A Fate Inked in Blood Annotation

"They say being given the blood of a god is a gift. But it is a curse."

*** Please note that this annotation contains some small spoilers, mainly in the appeals section. Avoid the appeals if you don’t want spoilers! ***

Author: Danielle L. Jenson

Title: A Fate Inked in Blood

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: February 27, 2024

Number of Pages: 419

Geographical Setting: Skaland, A Norse inspired fantasy land

Time Period: Viking Era

Series (If applicable): Saga of the Unfated

Plot Summary: Freya spends her days gutting fish and avoiding her brute of a husband. She dreams of becoming a warrior and killing her husband, and one day, her dreams come true. Betrayed by her husband to Jarl Snorri, Freya is put in a fight to the death with his son, Bjorn. The fight forces Freya to reveal her deepest secret: she is a shield maiden, blessed by the goddess Hlin. Due to a prophecy from years ago, Jarl Snorri believes that he who controls the shield maiden will unite the divided Skaland and become their king. Believing he is destined to become king, Snorri forces Freya to marry him and Bjorn to protect her. Freya must prove her worth and undergo perilous tests from the gods all while stifling her attraction to Bjorn. If she gives in, herself and everyone she’s sworn to protect are in danger.

Subject Headings: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Mythological fiction

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

Tropes: Forced proximity, insta-lust, friends to lovers, forbidden romance, slow burn, one horse, touch her and die

Appeal: 

Character – A Fate Inked in Blood centers around Freya as the main character, and we see this world through her eyes. Freya was a very interesting character because so many things in her life are being controlled, and we really get to see how this affects her and how she makes small decisions of defiance to maintain her autonomy. I would say this book is very plot and action driven, but there’s also a lot of time spent describing Freya’s emotional state and what she believes which balances out the action. 

Setting – The setting of Skaland is Norse inspired and is important because it informs much of the culture of the people in the book. Skaland has a very harsh landscape with hard, long winters, and that translates into the people. They are separated into different clans, and many people make their wealth by raiding villages. The people of Skaland are divided, but they have a common enemy in Nordeland. Both countries follow the same gods that are based in Norse Mythology and follow the Viking way of life.

Genre – A Fate Inked in Blood was heavily marketed as a romantasy, a book that combines fantasy and romance elements. For people who might be a little nervous to get into a full-fledged fantasy with intense world-building, this could be a good book for them. While it is firmly a fantasy with mystical and magical elements, it seemed easier to get into since it is based in Norse mythology and on Viking culture. I already had some knowledge of both going in, and it helped make it easier to jump right into the story without having the heavy world-building.

Pacing – This book is very fast-paced and action-packed. Sometimes I struggle to get into a new fantasy world because there’s so much world-building at the beginning, but this starts quickly right away and clips along. It seems like there’s always something happening that keeps moving the plot along. However, many of these plot points greatly affect Freya, and the author does a really good job of describing Freya’s emotional states while still moving the plot along with action. 

Relationship – Freya’s relationships are extremely important to her and her development. Her romantic relationship with Bjorn remains the most important. He is the first person who champions her and believes in her. He often encourages her to believe in her own power when others seek to diminish her or use her for their own gain. His support is important to her, and their growing attraction and feelings make things difficult for her. Freya stifling her growing feelings for Bjorn is one of the major conflicts of the book.

Freya grows a friendship with Jarl Bodil, another child of a god. Bodil supports Freya in ways she craves and challenges her to take control of her power. She’s also older and looks out for Freya in ways no one else does, except maybe Bjorn. She has quite an effect on Freya’s character development.

Another important relationship is Freya’s relationship with her family. She is deeply protective of them, having married her first husband to provide for them and marrying Jarl Snorri to protect them. However, throughout the book, it becomes clear that her family takes her deep love for them for granted. Coming to terms with that is a huge moment for Freya in the development of her character.

Ideas - This book brings ideas of independence, fate, and power. Who should be in power? Who deserves to be in power? Who controls your fate? Freya is sought after by men who want to be in power due to her status as the shield maiden. It’s said often throughout the book that children of the gods have the ability to decide their own fate, but Freya is being controlled and threatened by so many people she feels she’s lost this ability. She struggles to make her own decisions, and grapples with the ideas of who should be in power. She wonders who a good leader would be and who deserves it. These ideas have been broached in this first book, but I believe they’re going to be discussed in the following books.

Sexuality – This book does have some sex scenes, but what is more important for Freya was her inability to fully explore her sexuality. Growing up, Freya felt stifled by what would be expected of her as a woman in Skaland. At 18, she was married off to a brute of a man, and was never fully satisfied with him, but dreamed of more. After meeting Bjorn and then being forced to marry his father, she continues to stifle her desire. This ties in with the ideas brought forth on control and independence, as Freya struggles with her own desires over the desires of those who wish to control her. When Freya decides to take control of her own desire and be with Bjorn, it’s not just a stand of independence, but also to revolt against the ideas of what a woman should be in her world.

Violence - This book is action-packed and contains a lot of violence. Freya mentions frequently that this is normal for her people, suffering raids, dying violent deaths, etc. There are several fight scenes throughout the book. I personally did not feel this book contained gratuitous violence because it’s described that violence is seen as inherent to living in Skaland, but this book could have too much violence for some. Freya struggles deeply with violence and hates to be the cause of pain and death for anyone. This struggle between the violence of her land and her desire to protect others is important to Freya’s character journey throughout the book and will continue to be throughout the series.

3 terms that best describe this book: Engaging, Action-Packed, Gripping

Similar Authors and Works: 

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors

For non-fiction works, I wanted books that described Norse mythology and Viking culture as A Fate Inked in Blood is inspired by them.

The Norse Myths by Carolyne Larrington

The Real Valkyrie by Nancy Marie Brown

The Viking Heart by Arthur Herman

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors

For fiction read-alikes, I wanted action-packed romantasies with strong female leads.

A Flame in the North by Lilith Saintcrow

This book is steeped in Norse mythology like A Fate Inked in Blood with a strong female lead.

Sanctuary of the Shadow by Aurora Ascher

This romantasy features a strong female lead who has to hide her powerful abilities and has a forbidden romance.

The Curse of Saints by Kate Dramis

Both this book and A Fate Inked in Blood feature powerful women who are used as political pawns and a forbidden romance.