Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lisa_m 's review for:
Our Infinite Fates
by Laura Steven
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I have been excited to read this book since before it came out. Because of this my expectations where automatically high as well.
Luckily it gave me a lot of things I absolutely adore!
1. I love both our protagonists so much! Even though we only get Evelyns POV they are both very flushed out characters with a lot of charm to them. Their love-hate pulled me in and I couldn't stop reading because I just wanted to learn more about them. Arden was such a good love interest!
2.I also loved the fluidity of gender in both our protagonists. It could have been confusing with all the time jumps but since the POV stayed the same it wasn't. And it strengthened the premise of them loveing each other in every lifetime, no matter in what body, from what family or in which country. Talk about soulmates!
3.Even though a big part of the conflict is miscommunication (which usually annoys me a lot) it didn't bother me here. I can't exactly pinpoint why though.
4.I loved getting glimpses of all the different times and countries they lived in. I love time-jumps in stories if done right and without being confusing to the reader and it was definitely done well here.
5.I loved Evelyns current family. Her sister and mother had so much character even though they only show up on the periphery. They feel like real human beings with flaws and character and not just plot devices support / elevate the main character.
So now you may ask yourself "But Lisa, why if you loved this story so much did you not give it 5 stars?"
Well dear imaginary reader of my reviews, I really thought I was going to! For about the first 350 pages of this 400 page book I was convinced this would be a 5 star read. Unfortunately the ending left me a bit unsatisfied. It was not predictable, I'll say that much, and it was definitely unique. The issues I had are:
Throughout the book Arden struggles so much with what he has to do. Making him entirely innocent broke my heart in a bad way because it automatically makes Evelyn the bad guy. Yes they're selfless and likeable generally but everything they put Arden through is just horrible. The way she treated him, always blaming him even though he's in this mess because of her? It made me like her a bit less (even though it's not her fault!)
Also the ending being once again mainly Evelyns choice made me mad. Arden sacrificed SO MUCH. All just for this love. And Evelyn can just stand there and not only call him a villain for it but actively refuse to let him keep it?
Also the whole "final battle/ facing the villain" part of the story was one of the most uninteresting bits which is sad.
The 'Mother' was not built up enough and even though the bond Evelyn felt towards her was very interesting it's not a great sign if the big villain of the story is the least detailed character in the entire book. All the information is just dropped on you and then they talk for a bit and she's defeated almost by accident/ by her own mistake/idea? Not exactly satisfying.
I also don't know what exactly I'm supposed to take away from the story about how Evelyn became a devil except that it is completely her own fault and selfishness that started all this? (And of course her live but still).
I much preferred the idea of her just being born this way and not wanting it.
Also it kind of makes Arden seem even more like an innocent victim in all this. All the plans were made while he was dead, being tortured or not having all the information.
I really wish I liked the ending more because I enjoyed the book so much! And I love Evelyn and Ardens dynamic. But sadly I might just have to not think about the ending too much in order to continue to enjoy it.
Luckily it gave me a lot of things I absolutely adore!
1. I love both our protagonists so much! Even though we only get Evelyns POV they are both very flushed out characters with a lot of charm to them. Their love-hate pulled me in and I couldn't stop reading because I just wanted to learn more about them. Arden was such a good love interest!
2.
3.
4.
5.
So now you may ask yourself "But Lisa, why if you loved this story so much did you not give it 5 stars?"
Well dear imaginary reader of my reviews, I really thought I was going to! For about the first 350 pages of this 400 page book I was convinced this would be a 5 star read. Unfortunately the ending left me a bit unsatisfied. It was not predictable, I'll say that much, and it was definitely unique. The issues I had are:
Also the ending being once again mainly Evelyns choice made me mad. Arden sacrificed SO MUCH. All just for this love. And Evelyn can just stand there and not only call him a villain for it but actively refuse to let him keep it?
Also the whole "final battle/ facing the villain" part of the story was one of the most uninteresting bits which is sad.
The 'Mother' was not built up enough and even though the bond Evelyn felt towards her was very interesting it's not a great sign if the big villain of the story is the least detailed character in the entire book. All the information is just dropped on you and then they talk for a bit and she's defeated almost by accident/ by her own mistake/idea? Not exactly satisfying.
I also don't know what exactly I'm supposed to take away from the story about how Evelyn became a devil except that it is completely her own fault and selfishness that started all this? (And of course her live but still).
I much preferred the idea of her just being born this way and not wanting it.
Also it kind of makes Arden seem even more like an innocent victim in all this. All the plans were made while he was dead, being tortured or not having all the information.
I really wish I liked the ending more because I enjoyed the book so much! And I love Evelyn and Ardens dynamic. But sadly I might just have to not think about the ending too much in order to continue to enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Grief, Murder