I had a hard time getting through the middle, but it picked up around the end…. And of course it ended on a huge cliff hanger which makes me want to rush to the next book. ( )

What Hunts Inside the Shadows by Harper Woods is book two of the Of Flesh and Bone series. We follow Estrella and Caelum, along with the Wild Hunt, as they work to survive the journey back to the Veil. There are more secrets surrounding Estrella that even Caelum does not know how to interpret. The Mist Guard are intent on keeping the Fay from crossing back into Alfeimr with the Marked, even if it means killing innocents. Tropes include banter, fated mates, morally grey heroine and touch her and die. Please do check content warnings for this 18+ book (there are content warnings for non-spicy topics).

The Lovely: I’m still loving the characters. I love how Caelum and Estrella’s relationship changed over the course of this book with them becoming more of equals. I also really liked that Estrella’s development was really for her to become morally grey, something readers don’t usually see.

The Mundane: Book 2 was definitely more of a series of smaller events with the crossing of the Veil being what the story was ultimately building to. Thus, there wasn’t constant tension in the foreground, which I think made sense for the story. And wow the ending had a plot twist I did not see coming.

The Dreadful: The world/lore building was better this book but stil, would have liked to have seen more. And again, there are some hints at dubious consent in a couple of the explicit scenes.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Recommendation: Book two drew me in even more to this series and I can’t wait to continue into book three. This is truly romantic fantasy where the romance probably takes a front seat to the fantasy (although not by much). If possessive males or dark romance bother you, or a morally grey heroine, this is not the book for you. ( )

I liked this more than the first book, however I feel like too much time was spent traveling and I felt the ending was very predictable. Once they got to Alfheimr I knew immediately what was going to happen. ( )