A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated, #1)
Danielle L. Jensen
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 this Norse-inspired fantasy romance 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.
The concept of fate is really interesting in this story, how mortals are fated and can't change their destiny, yet those touched by the gods are unfated and can alter their paths. Since Freya is unfated, she feels the impact of all of her decisions and often talks about how much pressure she feels to make the right choice. She feels responsible for the safety of everyone around her, since her choices have consequences. BUT this is the part I don't understand - since everyone around her (besides Bjorn) is fated, is she really responsible for their well-being? Can she make a choice that would kill or save those around her, since their fates are already written? Can she alter anything at all, since that would by definition change the fates of those around her (butterfly effect) ?? I don't get it! It seems like it's impossible that she is truly unfated (either that, or everyone else's fate isn't actually set in stone)
1I'm trying so hard to follow all these battle scenes but my lord my brain does not work that way. Especially on audiobook, I feel like I'm just spacing out as they're flailing around battling. Shame because I'm starting to lose interest and I was so hopeful this would be a hit during the first 15% or so
0I love the narrators voice! She has a really interesting accent, I looked her up and she's a Norwegian actress who lives in the UK (she was also in Peaky Blinders) - at first I thought the accent might be distracting but it really adds to the Norse atmosphere. I also love hearing how the Viking / Norse names are actually pronounced by a native.
0Your rating:
The beginning really hooked me, but I lost interest as the story went on. Felt really long and drawn out, and I had a hard time connecting with Freya.
0I listened to this on audiobook and tbh I wish I would have just gone with print - the battles and quick scene changes had me really confused. I might come back to this and read the print version before the second book comes out since I do feel invested enough to continue with the series.
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