A curse carved in bone: Characters, gods, spice, triggers, review

Written By Esta Pinto

Welcome to your A Curse Carved in Bone character and book guide! 

This little article covers everything you need to know about A Curse Carved in Bone by Danielle L. Jensen: the synopsis, key characters, spice levels and a full spicy chapters map (for those avoiding heat or chasing it).

Each spicy scene is rated, Norse gods and their divine-blooded offspring are tabled, abilities included. I've also listed all trigger/content warnings up front.

I also wrote a little A Curse Carved in Bone review. Maybe I have too much time on my hands? But anyways, let’s get into it.

⚠️ Spoiler warning: A Curse Carved in Bone character list and gods guide contains major spoilers. Highly recommend reading the book before reading the character list.

 

A Curse Carved in Bone synopsis.

A shield maiden fights to break the shackles of prophecy—and to overcome the betrayal of the man who broke her heart—in this searing conclusion to the Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology that began with the bestselling A Fate Inked in Blood.

The secret of her divine heritage revealed, Freya finds herself on a path that will see thousands of lives lost to the magic in her blood. Desperate to avoid this dark fate, she risks an alliance with Skaland’s greatest enemy to seek answers from the seer who foretold her future—the same seer who sent Bjorn to kill her.

While Freya still seethes with rage over Bjorn’s betrayal, the blood oaths that bind her demand that she keep him close as she hunts for a way to avert the looming war. Her magic draws her to the front lines of an old enmity, embroiling her with Nordeland’s Unfated—children of the gods who serve the king she was raised to fear. The same king who, unlike Bjorn, is now willing to fight at her back. For despite the desire that burns hot between Bjorn and Freya, his growing distrust of her chosen path threatens to drag them further apart.

As war approaches, gods and mortals must choose their weapons. Yet the fiercest battle will be the one Freya wages within herself. With the magic of two goddesses burning in her veins, she must weave the threads of destiny to decide her own fate: Will she be the shield that protects her people or the curse that destroys them?

Get A Curse Carved in Bone here.

 

A Curse Carved in Bone book characters.

A Curse Carved in Bone is narrated from a dual first person point of view, from both Freya and Bjorn’s perspective. 

Here is a breakdown of our two main characters, Freya and Bjorn, followed by a list of all A Curse Carved in Bone characters we encounter in book two of Saga of the Unfated series.

⚠️ Spoiler warning: the character list below reveals major plot points of A Curse Carved in Bone.

If you’re not caught up, look away now! Or keep reading if you don’t mind spoiling yourself.

Main characters.

  • Freya.

A Curse Carved in Bone begins with Freya, who has had her whole world upended by Bjorn.

  • Bjorn.

Bjorn does a lot of grovelling and pining in part two of this duology!

Supporting characters.

Here’s a list of all the characters in A Curse Carved in Bone who aren't Freya or Bjorn including on-page characters, off-page mentions, and a few Norse gods for good measure.

  • Jarl Snorri

  • Ylva (Snorri’s wife)

  • Harald

  • Leif (Bjorn’s half brother)

  • Steinunn

  • Geir (Freya’s brother)

  • Ingrid 

  • Tora

  • Saga (Bjorn’s mother)

  • Skade

  • Kaja (Eagle)

  • Arkyn

  • Volund

  • “Bear Helm”

  • Guthram

  • Una

  • Troels

  • Gyda

  • Huldra

  • Ragnar

  • Hati (wolf)

  • Skoll (wolf)

  • Aksel

  • Nidhogg (serpent)

  • Yggdrasil (look it’s a giant mythological tree but it deserves to be in the character list)

  • Ingrid

  • Erik

  • Taric

  • Hel

  • Hlin

  • Tyr

  • Odin

  • Liv

Gods mentioned in A Curse Carved in Bone, their children & their powers.

In A Curse Carved in Bone, magic is a drop of a Norse god or goddesses blood and enough to bestow a power upon a person. And just when you think you’ve mapped out the divine family tree, another surprise child of the gods can show up where you didn’t expect it to.

⚠️ Spoiler warning: the table below reveals major plot points of A Curse Carved in Bone.

If you’re not caught up, look away now! But if you’re deep into the story or just enjoying tracking who has got what ability, it’s a handy guide.

So your choice… Spoiler warning though!

God/Goddess Child of God/Goddess Association/ability
Njord Unnamed character Njord is the god of the wind and of the sea and its riches, patron of sailors and fishermen. He gifts his children with power over the creatures of the sea.
Hlin Freya Hlin stands as a lesser-known goddess, yet her presence is no less essential, as she gifts Freya with the powers of protection, which paves the path for her to become a shield maiden.
Tyr Bjorn Tyr is the Norse god of war and bloodshed, as well as a bringer of order and justice. He bequeaths Bjorn exceptional fighting skills as well as the ability to summon and wield an axe of divine fire.
Thor Tora
Arkyn		 Thor is the hammer-wielding god of thunder, lightning and storms and known as one of the most powerful Norse gods. He grants Tora, Arkyn and his children the ability to wield lightning.
Ullr Skade Ullr is the Norse god of hunting, justice, and winter. He grants his children, like Skade, perfect aim with arrows that never miss their target.
Bragi Steinunn Bragi is the god of poetry, associated with musicians and poets and usually depicted with a harp. He grants Steinunn magical storytelling abilities through music, where she can only share truths.
Hel Freya Hel is the goddess of death and the underworld. She grants Freya powers associated with curses and sending peoples’ souls to Helheim (the realm of the dead).
Jord Guthram Jörd is the Norse Earth Goddess and personification of the Earth. She gifts her children the ability to speak mind to mind with animal familiars and seeing through their eyes.
Eir Volund Eir is the goddess of healing, medical skill and midwifery. She gifts her children healing magic.
Brokkr Gyda Brokkr is the Norse god of fire and forge who bestows upon his children the ability to imbue weapons with one power per weapon, including unbreakable blades that hold true against magic and steel and feather light shields.
Odin Saga Known as the “All-Father,” Odin is the chief of the Norse gods and leader of the powerful Aesir and associated with wisdom, magic, poetry, prophecy, victory and death. He gifts his Seer children, such as Saga, Bjorn’s mother, prophecies and knowledge.
Baldur N/A Baldur is a son of Odin and possesses beauty, superhuman strength and invulnerability.
Sigyn N/A Sigyn is the goddess of compassion, faithfulness and mercy and the devoted wife of Loki.
Freyja N/A Freyja is the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, death and sex.
Fenrir N/A Not technically a god, but a monstrous wolf of Norse mythology. He was the son of the trickster god Loki and a giantess, Angerboda.
Frigg N/A Frigg is the Norse goddess of marriage and fertility, and wife to Odin.
Norns N/A The Norns are goddesses of fate, represented as three sisters who weave fate.
Loki Harald Loki is the god of mischief, trickery, and deception. He gifts his children the ability to shapeshift.
 

A Curse Carved in Bone review.

View my review and follow me on GoodReads here.

A Curse Carved In Bone reminds me why I enjoy women (and non binary/genderqueer/genderfluid folks) writing fantasy more than men: the women get to be complex, flawed, messy, brilliant, strategic players who shape the plot instead of just reacting to it. Plus, no objectification. It’s nice. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, please see here.)

But not gonna lie, this sequel had a rocky start for me. The early chapters felt bogged down by unresolved fallout from book one, necessary, but sluggish and sometimes frustrating.

But then, something shifted. About halfway through, there is more of a shift into dark epic fantasy territory. Politics, war, Norse mythology, magical hierarchies, betrayals on and off the battlefield, it all takes centre stage. And once the reveals start coming (and there are so many), I was hooked. Shocked. Occasionally delighted. Frequently stressed. But invested.

This sequel digs deeper into the Norse mythology revealed in book one and it pays off. The world expands. It's richer, darker and far more unpredictable than the first book. We get new regions, powers and children of gods. I won’t give away who, because spoilers, but things get weird, unhinged and twisted, in a good way.

What really carried me though, was the women characters. As you may guess, Freya remains brilliant and capable, someone who is not sidelined by her feelings, but shaped by them in interesting ways and with battles of morality. Ylva is cunning and compelling.

There are other multiple strong side female characters too who are layered, morally complex and I enjoyed how three dimensional and nuanced they were. Additionally, there’s some well-earned family vindication/redemption/catharsis that hit a very specific emotional spot I’d been nursing since book one.

This is a heavier, bloodier, more brutal book than A Fate Inked in Blood. It may not satisfy you if you came for purely for romantic angst, yearning or spice (and the one spicy scene we do get is weirdly placed due to context. However, I will let Freya & Bjorn copulate without my judgement. You do you.) And while the shift might disorient readers, for those willing to shift gears into a Norse epic fantasy, especially in the second half, it’s expansive and captivating once the plot twist twists and the story finds its momentum.

I’ve done my best to keep this spoiler-free for the whole duology which means some vagueness in this review was inevitable.

 View my review and follow me on GoodReads here. I chat about books a lot.

FAQs.

SPOILER ALERT:

Some answers may spoil the book if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution.

What series does A Curse Carved in Bone belong to?

A Curse Carved in Bone is book two in the Saga of the Unfated series.

What is A Curse Carved in Bone series order?

A Curse Carved in Bone is a duology and this is the series order to read the books in:

What are the content and trigger warnings?

  • Explicit sexual content

  • Toxic relationship

  • Violence

  • War

  • Blood

  • Death

  • Death of parent

  • Injury and injury details

  • Murder

  • Gore

  • Alcohol use

  • Grief

  • Cursing

  • Toxic family relationships

  • Attempted child slavery

  • War 

  • Kidnapping

  • Animal cruelty and coercion

  • Animal death

  • Vomit

What is the age rating for ACCIB?

ACCIB is classified as adult, so ages 18+, due to adult themes and sexual content. Please also see the trigger and content warnings listed above.

What is the A Curse Carved in Bone spice level?

Is A Curse Carved in Bone spicy? Yep it sure is, but definitely nowhere near as much as book one. 

Spice level: 🌶🌶

2/5, moderate spice, with one spicy scene and a milder spicy epilogue, plus a romantic undercurrent throughout.

What are the A Curse Carved in Bone spicy chapters?

Whether you're spice-averse, spice-tolerant or ready to pour petrol and light it up, I’ve mapped the spicy chapters in A Curse Carved in Bone for all.

The scale:
Capsicum = tension, heat, kissing.
Chilli = anything more explicit than kissing.

  • Chapter 16: 🫑

  • Chapter 33: 🌶🌶🌶

  • Epilogue: 🌶

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Esta Pinto
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A Fate Inked in Blood: Characters, spice, quotes, gods & powers