Stealing Infinity
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Date Published: 6/28/22
Author: Alyson Noel
Publisher: RB Media
Narrators: Pete Bradbury and Suzy Jackson
GR: 3.84

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and RB Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: I’ve been kicked out of school and recruited into Gray Wolf Academy—a remote island school completely off the grid. I never should have trusted a face so perfect. It’s a school for time travelers. Tripping, they call it. This place is filled with elaborate costumes and rare artifacts, where every move is strategic and the halls are filled with shadows and secrets. Even though there’s an energy connecting us together, the more secrets he keeps from me, the more it feels like something is pulling us apart.

My Thoughts: While fantasy is generally not my go-to genre, I found this book enjoyable. This book blends a slight mystery, with fantasy (time travel), secrets, a splash of betrayal, while focused on the younger generation. The book moves a good pace with some slow parts, but overall, goes at a good pace. The characters were pretty flushed out, well developed, depth, mystery, and creatively written. The author’s writing style was complex, engaging, and intriguing. I do not believe this book will appeal to all readers, it does have a specific audience, for that specific audience, it will be a fantastic read. There are some hard subjects such as family, attempted sexual assault, and grief. There is a tinge of romance in this novel as well. I do recommend for fantasy readers.

DNF 65%

Before I say anything else about this book, let me state that I really wanted to like it. The concept seemed intriguing and. I can remember enjoying Alyson Noel's books as a teenager. Plus, given the amount of running around that I do on any given day, the audiobook format was appealing.

But try as I might (and believe me, I tried) I just couldn't get into the story. There were moments when I came close, but I could never listen for very long. A half hour in would find me desperately wanting to listen to something else.

That's not to say anything bad about the writing style or even the narration. Both were more than adequate. However, the high school drama got old very quickly. Natasha, the lead, was likeable enough, but I felt like so much of what I listened to was her being everyone else's punching bag. It seemed to stretch on and on., and while I imagine it was leading somewhere, I got tired of waiting.

The other characters failed to make much of an impression. Well, except for Elodie. She was rather annoying as a villain as her main motivation seemed to pettiness. That said, I did found myself wondering if she'd prove to be the actual villain as most of the info designating her as such came from the mouths of others and not her actual actions. That would be an interesting twist.

Given that I'm probably not the target audience for this series, I would advise taking my words with a grain of salt. The high school drama angle may have been tiring for me, but it was undoubtedly a conscious decision on the part of the author and could easily appeal to different readers. I sincerely thank Netgalley for my copy and freely concede that there are a lot of good elements here. Enough that I may even give this a second go in the future.

But for now? Nope, sorry. Life is too short for that.

This was a lot of fun! Nothing revolutionary but a great time. Would highly recommend it to fans of the crave series or passenger by Alexandra bracken

There are a lot of books where a high school student with a “special” something is worked off to save the world. Many of them have a twist, seldom is that twist surprising. This twist was much more original than most. It had all the things you expect in YA. Dramatic main character, love triangle, frenemies, but this book felt more original than most. It also didn’t make you wait to 75% to find out what was going on. This was an enjoyable read!

Thank you NetGalley and Recorded Books for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for gifting me a free ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I’m always a bit hesitant about reading fantasy books via audio, because I tend to lose focus and miss half the plot. However, the fantasy in this one is very light, and it reads a lot more like a contemporary, which made the listening experience a lot of fun.

This book started off strong. I was immediately intrigued by where the story was going, and although I wasn’t the biggest fan of the main character, I thought that the other characters were interesting. The slight mystery aspect of it all was also fun.

That being said, it started to drag on after a while. I feel like nothing really happens in this book, and whenever something did happen, the way it was resolved felt a bit too convenient for my taste. It was also predictable and repetitive, and I feel like some things were added to the plot purely for shock value (and not the good kind – definitely look up trigger warnings).

It probably sounds like I didn’t enjoy this book, but I don’t think it was all bad. To be honest, I really enjoyed the narrator for this one, which made a big difference. Had I read it physically, I don’t think I would have rated it as highly.

It’s not the most complex or unique read, and the teenage drama plays a much bigger role in the story than the plot actually does. My biggest gripe with this was how it ended. It felt like it ended in the middle of the book. Like, I understand that it’s a series so obviously not everything is going to be resolved but there were so. many. plot points. And I feel like we don’t get any answers or conclusions to any of them?

Anyway, I have mixed feelings on this one. Was it fun? Sure. Was it objectively a good book? Probably not. Would I recommend it? I guess? I feel like if you’re looking for an easy read or something to introduce you to the fantasy genre, this might be a good fit.

If you love time travels, this is definitely the book for you. I mean, who wouldn’t love to be able to go to Versailles during its golden times?! Still, it’s very dangerous and Natasha is involved in a plan that is bigger than herself.

I honestly couldn’t connect much with her, when her father leaves she decides to give up and she doesn’t even try to live a better life, when she arrives to the school she keeps saying she wants to go away when it’s clear she has nothing to return to.. it was a bit annoying.

There are so many secrets that still need to be revealed and I’m all in for the love triangle I can suspect will come in the next book!

I listened to the audiobook thanks to NetGalley and I really liked the narrator even if the introduction about numerology was a bit confusing, it would have been better to read it myself to be able to process it.

I thank netgalley and the publishers for giving me an arc for this book but I will not continue reading it.

I know I should put the things I liked up here, but there was truly nothing I liked about it.

I was actually really excited to read this book and the talk at the beginning intrigued me, but it quickly lost me more and more. I've definitely not liked books before and I have not finished books before, but no book in years made me this uninterested and gave me no desire to continue reading it at all. The biggest issue for me is the writing. Even though it was written this year, it FEELS so much like a terrible book from the early two thousands you read for school it's insane.

The story is about a girl who accidentally gets caught up in a special academy run by a billionaire genius that disappeared; she has mysterious powers she doesn't understand or know to control and there's a love interest that feels about as alive as a plank of wood. Her dad also abandoned her and her mom when she was little and he had the same powers as her.
Now think of the most mediocre execution of that premise, and you have this book. There's nothing else. Nothing that makes you want to read.

I actually don't enjoy being this mean about books. I think I can count all the books I've rated lower than four stars on my hands. But there was truly nothing that kept me interested.

I got to listen to the audiobook ARC of this book as well as reading it and the audio is outstanding! The narrators, Suzy Jackson, Pete Bradbury, and Julian Elfer are amazing. They do a fantastic job bringing the characters and the world to life. Each narrator fits really well with the characters they voice and the production of this audiobook is fabulous and good quality.

Loved it! Fantastic 5 star read. Alyson Noel has been one of my favorite authors for quite a while since I read her Immortal series with Ever and Damon. This is the first I've read by her in a while and she's still one of my faves and writes masterpieces.

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:
These days, I’ve been killing it when it comes to letting people down. Now I’ve been kicked out of high school, arrested, and accepted into a remote, off-the-grid school owned and operated by an inscrutable billionaire tech guru.

Gray Wolf Academy is looking for a certain kind of student. Ones that no one will miss. Like me.

Then there’s Braxton. The beautiful, oddly anachronistic guy who showed up right when the trouble started. And he’s a total enigma—which means that I definitely can’t trust him, even if there’s something about him that makes me want to.
They all tell me I have a gift. A very rare gift. And Gray Wolf Academy wants me to learn it. To use it. Because if what they say is true, I have all the time in the world.
And that makes me the most dangerous high school student you’ll never know…

This is for sure a lot like Riverdale meets The Da Vinci Code. Natasha and the students at Graywolf Academy are time travelers who are stealing historical artifacts for their headmaster. Nothing and no one are as they seem. It's hard to know who to trust, what to believe, and what to think about everything after Natasha is caught for a crime she didn't commit and taken away to the Graywolf Academy. There is a lot of mystery, intrigue, sci-fi, and fantasy elements along with the lush historical settings. The romance or romance(s) between Natasha and Braxton and maybe between Killian and Natasha. There are definitely swoon-worthy romances with lots of adventure and action.
The ending was a cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next installment of the series. I need it and I can't wait to read more of this amazing story and find out more about everything. The only thing with content/trigger warnings is that the MC experiences an attempted rape/sexual assault. I would highly recommend this if you love Alyson Noel. Time-traveling, found family trope, swoon-worthy romance, YA, lush settings, art, history, and such. Thanks so much to NetGalley and RB Media/Recorded Books for letting me listen and review this fabulous story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF @ 32%

This just wasn't for me. I struggled a lot with the characters, particularly because we had such a "mean girl" and clique-y vibe. I didn't love the way the other students treated Nat when she arrived at the academy and honestly, I also struggled with Nat herself. I found her to be rather irritating and whiny.

Additionally, I feel like there was supposed to be this layer of suspense and intrigue that just wasn't there for me. Everything that happened in the first portion of the book was pretty predictable.

All that said, I do still think this could be a great read for others so I encourage you to give it a shot.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I really wanted to love this book. The premise behind it sounded so interesting, but when I got into it just seemed a little too.... generic? After the beginning, it just seemed to be a bit too much like every other fantasy-academia book for me. It was by no means bad, but it isn't the kind of book that makes you stay up until 3am to finish reading.

I would like to thank RB Media, Entangled and NetGalley for the copy of this AudioARC and the chance to revisit an author who stole my attention when I first found my love for reading many years ago.

I chose <i>Stealing Infinity</i> for the cover, and I stayed when I realized it was the author of a series I was obsessed with as a teen.

The audio book narrator told the story beautifully, and this intriguing and mysterious fantasy was an adventure from start to finish. The story opened with an introduction to numerology which I actually found fascinating and it was fun to hear how it worked and whether or not I agreed with it's read. It felt like a perfect lighthearted foundation to launch me into this world I was about to meet, because the world was <i>a lot</i>.

In the beginning I felt like I was slogging a bit through the world and character building, and had to repeat multiple chapters to try and grasp what exactly was happening. But, once the story hit its stride it was full speed ahead. The concept of these time travelers who trip through time to steal precious artifacts and artwork was something I hadn't seen before. Most time travel novels I feel like focus on the events, not the items around them.

I could read an entire descriptions into their attire for the periods in which the traveled. The make-over scenes were some of my favorites. I do find myself feeling like Natasha's rise from green to yellow to blue was rushed, I don't think there were any other storylines I could remove to gain more time there.

There were characters I would have loved to see more of (Jago and Song), and ones I could have done a whole lot less with. Looking at you Elodie. Regarding the love interests, Braxton I wanted to love but felt the beginning relationship rushed. And, regarding the ending, I think there is more to that story that will be answered in the sequel as to maybe his own intentions of their relationship.

Killian. Killian on the other hand had me instantly intrigued. He comes off a little less poised and willing to speak his mind and I just need so much more of him. It is hard to believe we only see him in several chapters of this book for how much I enjoyed him and his story line.

Overall I think many aspects to the story were quite obvious, and I wish as the first novel in the series it had a stronger start to keep me engaged, but once you get into the body of the story, it was truly a fun ride that I think many will enjoy. Cannot wait for book two.

Stealing Infinity by Alyson Noel
5/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

I am DEMANDING every YA sci-fi/fantasy lover add this book to their tbr! DEMANDING!

Right from the start, I was completely hooked by a world of time travel and elusive billionaires with secret schools for teenagers no one will miss. We follow Natasha, newest recruit at Gray Wolf Academy, who is struggling to find her way and figure out how she fits in. She's surrounded by people she's not sure she can trust and she knows something weird is going on at this school.

Stealing Infinity is a fast paced read filled with tarot cards, art, philosophical references, alchemy, and the explanation for how they all link together. The way this story is woven together is brilliant and a completely original time traveling idea. I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!

Also...incase you're wondering...my numerology number is a 7.

Stealing Infinity was released June 28th, and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for sharing an arc with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Overall 5/5
Spice 1/5

Time Travel
Urban Low Fantasy
Romance
Upper YA/NA Vibes
Adventure Based
Strong world-building
Set up for Book 2
Narrator differentiated various characters flawlessly
Narrator really embodied FMC
(I wanted more chapters for the male narrators)
Gripping but Needed More (I wished book 2 was out already)

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC audiobook copy of Stealing Infinity by Alyson Noel. The concept and execution of the storyline is flawless and the narration by Suzy Jackson, Pete Bradbury, Julian Elfer was brilliant. With Ms. Jackson narrating the majority of the book. Her style was flawless and captivating, she was able to differentiate characters and weave emotions effortlessly, my only wish was that there had been more chapters for our male narrators to shine on. As the first book in the series, this book is heavy on the world building however I look forward to seeing how these intricate details weave together in book 2.

This had me hooked right away.
I had no idea how anything was going to play out, all the twists kept me engaged and guessing.
I adore the characters and the relationships they’re building through the book.

I can’t believe I have to wait for the next one

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!

This was a very interesting book! A mix of contemporary, time travel, historical fiction, a bit of mystery and romance!

I was so excited and wanted to like this so much. I loved the concept, but it felt like it dragged on and i wasn't invested in the characters.

Unfortunately I will not be able to review this one because I only had it for 3 days before it archived. I will see if my library has it because I actually do want to read it

3.5 stars
This was a very interesting book. I haven't read many time travel books, and this one was quite different than other ones I've read.
I liked the main character Natasha. We kind of get to watch her as she goes from someone no one will miss (which is partly why she is chosen to go to Grey Wolf Academy) to someone she is proud of being and someone who feels like she matters. She becomes determined to be the best she can be. I didn't really like some of the other characters, especially Elody (not sure of the spelling as I listened to the audiobook). She was cruel and manipulative. I was kind of sad to see that Natasha stayed friends with her even though I understood why she did it and was happy that she was able to see through her. I did like Song because she seemed like the only genuine friend and I liked Killian and am really excited to see where his story goes. I didn't really like Braxton a ton and I felt like his relationship with Natasha was strange and a little forced.
The first half of the book felt like it went very slowly and there was a lot of information. I really enjoyed the ending. I was captivated by Natasha's trips to Versailles which were very fast paced and action packed. I wish Natasha had gone on more trips in this book because they were by far my favorite parts. It was very interesting to see why head of Grey Wolf Academy, Arthur wanted these young adults to travel back in time.
There was a big part of the book that had to do with tarot which I don't know anything about. It is explained, but the explanations are lengthy and hard to remember.
There were a lot of loose ends left open at the end of this book that really makes you want to pick up the second book immediately. I'm quite excited to find out which direction the second book takes!

Who doesn’t love a good time travel book! These narrators were fantastic bringing this story to life! I am very intrigued to learn why they are being sent to the past and what will happen next!

Stealing Infinity | Alyson Noël

Master Number 9 was spot on for me ♥️

“ I am Triumphant “

This book started with a lot of numerology and historical information. I loved it, but I am sucker for information.

This story struck me as I was not expecting the storyline to go where it did. It was all my fantasy hearts dreams come true through.

I loved the story and how it all melted into one another. I’m glad I read this after ASOT because they both gave the same feeling.

Minus this was more fast paced and action pacts, with twists of lost in time, as well as people coming back. Plus loads of shady secrets.

All in all i enjoyed this book and the narration was also amazing. I fell for Cillian of course 😅🥰

I’m sad it’s over but brimming with excitement over when the next will be out.