Rating: 5 Stars
A Fate Inked In Blood was one of the most exciting books I’ve read. I would give this all the stars in the world! Based on Norse mythology, we follow Freya, a shield-maiden who is forced to reveal her powers after hiding it all her life.
The plot is filled with tension and a forbidden romance, together with non-stop action, themes of found family and a story that is set ablaze by prophecies, a love-interest Björn and a lot of gods and goddesses based on the Scandinavian mythology. You will see references to Thor, Loki (made popular thanks to the Marvel movies) and other more interesting gods.
Freya blossoms into the woman she was always meant to be and I really enjoyed the slow-burn romance between her and Bjorn. Their scenes together were filled with lots of banter, but they also held great respect for each other. The secondary characters were equally interesting and there were a lot of references to the culture and I liked how women were also warriors and had a chance to fight alongside the men.
Characters such as Snorri’s first wife, Ylva is a powerful witch, and other such women-centered characters like Steindunn, a skald who turns stories into music and another powerful seer, Saga are also included in the book. I really enjoyed the action-packed scenes of the novel and Freya coming into her powers and understanding more of what being Unfated means.
Björn, Freya’s love interest may not have been too happy about his destiny supposedly being tied to her. However, he protected her and was Freya’s companion throughout the ups and downs of her journey. He was the match to Freya’s fiery temper and I liked his cool magical fiery axe which we got to see early on in the story.
As for the plot, I enjoyed the world building and the inclusion of powerful women, prophecies and the plot twists at the end (which I saw coming) but was nonetheless surprised when it came to fruition.
Thank you Pansing for sending me a copy of A Fate Inked In Blood in exchange for an honest review. Now available at all good bookstores!
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