Member Reviews
This book was quite a lot of fun. The main female character did bug me a bit in terms of personality, but I do think that the concept itself is awesome. Time traveling thieves, a secret school, and lots of mischief? Yes please.
This book had a slow start for me. I read the first 60% and ended up putting it down for almost a month and then picking it back up. The first half was a lot of info dumping and setting up but the actual heist plot was where I really started to enjoy it.
I’m not crazy about the love triangle set up but I like the idea of time heists and the cast of characters. I am definitely excited to read the next book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Introduction into this world was fascinating. I loved the characters, the plot line and even the pacing of the story. Will definitely be continuing on with this series
This book was a delight - the story is unique and captivating. It actually reminds me of a mix of Atlas Six and The Inheritance Games but throw in time travel. The atmosphere of this book is intriguing, mysterious and thrilling with a bunch of mean girl drama! The characters are interesting, you can't quite make out who you should trust yet and as for the characters we are meant to hate, well... I loved to hate them LOL. The author did an amazing job with how Elodie is portrayed. I can't wait to see how Natasha grows in the next book and to watch her put Elodie in her place! I do like how Nat wasn't perfect in this book - her mistakes and having to accept them makes her more real and relatable to me versus an MC who is amazing at everything out of the gate. Absolutely love the time travel aspect in this book and it is truly unique intertwined with the history, puzzles, tarot and numerology that is incorporated in the story. I can't wait to dive into book 2 to see where this story goes!
CW: sexual assault, bullying, gaslighting, violence, confinement, kidnapping.
A huge thanks to Entangled Teen, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.
OK, for context I started this book on January 1, and i *just* finished it. I just couldn't get into it.
Stealing Infinity follows Natasha as she is tricked into leaving the real world behind and attending Gray Wolf Academy, a place where people learn to time travel and steal things from the past. The entire book was just setting up the fact that Natasha was special in some way that would make her better able to achieve the headmaster's goals in the past than the other students based on some tarot card/numerology that her dad had taught her as a kid. And thats it. That's where the book ends. Maybe the later books in the series will be better, but I thought this entire book could have been a few chapters in an intro to the next book.
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced copy to review.
(arc copy provided in exchange for an honest review. this in no way changes my rating or review.)
3.5 stars
this was definitely a really interesting read, i'm glad i gave it a try!!
the characters were interesting and well-developed, each seemed to have a unique personality (though i honestly couldn't decide whether i liked a single one of those personalities) and the storyline was fascinating. time-travel combined with heists combined with a deep underlying mystery about our MCs missing father... this book definitely kept me hooked.
i will say that sometimes i honestly had no idea what was happening, and i did want to scream at the main character a few times (i swear to god these characters were not as bright as we were supposed to believe). but crazily enough i actually didn't mind the almost-insta-love too much, which is revolutionary! i don't particularly ship them, but i don't hate the romance, which is a point in the author's favour.
definitely interested in seeing where this storyline goes... and while this book did have flaws (why did no-one question her father's sudden disappearance???) i truly enjoyed it.
thank you so much to the author, publisher and netgalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review!!
I did not write or publish a review on this book because my laptop decided it was finally time to stop working altogether. I could not put it down, I love a good thriller with a supernatural feel to it. I have a new laptop now, and plan on reading the book again in order to refresh my memory to get a more detailed review, I wanted to thank you for granting my wish in regards to this book.
I was really excited to start this book; it had all the makings of one I'd really enjoy - hidden worlds, time travel, a magical, academic setting, romance. I was even more intrigued by the numerology / history + facts information at the start of the book. But... by 20% my first impressions were that it felt very juvenile (and I realize this is YA, but it was excessively so for me) and a little bland overall. I was hoping the audiobook would help get me through the rest, but after letting the first 20% settle, I haven't wanted to reach for this again. It's unfortunately another DNF.
Stealing Infinity is the first part in the Stolen Beauty series by Alison Noel. This author has already published some succesfull books. This book has a stunning cover and its synopsis sounds really great. For me this will be the first book I’ve read by this author, but what will I think of it?
The past is ours to take
After letting some people down and getting kicked out of school Natasha gets an invite to an exclusive academy. They are looking for a student that no one will miss, just like her. She is taken to the acedemy by Braxton, who showed up right when her trouble started. She doesn’t really trust him, but when everyone talks about her gift she needs to know more. And Gray Wolf Academy wants her to learn to use it, and she can take all the time in the world. She is the most dangerous student of them all without even knowing it. But what does Gray Wolf Academy want from Natasha? Why is she so dangerous? What is her gift?
This book is a real ride through time. It’s about selfdevelopment but also has some interesting history facts. Natasha is a really strong minded character but also has her own weaknesses which will be put to the test. In addition there are several side characters who are really mysterious.
Alyson Noel has a nice writing style. The pace is really good and the worldbuilding just is awesome. She has managed to make Gray Wolf Academy feel like a home, but also keeping its secrets away. The story is full of twists and it just is really great.
I really loved reading Stealing Infinity and can’t wait to continue reading in Ruling Destiny. Which I started right after reading this part. This was a book has some great elements which I really enjoyed. Therefore I think it really deserves a 4,5 star rating.
Alyson Noel was a new-to-me author with this YA/NA time travel fantasy with romantic elements. I’m not a time travel fan for the most part, but this book came highly recommended, so I wanted to see what the hype was all about. Oh, and fantasy is not my most favorite, either, but it is my 12-year-old daughter’s, so I also wanted to see whether or not this was a story she would enjoy as well. And now you know my motivations for jumping into this new-to-me author’s world.
The first third to half of the book had me hooked by the mysterious aspects that continually built without revealing much. I’m curious by nature, so this tactic alone kept me engaged. I never quite figured out how I felt about any of the characters, main or other. There were times I liked some and hated others. Then it would all flip-flop. So again, curiosity won out, and even when the plot seemed to drag a bit amongst the world-building once Natasha reached Gray Wolf, I was wholly invested and too undecided to walk away from the story. It’s a good thing, too, because had I given up when the pace slowed considerably, I would have missed when it picked up and became even more intriguing and remained so all the way to the conclusion, which is not quite a cliffhanger but lacks any actual resolution.
All things considered, the writing was excellent, the plot was intriguing, and the characters were written in such a way that I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about any of them, which means I can’t stop with book one, so on to book two I go!
NICUnurse’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stealing Infinity was both captivating and confusing and I’m honestly not sure how I feel because I’m left with more questions than answers. it’s a time travel book but I’m still confused on how it all works. Also we start with a look at her dad and how he knows a secret she doesn’t remember about herself and yet by the end of this first book we still don’t fully know what Natasha, our FMC, is. Natasha is actually quite likable and surprisingly grows a lot in this first book. Also there’s now an almost love triangle and so who will she end up with is a mystery. Eloise is a witch and definitely the villain of the book. Other than that we don’t get much of the other characters except that they all seem morally grey, slightly untrustworthy and have horrid backstories.
Still I kept reading and will be picking up the second book because I want my answers haha but I hope she fixes the pacing issue. Sometimes we just got too much description and could have easily moved on with less.
This book had me hooked from the start! It's a fast-paced, YA, dark academia, time traveling mystery with a dash of romance.
With super short chapters and action around every corner, this was such a fun and easy read. I finished it in about 2 sittings!
Natasha is brought to Grey Wolf Academy, where she learns that time travel is real. She also begins to unfold some tucked away family secrets, all while discovering she has a special talent for seeing into the past, and she is the key to unfolding something world changing.
I loved the history and numerology that is entwined into the story. It's truly fascinating. I'm really looking forward to continuing this series!
Thank you to Entangled Teen for sending me a copy of this in exchange for review.
This was such an interesting story! One I haven’t seen in YA in a really long time. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down.
Okay, this book was just plain FUN!!
I absolutely loved the fresh feeling of this adventure… in a bookstore full of similar stories, especially in the YA fantasy genre, this one really stands out!
Stealing Infinity feels a bit like a coming of age story mixed with boarding school/dark academia vibes! Cross that with time travel, numerology, tarot, and a dash of dark secrets and deception! Yes, please!
I thought the pacing was great, I loved the shorter chapters which kept me turning pages so quickly, the characters were diverse, fascinating, and all seemed to have a purpose to further along the story!
The magic I found interesting, but not fully fleshed out yet, I’m definitely interested to see how that changes in book 2!
I also really enjoyed the history and art included! This was clearly well researched and I couldn’t help but look up paintings as I was reading! That made the story feel really interactive!
All in all, it wasn’t a perfect 5⭐️ read for me, but it was a solid 4 and I’m excited to see what’s in store for book 2!
#StealingInfinity:
I just wanted to let y’all know this book has a huge chokehold on me. My initial reaction is Inheritance Games X Caraval. I feel like there’s a strong sense of Caraval in this book. You know the whole “everything is not what it seems” You know any book that has time travel/loop is my jam, and this book adds some awesome magical elements. There’s so much left unsaid that I am begging for that book 2.
I want to know what’s going to happen so badly. I feel like we did leave off on a cliffhanger and I need answers. Did I feel we might have been holding too much back to keep some peoples interest? Absolutely. But I think the allure also has people wanting to tune in to see what happens next with Natasha. I need to know the connection of that tattoos, her dad, and why the heck Elodie sucks so bad.
Overall, a solid read. I’m ready for book 2 and seeing exactly who really is who they say they are.
Thank you @entangledteen for my copy. Stealing Infinity is out now.
While I found this book a bit slow to get into, I was happy to persevere as I liked the idea of the plot. Time travel into the past, the ability to lose oneself in the past and the pressure of finding key items for an enigmatic, rich man tied the whole story (and the start of the series) into something that is an interesting storyline.
Looking forward to reading Book 2.
I very much enjoyed this take on time travel. I liked the fact that the characters were using time travel to steal artwork and other artifact, because why wouldn't you? You can't change history, so why not steal from it instead? I liked the characters and the setting as well. The 'academic' setting was great and the whole plot was very dark and intense. The only thing I wasn't very sure of was how the time travel was done. I think they were using wormholes, but that wasn't made very clear. I am very much looking forward to reading the next installment as there are so many questions yet to be answered.
I really, really wanted to like this more than I did! It had all the boxes that should have made me love it, but it just wasn't working for me, and I'm not sure why! The writing was good, and the plot was at least somewhat interesting, I just don't know.
This was not my favorite. I feel like I'm tired of the take on supernatural academies and the things that happen in them. However the writing and the characters were great, I just think this has been overdone at this point. Overall it was fine. Just not my favorite.
Time - there's never enough.
Timekeeper legacy with gift to see through time. Choices and actions have consequences. Tasked to help achieve greatest ambition.
Fate...Gray Wolf Academy acceptance...Time travel/jumps...Connections...Search for ultimate power...
"Good...bad...change is what you make of it."
"Chance on something brighter, better."
"You can't always control the circumstances you find yourself in, but you can control how you choose to respond."