A Fate Inked in Blood

(3.75, rounded up) Romantasy filled with gods and magic, slow burn forbidden romance, prophecy and fate.

I mean it in the best way possible when I say this was a very readable fantasy romance. The Nordic setting feels fresh, the magic system was interesting, the tropes were hitting their marks for me. It was a good time. I'd say a 70/30 split of romance to fantasy.

That being said, it feels a bit shallow. Like we're just skimming the surface of everything. The world building was just enough to help me picture what was going on but overall feels a bit light. Pieces of Freya's backstory get dropped when it's convenient and are easily forgotten. The romance leans heavily on Bjorn's role as Freya's protector in a way that is satisfying to read, but also gets a bit repetitive. None of the twists surprised me, but that could just be that I read too much of this sort of thing.

I'm a sucker for fantasy involving a world where gods interfere with the lives of mortals and love a good slow burn/bodyguard/extra trope-y romance, so non of the flaws were deal breakers for me. With all the heavy 700+ page books coming out lately I really appreciated how quick of a read it was. I like it enough to reread it someday, would recommend it to others, and will probably pick up the next one.