thrilled when my request was accepted. I'll start with this: I don't think A FATE INKED IN BLOOD is a bad book, inherently. Glancing at the reviews, it does seem like I'm in the minority here, and that's fine. Jensen has a strong fanbase and I think she's a solid writer. But this was a huge miss for me. I've rated it three stars because I loved the concept, the writing, and the fact that--despite everything--it did engage me the entire way through.

What fell flat for me was the characters--and in a fantasy romance... well, that's going to be a huge issue. Romantasy is (in)famously known for less worldbuilding and plot than the average fantasy novel, so it's really the lead characters that drive the book. I felt no intimacy. No connection. The romance is more reminiscent of a YA instalove (but obviously this is not YA) which isn't helped by the protagonist who often irritated me to no end.

In a publishing market now quickly becoming saturated with Romantasy,,, A FATE INKED IN BLOOD doesn't stand out.

“Fate Inked in Blood” by Danielle L. Jensen is a Norse/viking inspired fantasy romance. Readers are introduced to Freya, a unhappily married 20-something-year-old who dreams of becoming a warrior, rather than the abused, fish monger’s wife that she currently plays. Her dreams of becoming a warrior are thrust upon her after she is betrayed by her slimy husband to the local jarl. In order to keep her loved ones safe, Freya must become that which she has kept a secret her entire life - born with the blood of a god and imbued with magical capabilities, she is the prophesied shield-maiden that will unite Skaland.

Believing that Freya will be his “king maker” and that he is destined to rule all of Skaland, Jarl Snorri binds Freya through a blood oath, while simultaneously ordering his son, Bjorn, to protect Freya with his life. Tensions run high between Freya and Bjorn, as Freya must learn to fight and command her powers like the warrior she is to become. (Tell me you see where this is going!)

I absolutely loved the chemistry between Freya and Bjorn. It was definitely slow burn for most of the book, but the constant flirting, banter, and “touch her and you die vibes” helped sustain me until we got to something more substantial between the two characters!

I appreciated Freya’s character development too. She is in no way the “perfect heroine” and learns a lot as she begins to fulfill her role as a shield maiden. Freya is fierce and driven to make choices that constantly put others' well-being before her own - including that of her unappreciative family members. Despite this, Freya endures and remains altruistic despite the ungratefulness. Toward the end of the book, we see her start coming into her own and fighting for what she truly wants (hint: it’s the handsome Bjorn!)

This was the first novel I’ve read by Danielle L. Jensen and it blew me away. I absolutely loved the way she painted her scenes with such vivid wordsmithing. And despite the book being 430+ pages, I easily devoured it in less than two days - it was THAT good! The book ended with some deep revelations (I wouldn’t necessarily call it a “cliff-hanger,” but it definitely had cliff-hanger vibes) that sets up what’s in store for Freya, Bjorn, and the rest of Skaland in Book 2. I cannot wait to read the sequel!

[Thank you to Danielle Jensen, and Random House Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.]

Wow, this is bad. I'm honestly astonished by all the other positive reviews. Poor writing, poor characterization, poor world building and literally no romantic chemistry make for a bad read. DNF at 25%. I've gotten almost 100 books from Netgalley over the last few years and have never DNFed an eARC before, but there's a first for everything.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
This is my honest review.
I am a HUGE Viking/Norse mythology fan, so was extremely excited to try this one.
But, it didn’t live up to my expectations.
The author’s quick-pace writing, and the sense of Skaland and the Norse “feel” was okay, but the characters did nothing for me. I found Freya to be immature and annoying, and Thor (woops, Bjorn) was fine, but the two together and their forbidden insta love didn’t ring true. They didn’t hit my favorite couple meter at all.
Aside from that, it felt very YA to me, all of the way through, and the twists were just too predictable.
I am absolutely in the minority, and it seems there is a lot of love for this title. I just didn’t do it for me.

Jaw, meet floor 🤝

The plot? The tension? The twist?! Danielle, ma’am… you didn’t have to go that hard but DAMN am I happy you did. I’m sobbing because book 2 isn’t in my hands.


TROPES
• one horse
• forced proximity
• touch her and I’ll kill you
• hidden powers
• SO MUCH MORE

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Don't get used to it, Freya Charhand. That flower has been the ruin of many."

4.5 star read

I came into this book completely blind. I read only one of Danielles other stories and thought why not read more. The title itself pulls you in, "Fated Inked in Blood." Tell me you don't read that and think, huh give me more what does that even mean.

This book you met Freya, a shield maiden, that everyone wants to control for themselves or to kill, All her life she's told to keep this knowledge a secret, and one unfortunate incident has her outta and now married to a wannabe king. Of course the king decides to have his son, Bjorn, to keep her safe at all costs. What happens when you force, two people who don't have a fate engraved for them yet, together? You get forbidden romance, danger, action and crazy twists.

My biggest issue with this book was Freya. She was, for the most part a good FMC, but she was very oblivious to a lot of things going on around her. As well as she was childish in some cases, and even though she was feisty she didn't really have a backbone all the time. Bjorn I love how he was just a mystery from the start, it really just kept you sucked in and wanting more for him,

This entire story was fast paced, compelling and kept you interested from the very start, The world building was great and super easy to follow, which sometimes isn't the easiest for Fantasy novels, but the whole gods blood and lineage was sometimes confusing. All in all this was a really great novel and first part of the whole story. Im just so sad I have zero idea when the next book will be publishing, so I guess I will just have to keep rereading this one till then.

Thank you again NetGalley, Danielle Jensen, Random House Publishing Group- Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review this story.

All reviews will be posted to Goodreads, my bookstagram account. I will be posting on Amazon as well once the book is published.

This certainly didn't feel like a 400 page book. I flew through the story and finished it in two days.

A Fate Inked in Blood is about a young girl fighting for her place in a world riddled with violence and death. Freya wields a shielding power that many want to use her for or kill her for. While she's forced under the command of a greedy Jarl, she also finds herself falling for his charming and powerful son. I loved Bjorn. He was by far my favorite character. His funny banter with Freya was always a delight. He was the voice of reason while Freya leaned more toward her emotions. While I loved Freya's persistence to prove she was worthy, I did have some trouble with her character. Particularly, her inability to make clear and obvious connections. In other words, she's not the brightest crayon in the box. For example, I thought it would've been better and more engaging if she'd unraveled the final mystery herself instead of having it revealed to her in the end. .

Despite her poor choices, I did enjoy this book immensely. This isn't the type of fantasy that spends pages describing castles or feasts. There's so much action and violence, it was breeze to finish. The ending was brilliant (and slightly predictable). If you're a fan of From Blood and Ash or Sarah J. Maas or fantasy romance in general, then you should pick this up.

4.5 Stars

This is my first time reading one of Danielle L. Jensen’s books, and I LOVED her writing. I immediately want to read more of her books. As someone who had never read a book by Danielle L. Jensen before, I didn't know what to expect. However, I really enjoyed her writing style and found myself hooked from the very first page. I’ve never read fantasy based on Norse mythology, but I have to say that I’m definitely a fan.

The protagonist, Freya, is a shield maiden who possesses a drop of blood from the gods, making her unfated. This special gift makes her a sought-after prize, with everyone wanting to use her for their own gain. When the wannabe king manages to capture her, he assigns his son, Bjorn, to protect her. This sets the stage for a journey filled with danger, action, and unexpected twists.

What I loved most about A Fate Inked in Blood was the fast-paced nature of the story. From the very beginning, the plot takes off and never slows down. Every chapter is filled with suspense. There was no unnecessary world-building filler, which is often what makes it hard for me to get into fantasy books.

The main issue I had with this book that didn’t quite make it a 5 star read was Freya’s character development. The things I liked about Freya were that she was fiesty and loyal to her family. The main thing I didn’t like about her was her inability to see the things happening around her. She knows that she is being used like an object, and she seems to come off as tough, but when it comes down to it, she just lets people push her around. She just comes off as childish at some points in the book and tries to run away from her problem. This is only the first book, so I’m excited to see her character development throughout the series.

I really liked Freya and Bjorn’s romance. They had great banter, and it was definitely a slow-burn romance. Bjorn had a sense of mystery about him throughout the entire book (which I’m hoping we learn more about in the next book).

The action scenes were written so well. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s happening during action scenes, but A Fate Inked in Blood had multiple action scenes that were really detailed and easy to read.

The ending was predictable, but I loved it. There was a lot of foreshadowing that happened earlier in the book, but it definitely ended with a bang. I can’t wait for the next one to see what happens next.

Overall, I really enjoyed A Fate Inked in Blood. I think this is a great book one of the series that sets everything up perfectly for what’s to come. I can’t wait to read book 2!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review!

Full review will be posted on Goodreads two weeks before publication (2/13/2024) per author/publisher request.

Another great book from Danielle Jensen. It was fun, it was fast paced, it was sexy, the magic system was interesting and very reminiscent of her Dark Shores series. Excited for book 2.
Pros:
- Strong, well-written FMC. We were shown through her actions and choices that she was a compelling and strong minded character.
- MMC was fun! He gave brooding outsider, but not stick in the mud. I enjoyed their banter.
- The magic system was interesting. It's fun to see familiar mythology played out in a new way. I will say the details of god parentage felt almost silly? and I don't 100% get it? but it doesn't really detract from the story line or premise. you can just roll with it.
- Fast paced. The book was engaging and action packed. At times, kind of a double edged sword, I'll talk about that in the cons, but overall kept the book hard to put down.
- Hit a lot of the beloved fantasy romance tropes without being corny
- Spicy scenes = fun! what can I say lol
Cons:
- Predictable. I actually think you could keep all the same plot points, twists, and turns and just not have the FMC be so blind to them. It's not so much the predictability thats the issue, but the fact that the FMC, Freya, seems uncharacteristically obtuse and the "big reveals" aren't super compelling as surprises. It's hard to put yourself in her shoes and feel her big emotions when you're like...duh
- So fast paced at times that we lose some believability. Just takes you out of it a little. I don't think Freya properly slept until like 2/3rds into the book, which covered several days (weeks?). It was just one big thing after another with little to no build up or established purpose. I'd also want a liiiiittle more quiet time between Bjorn and Freya to make the progression from attraction and admiration to real love and devotion more traceable.

This was my first Danielle L. Jensen book, and I really enjoyed it! I loved all of the characters, and while I feel like a ton happened in this book, nothing felt overly rushed. The pacing was great. I really enjoyed being in Freya's mind as she goes through a ton of growth by the end of the book. I'm very excited for the next book, and I'm definitely going to check out more of Jensen's work.

Words cannot adequately describe the love I have for this book. The story is raw, unapologetic, and puts you in an absolute trance as you devour its pages.

Freya is such a strong, empowering, imperfect character. Her love for family and friends, despite how they may treat her in return, is endearing and altruistic. I loved watching her be a real, flawed person by taking revenge or allowing anger to take the wheel instead of taking the high road. Her character development is wonderfully ever developing, and I love that she isn't made to be a "perfect" female lead who always knows the exactly right thing to do.

This story is one that I could not put down, and I am chomping at the bit for more of Freya's story, as well as Bjorn. The amount of twists and turns was so eloquently done, I cannot wait to see where these characters go and all of the things they accomplish.

beautifully written, the perfect book to hit the romantasy spot. can't wait for the sequel!

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Danielle Jensen does it again! This reminded me why I love this author so much.

Excellent banter and use of tropes. Comprehensive but understandable worldbuilding that doesn’t bog down the plot. Edge of my seat pacing.

Just a really great read all around. Can’t wait for the next installment.