What Lies Between

by C.N. Pettit, T.D. Findley

Tonight is the annual Enlightenment, the day most have waited for their entire lives. The moment a god grants a being with power, and they find their place in this realm. I walk with confidence up to the dias, knowing soon enough I will take my place as a healer, as did my ancestors. Thick purple fog crawls up the edges of the stone and swirls around me, engulfing my body in a suffocating cloud. A flash of light strikes my chest so hard it reverberates throughout my ribcage, like an echo of pain. The color drains from my face as an image engraves itself onto my chest, sealing my fate. “How can this be?” I stutter out, between gasping breaths.

In a world dictated by the magic arcane, Edin is thrust into a whole new realm with the guidance of an angelic being and a ruthless instructor straight from Helheim. She has no choice but to navigate the dark magic, fated mate connections, and learn to survive in this desolate wasteland of What Lies Between.

467 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2025

Reviews

[Jill Hyde]

Dark fantasy romance lovers — this one’s for you. Think purgatory, twisted realms, hell hounds, and a heroine torn between two men: the nice guy with a heart of gold vs. the dangerous bad boy you know you shouldn’t want.

It’s a fast, immersive read with the perfect mix of eerie world-building, moody characters, and unexpected twists. And that cliffhanger ending? I need book 2 immediately.

A moody, addictive start to what I hope becomes a long, wild series.

[Ana Crocker]

wow! wow! wow! such a wonderful, easy read, thrilling and imaginative. cannot wait for book two

[Eryn]

Loved the idea of this but just couldn't connect with the characters. It felt more telling then showing. If you like a lot of spice with little to no explanation or reason behind it this is definitely perfect for you. As an avid fantasy reader, I felt the world building a little lacking in the beginning and it took a bit to figure out what was even happening. It wasn't until end that the plot started to grab my attention and while the cliffhanger was a touch predictable it definitely had the shock value this story needed.

Unfortunately this just wasn't the book for me but I can definitely see it being a great read for others!

[Erin Schultz]

It was a very easy read. Kind of took a little bit to get into, but once I was into it I kept wanting to read more and then the ending came and I find out there won’t be more until next year, are you kidding me?? I need to know more now.

[Elizabeth Alvarez]

if I could, I would give this book a 4.5.

Great world building that was to the point and did not drag on. The book began knowing its purpose of the story it was going to tell and even lead us to believe one thing that it was not. I will say, this book does end on a cliff hanger and the 2nd book is not out yet...

[Cassie Stover]

What Lies Between is the adventure I didn’t know I needed to take! This is the first book written by T.D. Findley & C.N. Pettit, they are already masters at building a fantasy world that is sure to carry us into realms of wonder in the books to come. It was a bit of a slow start but necessary to give the background for character development. 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️ for spice, giving me just the right “oh my” when I didn’t expect it! The twist at the end was in the back of my mind but hit in a way I certainly didn’t expect and I can’t wait for the next book to be released! What a dreadful CLIFFHANGER LADIES!!!

[Tara McCann]

Absolutely loved this book!! This is the first fantasy romance I’ve read. I usually stick to dark or mafia romance/mystery thrillers/etc… I cannot wait for the second one to come out!!

[Ashley Tucker]

Omg! I loved it! The only thing I didn't love was the cliff hanger!!! 😭 I can not wait for book 2 to come out!

[Courtney Sloan]

absolutely loved this books. I need book 2 expeditiously

[Meg]

I had such high hopes for this debut novel/duology but the world building fell flat for me. The novel was very fast paced and the premise was interesting with the love triangle, but it became so rushed that there really wasn't any character development and then all of a sudden I was finished. The smut was good for a dark fantasy read. I plan on reading the second book, and I'm thankful this was available on kindle unlimited!

[Tiffany Brooks]

Fast paced

This book had my full attention!
Goddess of Purgatory, tension, and easy to follow relationships.
Excited to see where book 2 will take us.

[McCollum Kathleen]

I literally couldn’t put this book down. The realms, the characters, it grabbed me from the beginning. But the ending, just WOW!

[Tessa]

I will come back to this eventually....

for now its 2 stars. im sorry but the formatting is awful.

also its more a tell instead of a show. and it isn't very deserviptive with very very minimal world building.