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Description
A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power- hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in the first book of a Norse-inspired fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series. 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. It was foretold such a magic would 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 swore to protect. Read more
Publisher : Del Rey
Publication date : February 11, 2025
Language : English
Print length : 464 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593599853
ISBN-13 : 53
Item Weight : 12.5 ounces
Dimensions : 5.4 x 0.95 x 8.2 inches
Book 1 of 2 : Saga of the Unfated
Best Sellers Rank: #20,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4 in Viking Historical Romance (Books) #31 in Norse & Viking Myth & Legend
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Kindle
A Fate Inked In Blood... Where do I even begin... First I have absolutely loved Danielle L. Jenson's writing and the way she builds characters from the first few pages of The Bridge Kingdom. Jenson crafts truly empathetic characters full of sass and cheek but also characters of pain, loss, trauma but also of characters of love, strength, healing and passion. A Fate Inked in Blood is absolutely no different. Freya and Bjorn are rich, deep characters in a world with familiar and unfamiliar lore. The two are surrounded but uncertainty, as most are when trying to determine the "will of the Gods" but also because of the large cast of selfish, self-serving, dominating, power hungry characters surrounding them. From the beginning Freya is deemed a woman who dreams of glory and battle but has little real experience of the fear and violence one suffers as a warrior due to her mostly lonely life. Upon entering the world of violent attacks by neighboring clans and the constant threat of death of her family, friends and even herself, Freya learns quickly that she is strong and can protect herself but that she also has a lot to learn about the price and sacrifice of battle and temptation to give into vengeance. Bjorn offers wisdom and guidance through flirtation, passion and dedication to protect Freya and see her find happiness and success. Freya learned from Bjorn and grows because of his support and confidence in her; but truly by the end of the novel, I do believe Bjorn grows and heals MORE because of Freya's influence. I am so excited to see how future books add to their journey. Second, who doesn't love a fantasy novel but with heavy Viking elements and world building? I've always been fascinated by Viking lore and some of my favorite films/shows are heavily influenced by the culture (cue How to Train Your Dragon). The mix of magical gifts and powerful, compassionate and vengeful Gods heightens the tension surrounding this journey and the overall development of these characters individually and together. Third, a significant theme in this book is based on trust, honesty, loyalty and the manipulation/use of others for personal gain. Freya like many FMC before her, has lived a life determined by what she could give, do for, provide for and sacrifice for others (a very standard life for women early on in these novels). For many readers, this is an easy character arch to support because absolutely no one wants or enjoys being lied to, used and manipulated. Every turn of this novel, you are reminded that Freya has never lived for herself and perhaps doesn't really know how to but deserves every opportunity to follow a path for herself and see where it leads. Fourth, can we talk about the push and pull these two wayyy to beautiful and passionate characters have to deal with. From the first meeting of Bjorn (holy hell talk about a sexy description) and his flirty swagger, I knew Freya was absolutely done for; I mean few could withstand a warrior with charm and passion! The growth of their relationship before anything became physical in any way provides a feeling of depth and strength to their connection that supersedes typical romantasy love and forms something stronger and more significant especially when coupled with the lore. And I loved the tiny payoffsat so many of the small, subtle instances leading up to the big beautiful one filled with just the best declaration I've ever read. Despite challenges arising and that love having very little time to blossom before situations change drastically, I'm fully invested on Team Freyorn and I know that they will be endgame... I will not be taking questions at this time. Fifth and Final, can we, for a moment talk about the "villains" (if you can even really call them that since there are many villainous characters but not one clear "Big Baddie" ). This book and adventure is filled with untrustworthy, powerful, and mostly male "authorities" which continue to make every day life absolutely impossible AND infuriating for Freya, Bjorn and for ME! They are written to be the exact right balance of terrifyingly powerful and slimy all at the same exact time. There wasn't a single moment I did furrow my brow or scoff in frustration when any of these villainous douch coppers were on the page. I mean just go away and let the women show you how it done! And seriously her brother, Geir, can F right off as can most of the men from her life before she is designated the Shield Maiden. Just boo, hiss, gag, scoff, massive eye roll, for all these terrible, chauvinistic men in this world and their determination to hide Freya's light and power! All in all: 5/5 A+ 100% MVP Gold Star Zero notes for Danielle L. Jenson and Fate Inked in Blood: Book One of the Saga of Unfated. Bring me the next book whenever you see fit, just know I will preorder it, own it on my Kindle AND in multiple hard copy editions because you have solidified my life-long fan status.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2024 by Megan Bajorek
Format: Kindle
A Fate Inked in Blood was good, but not the next level greatness I’ve come to expect from Danielle Jensen (who I consider to be the best Romantasy author with the Bridge Kingdom and Dark Shores series). The story follows Freya. A woman who is prophesied to unite her land under one king. She is forced into marriage and controlled by Snorri, her land’s jarl, because of the prophecy. Snorri orders his son, Bjorn, to protect her so that she can fulfill her (and Snorri’s) destiny. The plot was interesting, but I perhaps not “stay up late, can’t put it down gripping.” There was a lot of action but not as much character time as I would have preferred. There is also a twist at the end that was easily predictable. I’m generally not too bothered by a predictable twist, but in this case it was frustrating that Freya didn’t see it coming. What really prevented this book from being five stars was that I didn’t connect with Freya as much as I would have liked. She is fierce in her own right, but I wanted to see her rage against her circumstances more. I wanted her to hate Snorri and resist him at every chance she got. But she seemed to more or less follow along with his plans, albeit disdainfully, but not hatefully. She seemed almost loyal to Snorri at some points, which I am not here for. Fear seemed to be the predominate emotion in Freya. And while fair, I’d totally be terrified too, I would have liked her to have a bit more edge. I enjoyed Bjorn as our male main character. He is the classic tall, dark, and handsome fantasy love interest but without the toxic masculinity, lack of emotional intelligence, and overall ick that many male main characters possess. I enjoyed Bjorn’s kindness yet toughness that Jensen always does so well with writing. I also loved his angsty relationship with his father and step mother and his Tragic Backstory. The romantic subplot was enjoyable. It is not enemies to lovers as I expected from the book description, but more forbidden love. There is attraction and respect towards each other when they first meet, and it grows from there. There’s spice at the end, but it’s well balanced so that it doesn’t take the main focus away from the plot. By the end of the book they were professing their love to each other, which was a bit fast for me. And they fell into the classic “lack of communication causes major fallout” pitfall, which was frustrating, but otherwise I did like them together. A Fate Inked in Blood isn’t my favorite Danielle Jensen read. And I think the high expectations set by her other books caused me to judge it slightly more harshly than I ordinarily would. It’s fun, and worth a read, but not the type of book that left me needing more immediately.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2024 by Ellen
Format: Paperback
This was such a good book! I haven’t had this much fun reading a fantasy book in a minute. The story was refreshing and action packed. The feminine rage, the magic, the Nordic fantasy, the angst!! I felt all of Freya’s anger like it was an extension of myself. Everytime she was forced into doing the bidding of another man I was raging inside for her. I definitely got some lord of the rings vibes when they were inside the mountain with the draug. One thing I really enjoyed about this book was that Freya’s strength in fighting and with her magic did not feel unrealistic for her as a character. She was strong even when she was being controlled by those around her. Bjorn is officially my favorite book boyfriend!!! I need him biblically. Baby boy you are everything to me🫢🫢🫢🫢🫢 The way Bjorn puts her above everyone else and protects her is everything to me. The banter between Bjorn and Freya had me literally laughing out loud. I expected to love him, but not as much as I did. Like my heart is aching. 🥲 Towards the end of the book Freya was really started to grate me nerves. The way she kept defending her family when they only ever put themselves before her made me livid. Like girl why are you just letting everyone make your decisions for you???? Snoori was testing me the entire book. Like the whole time he’s talking about the gods smiling on him due to something Freya did??? Like you didn’t do anything??? Miss Freya girl, you better than me bc I would’ve snapped way sooner. I honestly guessed the twist coming at the end but didn’t want it to be true 😬😬😬 I NEED the next book expeditiously !!!! How am I supposed to stop thinking about this boooook!!!!! I honestly don’t think I can start another book because I am still living in this world 🥲😭🥲😭🥲😭🥲 “I made a sacrifice to the goddess I was named for, begging her to keep my womb empty.” “Quit wanting more Freya, and you shall be content with what you have.” “All the women in Halsar will curse your name if I lose half my fingers.”🫠 “Bjorn tilted his head, his expression considering. "I have a great many doubts," he finally said. "But the courage of Freya Born-in-fire is not one of them." “I wanted you the moment I first set eyes on you. I wanted you in Fjalltindr. I want you now, and tomorrow, and all the tomorrows, Freya.” “You’ve never been alone,” Bjorn said, his voice so soft that no one but me would hear over the wind and my weeping. “I will be at your back until I cross the threshold to Valhalla, Born-in-Fire, whether you want me there or not.” 😭😭😭😭😭😭 “You are mine, Born-in-Fire. Even if only the two of us know it.” “For all your power, Freya, you are little more than a girl-child ruled by impulse and emotion. The gods chose me because you need to be controlled. To be wielded like a weapon, not left to sow chaos. But it seems you need more proof of that before you'll see reason.” 😡😤😡😤😡😤 “So many of those in my life were content to take and take from me, leaving me a barren well. Bjorn alone had taken nothing, asked for nothing, but given me so much. Around him I felt so full, so alive, and I burned with the need to give all of myself to him.”
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Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2025 by MSmith
Format: Kindle
I have read the Bridge Kingdom series from this author, a fantasy romance series set in a world divided by a bridge, and found it to be just okay. So, I was very surprised that I enjoyed this one more. What I liked about this book vs. Bridge Kingdom was the pacing, which was much quicker. The interaction between characters was still where the book shined, but I enjoyed those interactions. Apart from that, I also enjoyed the Viking aspects of the book, the way the magic abilities in the world come from specific gods and grant particular powers. I wish there were more focus on that, but I'm excited to see how it's explored further in the next book. What didn't I like? I hoped to get good world-building and strong female characters when this was described. Instead, the book only touched lightly on Norse mythology, and I got a lot of patriarchal storylines where male characters dominated, which gave me a bit of the ick. While there are some strong female characters in the story, the female main character, Freya, is not one of them. She is so caught up in what's "right" and "wrong" that she comes off as incredibly naive and a bit insufferable. While I am sure this is the author's intent and that she will grow as a character, it just felt very repetitive to watch her make the same self-sacrificing decisions repeatedly and refuse to see what's happening around her. I was not the biggest fan of the romance in this book. While the dynamic between the two characters was fine, the setup was weird. I didn't understand why it was necessary to the plot for Freya to be married to an ALREADY married man only to have her be romantically interested in his son. It was just odd, and far from building romantic tension, it again gave me a bit of ick. Who is this book for? This is definitely a romance book. While there's enough plot to keep it from being entirely romantic, the book is still driven by romance. There is open-door spice. Will I be reading the next book? Yep, but it may not be at the top of my list.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024 by SheReadsAndSheWines
Format: Hardcover
“You are mine, Born-in-Fire. Even if only the two of us know it." To think this all started with a fish slap to the face 😂 This was my first Norse mythology and forbidden love romantasy book despite already being acquainted with some of the gods mentioned and I had a good time with it. The world building here didn’t feel difficult to get into but instead easily comprehensible for me (probably because not too much was happening yet there was). I also have to note that I did put this on pause initially for a bit given that i wasn’t in the mood for it at the time, but i binged the last 35% like my life depended on it! The slow burn was so real here that when something finally happened I wasn’t left disappointed “I used to dream only of fire and ash," he whispered, running a thumb over my cheek as I lifted my face to meet his gaze. "Now when I close my eyes, all I see is your face.” Bjorn & Freya.. the banter, tension and push and pull between them was everything. Bjorn was such a grumpy brute towards everyone but so soft & charming to freya and that type will always do it for me. I loved how protective he was of her (he was giving bodyguard vibes) while also encouraging her how she could forge her own fate for the most part. And his power and axe? I couldn’t help but imagine a different even hotter version of Thor with how he’s described to look like which made my impression of him even better "Her fate is inked in her blood," "It's carved in her bones. This power is Freya's destiny.” As for Freya, she wasn’t always given a choice in life with the family she was dealt with and those around her other than because she was the shield maiden. She was completely selfless and protective over those that didn’t deserve it and it equally angered and bothered me but i did admire her whenever she stood her ground. I can see the potential for more character development on her end and can’t wait for what’s next for her Aside from Freyas family and others, Snorri was completely delusional and egotistical in his quest to become king lol the man was such a joke of a character and I need someone to really humble him in the next book some thoughts: The immediate mutual attraction between them kinda felt like insta-lust? but I considered her past circumstances with her ex husband so I excused it as it didn’t bother me given the connection that was there. At times it felt like nothing was happening but things were happening if that makes sense. it was also slow in the middle to me but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down with everything that was happening that made it shift to a more thrilling experience The cliffhanger and twists towards the end I was able to pick up on through earlier foreshadowing but had no idea how it was gonna unfold. it was still enjoyable and has me eagerly anticipating book 2 and all that’ll happen there. I’m also holding out hope for dual pov and some groveling Some other quotes: “I wanted you the moment I first set eyes on you. I wanted you in Fjalltindr. I want you now, and tomorrow, and all the tomorrows, Freya.” “Freya used to be a good and loyal woman."''She still is. You're just no longer worthy of her loyalty.” “Not all scars we earn are skin-deep, Freya Born-in-Fire.” “There is no less honor in them.”
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Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2024 by Sabrina B
Format: Hardcover
This book 100% lived up to all of the hype all over booktok and bookstagram! I was apprehensive, because some of my fave book besties did not enjoy the book that much, but I absolutely loved it. It actually made me start reading-watching Vikings. I love this show so much. ”You are mine, Born-in-Fire. Even if only the two of us know it.” Freya is a woman who feels like her destiny is out of her control. She is in a loveless marriage that she desperately wants out of and she feels like she is destined for so much more. She also has a drop of gods blood in her, which makes her special and able to become a warrior like she wants. But, if she tells anybody, she risks becoming just a tool for someone else to yield. She gets her wish of getting away from her husband when he goes to the jarl to put in a complaint against her. She is however tricked to show her power from the gods blood she possesses and she is then controlled by yet another man. Do what he wishes, or everybody she loves will cease to exist. The world-building was beyond perfection. I listened to this on audiobook and actually pictured myself there watching the entire story unfold. Everything was descriptive but in a way where you can easily understand. I personally have always loved Norse mythology and Vikings, but even for a beginner, the lore and setting is very easy to immerse yourself in completely. The plot was frustrating, not because it was bad, But because this was a story about women having no control of their own lives and men running the entire show. Which I get, because in all Norse mythology, it goes like that, but it is still hard to read and digest sometimes. But that made this story great, because it was hard to read and listen to, which made me feel that anger that Freya was feeling and allowed me to immerse myself further in to the story. Freya was so perfectly written, she has her flaws though. She can be stubborn at times and is also quick to anger, But can you blame her? She has lived her life being controlled by others and feels like she has no control of her own life. She is supposedly undated and meant to make her own fate, but yet it seems like the men are making her fate for her. She is angry, and she should be. But she is a warrior, she is strong, she is proud, and I love her so much. Bjorn made me swoon so many times, he is top book boyfriend material. I adore him, even with that cliffhanger. I have full faith in him. “I will be at your back until I cross the threshold to Valhalla, Born-in fire, whether you want me there or not.” So, overall, this story was pure perfection and I cannot wait for the next book, but until then I now need to find more Viking books because I am hooked, so drop some recs! Happy reading babes ❤️
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Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024 Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024 by Jessica Ann
Format: Kindle
The dynamic between Freya and Bjorn was electric, equal parts banter, tension, and heart. Their chemistry pulled me in immediately, and watching their relationship grow against the backdrop of prophecy and betrayal kept me invested. Freya’s struggle with her identity and power felt raw and relatable, while Bjorn balanced her fire with strength and devotion. I did see the main plot twist coming, which made it feel slightly predictable, though the timing and added layers still managed to shock me and keep me turning the pages. The betrayals, especially from those Freya should have been able to trust, added depth and heartbreak that elevated the story. Although the beginning kept me at a bit of a distance, the second half completely won me over. The ending left me eager for the sequel and craving more of Freya and Bjorn’s journey. This book is a strong start to a series with huge potential, filled with myth, love, and vengeance.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2026 by Andersen Hall
Format: Kindle
4.50 ✨ 2.00 🌶️ Overall: This book has excellent writing. I loved the inclusion of Norse mythology. I really appreciated all of the moving pieces and relationships between characters. It was complex without being too difficult to follow. Tropes: 💙 norse mythology 🧝🏼♀️ magic from the gods 🔥 forced proximity 💙 forbidden romance 🧝🏼♀️ slow burn 🔥 destiny vs free will 🖤 war violence Bookish Thoughts: The writing was absolutely incredible in this book! I loved the banter, the riddles and other cryptic wording, and the immense vocabulary! I’m pretty sure I learned a few words and was reminded of some old gems! The story was really unique and it kept me up reading on multiple occasions. I am a huge mythology fan. As the story uncovered more and more connections with the Norse gods, I was even more drawn in. I also loved how much destiny vs fate was discussed. Definitely gives you a lot to think about as a human in this world. Freya is a tough, stubborn, and powerful FMC. She’s been blessed with magic from a protector god, granting her the title shield maiden. While I admired Freya’s strength and passion for what she believed throughout the story, there were a lot of moments where I felt like she could have paid more attention to what was presented to her. Being powerful means paying attention, observing, and analyzing. Freya would have been stronger if she’d listened more in some cases. Bjorn was a warrior through and through and a protector from the start. Bjorn’s banter and sass kept me going through a lot of the book. His strength and courage were admirable. He also delivered many swoon-worthy lines, which is always a joy! I’m looking forward to learning more about Bjorn in book 2, and I’m hopeful we might get some of his POV. I think that’d really enrich the story. (I realize the book has been out a while; I’ve intentionally avoided all information about it to avoid spoilers!) I think the end of this book sets up book 2 really well. I literally only stopped reading to jot down my thoughts and then I’ll be jumping right back in!
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Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2025 by Maria Letto