I enjoyed The Bridge Kingdom novels from this author, I thought they had a broader goal with supporting plot points to make the story and characters compelling.

Sadly A Fate Inked in Blood was very disappointing, it was missing key factors from world building to character development. Heavy on dialogue, the plot was bland and boring. I found Freya to be a Mary Sue, she had all the power and no personality. Written in first person POV, everything happens around her and to her, she’s in the backseat of her own narrative. Bjorn was a generic male-lead shell of a character. The romance between them was non existent, there was no depth or chemistry, the romantic moments seemed very forced, like an afterthought.

The pacing struggled with short and very long winded chapters. Relying heavily on implied Norse mythology, without the actual build up. I think this would have benefited from a stronger emphasis on lore that included explanations and history, and a gradual love connection between the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for an early copy to review.

Title: A Fate Inked in Blood
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Rating: 2/5 ⭐️⭐️