A Fate Inked in Blood

Saga of the Unfated, Book 1

By: Danielle L. Jensen

Narrated by: Nina Yndis

Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2024 Danielle L. Jensen (P)2024 Random House Audio

A very enjoyable book

I very much enjoyed this book and it was different from a lot of books I’ve read in the past. The narrator did a good job and has a nice voice. My only issue with the book was that I saw the big reveal at the end of the book coming from almost the beginning. Overall though, I thought it was very good. I look forward to the next book.

Well darn, now I’ve got to wait…

I loved every minute of this book. The romance was lovely and I liked the heroine even if her guilt over everything did get annoying sometimes. But it was such a great story and the ending left me wanting more!

Best book of 2024

Please tell me book 2 will release this year!!!! I could lose myself in this story!

Woah.

This book was soooo much better than I expected. The characters are all well thought out and the plot was twisty enough to keep me interested. I cannot wait for the next.

Fresh new storyline

Great plot, amazing writing, and the narrator? Perfection! I loved this so much! Will definitely be rereading.

An ending that leaves you wanting the next installment

I really enjoyed this story and the main characters. I loved the plot twists. The narrator sounded robotic at normal speed. I had to speed the book up to 1.2x for it to sound like a normal person. After that change, I really enjoyed listening. Now I’m sitting here trying to figure out what to do with my life until the next book comes out.

Entertainment at its finest

The story itself is very well written and captivates your attention from the first chapter but the telling of the story is mesmerizing. I have not always been a fan of audio books because I enjoy reading the words myself but this one could not have been any better. the characters came to life with the different voices and it kept me ready for the next word, next page, and next chapter. Highly recommend and worth the read over and over.

Riveting from Beginning to End

I never write reviews but I loved this book enough to want to rave about it. It’s entertaining from the get go. The banter between the main characters is amazing and the story is so good with some good surprises along the way. The characters are well developed. Really good listen/read.

Vikings Romantasy

So fun fact: I am a huge nerd when it comes to mythology, specifically Norse mythology and Vikings. I watched the show multiple times, I've read the books..it's just a topic that fascinates me. So, it was no surprise that I was incredibly excited with I found out that Danielle Jensen published a romantasy book featuring...VIKINGS!

The entire Viking culture aspect was done so well. Jensen integrates their life and beliefs seamlessly into the plot and the combat scenes. I felt like I was listening to a spin-off of the actual show. Plus, I am a sucker for flawed characters; to me, it makes the story even more believable.

Nina Yndis did an incredible job narrating this entire book. I never once doubted that she became these characters. I could feel the tension between Freya and Bjorn (MCs); I could see the battle scenes so clearly. I wanted to stay in the world for as long as I could and I was incredibly sad when I reached the end.

At first, the pace was pretty slow, but once Bjorn entered into this world, I didn't care how the pace was going (yes-he is that swoon-worthy if you like the brooding Viking type). The battle scenes were tense, and the pace never slowed down once Freya joined Snorri's band of fighters.

This book has a slow burn romance that was sort of taboo but not technically (IYKYK). If you like tense battle scenes, Vikings, a badass FMC, and classic romantasy tropes/plots (which make this book very predictable), then this is the book for you. I honestly didn’t even care that I guessed how this book was going to end; I stayed for Bjorn and this entire Viking world.

Fantastic!

I’m in love with this book! Might be my favorite so far this year and the narrator was absolutely amazing. She really brought the characters and story to life. Would 1000% recommend.