Happy Saturday, readers, writers, and shark fans! The reading community has been on a wave of top new releases this year (it’s going to be hard to pick our Top Ten favorites at the end of the year at this rate!), especially fantasy readers, as Danielle L. Jensen has not only released a new book but has launched a new series.

The book is called A Fate Inked In Blood: Book One of the Saga of the Unfated by Danielle L. Jensen, commonly known for her Bridge Kingdom series. This world is built on Norse mythology, involving Vikings who worship the Norse gods, though what’s especially interesting is the establishment of demi-gods or “half-bloods,” which deviates from many mythologically-based tales. In this world, a baby may be gifted with a drop of blood from one of the Norse gods (though it’s not made clear until the end of the book how that blood is given), and those who are born with a drop of blood are gifted with the powers of the god who had chosen them.

This new series stars Freya, who spends her entire life putting herself last to protect those that she loves, though she does not do so quietly. She speaks of her desire to hunt and to be a warrior to her disapproving family and speaks out against her sexist, controlling husband, who constantly looks for ways to put her in her place. Her husband, Vragi, received a drop of blood when he was born, and he was able to capture all of the fish their village needed, and more, setting the village’s loyalty against Freya.

Before Freya was born, a prophecy was told that involved a child of unique parentage, stating that this child would be used by a king to overthrow and unify the world. When it was discovered Freya had the unique gifts mentioned in the prophecy, she was instructed to never reveal her gifts, in the hopes of keeping her safe (or for some, to keep her in line). As all of this is revealed in under 30 pages, there’s clearly much more to discover once Freya’s secret is revealed to the wrong people, including arranged marriages, enemies-to-lovers plotlines, battles, and much more.

The story is well-paced, with the exception of one section in the middle of the book that felt a tad repetitive in the event structuring (i.e., dialogue, battle scene, party, different dialogue, different battle scene, different party, etc.). But more importantly, the book is a unique rendition of mythological properties. Since this is the beginning of a new world, I hope to see even more world-building happen in subsequent books and to see where Freya takes her gifts, given the revelations she has about herself by the end of Book 1.

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen would be a wonderful book for someone introducing themselves to fantasy reading for the first time, and it’s also a nice addition for those who enjoy Norse mythology. It’s an enjoyable read, is lighter fantasy, and involves easy-to-follow mythological elements; and while the story is filled with high-stakes plotlines, it’s about a 3 out of 5 on the violence and sexual elements scales. I really enjoyed reading this book and am really looking forward to what happens next, given the twists and turns involved in Book 1. And don’t even get me started on the enemies-to-lovers, forbidden lovers, forced proximity, feminine rage, Fourth Wing vibes, and strong female characters in this book!

Information about Book 2 of the series has not been released yet, other than that the unnamed title is “coming soon.”

Get Your Copy of A Fate Inked In Blood Here

A Fate Inked In Blood: Book 1 of the Saga of the Unfated

Written by Danielle L. Jensen

Del Rey (February 27, 2024), 432 pages

ISBN-13: 978-0593599839

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

Danielle L. Jensen
Credit: Katherine Calnan Photography

DANIELLE L. JENSEN is the USA Today bestselling author of the Malediction series, the Dark Shores series, and the Bridge Kingdom series, as well as the new Saga of the Unfated series. She lives in Calgary, Alberta with her family and guinea pigs.

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Ready to read more by Danielle L. Jenson?

Check out her Malediction series here.

Find the Dark Shores series here.

The Bridge Kingdom series can be found here.