A Fate Inked In Blood is a Norse-inspired romantasy that will make you want to inhale anything remotely Viking related. I want more! Freya is a goddess-blessed shield maiden hell-bent on securing her own destiny, despite a prophecy saying otherwise and the foretold "king" telling her HE controls her fate. With a family that treats her as a pawn. thrusting her into a loveless marriage, Freya has always been told what to do. When her secret power is revealed and she thinks she will finally be able to become her own woman, the jarl demands marriage and a blood oath in order to secure Freya's allegiance to help him become king. The jarl's son, Bjorn, is tasked with keeping Freya safe, but sparks fly between the two and the forbidden love may just endanger everyone Freya loves. Will Freya ever be able to make her own choices, or will her fate forever be controlled by others?

This story really pulled me in! Freya was easy to root for, and Bjorn was a phenomenal match for her. Their dynamic was really fun, with easy and engaging banter and off-the-charts chemistry right from the get-go. Bjorn really challenged Freya, and I think that made her character development throughout the story really amazing. The romance was great, and I can't wait to see how it develops more in the next book.

The worldbuilding and magic system were really easy to catch on to, and Freya growing into her power(s) was a really fun plotline to follow. I loved learning about all the different gods and goddesses and the powers they bestowed upon others in the story. There was no info dumping and nothing really confusing at all, which is hard to do in a fantasy novel! The fact that this was a Norse-inspired world perhaps helped with that as it didn't require a lot of additional worldbuilding, but the world felt very fleshed out and immersive.

The main plot was pretty simple, but I really loved all the little side plots and character introductions. The cast of this book was pretty expansive, but despite that I felt like we got to know each of the characters enough to really like them and feel for them when things happened.

I was a little disappointed in Freya's internal dialogue; her thinking was quite repetitive. She's really stuck in this cycle of wanting to control her own fate but constantly being told what to do and not being able to fight back. She calls this out quite frequently in her dialogue but really doesn't decide to do much about it until the end of the book. Which was great... I just wish there had been a little bit more throughout the story showing how hard she was working toward getting out of her predicament, internally and externally. The character development was there...I just wish more of it had come from within Freya herself and not prompted by the others challenging her to think differently.

The ending was my absolute favorite! Freya had so much development in the last few chapters, and the twist at the end was phenomenal! I did predict the twist to some degree as there were quite a few hints throughout the book, but I still really enjoyed it and cannot wait to see what the next book brings! The tension is gonna be so good!

*I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

<i>I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.</i>

I should like to start off by saying that i have not read an MF fantasy romance in quite a while, so this has in many ways been a fairly unique reading experience for me! for pretty much 85% of the book, I was down for this vibe! i thought Freya was such an awesome FMC to root for! she was just so fun to read! i thought she was smart and brave and really dialed in to who she was and what she stood for. and i especially enjoyed how she was growing as a warrior linked to the violence of her fate.

and for the romance piece, i thought it was just so swoony the way Bjorn just would NOT quit Freya no matter what! During every battle and every sketchy moment and every secret shadow confession he just STOOD BY HER SIDE AND I COULD NOT GET ENOUGH OF HIM!

so this was absolutely shaping up to be a 4-5 star read easy and i was already drafting my review...

...and then the last 15% came at me in literal god tier levels of third act fkry...and that sobered me up very fast.

i'm not saying that i am adverse to drama...and in fact i really loved the twist at the end. but i did NOT love Freya at this remaining 15% mark, she who did a complete unhinged 180... and so the stars came tumbling down. and maybe that seems a bit harsh for a smidgen left in a story, but i was invested and i'm mad about it.

yes. i'm mad about the shrieking. <spoiler>i'm mad that Freya kept choosing to bail out her fked up family who called her vile names and who kept selling her out. and even though Bjorn turned out to have secrets of his own (which i fully believed he would have told her about if things had gone differently), i can't imagine how killing 0 humans by escaping Snorri's ambitions with Bjorn, would have been a worse fate than the bloodlust monster she was turning into. also she's pro Snorri now because Harald's hooligan Skade killed her mother BECAUSE MOMMY DEAREST SOLD FREYA OUT and Skade thought that was a b*t@h move and rewarded her mom in kind! because choices matter.</spoiler> i think i would have understood this particular characterization of Freya's, if maybe all the people she had this misplaced sense of loyalty towards were nice to her in the beginning of the book, and had tricked her somehow into this way of thinking. but no. they were sleaze all the way through.

anyway, my grumbling aside, a lot of people are gonna love this! i know i did...before i didn't! it was fun and easy to read, the lore and the world were awesome and amazing and the writing was top notch! there's definitely more to come for the king making shield maiden, and Book 2 promises to be a very wild ride the way this first part wrapped up! for the most part i enjoyed this, and i know that this will be great swoony fun for fans of the genre!

Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.
Dnf @ 51%

I think this book could be great for someone who doesn’t care a whole lot about the structure of the world building and is just there for the romance and storyline. I found some of the choices in the how the story was constructed to be… interesting. The way things were set up, I think they could have changed it a little. The romance was nice for how much I read, although, her being married to his father is not my favourite thing.

Overall I would say it’s not a bad book, just not for people who enjoy more of the fantasy elements/world building.

Freya is stuck in a loveless marriage to the son of a god, her days wiled away gutting the fish he raises from the seas with his magic. When her husband betrays her, to save her life Freya reveals that she has the magic of a goddess and becomes a shield-maiden. Freya must learn to fight and control her magic, and must learn to fight against her feelings for Bjorn, son of the jarl who controls her fate.
A Fate Inked in Blood will appeal to fans of Throne of Glass and Fourth Wing.

Freya has spent her whole life in service to her family, from marrying a horrible man for wealth to hiding her magic and true desires for herself. Once she is discovered to be the shield maiden her has to learn to tap into her own power and who she can actually trust to be on her side. I simply gobbled this up, it was such a great time. There’s a great slow burn romance, betrayals, battles, gods and magic. I feel like a Viking fantasy was a new and needed change for me. The pacing is pretty quick and there’s a lot of action but it’s easy to follow. Each character has their own unique motives and schemes so the reveals just kept getting better. I really enjoyed Freya’s character development throughout the book, she does make some really bad decisions but it’s all part of her growth. I’m so excited to see what happens in the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Danielle Jensen for this e-ARC

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
A Fate Inked in Blood releases February 27, 2024

Freya is the shield maiden; a child of the gods destined to unite the people of Skaland. Growing up, she has always wanted more from her life, to be a warrior and to fight as one of Jarl Snorri’s raiders.

The start of this series is incredibly fast-paced and unputdownable, but as you reach the latter half of the book, it begins to feel unsatisfactory in comparison.

The reader is supposed to think that Freya is a strong female character, but so much of what she does ends up being either contradictory or inconsistent and paints her as weak.
Without the power backed by Hlin, we never accurately see proof of all the warrior strength that Freya supposedly would run off to practice while she was still married to Vragi.
Similarly, every setting where they were travelling, she was unable to adapt to the cold weather which ended up becoming a convenient and repetitive plot device in order for Bjorn to sweep in with his boiling hot blood.

The whole premise/plot of the book is very weak. Everything is hinged upon a prophecy from a seer decades ago, with riddles that no one can truly decipher of two individuals that are unfated, meaning quite literally anything could happen and it would be reason enough without ever needing to explain anything…

Some of the swearing at times took me out of the story because it felt like it didn’t quite fit their setting or natural dialogues.

What had me rooting for the relationship between Bjorn and Freya was the fact that they were the only ones to put each other first without an ulterior motive to propel them when everyone else viewed them as a tool for their own personal gains, but the ending really unravelled the little character development we got, so now I’m unsure how to feel.

Is no one going to question how she regularly put lemon juice in her vagina without it seemingly fucking with her ph levels or giving her an infection??

“It’s 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”

5 STARS ✨
THIS BOOOOOK…
The mythology, the banter, romance, fantasy, betrayal and battle.

This book had EVERYTHING. I loved every minute of this book. The banter between Freya and Bjorn had me laughing and then crying and smiling as I was enthralled by their connection.

The mystery of where this book was going kept me enticed from the start and even during the last chapter my jaw dropped with surprise.

I can not WAIT for this series to continue. I need more! An amazing series already. Highly recommend!

I found this to be a slow and difficult read, unfortunately. The concept is great and sets high expectations - there are not enough Norse-inspired fantasy books out there, and I enjoyed the magic system and worldbuilding. Unfortunately, I found the pacing slow and the characters difficult to root for. While Freya being thrown around and controlled by everyone is an integral plot point and is surely building up to her taking control in book 2, it made for a difficult read when I usually read stronger, more in-control female protagonists. It felt like it held the story back and made it difficult for the plot to flow, creating a staggering feeling that made me want to put this down multiple times. I don't believe I'll be continuing with this particular series.

Thank you to the author, Penguin Random House Canada, and DelRey for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and net galley for an ARC copy of this book. I was really excited to receive this as I have enjoyed Danielle Jensens other books. The first part of the book that I really enjoyed was the characters. I loved how Bjorn and Freya were represented and thought both had good depth in how they were written. I also enjoyed the plot of the book especially as I always enjoy a Viking/ Norse mythology theme. One area that did fall a little bit for me was the pacing of the book/plot. At times it felt a little slow but overall it was pretty good. I would definitely reread this book and look forward to reading more books that Danielle Jensen releases. I would recommend this book as I did really enjoy reading it.

A stunning Norse-inspired fantasy book that had me so enthralled from start to finish! Danielle l Jensen is a favourite author of mine for a reason and she fully delivered with this book!! The fmc was seriously so badass and I was rooting for her the entire time! The mmc was hot and the tension between the characters truly had me on the edge of my seat! Forbidden romance is always going to be so good to me, so well done here! The plot was immaculate and the pacing was perfect!! Couldn’t put this down for a singular moment in time! When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about it!! THAT ENDING?! Oh my gosh, I am so sat and will be eagerly awaiting the next book!

While I wasn't personally as interested in the romance aspect, I acknowledge that's popular right now so I can't count it against it here. I'm more interested in the worldbuilding and magic system than this weird conceit behind the "forbidden romance", that honestly is a little... I'm not sure how to feel about it. I did enjoy the book, Jensen's writing is interesting and there's absolutely something here, especially with that ending, however I can't say I attached myself to many of the characters. This was more lore driven to me than character driven if you aren't all that attached to the romance. Bjorn and Freya are fine, but it felt like too much skirting for characters who are supposed to be in their thirties, especially with Freya's internal dialogue becoming somewhat younger than how old I would believe her to be when she was specifically talking about the romantic aspects.

I enjoyed this quite a bit, and would recommend it, with the caveat that if you're looking for an adventure fantasy this may be less of your cup of tea, but still has merit. If you're looking for that "romantasy" style that's been going around, this is right up your alley.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had pretty high hopes for this book and it definitely delivered! I absolutly loved the mythology and lore the story was rooted in and the magic that the children of the gods had. I really loved Freya’s character and even though Bjorn wasn’t an entirely unique MMC, I really enjoyed him as well.

The plot pacing was well done to me - I never got bored or felt like it was moving too quickly. Some of the plot twists I started to suspect but I still enjoyed the reveals when they happened. There were definitely aspects of the ending that I didn’t expect and I really love how everything played out! I can’t wait for the next book!

I loved this book!!

Right from the beginning, I was hooked.

Steeped in Norse mythology and lore, Jensen introduces us to a land of war and magic.

Freya is a simple girl from a simple fishing village who dreams of joining the Jarl's war band and fighting for her people. Instead, she is trapped gutting fish and tending to a nasty, husband in a marriage that is anything but. When he betrays her and the magic she has kept hidden, her life is flipped upside down and she trades one loveless marriage for another, to the the power hungry jarl who will use her and her magic to fulfill a twenty year old prophecy and make him kind. She quickly learns that warring is not what she had dreamed. She dives headlong into learning to fight, striving to control her magic and meeting the tests the gods have for her. What she didn't count on was her ever increasing feelings for the jarl's son.

I loved the development of Freya's character and the banter and tension between her and Bjorn. There were times it was hard to tell who the villain was, especially as Freya warred with herself. While it wasn't a coming of age story, it certainly was about finding ones place and learning the truth of one's story

While I saw a few of the twists coming, anticipating how Jensen was going to unwind the story was well worth the journey. I loved the setting too. It felt gritty and grungy, full on warring vikings.

The only thing I would say felt a little off was some of the spicier scenes felt like they negatively impacted the pace of the story and were there for romance sake. Like here she was focused on being a warrior and trying to figure out her place in the world....and then swoon. It just felt out of the place. That said, the romance story line is tied into the overall story in an excellent way at the end and I can't wait to see how the next instalment unfolds.

This was a very hard read for me to tough through. I'm sure those who love romantasy where they want to just read without thinking will love this but for me it was just a huge pain. Everyone was going through motions of the story and everything was being told to the reader all because of the main character's situation didn't leave much room for her to make her own choices in the beginning and made me less invested to continue reading in general.

“They don’t hate you Freya. They fear you.”

I absolutely acknowledge that as one of my insta-buy authors, and one of my most anticipated book releases of this year, I am holding A Fate Inked in Blood up to perhaps an impossible standard. It hit my wants in some ways and missed in others.

On the positive side, I think it will be a viral hit. It has all the makings for it. Vikings. Norse Mythology. A Cryptic Prophecy. Fickle Gods. Forbidden Romance. Bodyguard vs. Princess. Forced Proximity. SIGN ME UP!

However, my biggest concern, is that I continually felt like what I was reading was so diluted compared to the previous non-traditionally published works by Danielle L. Jensen. As her first traditionally published adult book in the US and Canada, I feel this was created to be a Booktok darling. Unfortunately, the story being a bit cookie-cutter and trope heavy, with very predictable twists, is where it lost me.

In the end, I just didn’t feel like the characters and storytelling were as rich and vivid as her previous works. And I encourage anyone who has not read The Bridge Kingdom to pick it up asap.

I will continue with the series, as I trust the author and believe she needed one book to set up where she wants to go. I’m hoping the pacing, world-building, and character development will grow with the series.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada, Del Rey, and NetGalley for providing an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. A Fate Inked in Blood comes out on February 27th.

I devoured this book! I had never read a viking-inspired fantasy novel before and I wasn't sure what to expect but it kept me hooked from the first page. Though the twists are a little predictable, the magic system was really interesting and I enjoyed the development of the relationships between the various characters. Looking forward to book two!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint!! I loved the pace of this book and the tension??? *chefs kiss*. I haven't read many books based in norse mythology (love tv/movies set in that world) and I really liked Danielle's take.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for the arc! Can't wait until my purchased physical copy comes in the mail so I can proudly display on my shelves!

Sooooooo we this is on everyone's tbr's right? Cause if not, then you need to add it right now. Vikings x Romantasy x Forbidden Love x soooo much tension I'm still reeling from it.

Danielle L. Jensen KNOWS how to do romance. KNOWS how to build up the sexual tension. And most of all she consistently delivers everything I want out of a Fantasy romance.

What an interesting read! I enjoyed the magic elements being linked with the gods as well as the setting based around Norse and Mythology. I found the book started off quite strong in the beginning where I couldn't put it down, however near the halfway mark my interest started to slow down. The plot was ok, but not strong enough to look past the parts that were not for me hence my rating.

I found the FMC Freya incredibly irritating and frustrating to read. She was so impulsive, tunnel vision outlook, and overall did not have likeable qualities. As well as the ending was not favourable, and slightly predictable. Overall the book was an okay read. I would still read the next book to see what happens.

Thank you Penguin Random House, Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Freya dreams of becoming a warrior. Stuck in a marriage she didn’t want to a man she wanted even less, those dreams stay nothing but dreams. She’s accepted that she’s meant to live out her days gutting fish and trying to not bring a child into her mess of a life. But Freya has a secret that she’s never told anybody - she is the shield maiden, blessed (or cursed, depending on who you ask) by the blood of the god Hlin. Unbeknownst to Freya, it has been foretold by seers that the shield maiden will unite their land and bring fighting tribes together under one rule. So it is shocking when her husband betrays her and she’s suddenly fighting for her life on behalf of a power-hungry king who wants nothing more than to use her for his own personal gain. Having no choice but to give into fate, Freya makes a deal with the king to bring their people together (and bring the king to his greatest power).

I want to start by saying that I absolutely LOVED this book. Every single second I was enthralled by the words on the page and that did not let up even until the very last page. The character of Freya is a badass, powerful woman who is completely unapologetic. Watching her struggle with her destiny and the circumstances surrounding her ‘gift’ was an incredible journey and each time she had to fight I loved her even more. As much as I loved Freya, though, I didn’t love her more than when she was with Bjorn. Their chemistry is off the charts, in and out of battle, and I’m confident in saying that he will be the new book boyfriend of MANY readers (myself included). I read the ebook but I think I might buy a physical copy for myself I loved it that much.

If you like books about magic, fate, gods, fire, and battle among other things, you will also adore this book. Or if you’re just looking for a slow-burn enemies to friends(?) to lovers story in the midst of chaos, then you’ll love it even more.

5 stars. 10/10. It’s perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.