A Fate Inked in Blood: Book One of the Saga of the Unfated
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in the first book of a Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology from the author of The Bridge Kingdom series.
“THE must-read fantasy of 2024!”—Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of From Blood and Ash
AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.
Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. And it’s been foretold that such magic will unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.
Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she has sworn to protect.
“THE must-read fantasy of 2024!”—Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of From Blood and Ash
AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.
Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. And it’s been foretold that such magic will unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.
Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she has sworn to protect.
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Community Reviews
I really enjoyed this one! A bit darker than I expected and once again disappointed at the cliffhange rending so I docked points for that, but the story itself, the plot, was so strong I sometimes forgot I was reading a good old romantasy.
I like that the plot twists actually made me like her more and I like that she is so flawed, as a person.
However, the lack of decent people around concerns me. BUT because the main characters were almost just as shitty as the side characters, it felt better than in other books, where the only good character is the main character.
I can't even explain what I liked about it, just that the foreshadowing was good enough that I caught on to many things. My prior knowledge of the Norse gods helped, though, knowing a few of the gods and how they relate to each other can put things into perspective. What does NOT help is that the gods are a main feature and the main character is named after one. But perhaps that's also a twist coming up.
Kind of nervous about buying the second book because what if it too ends on a cliffhanger? Then I won't ever be able to reread this again unless I read the whole series and that's not what I like. So this is probably a library read for me then. But it read very fluidly and I'm an ADHD girlie so being able to read a lot on one sitting was great!
Rating: 4.25/5.00
This is actually my first read for Danielle L. Jensen, but it will NOT be my last.
Summary
A Fate Inked in Blood tells Freyaâs story as she transitions from a fishermanâs wife to the one who is foretold to unite a fractured nation. Possessing a drop of goddessâs blood gives her the power to stand up for herself and others, but she faces many tests along the way - both external and internal. The physical challenges seem impossible, but her new husbandâs son, Bjorn, could be an even bigger challenge. Bjorn is blessed as well and canât seem to keep his eyes off Freya from the day they meet. However, succumbing to this temptation could lead to disaster for both Bjorn and Freya.
Characters
Jensen does a fantastic job giving characters a distinct personality for both the main and supporting cast. I connected with the characters early on - there are several strong female characters. The witty dialogue between characters was a constant delight throughout the entire book and I canât wait to see more from this series (Saga of the Unfated). I also appreciated how Freya grew throughout this book; she sacrificed a lot for her family but wasnât put first by anyone. The tension in the romance was perfect up until the end of the book.
Plot
The plot moved quickly and the world building was perfect for a first novel in the series. We traveled to multiple locations throughout the story and each of these destinations are still clear in my mind even after finishing the book. Iâm excited to see what else we learn about this world in the following books. To my surprise, there were multiple times I laughed, gasped, and cried out loud to myself while reading A Fate Inked in Blood. This is rare for me because my reactions while reading are usually pretty subdued.
Recommendation
I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fantasy read with equal parts romance and action.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
P.S. And yes, I did run and add MORE of Jensenâs books to my TBR.
This is actually my first read for Danielle L. Jensen, but it will NOT be my last.
Summary
A Fate Inked in Blood tells Freyaâs story as she transitions from a fishermanâs wife to the one who is foretold to unite a fractured nation. Possessing a drop of goddessâs blood gives her the power to stand up for herself and others, but she faces many tests along the way - both external and internal. The physical challenges seem impossible, but her new husbandâs son, Bjorn, could be an even bigger challenge. Bjorn is blessed as well and canât seem to keep his eyes off Freya from the day they meet. However, succumbing to this temptation could lead to disaster for both Bjorn and Freya.
Characters
Jensen does a fantastic job giving characters a distinct personality for both the main and supporting cast. I connected with the characters early on - there are several strong female characters. The witty dialogue between characters was a constant delight throughout the entire book and I canât wait to see more from this series (Saga of the Unfated). I also appreciated how Freya grew throughout this book; she sacrificed a lot for her family but wasnât put first by anyone. The tension in the romance was perfect up until the end of the book.
Plot
The plot moved quickly and the world building was perfect for a first novel in the series. We traveled to multiple locations throughout the story and each of these destinations are still clear in my mind even after finishing the book. Iâm excited to see what else we learn about this world in the following books. To my surprise, there were multiple times I laughed, gasped, and cried out loud to myself while reading A Fate Inked in Blood. This is rare for me because my reactions while reading are usually pretty subdued.
Recommendation
I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fantasy read with equal parts romance and action.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
P.S. And yes, I did run and add MORE of Jensenâs books to my TBR.
3.5 stars. It was all around okay. I expected way more from this story. There was one big twist that took me by surprise at the end. But the betrayal, and the two bloods was HEAVILY foreshadowed. I saw a lot of the plot coming.
I really enjoyed A Fate Inked in Blood, it's definitely different from the type of fantasy books I usually read. This was my first mythology based fantasy book and it won't be my last.
My biggest complaint is that I was confused for a portion of the book because there wasn't enough explanation or world building so if you're not familiar with the Norse magic and/or gods, you'll likely be in the same boat. This is also definitely a SLOW burn romance.
Even so, this is a book I would recommend. I can't wait for book 2!
Thank you to NetGalley, Danielle L. Jensen and Del Rey for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
My biggest complaint is that I was confused for a portion of the book because there wasn't enough explanation or world building so if you're not familiar with the Norse magic and/or gods, you'll likely be in the same boat. This is also definitely a SLOW burn romance.
Even so, this is a book I would recommend. I can't wait for book 2!
Thank you to NetGalley, Danielle L. Jensen and Del Rey for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
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