Book Review | Our Infinite Fates

Our Infinite Fates

By Laura Steven

Penguin Random House|  2025  |  343 pages

Evelyn – or Branwen Blythe – can remember all her past lives. She can also remember that in every single one, she’s been murdered before her eighteenth birthday.

The problem is that she’s quite fond of the one she’s in now, and more importantly, her sister needs her for bone marrow transplants to stay alive. So now she has to:

1. find the centuries-old enemy who hunts her through each life and destroy them forever

2. figure out exactly why she’s being hunted in the first place,

3. try quite hard not to fall in love with them

…again.

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I am so annoyed that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would. I had high hopes for this book to blow me away as I adored the concept. I had little prior knowledge of this book before I went and pre-ordered it, days before it was due to be released. 

The thing that drew me in the most, I’ll be honest, was actually the beautiful cover. I know, I know. Don’t judge a book by its cover but the book and the marketing for it was gorgeous and so I was super intrigued but then, I read the blurb as well and I was invested.

I felt like it was very slow paced, honestly. It was almost 400 pages but I feel like I didn’t actually start to get any answers to the plot until there were about 100 pages left, maybe? Otherwise, there wasn’t like… a lot going on, I felt. There was the overarching plot which was great but I wish there had been more of that like present day? 

For example, I liked the twist in why Arden came after Evelyn in every lifetime and I loved the reasoning when we finally found out but it just felt all very rushed in that section. I enjoyed learning about the backstory and the truth behind why they were shackled to this constant repetition. And, I was going to say it was quick on how they dealt with the resolution but actually, when I think of it now, it wasn’t because really, there wasn’t an end as such but a change… which still felt bittersweet but I actually liked that. I liked how it wasn’t a flat out solution to this thousand year deal they had wound up involved in. 

And, I didn’t dislike this book but for me, the vibe just wasn’t there like I thought it would be. I thought I would come out of this read giving the book 5 stars but I just… wasn’t as moved by it. I have seen others read this and come away with a completely different perspective but for me, I just… wasn’t, which is super disappointing. 

I loved different parts of the book. I loved the characters; I loved Arden’s secrecy and his hesitation to tell Evelyn truths that would no doubt hurt her deeply. I loved that he is depicted as a tortured poet who is clearly in pain from their lifetimes and what he has been forced to do over and over again. I loved Evelyn and her positive vibes, despite some home truths about her later. I really loved her dedication to her sister and trying to save her, even if it meant she wouldn’t live life with her in the aftermath.

I adored their love story and how in every lifetime, even if by fate, they found each other and were almost like one being in some of them. Despite circumstances, they were beloved by one another in every single lifetime.

That was something else I really enjoyed - the timelines. I loved the back and forth and an insight into their past selves and the different aspects of their relationship depending on the point in time they were at. I was also very happy to learn where it all originated but again, I do wish that had been given earlier in the story rather than right at the end although, that is possibly a personal preference. 

But, I really loved the throwbacks and those specific times and places. I love that it wasn’t just a look into recent history; it was super early too. It felt really varied and I loved that, rather than it just being the previous 50 years or something like no… the time frame was delved into and I was a big fan of that. Personally, I would have loved to see Japan after they briefly talked about it. I’d honestly just love another book of all their mentioned lifetimes haha because they left me waiting to see the next time period!

I wish we had seen more of a certain creepy ass character. I want to keep this review as spoiler free as possible so I won’t name her but you know the one, if you’ve read it. She is in a certain realm and I really wish we had seen more of her. She didn’t really give me as much of an ominous vibe as I feel like she should have. And I feel it’s because we only met her for a short time?

There is like a flash of her in the Trenches but I really wanted to know more about her and I just felt the ending in that way was quite rushed? 

I don’t know, my main gripe was the fact I didn’t feel like the story went anywhere really until I was like 80% in and I think that was probably why I took quite a while to finish it? There was nothing for the majority of the book that had me desperate to go back and pick it up? Like there was nothing that made me desperate to go back to the book until I got closer to their 18th birthday in the current timeline.

In conclusion, altogether the book was alright and it was still an interesting read but overall, I found it… lacking. Or at least, I expected more from it. What I expected, I am not sure but I just didn’t really get sucked into it and it didn’t really leave me wanting more or anything you know? 

The very end pages had me smiling obviously but otherwise, the complete book… It probably isn’t one that I would rush to reread anytime soon which is a real shame because I was so excited for this book and it just… didn’t hit for me. 

I know others found it amazing and so, it’s defo just a me thing and I would still recommend people to read it for themselves since everyone is different. 

Either way, thanks for the journey, Our Infinite Fates! 💗