#Laura Steven

[bones-clouds]

books i read in 2024:

"the society for soulless girls"

laura steven

“this girl who was soft at heart, who was both the vast, dark woods and the glorious light of a full moon, who was angry at all the thousand tiny ways she’d been hurt in her life.”

[shxpeshifterr]

[inspiredbyabook]

read in 2025 ↝ our infinite fates by laura steven

i love you, and i have loved you, and i will love you

[bookshelvesandtealeaves]

🎉 HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY 🎉

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What’s a book you’re excited to read?

[instagram]

Thank you SO MUCH to Penguin Australia for sending me an advanced copy of this one. All thoughts are my own.

I absolutely adored this book. This is definitely Laura Steven’s best work to date. I was absolutely captivated from the start.

This story is expertly woven, telling a present-day story while breaking it up with chapters from their previous lives, all the ways they’ve lived and loved and lost before. The picture I got of Evelyn and Arden and everything they had endured felt so full and vivid and it made my heart ache.

I thought the exploration of gender was really interesting. The way Evelyn didn’t feel more “right” as any gender, whereas Arden felt more comfortable in male bodies in a way he couldn’t properly explain was just…a really great thing to include. The way their love transcended gender was a beautiful touch, too.

I didn’t anticipate the why of it all being what it was, and the climax had me on the edge of my seat. And that final chapter made me so emotional.

There were so many chapters from past lives that I would have loved to have spent an entire book in. There’s so much feeling in such a short space of time, and I want more, more, more.

I’m going to be thinking about this one for a long time.

[chaoticmiserablelover]

While I can't blame people for trying to market new releases, I would very much like to see them stop the comparison of every book with an academic setting to TSH. They truly are doing themselves a disservice since a lot of people will find the author making the comparison pretentious, or they will be overly critical because of that. And most importantly, people just get disappointed in the end when the tone of the book is completely different or it doesn't follow a similar storyline. 

Books about academia can exist without being compared to The Secret History and be just as good as TSH. 

This has been bothering me since I started to read more "dark academia" books. It just saddens me since, in the end, the most talked-about part is that the book is like TSH, which mostly ends up not being true, while the people who would like the premise probably miss it. 

I understand that comparisons are helpful, but at this point, I believe they're overdone.

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

Soaking in the quiet moments while I can 🥰

(The hospital suitcase is packed and ready to go in the corner just in case baby girl decides to make her entrance early!)

[razreads]

It’s impossible to have bravery without fear. Bravery is picking up the fear and carrying it alongside you, rather than allowing it to block the path.

Laura Steven, Our Infinite Fates

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Our Infinite Fates: A Novel

By Laura Steven.

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: Queer Dark Academia

For even more recs for dark academia fans, check out this post of Queer YA for Dark Academia Lovers. (Shopping links are affiliate; using them earns a small percentage of income for the site.) Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven (Bks) All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters (Bks) Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo (Bks) The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton (Bks) These Violent Delights by…

[phantomdialogue]

˗ˏˋ. ݁₊ ✶ ˖ 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 - 𝟓/𝟓 ☆ . ݁ ˖ˎˊ˗

Premise: Evelyn remembers all her past lives. She also remembers that in every single one, she’s been murdered before her eighteenth birthday by Arden, a supernatural being whose soul―and survival―is tethered to hers.

Couple: Arden and Evelyn

Tropes: nonlinear narritve and fated souls (everything else you get to find out on your own - it's worth going in blind)

Content Warnings: abuse, child loss, death, grief, murder, violence, and war violence

Review Below!

Review:

I have never been quite at a loss of words as I have been in the time since finishing this book. Never in a million years could I have correctly guessed what the “twist” or really just the reality of this book would be but it has to be one of the most shocking and well-done things I’ve ever read. I’ve seen people say that this book really can’t be considered a romance or a fantasy book because those labels don’t do it justice and they are completely right. This book transcends so much of what the genres are and just truly tore me into several pieces.

Evelyn and Arden are such amazing, complex, heart-wrenching characters and I truly connected with them both almost immediately. This book had me crying already on page 32 and then continued to consistently break my heart and make me cry more from that moment on. The back and forth between their current life and their previous ones is so well done and it really slowly pieces together their history while building on the present in probably my favorite use of the non-linear narrative ever. If I had to be nit-picky, and truly have that nitpick just be based on my “usual” taste in books, I wish the ending had been different. But at the very same time, I love the ending as it is. It feels realistic for the world that has been built and it made me sob profusely. 

I don’t really have any words to describe how this book made and makes me feel but I know for certain that I will be looking in Laura Steven’s other works especially within the fantasy genre. Her world building was truly phenomenal in this book and I can only imagine how she can create other breathtaking worlds just like she did with this one. I highly recommend this book but I do recommend bringing a box of tissues with you.

My Ratings:

Characters - 5 ☆ - change and grow, memorable, multilayered, original, unforgettable protagonist

Plot - 5 ☆ - addictive, clever plotting, nonlinear narrative, twisty, unpredictable, well-structured

Setting - 5 ☆ - evocative imagery, expansive, harsh, magical, mysterious, unique location

Writing Style - 5 ☆ - beautifully-written, descriptive, original, whimsical tone

Favorite Quotes (some spoilers here, of course, but minimal):

to be updated later (there are far too many)

[musician-not-magician]

🌈June Books🌈

I used 🌈 before the title to indicate LGBTQ+ featured characters within the book. I rated each book from ⭐️ - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. The books are listed in the order that I completed them.

🌈 “Breasts and Eggs” by Mieko Kawakami ⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌈 “The Society for Soulless Girls” by Laura Steven ⭐️

🌈 “Sunbringer” by Hannah Kaner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Princess Bride” by William Goldman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌈 “The Invocations” by Krystal Sutherland ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Dragon Republic” by R.F. Kuang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌈 “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Iliad” by Homer; translation by Emily Wilson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌈 “This is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone ⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌈 “Siren Queen” by Nghi Vo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌈 “Jade City” by Fonda Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[horrorgirlreads]

My top 5 reads of 2023

(I wanted to include all new books as I did a lot of rereads this year)

[shxpeshifterr]

Obsessed!!

[lokasreads]

Wednesday Wrap-Up: March 5th

Hello hello!

I hope everyone's had a better week than I have. The perils of working full-time, taking college classes, and deciding to start a blog. Who would've guessed that stresses you out? ╮(￣▽￣"")╭

Since this is the first week, we won't have a Finished This Week section, but the rest of the format will be the same in the following weeks.

Be sure to check out the links below - two of this week's books are featured in giveaways on Storygraph and/or Goodreads!

Current Reads:

Schroeder by Neal Cassidy (Storygraph | Goodreads) check out either of the links to enter a giveaway for a free copy! A literary thriller/horror with stream-of-consciousness narration, Schroeder takes us along for the titular character's ride of violence through the city. A true antihero, you can't help but empathize with the narrator's astute observations of the world around him and even his thoughts and feelings about himself and the way he's treated, only to be unceremoniously yanked back into reality when he reaches the next stop on his list.

Breaking Generational Silence: A Guide to Disrupt Unhealthy Family Patterns and Heal Inherited Trauma by Nicole Russell-Wharton (Storygraph | Goodreads) another giveaway in Storygraph! A psychology and mental health self-help book, Breaking Generational Silence focuses on the way repressed trauma can affect you generations down the line - and, of course, how to break the cycle. Whether we realize it or not, every family has their own form of generational silence to break, but Russell-Wharton provides a much-needed diverse, intersectional lens to the topic that too often seems to only be discussed by white women.

Up Next:

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven (Storygraph | Goodreads) Yet another YA romance with reincarnated soulmates? Not quite. Evelyn remembers all of her past lives, including falling in love with - and being killed by - a supernatural being named Arden. Desperate to live longer than she ever has before to donate blood marrow to her sister, Evelyn becomes the hunter in this reincarnation, searching for Arden to break the curse and maybe, just maybe, not fall in love this time.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Storygraph | Goodreads) I know, I know, I'm late to the party. A wildly popular YA fantasy with a Netflix adaptation, Shadow and Bone is the beginning of Bardugo's "Grishaverse", with related books that go beyond the Shadow and Bone trilogy. This book follows a Grisha soldier in Ravka's army, gifted (or cursed, depending on who you ask) with magical abilities that could reunite her war-torn country or destroy it altogether. I was introduced to the Grishaverse after reading the Six of Crows duology last month - thank you, as always, Noé for your amazing recommendations - and cannot wait to dig into the book that started it all. And yes, King of Scars is also on my TBR. ¬‿¬

Many thanks to NetGalley, M & S Publishing (Schroeder), Sounds True Publishing (Breaking Generational Silence), and St. Martin's Press (Our Infinite Fates) for the ARCs in exchange for honest reviews.

As always, check out my Linktree to find me on Storygraph, Goodreads, and Instagram.

[bookshelvesandtealeaves]

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[instagram]

Oooh this was a great combination of dark academia, crime thriller and horror. It had so many good elements all working together to create a story that had me absolutely hooked.

The concept was so fascinating. Rituals to split anger from the soul that obviously inevitably go wrong and the hunt for the cure, a strong of mysterious on-campus deaths, midnight hauntings, religious and philosophical motif’s woven throughout. It was all just so interesting.

I really loved the relationship between Alice and Lottie. They were the beating heart of this story and their slow-burn romance honestly had me in a chokehold.

If you’re looking for something dark and twisted but also a little bit sweet, I definitely recommend giving this a go.

[cottonthebutcher]

books I’ve read in 2024

The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

"Anger left to run free is like wildfire, indiscriminate in its destruction. But if you learn to tame it, to position it, to take aim with it? Then it becomes a candle. And what is the candle but one of man’s greatest assets? It warms. It nourishes. It shines a light in the darkest of places, and it illuminates the path forward."