Week 9 Review: A Fate Inked in Blood

From Goodreads:

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 this Norse-inspired fantasy romance 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.

My Review:
I loved reading this book! Of course I did, I've loved everything that I've read of Danielle L. Jensen. I loved this new world, with the gods, those they've gifted powers to, and the different jarls, and of course this cast of characters was so fantastic! 

I felt so infuriated on Freya's behalf. Her husband is absolutely awful, she has to protect her family, but they very much take it for granted, what it costs her. To then have to marry this other guy to fulfil this prophecy so that he can become king, but a) he has a son about her age, and b) he's already married? Yeah, it was not a good place, but he had her family as collateral. 

Speaking of said son, Bjorn, yeah, I loved him, he's a ladies man, always has a quip, but he's hiding hidden depths, and he sees and cares just how poorly she has been, and is, being treated. They were so fantastic together! 

I'm so excited to see where this series will go from here! Everything is pretty much set up, of what's going to happen next, but I don't know exactly how that's going to go, and what's going to happen because of that, but I want to know! 

Loved reading this book and I can't wait for more! 

Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Series: Saga of the Unfated #1
Read: February 25th, 2024 
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing, and it's a 2024 Retelling Reading Challenge Book, Historical Fiction 2024 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: February 27th 2024

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars