Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - A Fate Inked in Blood

As a long term fan of Jensen’s work I knew I was going to be in for a treat and I’m so glad that this book met my high expectations. I consumed A fate Inked in Bood in one day and loved every moment of it. The slow burn romance was delicious and the Norse inspired world building was new to me. I can’t wait to continue this series!
5/5 my favourite read so far this year

Content Warnings

jennipea382's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

reka111's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? It's complicated

4.25

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.

Maybe I should be angry with him for his betrayal, but since I expected him to, I don't, let's just say he didn't stab me in my heart, but in my flesh.

Snorri pissed me off, he was so annoying that I couldn't tell you, his constant whining about how important the shield maiden is to him blabla, never-ending speech and so on, this man would need a big slap in the face to realize he isn't the center of the world. Ylva was probably one of my favorites, perhaps because in reality I would be a snake like her, an ambitious and unstoppable puppet master hiding in the shadows, controlling everything. The others were complex in their own way.

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

amy14's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

avialaeleigh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was an interesting take on fantasy. I have personally never read something that was a Nordic based fantasy novel. But I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the accent of the voice narrator of the audio book as I did a dual read with both the physical and audiobook.

I liked that we got to see a lot of mythology and the life of people that might have been alive at the time that the book takes place but we also get the fantasy aspect of that they have powers and are supposedly of the gods decent.

There were also a lot of plot twists, especially at the end of the book. I am also unsure that why Bjorn father is under the impression that marrying Freja will make him King of Skaland. Especially if Freja is unfated. He himself may have a fate but that does not mean it can not change because of Freja.

The book had a great mixture of flirting, mystery, Adventure, fighting, tension, and grief all mixed in with the norse mythology. It was a very captivating read.

Also the witty banter and friendship between Freja and Bjorn is great. And how they first meet is one of the best first meets I have read in a while. The spice was okay in this book I almost think that the main event didn't hold up to all the teasing and suspense of evey other "spicy" interaction that Freja and Bjorn had prior.

It was a very well written book, and it hooked me from the very beginning though I do felt that it was a little rushed at the end though I am excited to read the next book in the saga. Whenever it comes out.

Content Warnings

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.

Content Warnings

bnbraden08's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I would give up mine and my boyfriend’s kidney to kiss Bjorn on the forehead

Content Warnings

accidentalmuse's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but it definitely had its flaws. I'd say the biggest being how this story opens. The pacing in the first few chapters is breakneck, which was really offputting. Thankfully, the story gets a lot stronger towards from there towards halfway, and then it somewhat dipped again towards the end.

This book is very instalovey, however I really liked the dynamic between Bjorn and Freya once we got deeper into the story. In fact, a lot of character bonds seemed to have been immediately cemented, which I didn't like - such as with

Bodin

. Again, I liked the dynamic, it just didn't make sense that it happened so quickly. It wasn't that we just weren't present during the scenes where characters were bonding, they simply didn't happen.

The reveal towards the end about Freya was so obvious, and I'm not sure whether it bothers me or not. As someone who enjoys overpowered characters, I liked waiting for Freya and others to realise that she was even stronger than people thought. I love the chosen trope, and all the other tropes that come with it. We didn't get the gratification I wanted this book, so it falls to the next book to decide whether this book was worth it or not. Our main character has yet to really grow emotionally, she's also yet to take major agency over her life, and to be honest she can also be quite annoying. Alongside, seeing her treated so badly by all the people in her life, I really need her to become more likeable in book 2.

Content Warnings

More...