ARC Review : A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle Jensen



A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle Jensen
Genre : Fantasy Romance, Mythology
Publisher Del Rey
Publication Date February 27th, 2024
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, 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. It was foretold such a magic would 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 swore to protect.

B&N
 I think I've read almost all of the author's books starting from the time I read Stolen Songbird nine years back and it'd be an understatement to say that I was very excited for A Fate Inked In Blood! I'm happy to report that it was all that I was expecting it to be and more!❣️ I finished it in one sitting and I want to read the next book so badly😩(okay ik it's my fault for reading a Feb '24 ARC so early but I couldn't resist 😂)⁣
A Fate Inked In Blood is a Norse-inspired fantasy romance that follows Freya who spends her days dreaming of becoming a warrior while stuck in an unhappy marriage. Her life unexpectedly changes when she's forced to reveal the secret that she's been hiding for years - that she also possesses magic and that she's a Shield Maiden. And that puts her in the center of a prophecy that she's been unaware of. In order to protect her family she's forced to submit to the jarl's demands as he believes he's the one who'll unite Skaland and become its king while wielding her fate. And as if training to fight and working to change her fate wasn't enough, she must work hard to resist her attraction to Bjorn, the jarl's son who's been assigned to protect her. ⁣
Not only was this one fast-paced with action, magic and romance(+steam) but it had some amazing characters too! Freya was feisty, protective but also quite impulsive and she goes through so much and grows a lot. I loved the flirty banter between her and Bjorn along with the tension and forbidden attraction 😍 It doesn't get too confusing as the world building is quite simple. I was expecting some of the twists but there were a few nice surprises too 😆 I can't wait for everyone to read this so that I can discuss it with them and I really want book 2 asap!❣️✨

You can also find this review on my bookstagram here


Danielle L. Jensen is the USA Today bestselling author of the Malediction series, the Dark Shores series, and the Bridge Kingdom series, as well as the forthcoming A Fate Inked in Blood. She lives in Calgary, Alberta with her family and guinea pigs.


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