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

 

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

Author: Danielle Jensen.
Release Date: 27/02/2024. 
Price: £16.99 at Waterstones.
Available in: Hardback, kindle and on audiobook.
Series or Standalone: Book One of a series.
TW: Death, war, fighting, blood & gore
Spice: 3.5! There's a few "spicy" scenes ;) 

Rating:  5 stars! 

I loved the Bridge Kingdom series so I was super excited to receive an E-Arc of Danielle L. Jensen's latest book, I was especially intrigued to read her take on Norse mythology and how she would weave the romantasy aspect into it. 

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 - in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.

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. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: she possesses a drop of a goddess's blood, which gives her magic capable of repelling any attack. A magic that was foretold would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath a king-the one who controls the shield maiden's fate.

Believing he's destined to rule Skaland, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders his son, Bjorn, to protect Freya 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. Except the greatest test of all 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 swore to protect.

Wow! A Fate Inked in Blood is going straight into my favourite reads of the year so far. A Fate Inked in Blood far surpassed my expectations, I knew I'd love it, especially after that killer of an opening chapter but I loved this so so much. I'm actually a little mad at myself for not reading this earlier, not a mistake I'll be making in the future that's for sure haha. 

A Fate Inked in Blood has an excellent premise which was flawlessly executed. I devoured this in just two days, this has all the hallmarks of an fantastic fantasy series. 

Freya and Bjorn, our two main characters and my new favourite ship, Freya is your typical badass female, think Aelin Galathynius crossed with Bryce Quinlan with a hint of Nesta Archeron. I loved her, she's feisty with a vulnerable side, she's not two dimensional, I loved watching her journey and I can't wait to see what happens in book two. Bjorn, is all man, he has that protective "touch her and you die" vibe that really works in a story like this one. Bjorn definitely is a bit of the typical hot brooding warrior but I love that for him, he owns it!

I loved the banter, the yearning and the angst, the crazy tension so hot you can almost feel it through the pages of the book. A Fate Inked in Blood is top tier on the romantasy pyramid, it's well written, I found the pacing to be great and the worldbuilding was brilliantly woven in, there were no huge info dumps or clunky information spewed at us, which I always appreciate. I loved the addition of the Norse Gods but I hope we see more of them in book two. 

5 Stars! 

A huggeee thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L Jensen. All opinions are my own.