I see Danielle L. Jensen I add to TBR, I ate up the Bridge Kingdom series and was interested to see where she would go outside of that world, though I'm really familiar with Norse mythology.
Bjorn had me blushing, giggling, kicking my feet. Their banter was so good!
Freya had me in the first half but kinda lost me in the last 15-25%, she was making some questionable choices by the end...
I thought I would like this more, but I am interested in reading the sequel after that ending.
arc provided by NetGalley
3.5 stars

I will forever read Danielle L Jensen books I am obsessed! I’m so excited for this series I loved everything about this book!

This was fantastic !! I really loved the story from start to finish! I love how the gods were interwoven into the story! And the taboo romance was just chef's kiss! It was really well-paced and I am really excited for the sequel!!!

Absolutely unputdownable.

I inhaled this book like it was literal oxygen. Danielle is one of my favourite authors and she weaves together stories in such an enjoyable way.

Vikings, zombies and angsty forbidden romance. SOLD!

Danielle Jensen immediately gets points from me for being an amazing writer, and a fellow Canadian. This book was on my radar the second I heard about it! Multiple copies were on my shelf before I even read the book 😅 and this book was good! I may have gone in with expectations a bit too high because I found a few parts fell a bit flat for me, the FMC bothered me a bit with actions and choices, but ultimately this was a book I enjoyed the romance was great, and the plot was engaging. I will be keeping an eye out for book 2!

This had a lot of potential at the start, but quickly fell flat. We're told a lot of things about the main character, but never really shown them. The first chapter set her up as this powerful female character with anger, but the rest of the story to follow is her lusting over men she has no chemistry with, and pitting herself against other female characters. Asides my annoyances with the main character, the story overall couldn't hold my attention. By the end I wanted to skim through pages just to finish the book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm mad it took me so long to read this one because wow was it amazing. Freya and Bjorn are intoxicating and I need more of them in my life ASAP. The cliffhanger ending also left me needing more!!

Recommended to fantasy lovers who love some romance in their fantasy along with some violence.

Freya, the wife to a cruel man, who spends her days hiding the power that could get her killed, mending, and simply just playing house. But then her secret is exposed to the vicious jarl who believes Freya is the prophesied shield-maiden who will make him a king. Protected by the jarl’s son Bjorn, Freya is a pawn in a game of empires, forced to come to terms with her own power and the cost it will claim. Freya encounters people who are trying to kill her, people who are trying to kidnap her, and people who actually want to help her.

More than anything, A Fate Inked in Blood is a brutal and bloodthirsty book. Norse mythology is expertly woven throughout the chapters. It has an incredible setting of what I can only assume is mythical Scandinavia. I could see almost every scene the author described, and was captivated by the continuation of Norse imagery. This series has so much potential to become a fantasy staple with the layers of world-building and character development.

Final thoughts- this story offers a mesmerizing blend of Norse-inspired adventure and tension filled romance. Danielle L Jensen's writing is incredibly approachable, yet rich exploration creates a unique reading experience that draws readers in. Although I wasn’t entirely sold on the romance and it came across as insta-love, I did think the characters were engaging on their own. A Fate Inked in Blood leaves a lasting impression, making it a worthy addition to any fantasy lover's bookshelf.

While I really liked the mythology of this, I found the romance to be a big heavy handed. Some good twists and turns in the story but overall this fell a bit flat for me.

<i>ARC Provided by NetGalley<i>

Thank you to @penguinrandomca and @netgalley for the advanced copy! I finished this one last week and enjoyed so much about it. Truth be told, I usually like to listen to this type of story on audio and have access to the print as well because I can somehow engage with it a little bit better and I enjoy hearing the pronunciations of various foreign names and places. However, I am proud of myself for enjoying this with my eyes and I did not struggle to engage with this plot in the least! There's a lot of action and many, many characters (some of whom I had mixed feelings about!). There's a love story and some very messy family dynamics and some unique world building that is a bit like a more complex Divine Rivals situation mixed a bit with the leaders in ACOTAR? Maybe? Just how I felt about it!

This also ends on a cliffhanger that made my jaw drop so friends who enjoy waiting to read all books in a series at once may want to wait!

I ultimately enjoyed her Bridge Kingdom series a little tiny bit more than this newer one but this was still worth the read for sure and I will look forward to future books!!!

I’ve been trying to read some of the latest romantasy books that are all the crazy on booktok and bookstagram lately and let me tell you - a lot of them have fallen flat for me. Thank god Danielle Jensen is here to save my romantasy reading kick because I absolutely adored A Fate Inked in Blood!
A Fate Inked In Blood is a unique fantasy world that is norse-inspired; in this world, individuals can be blessed with a Norse god’s blood, granting them certain powers. It was refreshing to read a fantasy world that differed from the very saturated fae market. Our lead character Freya, is one of the blood-blessed who is betrayed into revealing her powers and forced to become blood sworn to a fanatical jarl who wants to be king. Through her new position at the Jarl’s side, she is forced to deal with Bjorn, his son, who is her sworn protector and someone whom she is fighting her attraction against.
For the first time in a long time I liked a male lead! So many romantasy books have toxic male characters but Bjorn was pretty much a green flag. And because I enjoyed him I enjoyed the romance in the story so much! I’m intrigued to see what Jensen does in the next book with Bjorn given the cliffhanger ending in this one - I really hope he continues to be great! With the cliffhanger ending - I’m going to pick up the next book for sure!

This was absolutely amazing. The last two chapters were insane, and that ending?!?!? I need the next book now.

I really enjoyed this novel!!! I'm looking forward to the next installment when its released as I'll definitely be continuing the series. I loved the Norse mythology aspect and the world-building was fantastic! The only reason why this isn't rated 5 stars for me is because I'm personally not a fan of the insta-lust trope between the FMC & MMC. However, the romance and action were well-written and enjoyable :)

Being my first Norse mythology book, I was excited to get into the plot of A Fate Inked in Blood. I had recently listened to another author speak about books they had written also about Norse mythology, and loved having those background ideas in my mind when I finally was able to sit down with this book. The story was beautiful, I was fully engaged and could not put this book down. The banter between Freya and Bjorn was perfect. Thank you Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
Danielle Jensen holds a special place in my heart. I've been following her writing since Stolen Songbird, as so far she's never disappointed me. While I did find some issues with A Fate Inked in Blood, I'm impressed by it's writing all the same. Some things that stood out to me as quite good in this novel are the writing style, the themes, the characterization and exploration of the loss of self, the mythos, and the writing of fights/battles. My main two problems with this book were the pacing and the tone. Freya's circumstances in this novel are consistently sad. While they propel her characterization, her relationship with Bjorn and the feminist themes, she is always in the clutches of cruel people, specifically men. From a writing standpoint, I understand why, but as a reader it sometimes made me want to put the book down and take a break to read something more lighthearted. I won't dissuade anyone from reading this book because of this fact, just know that this is an uprising type of fantasy, not an escapist, cutesy fantasy. I also found the tone and pacing problems to be connected. The first half of this novel felt quite slow, but I think that is also because it was the most bleak section of the bool. The second half fully captured my attention, with more moments of levity and of Freya coming into her power. And that ending! Overall, I found this book very well written and I'm excited to see where the story goes in the sequel.
Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited for this one. unfortunately I found myself not invested in the story or compelled by the quest. I did laugh a few times which was enjoyable.

I'm convinced most who read this will enjoy. thanks so much to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen Book Review

Star rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Series: Saga of the Unfated - Book #1
Tropes: Norse mythology, Spicy Viking romantasy, Forbidden romance, Forced proximity, One horse

Thoughts:
THIS NEEDS TO BE ON YOUR TBR!

This was my first Norse inspired book AND the first Danielle L. Jensen that I have read, and I have to say I was super impressed. A Fate Inked in Blood is an amazing fantasy book to recommend to your friends who are new into fantasy. This book was a perfect mix of fantasy and romance. The world building, characters and magic system is easy to grasp. It's full of action, betrayals, magic, love, battles and so much more.
Freya and Bjorn are seriously EVERYTHING, they have such undeniable chemistry. The romance aspect was a perfect slow burn in my opinion. The banter and the ANGST between those two had me at the edge of my seat. It was so enjoyable to read. Everything Bjorn says and does is just sexy to me.

THE ENDING?! WE NEED BOOK TWO NOW. I can't wait to see where this series goes next!

If you are thinking about reading this book, DO IT. You will not be dissapointed.

All thoughts and opinions are my own. *ARC provided to me via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review*

4.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book!

I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. I found the pacing and world building to be extremely interesting and captivating. I knew from the first 3 chapters that this was going to be a fantastic read. The banter between Freya and Bjorn was amazing and completely unexpected right off the bat. I really enjoyed reading the forbidden love that began to unravel between the two. I loved that there was depth to Norse history, rather than just skimming it or very briefly explaining things. This was my first Norse mythology book that I've read and I will for sure keep an eye out for these styles of books in the future! Danielle L Jensen is for sure going to be an auto buy author for me in the future.

A Fate Inked in Blood is pure fun, a viking-ish fantasy full of romance, fight scenes, Norse-inspired mythology, magical weapons, cloaked spirits creeping around sharing prophecies, and major betrayals.

Freya is a young woman married to a man she hates, who wants desperately to become a warrior. She’s also hiding a secret: she’s been marked by the gods with a magical shield power. When she’s taken by a tribe leader to become his wife and fulfill a prophecy, she needs to figure out her true place in the world and her growing attraction to his son, Bjorn.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.  It’s being marketed as romantasy, which isn’t normally my genre, but fortunately the fantasy aspect isn’t an afterthought. 

The magic and mystery of this world is very fun, with tasks Freya and Bjorn need to fulfill, like climbing up the inside of a mountain full of dead thieves trying to kill them.

The romance is also well-developed.  I liked that while Freya and Bjorn were initially attracted to each other, they also became friends first, and clearly respected each other as people and warriors.  

Also, Bjorn has an axe made from flame.  This is my favourite thing in the book.

I will absolutely be reading the rest of this series.  

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for my review copy of this book.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book early.

Right off the bat: wow. I was so taken in by this world and these characters. Such a strong start, and the momentum keeps up!

Freya has spent her life longing for the glory of battle, while being forced to hide her God given magic. But, of course, nothing can stay hidden forever.

After her magic is forcefully revealed, she is whisked away from her small fishing village to join the side of Snorri, the Jarl who believes he is to control Freya's fate.

Children with God's blood are believed to create their own fate, free of the threads that bind mortals. But Freya finds herself bound by a Seer's visions of her rise to glory, and her own desperation to save her family from the Jarl's wrath.

Honestly, I thought I knew where this book was headed.. and many times I was wrong. Which is truly the best part!

I have also come to *love* Jensen's ability to write a slow burn. *THE TENSION* 👌👌

A solid four stars, I cannot wait to see where this series goes!