Harper L. Woods continues to twist the threads of fate, myth, and love in What Lurks Between the Fates, the third installment in the Of Flesh & Bone series. This novel picks up in the aftermath of What Hunts Inside the Shadows, and thrusts Estrella Barlowe and Caldris deeper into the snare of Mab—the Queen of Air and Darkness—and the brutal politics of Alfheimr. If the first two books cracked the veil, this third shatters it.
With fierce prose and heart-wrenching emotional tension, Woods transforms a fae fantasy into a mythic struggle for autonomy, identity, and survival. What Lurks Between the Fates isn’t just a continuation—it’s an escalation. And while it offers thrilling moments and reveals long-awaited answers, it also unearths new horrors, deeper complexities, and a haunting truth: freedom always comes at a cost.
Series Continuity: Evolution Through Suffering
The Of Flesh & Bone series—beginning with What Lies Beyond the Veil and followed by What Hunts Inside the Shadows—has always blended dark fantasy, mythic romance, and political intrigue with a knife-edge sense of danger. This third entry not only builds upon the foundations of the first two, it begins to fracture them.
Estrella, once a defiant human girl on the outskirts of her own story, emerges here as something far more enigmatic. Her origins, her power, and her place in this cursed realm begin to take shape, yet the answers are elusive and maddeningly out of reach. The story dares to ask: what if the truth of who you are makes you unrecognizable, even to yourself?
Meanwhile, Caldris—God of the Dead and shadow-bound consort—is tested as both a protector and a partner. For readers who followed their slow-burning, traumatic-bond love story from Book One, What Lurks Between the Fates delivers high emotional payoff while also putting their dynamic through new and brutal trials.
Plot and Pacing: Imprisoned, Manipulated, Unbroken
The book opens with Estrella captured by Mab, shackled in iron and held as a curiosity—something not quite human, not quite fae, and not quite known. The iron not only suppresses her magic, it symbolizes her utter lack of control. From this opening act of caged suspense, the plot moves with aching intensity.
Much of the narrative is confined to the claustrophobic walls of Mab’s palace and dungeons, and yet the stakes never feel stagnant. Harper L. Woods masterfully uses psychological tension—interrogations, tests, taunts, manipulation—to drive the story forward. The external action is sparse, but emotionally harrowing. What the book sacrifices in battlefield spectacle, it makes up for in psychological warfare.
Mab, as an antagonist, is unrelenting. She doesn’t wield physical weapons so much as she uses trauma, ideology, and the exploitation of vulnerability. She is mother, torturer, strategist, and queen—and this multi-faceted cruelty is both her strength and the book’s most compelling thematic device.
Thematic Richness: Autonomy, Identity, and Power
Where the first two books explored romantic awakening and survival in hostile lands, What Lurks Between the Fates digs deep into metaphysical themes. Estrella’s identity is a central mystery—if she is no longer human, what is she? Not quite fae, not quite goddess, and yet capable of defying Mab’s shadows, healing from iron, and wielding death like a crown. These moments aren’t just cool magic scenes—they are statements about inherited power, chosen power, and what it means to be feared for being “other.”
Caldris’s arc, meanwhile, is less about transformation and more about resilience. Bound to Mab through blood and ancient curses, his power is not in defying fate but in enduring it. His sacrifice, pain, and protectiveness echo through every page, and readers who love devoted male leads will find him more tormented—and more unwavering—than ever.
Together, Estrella and Caldris become both lovers and weapons, forged in cruelty and held together by a bond that transcends magic.
Characterization: Complex, Evolving, and Tragic
- Estrella is at her most fascinating here. Stripped of her freedom, her magic, and any certainty about her identity, she faces the kind of internal test few fantasy heroines are allowed to confront. She becomes someone who might kill to survive, but not without questioning what that survival costs. She is brave, angry, frightened, and powerful—and readers will see a terrifying evolution that feels earned, not forced.
- Caldris, as always, remains compelling in his unyielding devotion and his slow unraveling. His torture—both physical and emotional—is hard to read, but it paints him as something more than the brooding romantic lead. He is not just the God of the Dead; he is a martyr of love. In many ways, this book shows how love is both their greatest strength and greatest vulnerability.
- Mab may be one of the most compelling antagonists in current fantasy romance. She is everything the genre demands—a seductive villainess with power, presence, and terrifying logic. Her motivations are clear, if appalling. She doesn’t want to destroy Estrella. She wants to own her.
Supporting characters like Imelda, Monos, Lozu, and even Fallon enrich the narrative’s texture, and the reintroduction of certain figures hints that Book 4 (What Sleeps Within the Cove) may finally take us beyond the cage and into open rebellion.
Worldbuilding and Lore: Dense, Mythical, and Tantalizing
Alfheimr remains as terrifying and lush as ever. Harper L. Woods writes the Fae realm as a place governed not just by laws but by contracts, bargains, and hierarchy. The use of fae etiquette—never say your name, never thank a fae, never take a gift—is woven directly into the plot, raising the stakes of every interaction.
But it’s the deeper lore that shines here. The shadowy origins of Estrella’s power, the ferryman’s cryptic prophecy, Mab’s cursed gem and forbidden crown—all point to a wider mythos that is finally being teased into the open. The hierarchy of gods, the forbidden mating bonds, the breaking of iron limitations—each element hints that Estrella is not just a player in this game but perhaps a game-changer.
Style and Prose: Lyrical and Visceral
Harper L. Woods writes with poetic brutality. Her prose is lush without being overwritten, romantic without being saccharine, and savage without being needlessly grotesque. Her style walks the razor’s edge between beauty and horror—perfect for the kind of story that What Lurks Between the Fates sets out to tell.
Highlights include:
- Intimate, cinematic descriptions of pain and pleasure
- Repetitive but powerful use of mantras and motifs (“Until chaos reigns…”)
- Internal monologue that reveals vulnerability without weakening the character
If Book 1 was poetic rebellion and Book 2 was emotional exposure, Book 3 is lyrical reckoning.
Critique: Pacing and Confinement
While the emotional depth and thematic weight are undeniable strengths, What Lurks Between the Fates occasionally stumbles under the weight of its confinement. Much of the novel takes place in one location—Mab’s palace—and while the author uses this to excellent psychological effect, some readers may crave more action or a change of setting.
Additionally, the build-up toward Estrella’s final revelation of her true nature is tantalizing—but also occasionally frustrating. We get answers, yes, but not enough to satisfy the enormous questions raised in the first two books.
Lastly, while the romance is emotionally intense, readers looking for heat may find this installment somewhat dialed back in favor of pain and power dynamics.
Final Verdict
What Lurks Between the Fates is a triumphant and terrifying third act that pulls no punches. It is as much about the cost of freedom as it is about the beauty of love. Estrella is no longer the lost girl. Caldris is no longer the cold god. Together, they are fire and bone, myth and rebellion.
Though at times the pacing falters under the claustrophobic setting, the psychological warfare, emotional stakes, and escalating mysticism make this installment impossible to look away from.
For fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Plated Prisoner, and From Blood and Ash, Harper L. Woods continues to carve out her dark, glimmering throne in the fantasy romance genre.
What’s Next?
As we await What Sleeps Within the Cove (2025), the next installment in the Of Flesh & Bone series, one thing is certain: Estrella is not just a girl in love or a woman seeking answers. She is a mystery still being written—a prophecy in motion. And we will follow her… even into the dark.
