This is the first Norse inspired book i've ever read and i'm surprised to say, I enjoyed it. Danielle L. Jensen has a way of writing such in-depth fantasy books that really don't skim the surface. Her characters are engaging, while deeply flawed and faceted.
I struggled at times to understand and empathise with the main character, Freya, as at times she seemed deeply unpredictable and plagued by her over-arching emotions.
Some of her actions irritated me as they seemed evidently the wrong decisions, but I realise now this is what made her such a real (as real as a Nordic shield maiden can be) personality. Freya was stubborn, rash and headstrong, but I also realise this is what made her such a powerful and independent female lead. Despite her unfortunate circumstances, she refuted the idea of being used as a tool and exploited by the men around her. And Jensen continues to make such admirable female leads in her novels.
The plot seemed rather unchanging throughout. I would've appreciated some twists and problems to be revealed throughout the story, as the middle felt very same-y. It was a relief when the ending finally provided myself with some clarity over my impending questions. But I think I would've felt more engagement had these answers been spread evenly throughout the story. Whereas, some of the twists felt like a slap in the face, and had me questioning everyone’s actions.
The romance was enjoyable! It had me entertained, especially with the characters back-and-forth banter. I think my only complaints lie within my own personal preference. Freya and Bjorn's relationship had a lot of insta-love-y undertones, which just isn't my favourite.
Their chemistry seemed to rely solely on their attraction for one another, rather than their own personal qualities. Like, hey, I know you guys are supposedly hot but can we also have a conversation for five minutes, thanks. I've definitely felt more depth with Jensen's previous main characters' romance (ex, The Bridge Kingdom), so I was disappointed to see some of these elements missing throughout this story.
That being said, this was a quick, enjoyable read and definitely left me with much anticipation for the next book.

Another one to add to the favourites shelf! I adore a nordic theme, it's one of my favourite parts of the book! The enemies to lovers romance was done exactly how I wanted it and the ending makes me want to scream for more!

It's also an easy entry for someone looking to get into fantasy for the first time. I will 100% be recommending this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!

I am far too emotionally invested in these characters to possibly wait for book 2!
A Fate Inked in Blood exceeded all my expectations and that ending had me sobbing, stressing and screaming for more pages. This tale may be a fantasy romance, but not for

This entire book is filled with tension, wit and all the adventure and trails you'd expect from a tale inspired by norse mythology. It took two chapters for me to pre-order this book, because honestly I can't wait to see where this tale goes in future books.

The banter between the love interests, combined with their humour had me grinning from ear to ear and wishing nothing but joy for them. The mythology elements and magic within the tale was incredible, and had me hooked, From raids to trails to prove our MC's worth to the Gods, I couldn't put this book down. At some points I felt like pinning my eyes open because my need to know what would happen next was on another level.

I’m a big fan of The Bridge Kingdom series, so when I saw this was available to request I got straight to it. And I was not disappointed. This was my first time venturing into a Norse inspired fantasy novel and Danielle did not disappoint.

I was constantly waiting to see what happened next. How would Freya change her unwritten fate? How would she choose to use her power bless by the goddess, Hiln.

I also loved the development between herself and Bjorn. I fell in love with Bjorn. This warrior who loved her so deeply he just wanted to escape with Freya.

AND LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE TWIST AT THE ENDING. I was expecting a part of it, but not all of it and it’s made me desperate to read the next book. I cannot wait.

What can I say about this other than I thoroughly enjoyed every second and was obsessed, the world building, the magic system, the politics, the action, drama, betrayal, just everything was fantastic and the end., I am so ready for the next book. I can’t wait to see where this goes next, wonderful

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Freya is married to a foul husband and would like nothing more than to get rid of him. When he betrays her to the local Jarl (lord), everyone finds out that she is the prophesied ‘shield maiden’. The story is based loosely on Norse mythology and she has been blessed by one of the gods st birth. She is forced to marry the Jarl but is very attracted to his son, Bjorn, who also has a different god’s blood in him. Who can she trust? Is she being used by the wrong people? Who is she becoming and how powerful is she? Can she fight her attraction to Bjorn? This is not an original story but I do enjoy these light fantasy novels so I have given it 4 stars. This one is fun as I have come to expect from this author and the end sets up an interesting sequel which I will look forward to reading, Thanks to a Netgalley for an ARC.

"I will be at your back until I cross the threshold to Valhalla, Born-in-Fire, whether you want me there or not."

I'm struggling with reviewing this, because I want to sound intelligent and give my honest, balanced opinions which I did promise in exchange for a chance to review this as an ARC. But I also just want to nod emphatically and say 'yes' repeatedly.

A Fate Inked in Blood follows Freya, a shield maiden blessed by the gods, as she struggles against the fate prophesied for her and the wars of a power-hungry would-be-king who seeks to control her.

I genuinely just fell in love. Freya is furious, raw, and so relatable it hurts. The plot moves quickly, and the magic and world based around the Viking sagas was everything I could have wanted. It was intense and incredibly immersive and I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the digital ARC!

I loved this so much! I've only read The Bridge Kingdom series previously, but I really enjoyed that one so I had high hopes for this. Its Norse setting made it feel more realistic than the Bridge Kingdom, but the use of the Norse gods and their magic set it firmly in the world of fantasy. I felt like the author had done plenty of research, as it truly felt like I was in the fjords of Norway under the watchful eyes of the gods.

The magic system in this book works differently to how I've ever seen it before. People are given a drop of god blood at conception (which, yes, means the gods get involved), and invoking that gods name grants them the use of a certain aspect of that gods power. So a child of Thor can wield thunder, a child of Skald can sing stories that come to life, etc.

Freya is a child of Hlin, a minor god of protection and apparently part of a prophecy in which she will unite the people of Skaland under whoever controls her fate. As you might expect, this makes her a hot commodity among the fighting jarls.

Freya is the weakest character for me, but I also recognise that she was written that way purposefully. She's a fishwife at the start, with no experience in battle despite her desire to be part of the war band. She has to learn to fight, though things move fast in the book so the reality is that she's still pretty underdeveloped in terms of fighting. Her family are her weakness, and it did feel like she became a bit too focused on one thing which made her a little annoying. I felt like rolling my eyes and pointing out the obvious issues to her, but unreliable narrator and all that.

Bjorn is our other character, the son of the jarl who wants to be king and a child of Tyr, which manifests as a flaming axe. I loved Bjorn, he felt very real and you got exactly what you saw with him. He was brash and outspoken, with a cheeky humour and otherworldly beauty. The banter between Freya and him was perfect, and I love how he never let anything get to him. He was a chill guy who was loyal and protective - not to mention swoonworthy!

Overall, I really loved this! I loved the setting, the writing, the characters, the magic system, the story and how everything came together. The writing was so visceral that I could literally see the fjord's and the Norse towns, the sense of mud and dirt and ice was tangible.

The only downside is that I have to wait so long for the sequel now!

Loved this book.
The Viking mythology and gods magic themes were just dreamy.
Writing just flows so well and the stories is really well paced.
Will pick up anything this author writes.
5 stars.

I have never started a Fantasy book so easily - I couldn't put it down. I usually struggle starting new fantasy books but I dived into this one quite swiftly, falling in love with the story and the characters. Although some of the plot twists were slighlty predictable, I enjoyed the book nonetheless, and loved seeing the characters evolve and making different choices.
I loved the bickering and the smart comments Freya and Bjorn had going on, it definitely was one of the best parts of the story. The tension between these two had me devouring the book. The only thing that I hate is the time left until we get the 2nd one.

*Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me this book in exchange in an honest review*

It was a really well written book and I really loved it. I love Norse Mythology so of course I would have picked it but nevertheless, it was excellent. The world building was really good and I love it. I can't wait for book #2. It's coming, right?

This was a great start to a series. Felt a little same-y but I hope that picks up soon. The setting was great and i'm intrigued to where the story goes.

A Fate Inked in Blood was an absolutely fantastic book to read! I literally read this in ONE day and it is over 400 pages long.

I've never read anything Norse inspired, so was super excited to dive into this book! The world building was very easy to understand and follow, and the journey was everything I wanted and more! Danielle L Jensen has this amazing way of not allowing you to put her book down 😂 the tension, the banter, the battles, the SLOWBURN, ugh!!! One of the best romantasy's I've read in a LONG time!

Eine super interessante Geschichte die mich immer moch umlaut. Eine absolute Empfehlung für alle Fantasie Fans, die auf spannende Geschichten stehen. Perfekt!

I loved this. I did find it a bit confusing at the start but it never took me long to understand it all.

I really loved Bjorn I thought he was a really well developed character.

It was a really well paced book too not to slow or felt like the plot was moving to fast that some bits made so sense. I haven’t read this authors first series but I’m 100% going to be buying them!

Thank you to netgalley for providing me arc for this books!
The whole Norse inspired world was very vivid and well described. What I love about this author's books is that the fantasy element is present, but never that heavy. She weaves historical -feeling narratives with a bit of magic so well that the world almost feels real.
I was a bit frustrated during the book about some of the MC's decisions, but thinking back it does make her mor 'believable'. I'm looking forward to the sequel. This is an enemies to lovers, slow burn, action packed book- with a big twist at the end!

That ending!!! The fighting, the betrayal, the professions of love, the big reveal. It’s going to feel like forever until we find out what happens next. Fantasy lovers aren’t going to want to miss this!

I loved the Viking vibes. I loved the magic system. I loved the political ramifications of every action. I loved all of it. Give me more, more, more!!

I really enjoyed this Norse inspired spicy romance. Freja has hidden her gift from the World as she would be sought after and used but lives an unpleasant life as the wife of horrid God blessed lord. A prophecy has been maid that the shield maiden will bring a King and now she’s been found.

Danielle L Jensen has a way, much like the Bridge Kingdom, of creating characters that you become invested in. I really liked Bjorn and his story, the little snippets you get through the book are intriguing. Freya was a complex character though some of her actions and decisions were infuriating, which I think was the point.

There is some predictability about this book and I had figured out the main twist in the story fairly early so it did feel a little slow to the reveal.. however I could not put this down. Im feeling pretty tired after staying up until the early hours reading it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in advance in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book had me gripped from the very start right through the very last page! As with Danielle L. Jensens other works, A fate inked in blood is fast paced and completely immersive that will make you forget you're even reading. Freya and Bjorn's dynamic throughout the book is the perfect slow burn romance that will tease the reader just enough to make you unable to put it down! The action and battle scenes were nothing short of bloody and action packed, combined with magic and Norse gods Jensen writes a novel about destiny and power and the struggle of trying change it or letting it change you. This is one of my new all time favourite fantasy romances! I would definitely recommend this to fans of fourth wing and Sarah J Maas!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

oh.my.god.
this was hands down THE best fantasy I read this year.Probably my top 3 ever.This is the next best thing.I'm calling it!!! I didn't get these feelings since TOG. I can't put it into words how much I loved and enjoyed this.The mythology, the action , the slowburn.I am absolutely gobsmacked. I have no idea how I'm supposed to wait for the second book when the first one is not even out yet.12/10 and hell yes I recommend!!! already preordered the first edition!!