A Fate Inked in Blood
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in the first book of a Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology from the author of The Bridge Kingdom series. “THE must-read fantasy of 2024!”—Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of From Blood and Ash AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 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.
And it’s been foretold that such magic will 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 has sworn to protect.
- Pages
- 419
- First published
- February 27, 2024
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
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Shelved by 21 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished July 16, 2025
Finished August 14, 2024
Finished June 30, 2024
I need the next book I M M E D I A T E L Y.
Finished August 22, 2024
4/5 ⭐ 4/5 🌶️ 💘 Tropes - Mutual pining - Reluctant allies - Slow burn - Forced proximity - Enemies to lovers - Knife to throat 📖 My Thoughts Wow this was enjoyable. The plot, the world-building, characters, the mythology. I honestly know very little about most mythology, especially Norse, but this was so easy to grasp and follow along with. I enjoyed all of the battle scenes, they came to life in my mind because the author did such a great job detailing them. I LOVED both Freya & Bjorn from the very beginning. Freya is growing into her powers and it’s refreshing that she isn’t immediately badass even though her powers are immense. Bjorn is amazing. He wasn’t constantly falling over himself for Freya but still showed admiration for her as a woman. The pacing was pretty good even though some chapters were longer than others. The relationship and plot buildup was woven so well that I didn’t feel bored or overwhelmed. Yes, we had a bit of a cliffhanger but that makes me super pumped for the next book! So worth the read! ⚠️ Triggers Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Vomit, and Grief Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt 🌶️ Spice There wasn't a ton of spice except for maybe two scenes. Those two scenes were very detailed and hot though. I mean, nordic men and women. Need I say more? Ok, very primal and dirty. LOVED IT.
Finished February 21, 2025
spice: 🌶️🌶️ I have mixed feelings about this one. I wanted to love it for the Norse mythology and lore but the execution just wasn't it. Freya is strong and powerful without falling into the “I’m not like other girls” trope, which I appreciated, but her stubbornness felt more childish than fierce. She was constantly toeing the line of annoying. As for the smut - this is labeled as a romantasy, but it didn’t feel like one. It’s mostly action and fantasy, with Freya obsessively pining over Bjorn. She would be running for her life, and thinking about how thirsty she was for him. When they finally got together, it wasn’t a satisfying end to a slow burn - it was just a relief that she would hopefully finally start thinking straight. I hate to say it, but the story probably would’ve been better without the romance at all. The plot... Lots of traveling, fighting, and Freya almost dying… again and again (and again). It dragged on, but I don't actually how much time had actually passed - days? Months? Who knows. I’m giving it three stars because the Norse lore was cool, but without it, this would’ve been a two-star read. Fingers crossed the next book is better.
- adventurousdarkemotionalsadtenseMedium-paced
Started May 9, 2024 · Finished May 12, 2024
Finished October 5, 2025
Absolutely amazing! I loved all the interesting characters, Freya and Bjorn’s first meeting had me absolutely cackling, I’m so glad she did what she did though, especially a bit further in (iykyk)! The twists and turns were wild, I did guess one of the (major) plot twists, however I was very happy with reading how it was revealed! Very well done.
Finished August 28, 2024