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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was going to give this 4 stars, but the ending of this book was kinda predictable so I had to bring the rating down a little. I do love the norse mythology theme in this book, and I still plan on finishing this duology!
Ok enough story but there's a horny TSTL protagonist with hyperhidrosis who keeps making fish faces repeatedly.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- cool Norse mythology & Vikings
- chefs kiss banter
- idk if it’s bc I’ve read acotar and fbaa, bc it’s not a Danielle L Jensen book without a disastrous betrayal, or if it was just obvious but the ending was super predictable
- chefs kiss banter
- idk if it’s bc I’ve read acotar and fbaa, bc it’s not a Danielle L Jensen book without a disastrous betrayal, or if it was just obvious but the ending was super predictable
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was okay, not my favourite, but I’d put it as almost a “beach read fantasy”. But good enough that I’ll at least read the second.
Freya is honestly kinda annoying with how indecisive she is. Swings from extreme to the other and never seems to find a middle ground. Knowing the end I kinda get why, not sure if it was intentional or not, but if it was, it could have been done better.
I can’t even pinpoint it, but I found the writing, stiff and a bit disjointed. The flow got lost sometimes. Part of it, is that it is a bit cringy, and cringy in a way that doesn’t flow nicely. The pacing was off, which also didn’t help. I have no idea what the actual timeline of this story is…weeks…months?? Idk. But more consistent timestamps would have been appreciated because I feel like without them, everything feels like it happened within a matter of a few weeks. I also wish there was a map, because they do so much travelling and it all seems to happen in like less than a day?
I found the romance was meh. There really wasn’t a build up. From the moment we meet the MMC it’s immediate lust. Then it just continues throughout the book to the point where Freya is thinking about it in the middle of battle??
Also super predictable. It just felt like when you have a character built up with so much, you know something is going to happen. No way the MC says “I trust you completely” without something happening. I predicted the big reveals at least halfway through the book.
Side note, I really wish there was a glossary and a pronunciation guide
Freya is honestly kinda annoying with how indecisive she is. Swings from extreme to the other and never seems to find a middle ground. Knowing the end I kinda get why, not sure if it was intentional or not, but if it was, it could have been done better.
I can’t even pinpoint it, but I found the writing, stiff and a bit disjointed. The flow got lost sometimes. Part of it, is that it is a bit cringy, and cringy in a way that doesn’t flow nicely. The pacing was off, which also didn’t help. I have no idea what the actual timeline of this story is…weeks…months?? Idk. But more consistent timestamps would have been appreciated because I feel like without them, everything feels like it happened within a matter of a few weeks. I also wish there was a map, because they do so much travelling and it all seems to happen in like less than a day?
I found the romance was meh. There really wasn’t a build up. From the moment we meet the MMC it’s immediate lust. Then it just continues throughout the book to the point where Freya is thinking about it in the middle of battle??
Also super predictable. It just felt like when you have a character built up with so much, you know something is going to happen. No way the MC says “I trust you completely” without something happening. I predicted the big reveals at least halfway through the book.
Side note, I really wish there was a glossary and a pronunciation guide
Thank you to NetGalley and ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this eArc! You will find my unbiased review below.
A Fate Inked in Blood is a Fantasy Romance inspired by Norse Mythology written by Danielle L. Jensen.
Freya is trapped in a marriage when she really wants to be a warrior out raiding their enemies. When she is asked to prove herself in a battle to the death her secret is uncovered. Now taken as a pawn disguised as a wife due to a prophecy- she must try to survive every Jarl wanting her for the taking with the help of Bjorn, blessed by the God Tyr.
I have confirmed with A Fate Inked in Blood that Danielle L Jensen is one of my favorite authors. This book is packed with betrayal, action, romance, etc. Once I started this, I literally could not stop. The world building - not overwhelming. The action - easy to in-vision and understand what’s going on. The foreshadowing - I was able to pick up on the twist and turns but if you don’t catch on - THEN IT TAKES YOU FOR THE SWERVE OF YOUR LIFE. The family drama is maculate.
Now, I enjoyed Bjorn so much and he’s probably my favorite character in this series (I’m assuming there will be more). I liked Freya, and despite my disagreement on how loyal she is to her family, I understood it. However, sometimes her getting upset or whenever she feels any time of negative emotion it is almost like she’s throwing a tantrum. Not counting in battle. I hope to see her development in learning how to manage her anger.
Rating: 4.75 ⭐️ / 5 ⭐️ Rounded up to 5.
A Fate Inked in Blood is a Fantasy Romance inspired by Norse Mythology written by Danielle L. Jensen.
Freya is trapped in a marriage when she really wants to be a warrior out raiding their enemies. When she is asked to prove herself in a battle to the death her secret is uncovered. Now taken as a pawn disguised as a wife due to a prophecy- she must try to survive every Jarl wanting her for the taking with the help of Bjorn, blessed by the God Tyr.
I have confirmed with A Fate Inked in Blood that Danielle L Jensen is one of my favorite authors. This book is packed with betrayal, action, romance, etc. Once I started this, I literally could not stop. The world building - not overwhelming. The action - easy to in-vision and understand what’s going on. The foreshadowing - I was able to pick up on the twist and turns but if you don’t catch on - THEN IT TAKES YOU FOR THE SWERVE OF YOUR LIFE. The family drama is maculate.
Now, I enjoyed Bjorn so much and he’s probably my favorite character in this series (I’m assuming there will be more). I liked Freya, and despite my disagreement on how loyal she is to her family, I understood it. However, sometimes her getting upset or whenever she feels any time of negative emotion it is almost like she’s throwing a tantrum. Not counting in battle. I hope to see her development in learning how to manage her anger.
Rating: 4.75 ⭐️ / 5 ⭐️ Rounded up to 5.
Maybe better read in print. Couldn't get over the husband's name sounding like "Froggy"
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3✨ This has been on my shelf for a long time so I finally picked it up. Plot was interesting but didn’t really like the characters.