Our Infinite Fates was simply magnificent. It was easily one of the best books I read last year.

It has such a fantastic premise—I mean these lines are irresistible: “They’ve loved each other in a thousand lifetimes. They’ve killed each other in every one”. That is a killer hook that draws you in and promises an epic, tangled knot of a story to unravel. Luckily, Laura Steven builds on this brilliant premise to deliver a devastating and delightful ode to the power of love. It is the type of book that imprints onto your heart and leaves a trace long after the final page.

While being careful not to spoil anything, the characterisation is stellar in this book. We get a main timeline with two central characters and also various glimpses into the lives they have inhabited before. As a long-time reader of Steven’s work, I knew going in that characterisation was one of her strengths in her extensive toolbox but this aspect really shines here. They just feel so believable, with great development, dialogue and chemistry. Everyone feels three-dimensional and you find yourself caring about their hopes and dreams. A special shout-out has to go to the snarky, hilarious Gracie who you will lose your heart to.

Truly, it is an epic tale that stretches across aeons and countries. The excerpts from each lifetime are haunting fragments that establish character deftly and effectively in just a few lines. You get a sense of each person and the life they have inhabited, as well as the sense of love and inevitable loss about to hit them. It is doomed and tragic and yet you still root for them to succeed. The skill to be able to pull this off in often just a few pages is incredible. Steven pours so much heart and soul into this book. It is emotional lightning in a bottle—fraught and tender. You find yourself being pulled into these pages and hoping for a happy ending this time despite all the odds.

These excerpts also serve as chilling reminders of the effectiveness of this endless cycle. It is fated to always end in death. You have that ticking clock on your mind throughout, after one hell of an opening chapter clearly establishes the stakes and set-up of the journey you are about to embark on. It is action-packed and has a deliciously dark sting in its tale. From there, Steven has you in the palm of her hand. It is exquisitely paced, with a constant sense of tension permeating the pages. We move from timeline to timeline and person to person seamlessly. I was astounded to never feel a let-down in tension despite these interludes. Instead, they had the opposite effect of just reemphasising this vicious cycle over and over again. There is also a touching celebration of love overcoming all within these—it is a force regardless of gender and sexuality, meaning that we get various examples of potential match-ups throughout time but that central connection is between these two souls. It powerfully emphasises love being beyond a body or physical appearance, instead as an unknowable, intangible thing that just brings people together. That kind of message is wonderful.

Also, this is packed full of surprises and twists. Throughout, you have the mystery of this cycle and what kickstarted it. Steven keeps you guessing through the pages, leaving little crumbs along on the path. It is such a well-crafted mystery and the twists are nothing short of jaw-dropping. I think about those final few chapters most days since reading. Every detail is sewn together excellently and feels cohesive.

Our Infinite Fates delivers superb characterisation that builds on an ingenious premise and spins it into a story that you will never forget. It was absolutely phenomenal, moving and bound to be the book on everyone’s mind.

5 STARS ⭐️

“The cruelest fate the gods and stars had ever written: the person I loved most in the world was the person that would ultimately destroy me.”

Our Infinite Fates is one of those rare, unforgettable reads that reminds you why you love books in the first place.

This book is so beautifully written. I loved every part of it. The way it shows their bond throughout the years kept me hooked. The entire story was just perfect.

The premise of this book drew me in. The protagonist, Evelyn, is cursed to die before her eighteenth birthday, always at the hands of the same soul—Arden. Their relationship is complex, spanning multiple lifetimes, but this time, Evelyn is determined to break the curse because her younger sister’s survival depends on it.

This was the first book I had read by this author, and I really enjoyed her writing style. The way the story wove between past and present, revealing glimpses of Evelyn’s previous lives, was compelling. As someone fascinated by the idea of past lives, I appreciated the historical context and the unique take on star-crossed lovers destined to find each other again and again.

While the story unfolded at a gradual pace, I found the final section especially engaging. Readers who enjoy slow-burn, atmospheric storytelling with a touch of the supernatural will likely find a lot to love in this book.

Our infinite fates is a YA Romantasy that spans hundreds of lifetimes. They have lived thousands of lives and they are destined to love and kill each other. In the end will love be strong enough? We see glimpses of the characters throughout their lives and see what they mean to each other in flashes. Alongside their current lives where the ultimate query is will they die before trying to save her sister? I really did enjoy this book, I feel like we saw a spark in some lives and others we caught the ending but through it all Arden was always there to hold Evelyn. This book shows no matter what love will always be left.

I would give six stars, if that were possible but, alas, five will have to do.

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Stevens is an epic YA romantic fantasy. Not necessarily in terms of fantastical worlds or physical journeys but through the sheer scope of emotional depth and history.

Fated to kill each other before their 18th birthday in each life, Evelyn (through whose eyes we see their lives play out) and Arden seem destined to find each other in each of their reincarnations. After well over a thousand years, Evelyn is unwilling to continue, especially since in her current life, a loved one dearly needs her help in order to survive. Will their break the infinite loop of love and violence?

I received the prologue as a freebie and it made me curious about the rest of the novel. Now I am incredibly grateful to the author and her publisher for this ARC. The novel is set in present-day Wales, with each chapter defined by its place and time. Its protagonists defy gender, reborn as souls in bodies of varying gender over the centuries. This inclusivity was beautifully and sensibly executed and Laura Stevens demonstrates a fine understanding of the transitive nature of gender. Both characters, as well as those around them, are beautifully crafted and very distinct, even across time, space and physical existence (no mean feat!). I absolutely tore through the book, as it was not only grippingly well-written but also very well paced. There are some cruel twists, which make Our Infinite Fates a true page-turner of a novel. Stevens use of foreign settings and languages is gentle and thoughtful, as far as I can judge for my own native language which has been included. If you are a lover of literature, travel and history, the rare words peppered in are a real treat. Steven weaves in the past lives into the present plot to show the reader consequences to potential solutions, rather than telling them. This kept my brain very engaged at guessing and then learning of the consequences my ideas would have had. I generally cannot get over how well chosen the locations and plot lines of the past lives are! This book is truly hard to put down, especially with the delicately crafted plot, leading to several full-circle moments you won't see coming.

There is a little YA-appropriate steaminess and some violence and descriptions of blood etc. but they are sparse and not off-putting.

As a study on the nature of love, suffering and free will, this book is a feat of nature and the ending is beautifully tied together. I hope you can let it sweep you away!

💬: "If a hero is someone who will give up love to save the world, then a villain is the reverse. Someone who will give up the world to save love."

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

I loved Laura Steven's books The Exact Opposite of Okay and A Girl Called Shameless when they came out several years ago, but hadn't read anything else from her up until this point.

When I saw this up on NetGalley, I was immediately drawn in by the gorgeous cover and the premise, so knew I had to read it.

💜 What I liked about it 💜
✨️ The writing is beautiful and mesmerising. I highlighted so many sentences and passages as I was reading, because I didn't want to forget a single thing
✨️ Everything about Arden and Evelyn's complicated, wonderful and heart-wrenching relationship - the tension, the yearning, the love and the hatred. It was all so compelling and damn near broke my heart
✨️ It was fun getting to see Evelyn and Arden across the centuries, finding out what their lives were like back then and how they'd inevitably meet each other. It really felt like a lot of thought and research went into the book
✨️ The story kept me on the edge of my seat. I was desperate to find out how the pair's story would end and also for Evelyn to unravel the secrets Arden was keeping from them
✨️ This book explores some really complex themes like love, fate, souls, humanity and reincarnation which was fascinating

For fans of:

🔮 YA romantasy
💕Enemies to lovers
🏳️‍🌈 Queer characters
🤔 Themes of identity

💫 Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read an early eARC of this book.
Beautiful, and hauntingly romantic! I just couldn't put it down and read this in one evening. I don't have much to say that won't spoil the plot but everyone needs to read this immediately!

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for the eARC of Our Infinite Fates

I absolutely loved this novel, as I started reading I was gripped by the intrigue of the developments of this novel. The chapters set in the present and then the flash backs to the past, which spanned different years had me hooked, as I sit writing this review I do so wondering how do I review this book without spoiling any aspect of it... The answer is I don't know and hopefully I'll be vague enough that I won't. I've never read a book with this concept before and Laura Steven really did execute it amazingly, I loved the characters Arden and Evelyn, Branwen and Dylan, to name a few and I loved how the storyline adapted through the years and that revelation towards the end and not forgetting the actual ending! Our Infinite Fates is one emotional rollercoaster, the writing is superb and really hooks you into the story. I devoured the pages with an eagerness to find out what was going on and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this novel. Our Infinite Fates is an amazing read, definitely a 5 star of 2025

What an absolutely incredible book! I could not put this down!!!

The intricacies of the characters being reimagined each chapter, their history going further back in time whilst present day was surging forwards. It was absolutely brilliant.

I loved that it felt a little like a historical fiction but because every other chapter the date in time changed it kept you drawn in, like learning little snippets here and there.

The twist at the end I would never have seen coming and I really enjoyed the take on the conclusion.

Arden and Evelyn - Adam and Eve? Did make me think about intertwining souls.

Argh it was just so clever! Loved it and would 100% recommend you read this! I already have it on preorder 🤣

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this incredible book!

Our Infinite Fates was a book that I was highly anticipating, the plot seemed amazing and I couldn't wait to dive in! Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would. Whilst the writing was beautiful I didn't connect to the characters and I felt like a lot of the romance happened off page. It felt like I was being told they were in love but, in my opinion, there wasn't enough of seeing them fall in love. I also felt like the plot was wrapped up in the last 20% and there were not enough hints throughout the book for me to believe what happened in that last section.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you to Penguin for my arc.

Going into this book, I knew I would love it - Laura is one of my favourite authors - and this book didn't disappoint! This is one of my most anticipated reads and it hit the mark!

The last chapter had me sobbing because it was so satisfying to read.

This book has a very ambitious scope. It tellsl the tale of two souls across all of their lifetimes and how they intertwine and I loved reading the relationship between Evelyn and Arden and seeing them interact from one life to the next and all the little parts of them that are the same regardless of the life lived.

I loved how much Evelyn cares for the people in her lives and how much she loves people (despite knowing she will die before she reaches 18).

The structure of the two main plot lines of the book (Evelyn's current life in modern day, and flashbacks to many of her previous lives) was really engaging and I found myself constantly wanting to read more and figure out everything! However, I felt like the book was too short and I could have easily read a 500+ page book that delved into every life they both lead.

I feel like increasing the length would have helped the pacing in the last 20% as so much was covered and I cannot wait to reread it after reading it for the first time.

I really enjoyed reading this book! It’s different from most of the other books I’ve read. It kept me intrigued and hooked all the way through. I loved it!

This was fantastic and such a unique concept. I was hooked from the very beginning. I thought this was very clever with exquisite writing. It’s really obvious that the author put a lot of research in the various time periods throughout this story. One of my most highly anticipated releases for the year and definitely did not disappoint!

This story was so unique and well executed. The writing is poetic and beautiful. The book follows two soulmates who remember each of their past lives, but are forced to kill eachother before their 18th birthday in every one.

Due to each chapter representing a different life and time period, some of the chapters felt a bit repetitive, and lacked some depth. Nethertheless, I felt my heart breaking for the characters in nearly every chapter. Each time period was also written so well, I felt truly transported, I feel like a lot of research went into this book.

And the ending?? I never would have guessed the twist, I actually had to have a break from the book when it was announced to give myself time to understand and process.

Such a unique concept! I loved seeing the world through different centuries and trying to puzzle it all out before the protagonist. Utterly exquisite writing and really pulled at my heart strings.

Oh this is VERY clever, isn't it? The framing, the relationships, the twist... it's easy to see why Our Infinite Fates is popping up on every 'most anticipated' list. I couldn't get enough of the present day timeline - the only reason this is 4 starts rather than 5 is because I so wanted to stay in that POV with them for longer! It's going to be huge, and it deserves to be.

If you love:
- fated love
- starc crossed lovers
- multiple timelines
- love through millenia
Then this is the book for you, I unfortunately found it boring
I liked characters of Arden but eventually it felt dull and did'nt captivate me as I'd hoped. 2.75 stars.

Such a great read. Hooked me straight away. I loved the plot and where it was going, abit of a page turner as I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I loved the romance in it. I also like how the timelines were clear and dated. Thanks for the arc. Also such a beautiful cover

Sounded promising, ended up not being too interesting. Also contained my least favourite trope.

⭐⭐⭐/5

I can totally see how any avid romantasy readers might absolutely adore this. The idea of two souls fated to meet and die in every life is poetic and beautiful. The idea was absolutely amazing and I was so interested to see what the "curse" was but unfortunately had to DNF due to the overuse of probably the most infuriating trope ever made, the "I totally have time to tell you and probably could tell you but just trust me I can't tell you (but will tell you after 300 pages)" trope. I just don't have time for that! If there's a mystery and one person is constantly saying they can't or they're keeping a secret to protect the other person it just throws me and makes me more annoyed than intrigued.

I did like the characters in present day, and found myself less interested in the past lives as I knew where each was going but didn't know why it was going that way.

Maybe if it was slighty more to the point or the relationship actually felt worthwhile I'd have continued but sadly made it to 73% and just couldn't keep going.

Apologies, and can totally see a major audience for this book. But it's just not me. ❤️