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A review by delllannney
A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
tense
slow-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
2.0
HALLELUJAH, I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK.
Look, I don’t know if it was the slow pacing, the flat characters, the slowest burn romance, the predictable ending, or just my general reading mood, but this one absolutely wasn’t for me. I was mind-numbingly bored for the first 65% of this book. It took me 6 days to read 250ish pages (if you know me, you know I’m a 300 pages every 2-3 days kind of gal) and I had absolutely ZERO motivation to pick up my Kindle and keep reading. Tear inducing and not in the good way.
I didn’t like the FMC, Freya, at all…. Like not at any point in the book. I liked the MMC, Bjorn, sometimes? Maybe? I guess? But by the end even that small modicum of respect was gone. None of the characters made choices that made sense, or they changed their minds constantly, or just lied?? I don’t know. Truthfully, I just didn’t connect with any of the character work here. By the end I couldn’t even find it within myself to try and care what happened to them. I also think Freya needed more development as the main character of this series. She’s supposed to be this badass warrior who secretly trained her whole life, but the only time she’s actually competent is when she’s in some Gods-induced rage? So Bjorn has to swoop in and save the day? Idk, the math ain’t mathing.
A few positives:
- DLJ is an amazing world builder. Just like in her Bridge Kingdom series, I loved the setting and the visuals she gave to help me picture the layout of the land, the movements of the people, and the various plot developments. That aspect is very well done. Highlight of the book for me.
- Vikings? Cool.
- Tension is good (albeit mildly infuriating) and the 🌶️ is pretty good when the time comes.
Look, I don’t know if it was the slow pacing, the flat characters, the slowest burn romance, the predictable ending, or just my general reading mood, but this one absolutely wasn’t for me. I was mind-numbingly bored for the first 65% of this book. It took me 6 days to read 250ish pages (if you know me, you know I’m a 300 pages every 2-3 days kind of gal) and I had absolutely ZERO motivation to pick up my Kindle and keep reading. Tear inducing and not in the good way.
I didn’t like the FMC, Freya, at all…. Like not at any point in the book. I liked the MMC, Bjorn, sometimes? Maybe? I guess? But by the end even that small modicum of respect was gone. None of the characters made choices that made sense, or they changed their minds constantly, or just lied?? I don’t know. Truthfully, I just didn’t connect with any of the character work here. By the end I couldn’t even find it within myself to try and care what happened to them. I also think Freya needed more development as the main character of this series. She’s supposed to be this badass warrior who secretly trained her whole life, but the only time she’s actually competent is when she’s in some Gods-induced rage? So Bjorn has to swoop in and save the day? Idk, the math ain’t mathing.
A few positives:
- DLJ is an amazing world builder. Just like in her Bridge Kingdom series, I loved the setting and the visuals she gave to help me picture the layout of the land, the movements of the people, and the various plot developments. That aspect is very well done. Highlight of the book for me.
- Vikings? Cool.
- Tension is good (albeit mildly infuriating) and the 🌶️ is pretty good when the time comes.