So good and so unique. This book starts out by immediately drawing you in and it doesn't let up from there. The characters are so fleshed out and so fresh.

Our Infinite Fates is about an epic, more often than not toxic love, spanning continents and centuries. Our protagonist, Evelyn, is sought out and killed in every life by her dearest love, Arden, before her eighteenth birthday. Most of the narrative takes place in a modern day Wales, but past lives are woven throughout fifteen times. Some reviewers have noted this is excessive, and I concur several of them could have been just a brief mention rather than its own chapter. I struggled to get into this one, not because I wasn't interested, but because the prologue is extremely confusing. I read it three times through before finally moving on without understanding a thing that was happening there. I read it again about the 70% mark when I had enough information to get something more from it. The prose is beautifully written, and representation of fabulous. My bias is likely showing here, but I wish there was more variety in that without actually counting, I have the impression most of their relationships were gay though maybe it was closer to half. With all the infinite possibilities, I wish it had been mixed up more often. Gender fluidity is definitely explored as is a particularly well written chapter about how their experience plays into major world religions. Once I did get into this one, I read it in just one day. One note: this book is being marketed to teens, and there is a short passage with on page sexual content.
I recommend an ebook or print copy because it is much easier to follow with all the skipping around in time and place. The audiobook was very well read, but difficult to follow through no fault at all of the fantastic narrator, Sofia Oxenham.
Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Young Listeners, and Wednesday Books for this ARC!

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the DRC, and Macmillan Audio and Libro FM for the ALC of Our Infinite Fates! All opinions in this review are my own.

I heard such great things about Our Infinite Fates so I knew going into it that I was going to enjoy it! I loved the concepts of lovers forever faced with having to kill each other before they turned 18 and seeing their love span time and locations.

I loved it right up until the twist towards the end. I knew there had to be some explanation for everything, and the answer took me completely by surprise, but I didn't love the ending. I also don't have any ideas to make the explanation or ending more satisfying so I can't complain about it too much.

Overall, if you liked The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, you have to give this one a try!

Unfortunately this did not hit the mark for me. I was very excited and had extremely high expectations given the premise and noise surrounding this book. The writing was flowery without substance and I had a hard time knowing what was going on in terms of a progressing plot. It lacked that.

“And so in the absence of any abiding religious convictions, this was the one blind faith I had: that love was a physical force, and it was never wasted. Once it was called out into the universe, it would echo back to us forever.”

Infinite Fates by Laura Steven was absolutely as fabulous as I hoped it would be. Tragic doomed lovers trapped in an infinite loop destined to kill one another forever. He’s kept a journal. When she finds it, she holds his soul in her hands. So the prose is perpetually punctuated with his poetry. I especially enjoyed two specific things. First, I loved how the contemporary tension balanced the historical context. In the present there is a mystery (why must they eternally die before they turn 18) featuring an unreliable narrator (Evelyn knows they have lived a thousand years and that Arden will kill her but nothing more), time travel through the fabric of history that provides context for their relationship. This is a lot to accomplish, especially in a stand alone story that runs just shy of 350 pages. Stevens works with such a deft hand that we follow Evelyn and Arden through both time and geography: Rome, Northern Song Dynasty, 1880’s Vienna without getting lost. Additionally, Arden and Evelyn move through the cycle of rebirth unbound by gender, discussing at one point whether they have a preference. Like I said, it's a lot and never complex, overwhelming or confusing. The backward glimpses bring new details about their relationship, allowing an expansion of the qualities that make their souls unique and connected to one another, demonstrating that the superficial (gender, race, social class, national origin) isn't what defines or binds them.

This one is marketed as a YA title but will absolutely have crossover appeal with more mature readers. Definitely for older teens, one specific open door romance scene that is really long on emotion and short on physical detail. Readers who enjoyed that Divine Rivals Duology will like this one with its complex romance, historical vibe and fantasy elements. With short chapters and intense emotions, this one reads fast.
I am not a romance reader, let alone someone who enjoys the “doomed lovers trope” and I loved every minute of this book. If the world has you looking for something escapist, that will also give you pause to think and root for a variety of characters in the face of disaster, while restoring a little faith in true, enduring love; pick this.

Thanks to netgalley and for the opportunity to read this arc.

Awwww this was such a cute story. I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. It was just so easy to get into these characters lives and you just can't help but fall in love with them. I can't wait to see what's next from this author.

I enjoyed this book overall. I appreciated the unique premise and plot. The story ended where I thought it would but the journey there was different then I anticipated. I don't prefer as many time jumps as this story had. Overall, I would recommend to a young audience, as it reads early YA.

Y'all. This book has me in a chokehold. I cannot stop thinking about it. I immediately purchased this for my bookshelf and it is has the most gorgeous gold foil edges. This is full of pure emotion and thrill, I couldn't get enough of it. It, in fact, inspired me to want to write a book of my own with how beautiful and captivating the prose was. It has a happy ending, don't you worry! I cannot recommend this book enough.

I have a lot of thoughts but overall I was really engaged in this!

Conceptually a triumph! Writing execution? Middling. This book plays with the idea of fate and fated lovers in such a fun way, and I liked how many identities it explored and (mostly) how it did so.

However, the writing was somewhat overwrought. It felt like there were too many moments per page at writing something profound or emotionally touching. The effect ends up being somewhat thin.

I still enjoyed the story and would read more from this author.

This book is beautiful. I absolutely love the story. It is complicated, gripping and written so well. I was captivated by this book from page one. It drove me crazy that I could not figure out the twist, but really who would? It is such an original story. I enjoyed every second of it. I also have been thinking about it for an entire month! This should be a movie!

love Love LOVE IT. I am obsessed with everything about this story. The way they have to do what they do and continue to do it over and over again with changes every time. It was just spectacular and I can’t wait to read anything else the author writes.

2.5 rounded down.

I first discovered this book on an Instagram reel from the author. I was absolutely hooked on the premise of soulmates reincarnating and killing each other - like that’s so cool! However, after finishing the book I was extremely disappointed with the payoff.

The writing style is supposed to be lyrical and beautiful and all that crap, but to me it felt SO overdone. Maybe this is just a me thing, but there doesn’t have to be meaning in every single aspect of life. You don’t have to have an existential crisis every three pages. I felt like this book was trying way too hard to be deep and meaningful, that instead it felt like nothing mattered. It would’ve been so much better if the book was subtle about things.

Another big issue for me was the plot line. All of the back and forth between timelines honestly pissed me off. I would get super invested in the current timeline, then we’d jump back 600 years. I know it was trying to show how their relationship had transcended time, but it just annoyed me. I think doing it a few times would be cute, but we really did not need that much context for them.

The characters were fine I guess. I have no real feelings for either of them, since I feel like we barely even got to know them with all of the fancy language and time jumps. I really just didn’t connect with either of them.

As for why this was all happening and the lore behind it, it was so underdeveloped. Maybe I just read a lot of fantasy and like complex world building, but this had such a half assed explanation for everything. After reading the last two chapters I kind of understood why it was structured that way, but I felt like as a reader I still had very little clue about why everything was happening or how it all worked. It’s being marketed this as a fantasy book, when it really doesn’t read like one to me.

Another big thing for me was that this felt like it was being written so that it could be turned into a movie. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it just feels like it was written as an indie movie in waiting.

I think that this author definitely has potential, but that this isn’t as revolutionary as some people are making it out to be. It kind of feels like the author read Divine Rivals and decided to make something with the same feel as that, but then didn’t properly execute it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy <3

Do you like stories of love that spans eternity? Yearning? Deals made with the *devil*? Then boy oh boy do I have the book for you!

In this book, Evelyn and Arden are destined to love each other in every lifetime. They are also destined to kill each other in every lifetime before their 18th birthdays.

When Evelyn's sister in her most recent timeline gets sick and Evelyn is her only chance at survival, Evelyn has decided she's had enough and is determined to end the curse to save her sister, Arden, and herself.

I really enjoyed this book and Evelyn and Arden's love story in all its iterations. And when you figure out why they must kill each other ... whoa.

The thing I struggled with the most was that I wanted more from the latter half of the book where they are in the underworld. That part felt too rushed, and I just wanted more from that. I think this book easily could have been another 100 pages.

Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone interested in romantasy.

3.5 stars/5 ... rounded up to 4

4.5 stars. The billing as a mix of Addie LaRue and This is How You Lose a Time War is spot on. This book is a collection of a love stories gone wrong through the ages. Following Evelyn and Arden, the story traces their reincarnation over and over again as they repeatedly die just prior to their 18th birthday. Arden tracks Evelyn, while she has to determine which character in her life he is...the one who will kill her.

I loved the different short tales in this book and how the timelines all wove together. The primary thread is set in present day, with Evelyn as Bronwyn and Arden unknown to her. She knows her death is coming, but she needs to save her sister from dying before she herself is gone. It's a race against the clock as she tries to remember how this horrible curse even came to be.

Intermixed with the primary story are flashbacks to Evelyn's prior lives, traveling the world from Latin America to Siberia, Constantinople to the deserts of the Middle East. Each life gives a bit more insight to the relationship between Arden & Evelyn and why their lives are so intertwined.

I loved this book much more than I expected to. The writing is lovely and the weaving of the timelines is done so well. I loved the richness of the writing and how well each little vignette captures a life. I appreciated how creatively she changed their situations and how the reader really got transported along with the characters.

I was a bit disappointed in the explanation of the source of their curse. It is quite creative and well conceptualized, I think it just paced a little faster than I liked given the speed of the narrative prior to the denouement. Other than that, I enjoyed all the little snippets of history and how the story worked as a puzzle with each timeline slotting a few more pieces into place. This is definitely worth a reread.

This is one of my new favorite books! Our Infinite Fates is The Invisible Life of Addie Larue meets Every Day. If you need something unique and unputdownable to read, give this one a try!

While this was not for me, I think students who are fans of Addie LaRue will love this YA magical story. The writing is lush and lyrical and it's Romeo and Juilet-esque storyline will appeal to young readers. Romantic and tragic, this is sure to be a hit among the YA audience. But for this adult reader, the flowery writing took me out of the story.

This was such a beautiful interpretation of fated mates/reincarnation. Evelyn and Arden have loved eachother across lifetimes, but as their love is fated so are their deaths. Evelyn must die before she turns 18 and Arden must be the one who does it. In the present day, Evelyn's birthday is approaching and so is her only chance to save her sister. She has never wanted to avoid death more than she does now.

I really enjoyed this novel and how we got to see so many different iterations of Evelyn and Arden's lives together. Some lifetimes were more devastating than others, but you could feel their love in so many. The last 15% was quite the twist and the story ended in a way I didn't anticipate. I will definitely read from this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a review copy!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC of this book! I won’t lie—I’m a sucker for destined mates/soulmates, so I was beyond excited to dive into this story. Laura Steven absolutely crushed her take on this trope and reincarnation. The cover is stunning, and the writing is just as captivating. I also bought the Waterstones special edition of this book since reading it, and it's so pretty!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a story like this one before and I really enjoyed all the storylines and depth of characters even when we only get so limited time with them throughout each timeline. Of course there was some repetitiveness, but it’s also one of those books where you need to keep reading to finally see how it plays out and it’s so worth it in the end.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the arc!

So painfully beautiful. This books is such a amazing journey of the depth of love, and ability to endure. Honestly I'm not always a big fated mates fan but never gave me that cringe that I get from those tropes. All in all the angst was amazing but sometimes the story moved on when I wish they would delve deeper into some aspects of the curse, and the characters motivations.