Our Infinite Fates Book Review and Book Summary
Have you ever imagined a love story spanning centuries, eternally powerful yet tragically doomed? Laura Steven’s Our Infinite Fates delves deeply into this captivating concept, exploring profound questions about love, destiny, reincarnation, and the lengths we go for those we cherish.
An Endless Cycle of Love and Loss
At its core, Our Infinite Fates follows Evelyn, who uniquely remembers all her past lives, each tragically ending before she turns 18—always at the hands of Arden, a supernatural being whose soul is eternally tied to hers. In her current life as Branwen, Evelyn must confront Arden again, determined to survive past her 18th birthday to provide a life-saving bone marrow transplant for her younger sister, Gracie.
Reader Reactions and Reviews
The novel holds an average Goodreads rating of 3.92, with readers frequently praising its unique premise, emotional depth, and exploration of themes such as love, sacrifice, destiny, and identity. Many appreciated the blend of romance tropes like "fated mates" and "enemies-to-lovers," though some found the pacing slow. Readers also highlighted their emotional investment in Evelyn and Arden’s heartbreaking dynamic.
Key Themes Explored
Reincarnation and Fate
The narrative revolves around reincarnation, presenting a powerful cycle of rebirth that deeply impacts Evelyn and Arden’s relationship. Their repeated lifetimes together raise questions about destiny, free will, and the possibility of breaking seemingly inescapable cycles.
Star-Crossed Lovers
Their love story, tragically thwarted across centuries, exemplifies the classic trope of star-crossed lovers, bound together yet perpetually doomed. A profound quote from the book encapsulates this poignantly: "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."
Burden of Memory
A significant aspect of the story is the imbalance in memory between Evelyn and Arden. While Evelyn recalls fragments of her past lives, Arden retains complete memories, creating a complex dynamic filled with secrecy, power struggles, and emotional depth.
Sacrifice and Familial Love
Evelyn’s desperate desire to save her sister, Gracie, battling leukemia, adds a deeply personal and immediate stake to the story. Her love for Gracie intensifies the emotional urgency and depth of her struggle against fate.
Gender Fluidity and Identity
Steven cleverly utilizes reincarnation to explore themes of gender identity and fluidity. Evelyn and Arden’s rebirth into different genders and races across their many lives offers an insightful exploration of identity beyond physical form.
Mystery of the Curse
At the story’s heart is the mystery of the curse binding Evelyn and Arden, propelling the narrative as Evelyn seeks to uncover its origins and potential solutions. This quest adds suspense and depth, driving readers to discover whether the cycle can ever be broken.
Memorable Details and Moments
The narrative alternates between present-day Wales and vivid historical settings, enriching Evelyn and Arden’s story across different time periods, from World War I France to 1930s Algeria. Readers praised Steven’s ability to balance historical richness with emotional intensity, creating a compelling dynamic between the characters.
A particularly powerful quote illustrates their eternal love vividly:
"In the last thousand years, empires have risen and fallen and I have loved you. Plagues have leaped from rat to daughter and I have loved you... and I love you and I have loved you and I will love you."
Final Reflections
Our Infinite Fates is a deeply moving, philosophically engaging novel that thoughtfully examines love's endurance and complexities. Steven's story challenges readers to consider their own views on destiny, sacrifice, and love's transformative power.
As you reflect, ask yourself: If you were in Evelyn’s shoes, carrying the weight of past lives and facing an inevitable heartbreak, would you strive to break the cycle, or cherish every fleeting moment of connection?
Laura Steven's novel offers a beautiful yet haunting exploration of love's boundless strength and the poignant struggle against fate itself.
Want access to the full library of 2,000+ book reviews? Learn about the Pagevity app.
-
Have you ever imagined a love story, you know, that spans a thousand years?
Wow.
Not just like a memory, but like a string of actual lived experiences.
Yeah.
Like a connection so strong, it defies death itself, but is tragically broken time and time again.
That's a really powerful image right there, this idea of a love that's both eternal and tragic.
Yeah, and that's exactly what we're gonna be diving into today.
The book, Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven.
Okay.
It's a young adult fantasy novel, and it asks some really, really fundamental questions about love and destiny and, you know, the links that we go to for the people we care about the most.
Welcome to Pagevity, the podcast that skips the fluff and brings you the good stuff.
Each episode, your AI hosts dive straight into one impactful book, distilling its key insights and powerful ideas into an engaging, concise conversation.
Whether you're a busy reader, lifelong learner, or simply curious, we've got you covered.
Delivering the essentials from great books, one episode at a time.
Settle in, and let's get right to the heart of today's book.
Love and destiny are really kind of universal themes, aren't they?
They really are.
I mean, I think everyone's contemplated those ideas at one point or another.
Yeah.
And this book was just released actually on March 4th, 2025.
Very recent.
So for our listeners out there, if you've ever been captivated by stories where love faces like impossible odds, or you've ever sort of pondered the mysteries of reincarnation or soulmates, then this deep dive is especially for you.
It really is.
Yeah.
And before we get too far into the story, we do want to give a little bit of a heads up that Our Infinite Fates does contain some scenes that depict sexual assault and mentions of suicidal ideation.
Okay.
As well as exploring themes that include death and violence and cancer.
Yeah.
Those can be some pretty sensitive topics for sure.
So we just wanted to give you all a heads up as we explore the book.
Yeah.
I think it's really important to go into these things with a sense of awareness.
And clearly, the book itself is grappling with these darker aspects of this kind of recurring cycle of love and loss.
Exactly.
So it's not shying away from those things.
Yeah.
It's tackling them head on.
Right.
So to give everyone just a quick overview of what Our Infinite Fates is all about, the story centers on Evelyn, who has this really interesting ability to remember all of her past lives.
Oh, wow.
And in each of those lives, she's been murdered before she turns 18.
Oh, no.
By Arden.
Okay.
And Arden is a supernatural being whose soul is actually tethered to hers.
So they're bound together in this really inescapable way.
Yes.
And now in her current life, Evelyn, who's living as Branwen, is determined to make it to her 18th birthday.
Right.
And the reason for this is because her younger sister, Gracie, desperately needs a bone marrow transplant, and Evelyn is really her only hope.
So it's a race against time.
It is.
To save Gracie, Evelyn has to find Arden in this life, figure out why they are connected in this way, and possibly the hardest part of all, try not to fall in love with him all over again.
That is a recipe for disaster, isn't it?
It really is.
To be drawn to someone who ultimately is going to cause you harm.
And it's so interesting because it brings together a very personal and pressing need with this like sweeping centuries-long conflict.
It's like this collision of the immediate and the eternal.
Exactly.
Her personal desire to save her sister is intertwined with this like ancient struggle that she can't escape.
And some readers have found this book really thought-provoking and how it explores really big ideas like love and sacrifice and even the nature of what a soul is.
That's fascinating.
I mean, it makes you wonder, what would you do if you were faced with that kind of situation?
Right.
Knowing that love and death are so closely intertwined for you.
If you enjoy stories that blend like a central romance with these deeper philosophical questions, this might really resonate with you.
Absolutely.
And if any of this sounds intriguing, you can find Our Infinite Fates wherever books are sold.
Great.
Now, let's maybe kind of unpack some of the key principles and themes that are really kind of propelling this story.
Okay.
Sounds good.
One of the foundational ideas, and I think we kind of have to start here, is this principle of the cycle of reincarnation.
Right.
This isn't just like a background, it's like the engine of the whole narrative.
Right.
Evelyn and Arden are locked in this continuous loop of being reborn, and in each lifetime, they are destined, and I do mean destined, to find each other, develop a deep love, and then one of them causes the other's death before they reach the age of 18.
Right.
And this violent end triggers their simultaneous deaths, and then poof, they're reborn.
It makes you think about the nature of free will, doesn't it?
It really does.
Like, is change even possible when the players and the dynamic remain the same lifetime after lifetime?
Exactly.
It's such a brutal but completely fascinating premise.
I know.
It's like you're both rooting for them to break the cycle, but also knowing that it seems almost impossible.
Yeah.
And there's this constant tension between feeling like their story is inevitable, but also holding on to that tiny spark of hope that maybe this time it could be different.
Right.
And this really relentless cycle of rebirth kind of leads us to the next key theme, this idea of star-crossed lovers.
Okay.
The story really digs deep into a love that is just repeatedly thwarted by fate.
Across centuries, across countless different lives, Evelyn and Arden share this profound connection, but they are trapped in this pattern of love and death.
It's heartbreaking.
One Goodreads reviewer put it this way, and I think this really kind of sums it up.
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.
Wow.
That really gets to the heart of their predicament.
It really does.
It's like this impossible situation where your soulmate is also your potential destroyer.
Right.
And what makes this whole dynamic even more complex is this idea of the burden of memory.
Oh yeah, that's a big one.
This is really critical because it creates a power imbalance between Evelyn and Arden.
Right.
Evelyn can remember her past lives, though maybe not perfectly or completely, especially the further back she goes, but Arden remembers everything.
Oh wow.
So he has this like complete knowledge of their history.
He does, which I think raises an interesting question.
Does the book tell us why their memories work differently?
That's a good question.
Does it give Arden an advantage or maybe even a greater burden to carry?
It's really interesting to think about how that might play out.
For Evelyn, it must be incredibly isolating to relive this cycle over and over, feeling like she's missing crucial pieces of the puzzle.
And on top of that, she's also dealing with this very real and present danger to her sister, which leads us to this theme of sacrifice and familial love.
Oh yeah, that's a powerful element in the story.
In her current life, as Branwen, Evelyn's main motivation is her love for her younger sister, Gracie, who's battling leukemia.
Right.
And Evelyn is her only hope for a bone marrow transplant.
So the stakes are so high in this particular lifetime.
They are.
This introduces this incredibly powerful element of familial love and sacrifice, and it's all woven into this already complicated relationship she has with Arden.
Exactly.
It's not just about her own survival.
This time, it's about her sister's survival as well.
And the theme of gender and identity also plays a really fascinating role here, partly because of this whole reincarnation aspect.
What's so cool is how the author uses reincarnation to explore gender fluidity and identity.
As Evelyn and Arden are reborn, they inhabit different physical bodies, sometimes male, sometimes female, different races.
And it really allows the book to delve into what it means to exist in those different forms and how that shapes their understanding of themselves and each other.
Like one review we saw pointed out that Steven is playing with this inherently queer concept of swapping bodies and switching genders, which adds a whole other layer to their connection.
It really broadens the scope of their relationship.
It does.
And I'm curious, did any specific instances stand out to you where their different incarnations really highlighted those complexities?
I don't want to give too much away.
But there are definitely some really powerful moments that explore those themes.
And I think finally we have to talk about this major element that drives the whole story forward.
The mystery of the curse itself.
Yeah.
Why are they trapped in this endless cycle?
Exactly.
Evelyn's quest to uncover the truth behind this curse is what keeps the story moving.
It's like this question mark hanging over every interaction they have.
Right.
Yeah.
Was there an original catalyst that started all of this?
Is there any chance, no matter how small, that it can be broken?
It makes you wonder if they'll ever find the answers they're looking for.
Okay.
So we've laid out some of these really big foundational ideas.
Yeah.
Now, let's dive into some of the more memorable details and examples that bring the story to life.
I love those juicy details.
Right from the start, the opening premise just grabs you.
It says, they've loved each other in a thousand lifetimes.
They've killed each other and every one.
So powerful.
It sets the stage for this epic and tragic love story right away.
It does.
And a lot of reviewers have compared it to a mix of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and This Is How You Lose the Time War.
Oh, interesting.
Which I think sets a certain expectation right.
It does.
For a kind of fantastical time-bending love story with a really unique dynamic.
Yeah, exactly.
And going back to Evelyn's present life as Branwen, her desperation to reach 18 isn't just about escaping fate.
It's about being a bone marrow donor for her sister Gracie.
Right.
That personal stake really heightens the tension.
It does.
You feel the way of what she stands to lose.
The book also does a great job with alternating timelines moving between Evelyn's present day life in Wales and these vivid glimpses into her past lives.
So we see them in different historical periods.
We do.
They're French soldiers in World War I.
They're individuals living in Algeria in the 1930s.
Wow.
So we get to see their relationship play out against all these different backdrops.
Exactly.
And it's not just for historical flavor.
It really adds to the complexity of their relationship.
And the dynamic between Evelyn and Arden is so interesting because it's constantly shifting.
Sometimes Arden is this brutal hunter relentlessly pursuing her.
Right.
But then there are these moments of such profound love and connection between them.
It's like they're both drawn to and terrified of each other.
Exactly.
And even though they have these intense feelings for each other, that tragic outcome always seems to loon.
Like you're constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Exactly.
And one reviewer mentioned how frustrating it was that Evelyn kept asking Arden, why are you doing this?
Oh yeah.
And what did he say?
His response was always this really cryptic, you just have to trust me.
So frustrating.
It is.
And it speaks to this power imbalance we talked about.
Arden holding on to this crucial information.
And keeping Evelyn in the dark.
Exactly.
It's a classic way to build suspense, but it can be really frustrating for both Evelyn and the reader.
Another reviewer mentioned a plot twist that was so surprising, they actually gasped out loud.
Oh wow.
So there are definitely some twists and turns along the way.
It sounds like the author has some surprises up their sleeve.
And the book also explores this idea of love that transcends physical form because Evelyn and Arden are reincarnated into different genders and races.
Right.
It really emphasizes this deeper soul level connection they have.
Like their love isn't limited by superficial attributes.
Exactly.
And just to give you an idea of how the book has been received, the average rating on Goodreads is 3.92.
Okay.
So pretty solid.
Yeah.
Based on what?
Over 6,000 ratings?
And almost 3,000 reviews.
Wow.
So people are definitely talking about it.
They are.
And some of the themes that come up a lot in the reviews are the unique plot, the heartbreaking nature of the story, that frustration with the dynamic between Evelyn and Arden, especially his secrecy.
A lot of people also mentioned the blend of fated mates and enemies to lovers tropes.
Which is a popular combination in fantasy romance.
For sure.
Some people found the pacing a little slow, but many others highlighted the exploration of love's power and the connections that can last across lifetimes.
So it sounds like there's something for everyone in this book.
Yeah, I think so.
And there's this one quote that really seems to capture the essence of the story.
I hope you never lose that bottomless love.
I hope you hold on to what makes you human.
That's beautiful.
It is.
And there's another really powerful quote that I think is worth sharing.
Okay, let's hear it.
In the last thousand years, empires have risen and fallen and I have loved you.
Plagues have leaped from rat to daughter and I have loved you.
Humanity has conquered sea and sky and I have loved you.
Kings have been slain and forests raised and witches burned and gold struck and maps redrawn and fortunes traded and volcanoes erupted and moons landed and cathedrals sculpted and rivers dirtied and masterpieces painted and battlefields bloodied and I love you and I have loved you and I will love you.
Wow, that's a mouthful.
It is, but it really emphasizes the epic scope of their love story.
It's like their love is this one constant against the backdrop of all these huge historical events.
Exactly.
So as we wrap up this deep dive into Our Infinite Fates, we've really explored a story of a thousand year love that's always shadowed by death and a present day race against time fueled by the love between sisters.
It's a story that blends fantasy with really deep personal stakes.
It explores these big themes of destiny and sacrifice and the power of connection.
Exactly.
On that note, we leave you, our listener, with this final thought to chew on.
If you are in Evelyn's shoes carrying the weight of countless past lives and a love that seems doomed, what would be your priority?
Would you try to break the cycle no matter the cost or would you cherish the moments of connection even knowing how it's going to end?
That's a really tough question.
It is.
And this book really makes you think about the nature of love and fate and the resilience of the human spirit.
Exactly.
Thanks so much for joining us on PageEvity today.
You can send feedback and book summary requests to feedback at pageevity.com.
If you enjoyed the conversation, be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
And we'd love it if you could take a moment to leave a review.
It helps others discover the show.
Don't forget to join us next time as we uncover more great insights from another fantastic book.
Until then, keep learning and stay curious.
