I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

Generally, I’m a little sick of those book descriptions that are “it’s [media] meets [other media]” because every single book seems to have that somewhere in its summary. However, this one is so spot on I have to allow it… Because this book is described as “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue meets This Is How You Lose the Time War” and… yep, that’s it.

In Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven, Evelyn has lived for over a thousand years, all across the world in all sorts of lives, but never past the age of eighteen. Because in each life, a person called Arden arrives, and the two of them kill each other, only to be resurrected somewhere else, as someone else. And always, Evelyn and Arden are inexplicably drawn together, falling in love over and over and over. But Evelyn doesn’t understand why their lives are this way, and Arden refuses to explain. Now, in modern day Wales, Evelyn is fond of her life as Branwen Blythe, and is desperate to save her little sister, who’s dying from cancer and needs a bone marrow transplant. But the operation on Evelyn is scheduled after her impending eighteenth birthday. She is spending each day afraid and paranoid, trying to find out who Arden is in this life, and if this time, she can perhaps live past eighteen at last.

I was intrigued by the description of this book, and I’m happy to say that it lived up to—even exceeded—my expectations. I loved getting to know Evelyn and Arden, throughout their many lives. They’re very compelling characters, with a complex and ever-evolving relationship that was so easy to get invested in, largely because of how mysterious it is. Evelyn’s lack of knowledge contrasted with her certainty that Arden knows the truth of why they’re like this makes for fascinating interactions.

I also really liked how many settings and time periods we got to see through Evelyn’s eyes. As a character who has been reincarnated every seventeen years for centuries, obviously Evelyn has seen and done a lot, on nearly every continent, in a variety of bodies and genders and races. The diversity is fantastic, and the historical elements of these settings seem very well researched. I loved how we got to globetrot across the centuries; it’s something I wanted to see in the upcoming Schwab novel and didn’t, so I loved it here.

And as for the present day timeline, it’s wonderful. Evelyn (currently a girl named Branwen) and her little sister Gracie have such a sweet yet snarky bond, just as siblings close in age often do. They’re so entertaining to read about, even if every scene with Gracie is laced with an undercurrent of stress and urgency due to her cancer diagnosis. It makes it hard to put down the book, as you desperately want to find out if Evelyn will be able to get the bone marrow extraction completed before her own personal doomsday.

And as the story moves forward (with frequent flashbacks to Evelyn’s past lives to give more context and backstory), the mystery unfolds in such an amazing way. There’s one revelation in particular that actually made me say “what?!” out loud, alone in my house. I almost never verbally react to books, so that’s saying something. The final act is an incredible blend of fantastical horror, and marvellous character moments, and while I flew through the pages, I was left satisfied and touched in equal measure.

Because, ultimately, this book is a love story. It’s a very dark tale at times, with some of the flashbacks especially featuring terrible violence and fear. One chapter set in the trenches of WWI, as well as a scene in which Arden and Evelyn are trapped in an asylum, are particularly harrowing and not for younger teen audiences. Older teens and adults will be fine, though. And throughout, the complex love that Evelyn and Arden have for each other carries through.

In the end, I thought I’d like Our Infinite Fates, but I ended up loving it. The characters, the pacing, the flashbacks, the high stakes, and the payoff are all amazing. It’s strange and emotional and magical and dark, and I can’t wait for it to be officially in the world so that I can recommend it to customers at the bookstore!

Our Infinite Fates will be published on March 4th, 2025!