‘A Fate Inked In Blood’ review: High-stakes and romantic tension

If you’re a fan of Norse Myths and retellings with a romantic and adventurous edge, I can’t recommend Danielle L. Jensen’s A Fate Inked In Blood enough. With her penchant for romantic tension and thrilling high-stakes, this author of The Bridge Kingdom series created a perfect read (or listen).

Reshaped Myths Given New Life

Mythical Retellings are in abundance these days. From Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel to the Lore Olympus graphic novel series by Rachel Smythe, there’s something for every type of myth reader. In A Fate Inked In Blood, Danielle L. Jensen merges fantasy and Norse mythology and creates an impressive world and magic system that myth lovers can find a lot to love.

The gods can imbue mortals with magic, claiming them as a child by giving them a drop of blood. Since childhood, Freya was taught to fear her gods-given magic and hid it from everyone, including her disgusting fish-monger husband whose own gods-given gift gives him control over marine life. 

When her secret is discovered by a power-hungry jarl who has been searching for her, she’s named as a shield-maiden, prophesied to unite the kingdom under one ruler. To the Jarl, this means he must claim her by marrying her so that she can belong to no other jarl in Skaland. Being chosen by the gods means she is also unfated, and only she can set the course of fate for herself and in turn alter the fate of those around her. This makes her a prize to all the other jarls in the kingdom and one they’re willing to kill for. 

The stakes, as you can imagine are high. And this is what Jensen excels at. She increases the conflict, both external and internal. We understand the cost Freya has paid to keep her secret, denying herself her true nature and purpose. But when its revealed, the feeling of completeness that she sought from embracing her gift doesn’t come. Instead, she finds herself a pawn, her family’s well-being hanging in the balance if she doesn’t play her part. 

Fierce Characters and Fiercer Bonds

I love Freya. I love her boldness. She speaks her mind and acts on instinct despite repercussions. In an early scene, she risks severe injury to herself to protect a loved one, even though the consequences could be dire. I love her continued loyalty and love of her family (though they barely deserved it.) Bjorn, the Jarl’s son, who also has a drop of gods-blood and is sworn to protect Freya was a terrific male lead and I wish we could have gotten his point-of-view as we did with Aren in The Bridge Kingdom series. I love the way Danielle L. Jensen racketed up the tension between the two characters. Their forbidden romance showcased her talent for writing romance, even this slow-burn type. With every interaction between the two, with every exchange of banter, I wanted them to just kiss already. I love how protective he was (this is a weakness of mine), even though she proved herself worthy of protecting herself.

Freya is a formidable main character that I’m looking forward to following. Bjorn is a perfect match for Freya and their chemistry is fantastic on the page. I can’t wait to reading more of them. Especially after the ending of this book. Jensen knows how to write a cliffhanger and even though she backs her characters into corners, it is always delightful to see how they get themselves out. 

Exciting World with Potential

There is so much potential with this world — so many enemies and allies to encounter. With each god and goddess and their unfated children, there are endless possibilities for new and epic trials for Freya to face. Will she master her own fate? Will her stubborn unyielding temperament and righteousness allow her peace? I can’t wait to find out. 

And like with Jensen’s previous books, I highly recommend tuning into the audio. Nina Yndis does a fantastic job of bringing Freya and Bjorn to life and I’m looking forward to her narrating more books in the series.

A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen is available now. Listen on audio!