Today’s review is about A FATE INKED IN BLOOD by Danielle Jensen. It’s the first installment of the Saga of the Unfated duology. Freya has a drop of god’s blood, which gives her the power of said god when invoking their name. But a prophecy names her power and she inadvertently finds herself caught in the king of Skaland’s fervor.
Author: Danielle Jensen
Series: Saga of the Unfated #1
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Del Rey
Publish Date: February 27, 2024
Print Length: 432
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A Fate Inked In Blood Synopsis
Synopsis
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.
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.
A Fate Inked In Blood Review
A FATE INKED IN BLOOD is the first book in a Norse mythology-inspired duology. Unhappily married to Vragi, Freya spends her days gutting fish and daydreaming of becoming a warrior. But unbeknownst to Freya, her secret heritage has made its way to Snorlli, the jarl of the land. He forces her to reveal her secret–that she has a drop of goddess’s blood–by fighting his son, Bjorn. Snorlli then absconds her and makes her his wife to fulfill the prophecy that she will help him rule Skaland as the one king. He assigns Bjorn as her protector, which props open the door to their mutual attraction, to ensure she leads them to victory.
A FATE INKED IN BLOOD is very easy to dive into. It didn’t take long for me to get wrapped up in the plot and Freya’s predicament. The writing style has the perfect balance of descriptive and expressive without losing the reader to excessive details. This book is over 400 pages long, but I felt like it flew by. The plot isn’t complex, but the author draws the reader in by making it easy to to grow attached to the protagonist.
Since this is the first Norse-inspired fantasy (romantasy) I’ve read, I can’t comment on the originality of the fantasy elements. However, the premise of the magic system is that some people are born with a drop of god’s blood. This gives them the power of their respective donor when they invoke the god’s or goddess’s name. The various jarls all seem to have at least one person in their midst who has a drop of magical blood. With respect to Freya, she has a drop of blood from Hlin, the shield maiden goddess.
Freya is headstrong, smart, and perhaps a little too rash when it comes to interacting with Bjorn. Their chemistry is evident from the start, but becomes forbidden when Snorlli, Bjorn’s father, claims Freya as his second wife. The forbidden romance element is very good. I loved their banter and how the author devised a plot that keeps them by each other’s sides for a good portion of the book. This allows them to develop a trust and rapport with each other. I find this deepens the emotional element between them and the reader. There are a few scenes where Freya is irrational, which may irritated a few readers. But the twist at the end makes it clear as to why Freya acts in such a way.
The two overarching themes are fanaticism and self worth. Snorlli chooses to interpret a prophecy in a way that centers him as the jarl who will unite Skaland. He interprets every challenge as a trial from the gods. No sacrifice is too great and it’s easy to stay on that path when no one wants to question their jarl. But A FATE INKED IN BLOOD is also about respecting one’s self. Freya’s family used her to elevate themselves in their village and Snorlli uses her to further his ambitions. It takes a lot of coaching from Bjorn to make her realize she doesn’t have a very supportive family. However, the sub-plot about Freya’s family felt underdeveloped. But the point still came across.
Overall, I really enjoyed A FATE INKED IN BLOOD. I definitely recommend this to romantasy fans looking for something outside of the abundance of fae-filled and Irish mythology-inspired tales. It has a Vikings feel, a strong protagonist, and forbidden romance.
Rating: 4.25
Content warnings: sexual content, emotional abuse, violence, gore, blood, death, death of a parent
Reading format: Hardback
If you liked this book, you may also enjoy A RIVER ENCHANTED by Rebecca Ross.
I’ve read several of Jensen’s books ( The Malediction Trilogy) and enjoyed them a lot. This one sounds like its worth picking up too!
I really want to read her Bridge Kingdom series. I love the new covers for them. I’ve heard it’s pretty good.
I’ve seen this in the library but haven’t been sure about it. The last Norse inspired fantasy I read was only so-so and I think that’s put me off a bit. A Fate Inked in Blood does sound as though it’s worth trying though. Thanks for sharing your review.
This one isn’t anything super complex, but I found the writing and plot engaging enough to want to read the finale. 😊 So if you pick it up I hope you like it.
I couldn’t pass up on the 99p deal for this book the other week so I added it to my Kindle library even though I wasn’t sure about it, but your review has convinced me to pick this up sooner rather than later, lol. It sounds so good and I quite enjoy Norse Mythology!
That’s a great deal! I hope you enjoy it!