Tuesday Reviews: A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
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A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in the first book of a Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.
“THE must-read fantasy of 2024!”—Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of From Blood and Ash
The stunning first edition hardcover of A Fate Inked in Blood will feature foil page edges, a custom-stamped case, and a premium dust jacket!
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.
Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. And it’s been foretold that such magic will unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.
Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she has sworn to protect.
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A Fate Inked in Blood is the first novel in the Saga of the Unfated series. This story follows narrator Freya, a God-blessed Shield-Maiden in hiding who is stuck in a unhappy marriage. A shield maiden as a fisherman's wife? Nope. She's meant to do more than that, but her husband makes a decision that will alter the course of her life. After turning her over to the Jarl because in her husband's mind she's will full an ancient prophecy, Freya begins a journey that will bring her right to her romantic destiny, Jarl's son, Bjorn, but like all good books, there's always obstacles in the way.
Like other Jensen books, the plot driven story managed to keep me interested from start to finish. While the pacing was great, I did find a few scenes to be a bit rushed and non-stop plot driven action that the characters had literally no time to breathe and consider the new information thrown at them and us as the reader. It's honestly one of the hardest part of the debut of a new series. There's so much world building that sometimes it feels like we're being told more than we are being shown. Hopefully, that will improve in the next book that I am excited to read.
Like other Jensen books, the plot driven story managed to keep me interested from start to finish. While the pacing was great, I did find a few scenes to be a bit rushed and non-stop plot driven action that the characters had literally no time to breathe and consider the new information thrown at them and us as the reader. It's honestly one of the hardest part of the debut of a new series. There's so much world building that sometimes it feels like we're being told more than we are being shown. Hopefully, that will improve in the next book that I am excited to read.
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