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Reviews tagging 'Grief'

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

39 reviews

gabyscozylibrary's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

jasper_is_atypical's review against another edition

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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.

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neatens's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny mysterious 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

A Norse Mythology that follows Freya and her adventure into becoming a warrior. It is about making your own destiny and choices that will always have a return. This story is a romantasy that is full of witty banters, betrayals, and choices. A tortuous adventure with a dash of spice. It was fun to read because it was immersive and the writing was poetic. Thank you Ms Jensen for this amazing story! I love everything. Devoured it in a few hours.

PS. For these past few weeks, I have been falling in love with books that is part of a series. And it is my impending doom to wait patiently but it was such an honor to read these stories.

Content Warnings

soniajoy98's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

booksalacarte's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings

bookameme's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

koistyfishy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5 Born-in-Fire Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5

I’ve had this book approved for a very long time, and I just kind of kept brushing it off. BUT LIKE WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG? I seriously wish that I could go back in time and kick some flipping sense into my past self because had I known this would be such an amazing masterpiece that I was just IGNORING, I would have jumped on it sooner!!!

It has been a really long time since I have read anything by Danielle L. Jensen, like November 2022 long, so I basically forgot how much I absolutely love and adore her writing and stories. This is a single-POV that follows Freya, a God-blessed Shield-Maiden in hiding with dreams of being in a Warband. However, she is stuck in a loveless marriage as a fisherman's wife. One day her husband betrays her to her Jarl, who has been spending the last 20 years looking for Freya, believing in a prophecy that says "he who controls her fate shall unite the nation and rule the land". The Jarl forces Freya to do his bidding and orders his son Bjorn to protect and train her. Soon Freya finds herself thrust into the warrior life she has always pined for, but the biggest battle she has to fight is the forbidden attraction between herself and Bjorn.

Freya just doesn’t catch a break. From very early on she is constantly faced with near-death experiences, pain, suffering, and the terrible reality that everyone wants to possess, use her, or kill her. She was a literal rope in a tug-of-war for power, and I am surprised she didn't snap given the weight of the world basically rests on her shoulders. This reinforces how strong her characterization felt as she never gave up, no matter how bad it got. She was tenacious, brave, unselfish and incredibly self-sacrificing to protect her family (even when they treated her like crap).

I also appreciated that Freya felt and acted so mature for her age (and didn't feel like she was only 20 - being in my thirties I like it when I can connect to characters). Her hard life and upbringing in the times of Vikings have shaped and moulded her into a person who can withstand hardships and that made her incredibly admirable. It was interesting to see how the girl with the dream of being in a Warband is faced with the harsh reality that everything she hoped for and dreamt about is skewed and wrong.

I just knew from the very moment that Bjorn was introduced that I was going to love him. He is cocky, mysterious, quick-witted, charming and a total flirt. But is so loyal and protective of Freya that it was just adorable watching the two of them interact. I loved how numerous perceptions Freya had of him were constantly disproven, and I swooned and giggled at the constant witty banter between the two. The chemistry and tension between them were off the charts and just SO. WELL. WRITTEN!!!!

The writing in this is stunning but gritty and raw! It’s captivating but harsh at the same time and feels like the time of the Vikings. If you love anything Norse Mythology, then you are going to love this! I felt like I was there! I could feel the world, feel how the Gods wove themselves into this story, and I could taste and feel the environment. The way that the world-building pulled on the traditional Mythology but wove in an intricate magic system and lore in this is spectacular; I swear I felt the air tingle as I was taken on the journey with Freya. I also appreciated that I didn't need to know much about the Mythology to grasp an understanding of the story. Sometimes when reading a book based on Mythology, a background in the Mythology is needed before jumping in. But not this time as not once did I feel lost, confused or overwhelmed by the lore.

There are two things I believe could have been done better. The first is the timeline pacing. The timeline from when she is taken from her village to the climax of the book happens VERY QUICKLY (Like mental maths - about 2 weeks max). As mentioned earlier, it felt like Freya never actually catches a break and the moment things seem to be calming down things SPIKE UP. Given this, the relationship development between Bjorn and Freya could be seen VERY Instalovie, and she went from not being an "official" warrior to being a warrior...in only a few days. If, like me, you imagine that it's a few weeks, then the story seems a little more believable (especially given the amount of travelling that happens in this story)

The second is the predictability of the plot twists. I was able to see the major shocks pretty early from the start and predict the outcome of a few things VERY EARLY on. This isn't an issue as the way the story progressed and these were revealed was done well.

All in all, I am not going to let my issues detract from the fact that I adored this! This is an exciting start to the Saga of the Unfated, and I am almost annoyed after THAT ENDING that we have to wait so long now for the next book because I NEED MY HANDS ON IT NOW!

Your Trope Summary:
▶ Norse Mythology/Viking Inspired
▶ Forbidden Romance (Fathers "Wife")
▶ One Horse
▶ Touch Her/Him You Die
▶ Bodyguard/Charge Vibes
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Slow Burn but INSTANT TENSION

So do yourself a favour and read this- don't be stupid like me and wait. DO. NOT. SIT. ON. THIS. BOOK! RUN! Don't walk....SPRINT EVEN and pick it up because it's so so so so so so good!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for my gifted ARC copy.

Content Warnings

thecanadianbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book early.

Right off the bat: wow. I was so taken in by this world and these characters. Such a strong start, and the momentum keeps up!

Freya has spent her life longing for the glory of battle, while being forced to hide her God given magic. But, of course, nothing can stay hidden forever.

After her magic is forcefully revealed, she is whisked away from her small fishing village to join the side of Snorri, the Jarl who believes he is to control Freya's fate.

Children with God's blood are believed to create their own fate, free of the threads that bind mortals. But Freya finds herself bound by a Seer's visions of her rise to glory, and her own desperation to save her family from the Jarl's wrath.

Honestly, I thought I knew where this book was headed.. and many times I was wrong. Which is truly the best part!

I have also come to *love* Jensen's ability to write a slow burn. *THE TENSION* 👌👌

I cannot wait to see where this series goes!

Content Warnings

bookishxobsession's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me an arc of this book for my honest review. It's been an absolute pleasure to read this book.

Holy cow! What a ride! I can say I have never read a book that was steeped so heavily in mythology but this book made it very easily digestible, explaining in small tidbits so the world building didn't feel overwhelming.

Freya is constantly used as a tool for her family. She is told to never be too loud, never be to opinionated, never be more, only do what is expected of her and not what she wants. I feel like this makes her a very relatable character, having been in her position of being told to do for the greater good rather than good of yourself. She's traded from one shitty husband to another to build their greatness and once again is used as a tool while she battles with what it means to be who she wants to be versus what is expected of her.

Danielle gives details that make you feel, hear and smell the world around Freya. Her horrors, her joys, her surroundings are yours while you're reading this book. Danielle gives you ample time to warm up to the idea of a love interest in this book and it gave me all the feels when it played out. He pushes her again and again to be her best self, to not rely on only one strength and to choose herself over, even if it means dishing out some tough love. The dash of spice through out the middle and end of this book more than satisfied.

I absolutely devoured this book and am utterly wrecked about having to wait for the next book.

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