The perfect culmination to this incredible duet. I loved the addition of Bjorn’s POV, the ups and downs he and Freya suffered, both in their romantic relationship and in the world itself. The twists had me GASPING. I loved the Norse mythology, the look at the gods and how they influenced all of the Unfated. I can’t say much about spoilers, but this book was perfection,

3.75 stars.

I love Danielle L. Jensen and I will buy absolutely anything she writes. And while I absolutely loved A Fate Inked in Blood, I did struggle with this one a bit. It wasn't bad by any means. And I enjoyed reading it. But it felt very rushed at times. From moment one, this story is go go go go go. I missed the small and quiet moments for the characters to have with each other. I finished the book really feeling like this would have been best suited as a trilogy. There were some elements to the plot we definitely could have explored further and I think would have made the story overall a better arc. If you're someone who loves super fast paced books, then this will be the series for you.

Can we just admire the book cover art especially A Curse Carved in Bone? If there was a need for female rage in art form, there you have. And of course, we get glimpses of that in Freya in the Saga of the Unfated series. I would totally be in support if she just raged out on EVERYONE who did her wrong, family included.

I listened to the audio of A Fate Inked in Blood and I really enjoyed the narration by Nina Yndis. And it paid off when I read the second book with my eyes.

With book 2 picking up where the previous one left off. We’re still very much in the rage stage and it stays there for about 40% of the book. And there were a ton of remorse and regret happening as well with a certain character 😉. Safe to say, very much in the feels for a huge chunk of the book. It’s still action packed, which I love. And there’s some more betrayal and twists happening, kind of wild and a bit chaotic? Maybe even a little messy.

There were definitely some moments where Freya came off as a bit childish, while I understood her anger when it came to Bjorn. And I felt like he was just trying to get back on her good side for majority of the book. I couldn’t quite feel the emotional connect that was between the two like in the first book, so it was a little tough to 100% root for them by the end.

But I was pretty happy with the way everything turned out, there were still a few characters that I would have been okay not having around. But knew that the guilt would absolutely eat Freya alive.

Overall, a very solid series for me, I really enjoyed Danielle’s writing and will diving into the backlist!

A brooding, myth-infused finale that cuts deep into destiny, betrayal, and the bonds that survive both.
Danielle L. Jensen delivers a gripping and emotionally charged conclusion to her Norse-inspired fantasy duology in A Curse Carved in Bone. It raises the stakes set in A Fate Inked in Blood and deepens the exploration of fate, power, and identity.

One of my main wishes from A Fate Inked in Blood was to gain insight into Bjorn’s perspective, and this sequel finally provides that. His point of view adds emotional depth to the aftermath of his betrayal, even if his trademark wit and charm take a backseat. The tension between him and Freya unravels slowly, with their journey toward understanding marked by hesitation, pride, and lingering hurt.

Freya’s journey is especially compelling. Still reeling from betrayal and the weight of her divine heritage, she channels her pain into self-discipline. Her pursuit of truth becomes both a driving force and a heavy burden. As she resists the roles others try to impose on her—whether from the gods, her enemies, or even Bjorn—her strength and defiance give the story a powerful emotional impact.

The plot moves quickly, especially in the second half, where the twists come fast and furious. The action never lets up, and the political and mystical complexity of the world grows in meaningful ways. Jensen delves deeper into Norse mythology, introducing the Unfated and expanding the lore to enhance both atmosphere and tension.

Romantically, this book is quieter than its predecessor. Freya and Bjorn’s chemistry takes a backseat to their internal struggles and shifting loyalties. Their stubbornness complicates matters, but this emotional restraint aligns with their growth.

Quotes:
A few quotes really stuck with me, especially the grim reminder: “We are all monsters.” And in contrast, the perfectly timed humor of: “I hope that wasn’t important to your man-form.”

A Curse Carved in Bone is a worthy, if emotionally thorny, conclusion to the Saga of the Unfated. It’s heavier, more introspective, and at times chaotic, but it never loses sight of the story’s heart. This book wraps up Freya’s arc in a satisfying way, while leaving just enough room for readers to hope for more from this world someday.

Thank you to Del Rey Books for this ARC.

Stats:
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Type of Series: Conclusion to a Duology
Series Name: Saga of the Unfated
POV: Dual 1st Person
POP: 60%
Tropes: Forbidden, Slow Burn, Bodyguard, Vikings & Norse Mythology Inspired, One Horse
Release Date: May 13, 2025
Available: Wide on all platforms

A CURSE CARVED IN BONE is an action-packed duology finale, though the ending wasn't quite as satisfying as I'd hoped.

The book is pretty much action from the get go as Freya lurches from danger to danger, all while trying to work out who she should trust. The action also involves a lot more magic thanks to the introduction of more of Harald's magicians. There are some clever, influential uses of non-combat-orientated magic too, which was nice.

I liked the way Freya and Bjorn's relationship was handled, particularly the very frank conversation between Freya and Saga in the sauna. While it's later revealed that there are ulterior motives behind the entire conversation, I think the sentiment was true - and necessary. Freya was demanding too much of Bjorn (and holding him to much higher standards in the relationship than herself). I feel like that doesn't get addressed too much in romantasy, so I was glad to see there was a "he made mistakes but so did you so you cannot forgive yourself if you will not also forgive him" conversation.

Bjorn gets a POV in this book! I really liked seeing his perspective as it rounded out the relationship more (and let you understand why he was holding back from just making up.) Plus there's plenty of action he sees that she doesn't, so there'd be a lot of story missing without him!

This book felt like it delved much more into Norse mythology than A FATE INKED IN BLOOD. In the previous book, it was just the faith system the characters had and the source of their magic, but in this instalment, the story interacted much more with figures and motifs from the mythology. I quite liked this as it meant the book felt much more like it "earnt" (for want of a better world) its Norse setting and was making better use of the body of mythology it was alluding to in the first book with the use of god names etc.

This book falls into a category I've seen a lot lately - oh, no, the villain is not actually the villain, we've been tricked. About midway through A CURSE CARVED IN BONE, the actual villain is revealed, which means the second half - including the finale - is not fighting against Snorri, the man who the first book and a half has been building up as the big bad. It means all those expectations about the ending and the trajectory are overturned.

Yes, some books can pull this off and the end is still heavily satisfying, but I just didn't feel it was quite pulled off enough here. The first half of the book is spent worrying about the fact that Snorri can control Freya with the blood oath, but because of that villain-switch/reveal, that doesn't end up coming into the finale at all. So it felt like there was no pay off for that element that so much time had been spent on, so much time making you think that the author had something clever for how Freya was going to get around the issue in the big final fight. And it never came.

There were several things like this that kept cropping up in the second half (though I will say, all the mythology-heavy stuff came in the second half, which I did like) which meant the book, overall, was not as satisfying as I'd have liked - which is a pity, given how much I enjoyed the first book, and thus this isn't as heavily starred as the first.