Brilliant! 5/5
I inhaled this Nordic adventure, with its plot twists and emotional scarring.
A fate Inked in blood was action packed from start to finish, with a light sprinkling of Nordic politics and an easy to understand but very interesting magic system.

This was a perfect, slow burn, romantic fantasy. And our MMC is *chefs kiss*

I have never read any Viking books before, but this may have opened me up to pursue more!
Looking forward to reading the next one, and have already preordered a special edition.

Omg...Norse mythology meets magical fantasy. My new favorite! I loved this book from start to finish. It's very rare to see a well written female character with actual wit and someone honest with themselves about their feelings. I loved every second of the banter between Freya and Björn, and such a refreshing take on forbidden romance. The world building was great, plot was well paced, I didn't feel bored at any point. Although I saw the ending coming from far, it was still enjoyable. Cant wait for next installment of this series!

Special thanks to Random House UK, Del Rey and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this read. It gave me everything I could’ve wanted as a fan of Vikings.

Feisty maiden
Hot warrior
Magic

The only thing I ever do struggle with is insta love/lust and this had it.

HOWEVER I was still able to enjoy everything this book had to offer!

Thank you Netgallery and DLJ for this arc!

A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power hungry king - while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son.

Norse Mythology, Vikings, forced proximity, forbidden romance, what more could a girl want. I am already a huge Norse Mythology lover and A Fate Inked in Blood just solidified that fact. To say I loved this book would be an understatement, it was phenomenal.

The storyline was superb, not once did it feel rushed, yet nothing felt slow or lacking. I felt thoroughly immersed right from the first page. Danielle's writing as always was brilliant, I absolutely adored the Whitty banter between Bjorn and Freya, their little quips had me laughing my ass off.

A Fate Inked in Blood demonstrates everything Romantasy should be, The world building was great, the storyline was addictive and the romance was swoon worthy, Bjorn and Freya have firmly earned a place on my list of favourite fantasy couples.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for honest review.

Fast paced, action packed book with a strong FMC and a liberal dose of spice. I really enjoyed this book.

A Fate Inked in Blood is an amazing start to this new series. I loved the Norse inspiration and loved learning all about it and following the characters along on their adventure. Although at times the FMC was slightly annoying to me I realise this may be because of the time period and I did find this slow at points I overall found this to have an incredibly unique premise with characters you really want to root for. The world building also blew me away and I can't wait to learn more in the sequel.

Genre: Fantasy romance

Tropes:
Banter
Forbidden romance
The chosen one/Foretold destiny
Norse inspired

When your favourite author is coming out with a new series you get excited- even more so when it is a Norse inspired fantasy romance!

I started reading pretty much immediately after getting the arc, and finished it within 24 hours. And let me tell you- it’s been a while since I did that with a fantasy novel 🙈.
From the start I was drawn into the world and quickly fell in love with the characters. Freya and Bjorn was fantastic together- they complemented each other perfectly and I loved their banter!

I loved the concept of the magic system- that people born with a drop of a gods blood had a magic ability associated with that god. The gods themselves inspired by gods from norse mythology. The story gripped me from start to finish with an excellent story and some nerve inducing action scenes and now I have to endure the torture of waiting for the next book in the series to find out what happens next. In regards to tropes we got a few staples of the fantasy romance genre with witty banter, forbidden love (that started out antagonistic), forced proximity (even only one horse!). There was also some other things- but I don’t want to go into spoilers 😊 Also, yes- it’s spicy 🌶️

So if you’re a fan of fantasy romance, Danielle L. Jensens other works or just a good Norse mythology fantasy- you should check this out!

That was a rush.

Exactly what I needed after my last read. I knew from the first chapter that this was going to be right up my street. I’m very glad that I was approved to read this via NetGalley.

It was so incredibly dark, I loved the Nordic style of it. Freya’s character has so much depth. I’m so glad she wasn’t just thrown in all powerful at the start, that Danielle took the time to let the character build. Some of the descriptions were so vivid, it was a shock. The attention to detail not overdone, but done quite perfectly when needed.

You know when you read a book and you start getting a vibe where you can guess roughly what’s going to happen or where it’s going to go? I can honestly say that didn’t happen here. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

<b>2.25 stars.</b>

I think I’ve got to accept DLJ isn’t for me. I honestly don’t really know how I feel after reading this because it was honestly a lot.

- for the most part, none of it made sense. I didn’t care for the plot despite being excited to read about vikings and nordic gods etc. the plot was all over the place and the inner dialogue was honestly insufferable. if it wasn’t the inner monologue we got constantly it was the wishy-washy same thing. every two chapters freya was being attacked and every one chapter she was pinning after bijon.
- the romance was forced and insta-lust. at first, I really liked it. it felt forbidden and fun but after around 40% they both were obsessed with each other and I hated it.
- the magic building was confusing which is ultimately what I didn’t like about the book. I wanted more knowledge of the gods - why only certain people get their blood and what on earth being this shield maiden actually meant for the world because it was basically to win a war where everyone dies.
- I hated all the side characters too which never makes for a good fantasy.

Definitely not for me and I won’t be continuing.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really enjoyable fantasy romance, fast paced and you get thrown straight into the action! The characters were easy to follow and I liked the plot, perhaps a bit predictable but sometimes that what you want.

This was not for me. This felt like a worse copy of the Bridge Kingdom series, only with a different setting.

I've always liked Jensen's writing style in her previous books, but I didn't enjoy it in this novel. She tried really hard to make the language sound old-fashioned to suit the nordic setting, but occasionally she forgot about it and used modern words which just really annoyed me. I also didn't love the worldbuilding itself, it was barely explained and didn't seem well thought out.

The story itself was okay, it was pretty boring during the middle parts and even the fight scenes weren't really all that exciting. The two main characters were basically copies of Aren and Lara from the Bridge Kingdom, and so was the romance. The romance was also insta lust which didn't appeal to me and it was just so bland and without any real chemistry. I'm not sure if I will continue this series.

I thank NetGalley, Cornerstone & Del Rey for sending me an eARC of this book, I will give an honest review.

Looking at this gorgeous cover and gripping title, I was very eager to dive into this book, and it exceeded my expectations.

A Norse Mythology inspired fantasy Romance, based around Freya a Shield Maiden with blood from the god Hlin running in her veins. Can Freya take control of her own destiny, or will she be used by the countless men who only see her as a weapon to grasp power for their own gain?

I absolutely devoured this book and didn't want to put it down. The characters were well written with such depth and personality that you could easily connect with. And don't even get me started on the chemistry between the main love interests, it was so electric and slow burning, that you could really feel the tension from the forbidden fruit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend everyone to go and preorder now, you won't regret it!

A promising start to this new Norse inspired fantasy romance series from Jensen. I enjoyed this and found the story to be immersive and I’m interested in where the sequel will take this story. At times I did find the FMC to be a bit gullible and just did as she was told but overall liked how her character is being developed.

I really loved this book! Since it was announced it has been one of my most anticipated reads and it did not disappoint!

Danielle truly is a great talent in the fantasy romance genre, I think her work can appeal to a huge range of people. I’ve found that a lot of recent romantic fantasy books lean heavily on the spice but Danielle finds a great balance between the romance and the plot. This means that no matter your preference of spice you are satisfied with this book!

The pacing is also brilliant. Rather than a long introduction to build the history of the world this story gets straight into the action and introduces you to the world as you go along. The action never stops either, there is always something happening to catch your attention and keep you interested.

It was such an honour to read an early copy of this book, I can’t wait to read more of Danielle’s work in the future!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Cornerstone for the ARC! I could not believe my eyes when I got the notification that my ARC request had been accepted! This was my most anticipated release of 2024 and I am beyond grateful to have received an early copy!

Danielle L Jensen never disappoints! She is one of my all time favourite Fantasy authors and her newest book is her best yet!

A Fate Inked in Blood is an exciting Fantasy Romance inspired by Norse Mythology. The story follows Freya, a fiery young woman blessed by the gods. When it is revealed that she is a shield maiden, the power hungry jarl orders his son, Bjorn, to keep her safe.

This book is forbidden love at its finest! I absolutely loved Freya and Bjorn and their slow burn romance had me weak at the knees. They are both extremely strong willed characters and their banter was exceptional. Bjorn is definitely my new favourite book boyfriend!

This book is so well written; the world building was excellent and the plot was perfectly paced. The writing flows so well and I flew through it in just one day!

Fans of Vikings: Valhalla and Jensen's previous works are bound to adore A Fate Inked in Blood. Waiting for the sequel is going to be absolute torture!