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adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
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:
Complicated
I will be at your back until I cross the threshold to Valhalla, Born-in-Fire, whether you want me there or not.
I know I should feel something, I know I should, but I can't. I'm so damn empty, but it's just my fault. I honestly don't know if I liked it or not.
Freya, by the way, was a very likeable and strong protagonist, full of fire and will to do something, self- sacrifice, I loved her very much. Bjorn and I had a harder time, but eventually I was able to love him too.
The plot was understandable, magical, full of suspense and, to my chagrin, infinitely predictable. I liked that there were several perhaps lesser-known gods in the book, mortals born with different powers who shuttle somewhere between greatness and hell for their blessing. The pace was right and the composition was nice, I liked that. The end was well concluded and we got a kind of cliffhanger, so that was perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Death
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent
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
A Fate Inked In Blood đŠ¸âď¸
my review đđŤ
my review đđŤ
This was my first time reading a Viking fantasy and OMG I loved it from start to finish!! đŠľ
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! đşď¸â¨đĄď¸
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. Heâs 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! đ
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. đŤ˘
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. Iâm new to the genre, and I believe if youâre also new to it, then youâll absolutely enjoy reading A Fate Inked In Blood. đŠ¸
The ending had my jaw on the floor. I need book two asap because what in the world was that major cliffhanger?! đ
I have so many questions!!
youâll love this book if you enjoy:
vikings/ norse mythology âď¸
strong female characters đŞđť
forced proximity đŤ
forbidden romance đŤ
instant attraction but make it slow burn đĽ
all the banter đ¤
spice đśď¸
my rating: âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸ 5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Violence, Excrement, Grief
adventurous
emotional
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book from the very first page, and finished it in one day. What's not to love? Norse mythology, an easy-to-understand but still compelling magic system, and enough plot to not be overwhelmed by the romance; which is the perfect sexy slow burn. I'm devastated that I have to wait for the next book in this series, but can't wait to re-read this again before the next one is released!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to love this book, I wanted to be swept away by a Norse inspired romantasy and have so much fun. Sigh⌠this book just has a lot of problems and the bad things that outweigh the good.
First of all - the pacing doesnât work for this kind of book. I needed like two full chapters of Freya in her hometown to establish some things. It just felt very rushed into the story, and even if thatâs the point, it doesnât work. How am I supposed to want to follow these characters when I know barely anything about them? It reflects in the romance as well. Itâs quite literally instalust and itâs exhausting by the time feelings get revealed. The tension feels half baked when the main characters both seem half a second from jumping each otherâs bones for most of the book. Yes, the spice was good but almost not worth it , since it doesnât happened until the last bit of the book. Also, there is so much movement in the book, like I donât think they stay in the same place until 75% for more than a week, and we donât even see that time on page before theyâre off again.
Additionally - the characterization was so rough. Everyone felt flat, even Freya. She spends the whole book getting carted around, almost whining that this is happening. She âshowsâ agency but itâs so minimal and gets shut down so quick that itâs almost not worth it. I felt like the author banked on misogyny and threats to be the reason Freya wasnât a strong character, when she just didnât develop her enough. Bjorn was just a hot dude (literally) and is really just there to give Freya something to lust over. He could have been interesting too! I really dislike when a main characterâs family or the secondary characters in their life are just horrid people to make the main character look better. Itâs exhausting! Those characters can have development too! They can grow too!! Making other characters shitty does not make your main character more interesting! Itâs so unfortunate because I wanted to like Freya and Bjorn! I wanted to root for them!
The prose is the better part of this book, same with the plot concept. When the plot was happening, and at a reasonable pace, it was engaging! I really think this book just needed to settle, find some footing in a place and give us the feel of the world. Itâs just a romance with some fantasy sprinkled in if you donât actually develop the world around you. Iâm hoping that the author takes more time in the next book to give this world some depth because I think it had so much potentially to be a great romantasy in all aspects of the terms.
Thereâs a reason I didnât rate this much lower than a 3, because I think with some editing and some expansion in some ways, with some cuts in others, this book could have been a solid 4+ read. I am not sure Iâll pick up the other book whenever it comes out, but weâll see!
Edit: after some time and getting frustrated anytime I think or talk about this book, Iâve lowered the star rating. It makes me mad it wasnât better
First of all - the pacing doesnât work for this kind of book. I needed like two full chapters of Freya in her hometown to establish some things. It just felt very rushed into the story, and even if thatâs the point, it doesnât work. How am I supposed to want to follow these characters when I know barely anything about them? It reflects in the romance as well. Itâs quite literally instalust and itâs exhausting by the time feelings get revealed. The tension feels half baked when the main characters both seem half a second from jumping each otherâs bones for most of the book. Yes, the spice was good but almost not worth it , since it doesnât happened until the last bit of the book. Also, there is so much movement in the book, like I donât think they stay in the same place until 75% for more than a week, and we donât even see that time on page before theyâre off again.
Additionally - the characterization was so rough. Everyone felt flat, even Freya. She spends the whole book getting carted around, almost whining that this is happening. She âshowsâ agency but itâs so minimal and gets shut down so quick that itâs almost not worth it. I felt like the author banked on misogyny and threats to be the reason Freya wasnât a strong character, when she just didnât develop her enough. Bjorn was just a hot dude (literally) and is really just there to give Freya something to lust over. He could have been interesting too! I really dislike when a main characterâs family or the secondary characters in their life are just horrid people to make the main character look better. Itâs exhausting! Those characters can have development too! They can grow too!! Making other characters shitty does not make your main character more interesting! Itâs so unfortunate because I wanted to like Freya and Bjorn! I wanted to root for them!
The prose is the better part of this book, same with the plot concept. When the plot was happening, and at a reasonable pace, it was engaging! I really think this book just needed to settle, find some footing in a place and give us the feel of the world. Itâs just a romance with some fantasy sprinkled in if you donât actually develop the world around you. Iâm hoping that the author takes more time in the next book to give this world some depth because I think it had so much potentially to be a great romantasy in all aspects of the terms.
Thereâs a reason I didnât rate this much lower than a 3, because I think with some editing and some expansion in some ways, with some cuts in others, this book could have been a solid 4+ read. I am not sure Iâll pick up the other book whenever it comes out, but weâll see!
Edit: after some time and getting frustrated anytime I think or talk about this book, Iâve lowered the star rating. It makes me mad it wasnât better
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Vomit
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
The plot felt very predictable and the âtwistâ at the end could be seen from the start. Because of this, it makes Freya seem rather dense for not figuring it out, which makes her a less likeable character.
I also wish we could have gotten a more developed relationship between Freya and Bodil, but instead it felt rushed and forced.
And Freyaâs motives didnât feel valid enough when she is constantly defending people who treat her like crap, and didnât have any real connections formed at the beginning of the story to justify why she felt so strongly for Ingrid and Geir.
Definitely preferred the authorâs bridge kingdom series more.
I also wish we could have gotten a more developed relationship between Freya and Bodil, but instead it felt rushed and forced.
And Freyaâs motives didnât feel valid enough when she is constantly defending people who treat her like crap, and didnât have any real connections formed at the beginning of the story to justify why she felt so strongly for Ingrid and Geir.
Definitely preferred the authorâs bridge kingdom series more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Kidnapping
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love DLJ and Iâm glad she became a NYT besteller author with this book and that she is finally getting the recognition she deserves. I was excited for this book and I found it to be good overall. But at the same time a bit repetitive with Freyaâs innner self loathing molonogues. The plot was inteiguing and the plot twist at the end mind blowing.
The romance part of this book was not as swoony as I expected.
The romance part of this book was not as swoony as I expected.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, War