My most anticipated read ended up being my most disappointing one. Thank you to the publishers for giving me an eARC version of this book to read. Finally calling it quits at around the 50% mark. I haven’t been able to connect with any of the characters and Freya’s inner monologue is getting on my nerves. I was anticipating a Viking/Norse story to have more fighting scenes than this one did. There was approximately four of them in the 50ish percent that I read and all of them didn’t last long. The world building and magic system needs more work I think. Who knows maybe this one gets better the more you read but I’ve been bored out of my mind and feeling like it’s a chore to pick this one up.

Starting this review off by saying that this was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024 and I was so disappointed! I absolutely love Vikings (I actually took a course on the in university) so when someone says Vikings, I’m in. This one however was super bland. The magic system is just kind of thrown at you and I’m still not sure I get why some people get the blood of the gods and others don’t. I really loved the bridge kingdom series so I was super excited to pick this one up but I ended up not enjoying Freya as a main character and Bjorn felt like he was just there as a love interest and nothing mor. I’m officially DNFing this one at 46%, I’ve tried my hardest to get into it but it’s just not working for me. I will not be continuing on with the series

Danielle L Jensen has become one of my new favorite authors and I am super excited for people to be able to read this really soon!

**spoiler free review**

Freya is stuck in an unloving marriage and dreams of being a warrior. Her dreams abruptly become a reality when her husband betrays her and divulges her secret to the king; that she has the blood of a goddess and possesses the power of the shield maiden and will be the one to fulfill the prophecy.

The king holds her hostage and everyone she loves to control her fate to ensure she follows through on the tests of the gods. But her greatest test is resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn, the son of the king. If she cannot control her lust, she risks not only her own life, but the fate of the people she has sworn to protect.

I really enjoyed this book! The Norse mythology was a nice switch up to the fae fantasy novels that I have been reading lately. The magic system is cool but simple enough for people who are just getting into fantasy to understand and not feel overwhelmed! I like that Danielle L Jensens books feel "of this world" and like they are just from thousands of years ago!

I really liked the female main character! She was complex and I feel like it was easy to connect with her and understand why she was feeling all the emotions and having a hard time with the decisions she needed to make.

It's also a sloooow burn. Which is my favourite!! I didn't really like the insta-love between Freya and Bjorn. It's just not my favorite trope. I wish there was a bit more development before they caught feelings. But I did like their interactions and enjoyed their banter. And the tension and the spice was great!! Definitely more romantasy than her previous novels and I thought she did it really well!

I loved that she didn't shy away from the gorier and more violent side of the Vikings. I like that she isn't afraid to kill off characters and liked a lot of the plot.

What's keeping me from rating it a 5 star is the instant love as I just wish there had been a bit more relationship building before everyone fell head over heels. I also guessed most of the main plot twists pretty early on. And there was some areas that started feeling really repetitive with the lore, and the battle discussions and didn't necessarily need to be there.

Even with the slightly predicatable plot, I was still finding myself needing to know what was gonna happen, as she still had lots of action and suprises and interesting dialogue. There was a twist that got me tho and of course ... it ends on a cliffhanger!!! And I need to know how this story ends and can't wait for the rest of the series to come out!

Thank you NetGalley and delrey for providing me with the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I was obsessed with this concept and really excited to dive right in but ultimately this book did not work for me. I DNF'ed it at 56%.

A Fate Inked In Blood is a viking story revolving around a women who possess a drop of gods blood and was foretold to unite the viking clans. Because of her unfated nature, her power is desirable to many leaders. The world building in this book was very dependent on imagination for the setting and info dumping dialogue for the plot. The story was felt very detached because of this info dumping told to our main character.

Everything in this book ultimately was reverted back to "but the prophecy says" which was very frustrating and held the movement in the story back. I am also a very character driven reader but all the characters except for Freya and Bjorn were so cruel, rude or mean. This really disrupted my enjoyment because I struggle with the majority of characters being antagonists or mean.

As I mentioned, the flow of this book was disrupted was a lot of info dumping, the prophecy exudes and the endless inner dialogue of Freya. This character spoke to herself very often.

This book did not work for me but I did enjoy Bjorn and the overall idea of this book

Being given the opportunity to read a book based in Norse mythology was incredibly interesting to me. I found at the beginning of the story I was rooting for Freya, but as the story went on I found her to be rather frustrating. I did find a fair amount of the plot twists to be predictable, which I was hoping wouldn’t be the case. Also, although the font was pretty I did find it bothered my eyes a bit.

I was so excited about this book but unfortunately I found it to be bland and I really almost didn’t finish it but I committed to it since it was a book that was in my most anticipated reads

Anyway I didn’t like the main character and the story was so predictable . I will not be reading the next book.

Thank you to Danielle Jensen and NetGalley for the chance to read this book!
I have loved her Bridge Kingdom series and Dark Shores so this was something I had to jump at to read in any way that I could!

Lived up to the name and love love love!!!

A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle Jensen is a captivating fantasy novel that weaves together Norse mythology, magic, romance, and politics in a richly imagined world. Adding just the right amount of steamyness that doesn't interfere with the plot but adds to it, Jensen has once again proven herself to be a skilled storyteller.

This book has such interesting ideas. I liked how unique it was. I do however find that I don’t understand Freya’s motivations and think her helplessness went on for a bit too long. But nevertheless, this was a great read and I can’t wait to read the future books in this series!

I loved the premise of this book (Norse mythology and romance!) and was excited while I read the first few chapters however, it fell flat for me in the end. The plot was very formulaic and the romance was an insta-love situation and quite bland. This story would have benefited with an slow-burn romance because at the conclusion of the book I was confused as to why the characters even liked each other in the first place. Overall, I will be skipping the rest of the books in this series.

4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫!!! This was my very first ARC and such an anticipated read of mine, so huge shoutout to Del Rey and NetGalley🥹

Danielle Jensen never fails to perfectly balance a spectacular plot with an amazing romantic subplot!! The romance never takes away from the essence of the fantasy & storyline, but is simultaneously always 10/10😮‍💨 Bjorn & Freya were to DIE for and the spice and tension between them had me literally fanning myself :’)

Freya was as hardheaded and stubborn and aggravating as you could expect any strong Norse female to be. I don’t think she had a tonnnn of character development in this book - but I also think this book set her up PERFECTLY to be built upon in the rest of the series. Bjorn was hilarious and witty and swoon worthy and their banter was top-tier.

The Norse mythology aspects were incredibly cool - honestly giving Norse Percy Jackson for adults that love spice ;) I do wish some of it was built upon a little bit more in this book, but like I said I think it perfectly sets up the rest of the series to do just that.

I ate this book up and cannot wait for #2 (in fact I actually need it immediately thankyou)

What a great adventure!
A Fate Inked in Blood is a romantasy set in the Viking era with a heavy influence by the Norse Gods. In this lore, some children are blessed with a drop of blood from a God, giving them magical abilities. The two main characters, Freya & Bjorn, are two such individuals and their powers can feel more like curses than blessings at times.

I truly enjoyed this story! From the first chapter, I knew right away I would be swept off my feet and would fall in love with the characters. Both are so witty and temperamental, it truly makes for the best banter!

They set on a truly epic journey with challenges awaiting them at every turn and even thought I figured out the vast majority of the plot twists before the final reveal, I still devoured the adventure.

Tropes you can expect:
Chosen One
Grumpy / Sunshine
Forbidden love
Mild enemy to lovers
Forced Proximity

This book contains a bit of spice.

(I will also do a video review on my tiktok account)

Thank you to the publisher and author for letting me read an advance copy of this book, all thoughts/opinions are my own.

To start off... I really had high hopes for this one. Its vikings, and shieldmaidens and forbidden romance. I also loved the Bridge Kingdom series by Danielle too. This didn't quite pull it off for me though. For starters, I saw the betrayal coming a mile away, and not even just who did it, but also who they were teaming up with and why. It was made out to be a big reveal, but if you are a steady reader, I think you will also see it coming a mile away.

Also our main character Freya was both very oblivious (ie. the big betrayal) and very dramatic and reckless. While she is often manipulated by the fanaticism of Snorri, I really wanted her to step into her own power and put her foot down. I didn't trust her ability to make a single choice for herself.

I wanted to badly to have a good time with this -- vikings! prophecy! romance! this was the extent I knew about this but hey, it all spells fun -- but sadly.. it was a fairly meh start followed by a serious slog of a second half and if I was any less stubborn I would've given up around the 45-55% mark.

While the setting and bare bones of the plot has some decent bones, I was constantly frustrated by the characters. Basically everyone but our lead and her romantic interest is varying shades of unpleasant or villain or stupid which forces you to have really no choice but to root for the main set (who are also fairly one-dimensional), which feels like such a lazy way of writing, and with so many characters at odds around them it just felt exhausting to wade through the various interactions; especially as so many were just constant repeats of what had come before. And there wasn't even any relief with the love interest because I just didn't feel the romantic connection. Because they were unfated/children of the gods sure but what else. The thrill of wanting what you can't have? Eh. Give me more.

What doesn't help all this was also how inconsistent I found both the writing itself and how the author wrote her characters and their dialogue -- for the latter it was awkward and kind of all over the place, alternating between stiff and stilted and then more modern-sounding. As an example of the former, upon Freya being introduced to one of the few female chieftains she's awed in the first chapter, filled with puppy-like adoration in another, annoyed at being called out for her transparency in one paragraph, which she takes out on someone else, then immediately goes to dance and get drunk, laughing uproariously about what a great time everyone is having (a whole bunch of people just died). So, there's like.. five, tops, interactions over a handful of days. And yet we're meant to believe she goes into a berserker "how could you do this to me how could you take her away from me" heartbroken rage in the next chapter upon her death? The most unbelievable thing. Actually, no. Just one of. 

Also let's not get started on her nickname, "Born in Fire/Borninfire". The least roll-off-the-tongue name ever and it was flung around constantly. But at least it wasn't proclaiming her intelligence because she had no critical thinking skills at all; she spends the entire book thinking someone is out to get her and a traitor and never wonders why the one person who should also be leaping at the chance to expose this person.. isn't. Perhaps it's a cLuE.

And, finally, the end climax twist reveal really hammered it home with! all! the! exclamation! points! save! me!

Much like Freya on her frostbitten toes, I felt every painful step forward through this story as if I had instead completed a mile. The fact that I also got stuck in this for over a week just really added to the hurt.

So, yeah. Just.. nothing about this really worked for me. I'm bummed. But I pushed through, I'm here, I made it. Is it a duology, a trilogy, an extended epic? Whatever it is, I don't think I'll be reading on.

1.5 stars

In a lot of ways this book is exactly what I expected it to be, and yet I still wasn’t thrilled with it. While entertaining, I wouldn’t say anything groundbreaking is being done with this story. It feels like a typical, uninspired Norse fantasy with a super predictable plot. The atmosphere and characters were fairly solid, and I think the pacing was steady enough to keep me reading but unexciting enough to always keep me one lull away from putting it down.

I did really enjoy Freya’s character. She didn’t feel like a bland heroine and was smart enough to keep her from seeming like a gullible idiot, but a lot of her inner monologue felt like it was intentionally trying to make her too smart for your basic plot twists. It often didn’t feel like organic character thought and more like “don’t worry reader! I’m not doing THAT typical trope” which makes the writing feel a lot more juvenile than I’d expect from an adult fantasy.

I’d say this is right up the same alley as Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L Armentrout in terms of prose. Pretty YA style writing with enough action and smut to keep the average romantasy reader excited without really doing anything original. Sometimes the dialogue felt a bit clunky and inorganic, I couldn’t imagine adults talking to each other the way Bjorn, Ylva, and Snorri often talk to each other.

I wouldn’t say this is a bad romantasy at all, I think Freya and Bjorn really carry the story and were good enough to keep me going, but in the age of never ending TikTok romance books this doesn’t stand out or excite me.

Freya born in fire. What a very cool concept of a book. Freya has these war powers that essentially make her a weapon. All of the kingdoms want her once they know her secret and it’s a constant battle. Not only does she lose the life she had, she does so to protect her family. And does what she thinks she must.

Creating a deal with the devil essentially. I really enjoyed this book. It felt way longer than it should have but not in a bad way at all. I really enjoyed myself reading this book. It all came to life in such a beautiful way. The background, the main characters, the side characters. Super throughout and well put together.

This book was so unique and although the middle was slightly slow with not a ton going on it did still really keep my attention with the pacing. And then the ending was insane. Just when you think you’re about to have a happy ending…: think again..

The way it left us on a cliffhanger all I have to say is the better be a second book. I need more.

Thank you so much NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advanced in exchange for my honest opinion.!

3.5/5 Stars

I was very excited to read this one. Although I do have some critiques for the first book, I believe that the series has the potential to be really good. I will be reading the next one when it comes out

What I liked:
- Cover: Absolutely Stunning
- World Building: I loved the myth that was incorporated into the story and the world-building itself was well-paced
- Slow-burn Romance: What I hate more than anything in a romance book is insta love and this definitely was not that

What I didn’t like:
- Character Depth: Many of the characters felt a bit two-dimensional. Due to this, I had a hard time remembering some of the side character’s names and who they were because they just were not memorable enough to me
- Pacing: Some parts of the book were extremely slow.

It took me a while to get into A Fate Inked in Blood, it was a bit of a slow start and my first Viking romance so maybe that is why! I’ve not read any fantasy with Norse/Viking inspiration so I really liked that this world was different from other fantasy novels. I loved Freya, she is strong-willed, clever, loyal, and a skilled warrior.

The plot and romance is very well balanced which kept me invested throughout the book. There are meddling gods, hidden powers, battling kingdoms, betrayals, and an immaculate forbidden romance. I definitely saw the twist coming and felt like some of the story line was very repetitive.

Read if you like:
- Epic/high fantasy
- Magic
- Action
- Forbidden romance
- Forced proximity
- Romantasy
- Vikings

Thank you Del Rey and Netgalley for this arc.

Some authors become "autobuy authors", where you preorder their books no matter what, and sometimes end up disappointed because you jumped the gun.
I can happily say this is not the case for A Fate Inked in Blood.
Freya is blessed by the Gods, as a few characters are, with special powers. These powers are ones others want fighting for them, especially Snoori who captures her and tricks her into helping him fulfill his wish to become king.
His son, Bjorn is made to watch over her and she finds herself falling for him.
The romance is perfect, not rushed and not easy, there is some smut but it's written into the story in a way that makes sense and doesn't take away from the plot.
As Freya comes into her powers and jarls from other areas try kill her, she has to learn who to trust and what fate she will carve out for herself.
I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

What a fantastic book.
The world building is top-notch, the characters so well written that you love and hate right alongside them.
I will keep this short and sweet. It drew me in from page 1. Freya is a perfect balance of strength and compassion. She wants to protect everyone she loves, even at the expense of her happiness.
I loved the way we were brought into the world and introduced to the magic. It was perfectly paced, and I did not want to put it down.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.