Book Review | A Fate Inked in Blood

Coming into A Fate Inked in Blood, I really wanted to love it. I adore mythology and Nordic-inspired fantasy and it sounded so up my alley, but the sheer amount of flat, irrational characters in this one made for an extremely frustrating read.

Warning, for me to talk about the issues I had with this book more in depth, there will be spoilers ahead.

For starters, the characters in this book are so bafflingly stupid. For instance, the Jarl forces his Tyr-blessed son and heir into a death match against Freya in a scheme to force her to use her powers. Then he proceeds to become upset that Freya was burned by Tyr's fire despite the fact that he never warned his son about his real plan ahead of time.

Both of them could have been gravely injured the other or worse, and to me this was such a reckless gamble. It would have been much smarter for the Jarl to have a less consequential warrior threaten Freya's brother's life instead.

Also, this might boil down to personal preference, but I disliked that the romance was insta-lust right out of the gates. Here for me it didn't make logical sense for the characters or in the context of that moment. Right off the bat, Freya stumbles upon a stranger bathing in the fjords. She suspects he might be a raider, but instead of stabbing him or raising the alarm to protect her village and family, she stands there ogling him and bantering with him instead. For someone who lives in a cut-throat warrior society, this felt so unbelievably careless.

Overall, if you're looking for a viking-inspired fantasy with compelling, nuanced characters, you might have better luck with the Bloodsworn Saga.

Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : February 27, 2024

Publisher : Del Rey

ISBN: ‎ 0593599837

Pages : 432

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