Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

20 reviews

mysticalbluebirdreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved this book and loved Freya as a character.
I went into this only knowing that it was adventure, magical, and semi romantic. As someone who reads a lot of smut books, I feel like the sex was not needed for the plot. It felt more like a ploy to get that side of book social media.
Overall, still a great book.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

gaby_readsss's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A Fate Inked In Blood  🩸⚔️

my review 💭💫
This was my first time reading a Viking fantasy and OMG I loved it from start to finish!! 🩵
I was oblivious to the entire Norse lore previous to reading this book, but thank you so much Danielle L. Jensen for introducing me to this fantastic world of gods, and mythology, and warriors! 🗺️✨🗡️

From page one I had this instant like for the main character, Freya. She is strong, determined, a lot stubborn, and will go to any lengths to protect those she loves. Then we have Bjorn. He’s powerful, good looking, charming, and a protector. I was obsessed with their dynamic from their first interaction. Bjorn and Freya are my new favorite couple! 😍 
I loved how they literally go from flirting and having the cutest banter with each other to being forced to fight to the death soon after that. 🫢
I meaaaan… I was so invested the entire time with everything that was going on! 

The pace of this book was perfect. It had the right balance between action, adventure, and romance. It was everything I wanted and needed from a romantasy book. I’m new to the genre, and I believe if you’re also new to it, then you’ll absolutely enjoy reading A Fate Inked In Blood. 🩸 

The ending had my jaw on the floor. I need book two asap because what in the world was that major cliffhanger?! 😭
I have so many questions!! 

you’ll love this book if you enjoy: 
vikings/ norse mythology ⚔️
strong female characters 💪🏻
forced proximity 👫
forbidden romance 🚫
instant attraction but make it slow burn 🔥
all the banter 🤭
spice 🌶️

my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jasper_is_atypical's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I'm just tired of people calling an FMC strong or badass and then the MMC does all the fighting and planning and hard work and hero stuff. She literally sits around at points while he does all of the work, although she does try at points, overall she get's used and abused and just sits and takes it and then lashes out at the only people who actually care about her. She's not badass (when she is she's killing innocent civilians mostly) and every decision she makes for herself is a bad one. It was super disappointing thinking she would be this badass in control of her fate while she just let's herself get tossed around like a toy the entire book.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

soniajoy98's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

booksalacarte's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A Fate Inked in Blood
4.75⭐️ 3.25🌶️

Fantasy Romance
Viking Fantasy
Forbidden Romance
Gods
Magic
Secrets
War
Slow burn
Forced proximity



I really enjoyed this book so much! You could really tell that DLJ has grown as an author since her Bridge Kingdom series started. I am so excited to see where this series goes, I still have so many questions!

The magic system was interesting and the idea that everyone is fated, except the children of gods is an interesting way to approach the system. 

The FMC was torn between her selfish nature and wanting to protect others. It’s such a real struggle that I was rooting for her and frustrated by her at the same time. 

The plot was fairly steady. I didn’t feel like there were many lulls in the action, even when there was a break from fighting. The twists and turns were foreshadowed well and left just enough for me to still be surprised by the nature of the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for a eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookameme's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Intense and Heartbreaking with all the Viking Battles You Could Ask For


“I am yours and you are mine, even if we’re the only ones that know it.”

Thoughts:💡
Children of the Gods are unfated, yet it doesn’t seem like they get to make many choices. Freya least of all. Her love for her family and clan are continually used against her. She’s furious, bold, and occasionally brash, but still young enough to be manipulated while being a true warrior at heart.
Vikings are notoriously violent and bloodthirsty, especially in this book, which is why it’s no surprise the entire plot is built around that idea. Even the magic system, which was admittedly unique and interesting, was based on the premise of helping the characters achieve glory and spread their fame with acts of violence or response to it. 
Dreams of battle glory and Valhalla are utmost on most of the characters' minds, even after their stomachs turn from the effects of war. It’s a main focus of the book from start to finish. The characters' fervor for it irked me at times just as Freya’s naïveté and soft heart frustrated me. Overall, I genuinely liked her character and Bjorn’s, especially their relationship. However, their characters have a lot of room to develop in the next volume, and I for one can’t wait for it.

Audio & Narrator:🎧
The audiobook for this added a fun and immersive feel to the story. The narrator had a norse accent that sounded believable and interesting. The volume and pace remained steady and easy to follow along with, and the perfect amount of excitement and inflection was used for each scene.

Fun Bits:
⚜️ Action packed and full of adventure 
⚜️ Really cool magic system
⚜️ Lots of Norse Mythology
⚜️ An interesting romance
⚜️ Extremely fierce FMC

✨Beware the cliffy

⚠️: Violence, Death, Blood, Gore, War, Graphic Injuries, Slavery 

Stats:📊
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Characters: 💙💙💙💙
Audio: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Narrators: 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️
Historical Fantasy: Vikings, Norse Legends, Magic, Fighting Fate, Warring Clans, Hidden Secrets📘
First Person, Past Tense, Single POV

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

hheartbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Bleh. I honestly forced myself to finish. The plot felt like it was repeating itself, Freya was annoying, Bjorn's story was predictable, the 'romance' just felt lustful, and I ended not really desiring to pick up the next in the series.  This one obviously wasn't for me. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

folkofthebook's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

“They say being given the blood of a god is a gift,” I whispered. “But it’s a curse.”

It was not lost on me that I’d once dreamed of greatness, and now, presented with it, it felt like the last thing I wanted.

this was an enjoyable fantasy romance. the nordic setting with viking/norse mythology inspiration was a refreshing change from the typical anglican medieval settings we often see in this genre. there are some commonly used fantasy tropes and admittedly this was a bit predictable for me, but the chemistry between freya and bjorn was sizzling and delicious and made it enjoyable to read. the writing paints a vivid picture as we follow the story, with norse rituals and action-packed scenes.

while i enjoyed bridge kingdom, this was definitely an improvement for me. i'm intrigued enough by the end to continue the series with the next book. i might never look at the lemons the same again tho lolllll

“You’ve never been alone,” Bjorn said, his voice so soft that no one but me would hear over the wind and my weeping. “I will be at your back until I cross the threshold to Valhalla, Born-in-Fire, whether you want me there or not.”

“Your looks aren’t good enough to compensate for your tongue.”
In the faint light, I saw him smirk. “Don’t underestimate my tongue, Freya. Especially in the dark.”

“I don’t want to rule,” he answered. “I want you.”

“You are mine, Born-in-Fire. Even if only the two of us know it.”


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

maur_damar's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

juliannareads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow, the queen of fantasy romance has done it again! A heart-pounding adventure with an incredible romance and danger and twists around every corner. I devoured this one and can’t wait until the next book in the series comes out. I adored the Vikings setting and the Norse mythology inspired magic system. And the slow-burn forbidden romance was perfection 🌶️🌶️

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...