This was a very well written novel. It just wasn’t my style read. The premise of the story itself was a beautiful idea, knowing and loving each other in every life, but being destined to kill each other. It just became repetitive going back and forth between past lives and present before Arden finally communicated why they had to ( yes I get that if there weren’t miscommunication or lack of communication there wouldn’t be a story) that they finally figured out a solution. I really wasn’t jiving with the book until that point then it finally redeemed itself, partially. I can appreciate the story and I know this is the perfect book for some. I’d recommend to those who like Madeline Miller’s style of writing.

“I love you, and I have loved you, and I will love you.”

Laura Steven had me invested in her newest book, Our Infinite Fates! Though the story moved slowly as it weaved tales of Evelyn and Arden’s thousand year relationship, in which they both died countless times at each other’s hands, I always stayed curious to find out the reason for their fate. Even when I felt impatient to learn how it all began, I couldn’t help but enjoy the beautiful writing and all of the different ways they fell in love in their past lives.

The magnetism you hope to see between two soulmates was apparent in every timeline, but my favorite of their reincarnations was in the present-day. As she slowly remembered snippets of their previous lives and rediscovered how deep her feelings for Arden ran, her clashing desires to be with him and to plot against him made for a complex and layered story. And the book of poetry? Hit me so hard in the feels!

I knew the reason for their fate would greatly impact my feelings on the story as a whole and, thankfully, it delivered! Surprise after surprise after surprise followed Arden’s confession, leading me on an emotional rollercoaster. The ending was so impactful I found myself thinking about it days later, my heart both happy and sad at the bittersweet outcome.

Our Infinite Fates is out now! Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for a NetGalley copy! All opinions are my own.

(My review is currently on my Goodreads and will be up on my Instagram - @bookishlee_kaci - soon)

Oh, how this book lived up to the hype for me! Evelyn and Arden are fated to be together—and die by each other’s hand—in every lifetime before they reach their 18th birthdays. Over and over again, Evelyn has come to this realization, only to reach the same conclusion before she turns 18. Except in her most recent story, Evelyn is determined to best fate in order to save her sister’s life. And to do that, she must finally unravel the mystery of why she is tethered to Arden.

This is a book that immediately draws you in with its premise and won’t let go. I was completely fascinated by Evelyn & Arden, and wanted to know absolutely everything about them in every timeline. The story alternates between past and present, so we are given glimpses of all versions of their relationship throughout time. I almost felt like I was stuck alongside Evelyn, knowing what would inevitably happen and having no way of changing it. I needed answers and oh how I was shocked when they came! I didn’t come close to calling it and loved how it played out.

Hands down, what I appreciated most about this book was the LGBTQ+ rep. Gender identity and sexual identity are each explored in such a beautiful way. Cue the tissues, because the overall message is so endearing and so needed today. Love is love and people are human, in all forms, in all lifetimes.

I was lucky enough to be approved for both the digital and audio advanced copies, and loved them both. Sofia Oxenham’s beautiful voice and tone bring the written story to life in a magical way.

Read this one, y’all! I cannot wait for more from Laura Steven.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Big thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ARC & ALC!

I don’t even know what words to use to describe this book and how much I loved it. If you loved the premise of Addie Larue I think you will absolutely adore this book and the storyline but even more so the characters. I don’t think there is a single page where I don’t have something highlighted or underlined the writing in this book is so beyond beautiful and poetic while also somehow being equally or even more so heartbreaking. Evelyn and Arden have been in love for thousands of years and have quite literally experienced more than you could ever imagine. But they are destined to kill the other in each lifetime even though their only wish is to grow old with one another. You travel back and forth from present timeline to past lives they have experienced. I loved how much history we got through seeing these two in past timelines and getting small puzzle pieces along the way to better understand who they are and their relationship in the present. There is so much love, heartbreak, tension, grief, and YEARNING in this book that connects you to these characters so deeply and I don’t think I will ever stop thinking about this book and what they have been through to be with one another. This book is so unique and will be one that I will think back on constantly I don’t even think I can do it justice trying to explain it you just need to read it for yourself.

I dont read too much YA or fantasy, but sometimes a book will just call out to me. This was one of them. I'm so happy I picked it up! I honestly loved it.

Evelyn has had many past lives and remembers them…but some memories get blurred. She knows that Arden ends up killing her before her eighteenth birthday in every past life. She falls for Arden in every life. They're souls are connected and they aleays find each other in their new bodies…they are true loves. .but now her sister needs her for a bone marrow transplant. She wants to survive. She needs to find Arden, who hunts her in every life, before he finds her. and find out why he is killing her. She needs to break the curse and try to convince Arden to break the cycle.

I thought the writing in this book was really beautiful and I just loved the plot and the characters. I did not guess how this was going to play out and that final twist really surprised me, in such a good way! Such a beautiful love story!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

🩵“I love you, and I have loved you, and I will love you.”🩵

♾️ This one is about two lovers who are reincarnated over and over again, doomed to fall in love and kill each other before their 18th birthdays. But why? That’s the central mystery of this book.

🩵 I really liked this book! The prose was beautiful and poetic and it had both a melancholy and a sense of urgency that carried on throughout the book without being morose. There was also so much beauty and optimism, particularly from the main character. It kept the narrative going as we went back and forth from the present, in which the main character must figure out when and how her lover (who is also her hunter) will appear, while also getting glimpses into several past lives (and deaths) throughout history. I think that those who enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie Larue will also really like this one.

♾️ I enjoyed how the main characters shifted between several different genders and it didn’t really matter to them how they had been born in different lifetimes, they were simply two souls that found each other and recognized their love time and time again. This one is technically YA so the intimacy is fade to black, but I didn’t miss the spice because the story was so well-written.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Evelyn and Arden have a love that will outlast centuries - literally. But only until their 18th birthday, and then they have to die, only to be reborn within moments of each other and start the cycle again, and only Arden knows why. Whatever the reason, he kills Evelyn before her 18th birthday, every time, without fail. Arden appears to remember their every life, while Evelyn only remembers some of them, just enough to know to look for Arden as her 18th birthday approaches.

Our Infinite Fates is an interesting twist on cursed love that reincarnates over and over, with a few twists in the plot that were, possibly, not quite as hard to guess as the author may have wanted. Still, it was an entertaining read, with interesting characters and motivations, and I enjoyed it. The flashbacks to previous lives scattered throughout the novel were well done, but there were, perhaps, just a few too many of them for my preferences. Recommended for older teens and adults, due to repeated murders.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have very mixed feelings about this one. The premise was soooo promising - we have two lovers, who are destined to kill each other before turning 18 and reincarnate through eternity. Their souls are tethered to each other, and they found themselves in every single life. The book is divided into present and past. In the present, Evelyn doesn't know why is she trapped in this vicious circle with Arden but she is hell bent on helping her sister (she is sick) and surviving. In the flashbacks, we see the snippets of our couple in their past lives - on different locations, with different names etc. And while this was a very interesting concept, it is also where the book sadly failed for me. I was absolutely immersed in the present part, mystery of Arden killing Evelyn in each life and her attempt to somehow change their fate. The flashbacks though... a different story. They were slowing down the pace imo, and there were too many and too little at the same time. I understand we couldn't get flashbacks into all of their lives through thousand years but i think showing so many, in short chapters, was a mistake. I would prefer to read about 3-4 of their past lives, but to get deeper into their connection, so we could actually see them falling in love, feel that indestructible bond btw them. Because i was told that they are soulmates, and that their love is magical, but i haven't really felt it. If i take it from the aspect of present, the mystery and plot surrounding Evelyn and her sister, with a romance as subplot, it was great. But if look at this as romance, i feel disappointed bc the potential was enormous and it didn't work out for me.

I was hooked from the first chapter. This premise is not something I’ve read before and I really enjoyed it!

This story follows Evelyn and Arden, cursed fated mates who get incarnated every century but only can live for 18 years. They are never in the same body or gender and always find each other, even though Evelyn has tried to stay alive past 18. Only Arden knows why they can’t, even if they envision a future together.

I enjoyed the dual timeline and learning about past their past lives. I was anxiously waiting to find out about the curse and was surprised but also I guessed it! I was happy with the reveal and “the why” was interesting but a little lacking after all the build up.

I didn’t really understand or get that they loved each other in every lifetime. They wouldn’t see each other for 15+ years before the fated “die before they turn 18” but somehow always loved each other? Evelyn seemed too trusting and human like and Arden was too guarded and never telling Evelyn too much of her history. The love aspect kind of fell flat but overall I enjoyed this & would definitely recommend!!

3.25 ⭐️, 🌶️

the idea of this story really intrigued me but I just didn’t overall feel any attachment to these characters & their back story. It skips around far too much and the past doesn’t really hint much at their relationship just more of how they died. I just didn’t feel a deep connection with their story.

Around the 70% mark I was a little more invested into their relationship & what was going on.

It was a quick read and I did like the twist that I didn’t see coming.
I did really like this authors writing style!

This was such an incredible and captivating story. I loved Evie and Arden so much and the way Steven weaved their story was so beautiful. I loved how their history was slowly revealed through glimpses into their past lives. I have been thinking about this book since I finished it.

I just didn’t really connect with this book. The concept was interesting, but the execution was lacking. It kept me interested enough to want to see how it ended, but then again I was kind of happy when the book actually did end. Thank you to NetGalley for the copy.

🌶️ HOT TAKE: An atmospheric take on the fated lovers trope that delivers tension and aching romance on a dual timeline. While the ending didn’t fully land for me, this moody YA romantasy will work for many fans of the genre.

🧶 THE SUMMARY:
Evelyn has spent centuries trapped in the same devastating cycle: she builds a life, falls in love with the same soul—Arden—and before her 18th birthday, he betrays and kills her. Every time. But in this lifetime, there’s something new—her sister is sick, and Evelyn’s bone marrow donation is her only chance at survival. Determined to break the curse and make it past her 18th birthday, Evelyn must figure out why this fate keeps repeating… before time runs out again..

💁🏻‍♀️ MY THOUGHTS:
🔸 As a YA novel, this does a lot of things right. I have a soft spot for the fated lovers trope, and even though we don't really have time to fully explore Evelyn and Arden’s past lives, their longing and tragedy still hit hard. The alternating timelines and short chapters keep the pacing up, and the will they/won’t they tension is intense. I can see younger (and young-at-heart) readers devouring in a sitting.

🔸 That said, all that beautifully built tension leads to a resolution that… didn’t quite land for me. No spoilers, but in fantasy, phrasing and worldbuilding details matter, and something about the final 15% felt just a little too out of sync with the rest of the book. But even with that, I still had a great time reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC, provided in exchange for an honest review.

Our Infinite Fates is my first Laura Steven book and if her other books are anything like this one, she has instantly become an auto buy author.

Our Infinite Fates follows Evelyn and Arden through a thousand lifetimes, with snippets of world wars, distant islands and arctic tundras interspersed with modern day Wales.

There is something so tragic about about their story, in every lifetime they fall in love with each other, romantically or otherwise, then are forced to kill each other before they turn 18. Evelyn remembers snippets of the few lives before her current one, but with them both being reborn into different bodies each time, knowing who Arden is isn’t always clear.

I was hooked from the beginning of this book, I just couldn’t put it down, it was beautifully written and well paced, I was obsessed with finding out what was going to happen and if Evelyn would make it to 18 in the current life to save her sister.

The ending absolutely broke my heart, it was perfect and I wouldn’t change anything about it, but I’m sure some people will disagree with that!

This is the first book in a long time that I’ve read where I wanted to pick it back up and read it all over again as soon as I finished!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the opportunity to review this ARC.

A book sold as "Addie LaRue" meets "This is How You Lose the Time War" is one of the combinations that I never knew I needed until I read this book. Taking inspiration from book these books is the perfect way to describe this book, without marking these books as carbon copies of either. When starting this book, my greatest fear was that it would not live up to this tagline, or that it would take too much from these books and not feel original, and that is not the case at all. This is a beautiful, unique story that twists two beautiful inspirations into a ground-breaking new novel that feels fresh and impactful..

Our Infinite Fates follows a soul, Evelyn, throughout time, as she is reincarnated throughout history, only to have another soul find her and kill her before her 18th birthday, every time. Destined to be killed by them, destined to love them. In this lifetime, Evelyn, has more than her life on the line though, and she must do everything she can to stay alive in this lifetime, before Arden can kill her..

One of the biggest things that stands out to me about this book is the inclusivity. We have two souls that find each other in every lifetime, in any lifetime, any country and in any body. A male and a male, a female and male, a female and female, Laura Steven writes love in so many different ways that are beautiful in every story, and I so appreciated the inclusivity she included in this story, as these were two souls falling in love, which made their journey and love THAT much more impactful..

Our story jumps from present- day to flashbacks, building our characters and world throughout their lives, and I loved getting to know a bit of backstory to our characters, building up to the climax to really understand them. I think this book could have benefited from an additional pov from Arden, as at times his character felt a bit one-dimensional, and getting to know him on a deeper level would have helped me feel more connected to him.....but his words and actions sold me on his character, and Evelyn and Arden's relationship re-defined the term, "soulmates" to me..

I can't recommend this book enough, it's a beautiful story and one that will absolutely stay with me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Evelyn and Arden have lived for thousands of lifetimes. In each of them, they're fated to fall in love and kill each other before they turn 18. Evelyn has grown to love the current life she's in and wants to stay alive long enough to be able to do a bone marrow transplant to save her younger sister. She's determined to find a way to break this curse and save her sister before Arden finds her first.

This book was a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed the concept of this book. The idea of two people finding each other and falling in love across multiple lifetimes is intriguing to me. Unfortunately, the way it was executed didn't really work for me. I didn't feel the big epic love that Evelyn and Arden were supposed to have. The book alternates between the present day and flashback to their previous lives. Even with these glimpses into their shared past, I still had a hard time feeling the love that they shared that spans centuries. I liked how this book looked at gender and sexuality. It was interesting seeing Evelyn and Arden's thoughts about this with all of the different lives they've lead.

Another issue I had is more of a personal one than an issue with the book, but I really wasn't a fan of the cancer plot. I should've figured that it would be a major point in the book since the description mentions Evelyn is trying to do a bone marrow transplant to save her sister, but I didn't think about it. If I had known about this, I'm not sure if I would've read this book at this current moment in time. I recently finished my own battle with cancer, so I'm not really interested in reading books that involve cancer plots for the time being.

actual rating: 3 stars (I keep fluctuating between 2.5 and 3, so I'm just going to round up)

As a soulmate trope girly down to my core this was one of my most anticipated reads and it was just okay. It was missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on yet.

I was definitely into it in the beginning, I loved flashing back to their previous lives and love how the reincarnation of the souls was handled, but about half way through I found it starting to drag and become repetitive. Then the ending… was not for me.

It’s definitely not a bad book, but it wasn’t the amazing, immediately god tier, book that I had thought it was going to be (which is definitely partly on me).

I did enjoy this book quite a bit! There was a lot of going back in time and seeing their past lives fall in love with each other and it was literally my favorite part of the whole book. I knew going into this that it was a YA book but some of them writing at times I feel like could have went a step further but that may just be me. Overall a really enjoyable read for a person that doesn’t read much Young Adult books at all!

Evelyn and Arden have been in love for countless lifetimes. The catch: Arden kills Evelyn each time before they can turn eighteen. And she has no idea why.

This story follows their modern lives, with glimpses to their past lives and the love that they shared. The prose moved me beyond words over and over again. The themes of life, loss, love, and sacrifice are strong throughout the book.

With jumping timelines it can be tricky, but Laura masterfully weaves each iteration into the story. It is so interesting to see what Evelyn and Arden have dealt with in each life, and how their paths cross.

The love that these two share was both so clear and yet so layered. Evelyn is desperate to know why Arden kills her in each life, and the journey to the truth was long and yet rewarding. How all the chips fell in the end was a perfect summation of the characters and their undying devotion to each other.

This was an easy five star review for me, because I was moved in every step of the journey. That is a skill that is undeniable. I know that I am now a lifelong devotee of Laura Steven's work.

A beautiful concept. The struggle with pain, loss, love, and family was felt in every life portrayed. I liked that Evelyn wasn’t aware of the why and it gave myself a curiosity for the why also.

Evelyn waits and hopes with every life Arden won’t find her. But he always does. It’s as if there’s a tether tying them together. Always finding one another no matter what. Always before or on her 18th birthday. This time she has something to fight for. Her sister is sick and needs her, but Arden should be close. This will be the life that won’t end the same. She will live to save her sister.

Thank you to @netgalley, @stmartinspress, and Laura Steven for the advanced reader copy.

QOTD: What would you do if you could live thousands of lives but would be killed before you turned 18?