This is book 2 in the Stealing Infinity series. Natasha is a time traveler. She and her friends travel through time finding pieces of the puzzle that they are trying to solve. Can they solve the puzzle, or will this travelling continue forever?

First let me say (though it feels a little obvious) this is the second book in the series and they should absolutely be read in order! This picks up from the first books cliffhanger, and does not slow down at all!

Truly. This is just really great YA fantasy! I read Alyson’s Immortals series back when I was in high school and loved it. Naturally, this new series was on my radar. I actually think that I might like this new series even more though! I don’t read as much YA as I used to, but the art, magic, and tarot just works for me and I’ve been sucked into this completely! The plot and relationships really amp up in book 2, the mysteries get darker and deeper and I can’t wait for the next to see how everything turns out!

Natasha continues to try to solve the mysteries of Gray Wolf and determine how they connect to her father. As she proceeds with the quest to restore the Antikythera Mechanism, she discovers that it may be linked to her ability to see through time. And what she learns is not just dangerous for her but for everyone and everything.

The book starts with an interesting prologue, somewhere in the past with a dead body, and... the intrigue sparks to life and accompanies you through the narrative. A narrative with a the-reader-is-my-confidant attitude. Even though it is 1st person POV, it remains insightful when it comes to the rest of the characters and you get a feel for them and all that is happening.

The mythology continues to impress, as do the worldbuilding and the puzzles which are as engaging as ever. There is much fun to be had reading about the time-traveling trips and they are genuinely exhilarating. The unfurling of the plot is enticing and the pacing is good. Generally, I like the protagonist's thought process, not only for the puzzle-solving but for the clarification of truths, events and her feelings.

There were some minor tweaks, in my opinion, needed to make the book as perfect as it can be: some scenes seem to be missing bits and others dragged a little (one fight on a trip I thought would never end), while other things I wish were explained more, but at least less of Natasha's musings are as repetitive this time around.

Utterly surprising and certainly cinematic, this sequel amps up the stakes and makes us excited for the next installment.

Ruling Destiny is the action-packed, angst-filled sequel in the Stealing Infiinity series. All of the amazing characters from book one are back. I particularly enjoyed getting to know Braxton and Killian better. The world building continued to be excellent and the timetravel was handled very nicely. Ruling Destiny picks up where Stealing Infinity ends with Natasha dealing with the aftermath of the Duke's attack, while simultaneously attempting to start a relationship with Braxton and mending her friendship with Mason. Ruling Destiny is full of secrets, lies, and betrayals; the reader has no idea who to trust throughout the entire book. I found myself cheering for different characters at various points throughout the novel. I enjoyed Ruling Destiny as much as, if not more than, Stealing Infinity. It is an absolute fantastic sequel! I highly, highly recommend this series. I love the characters, the world, and the timetravel. It is so difficult for an author to get timetravel right and Alyson Noel absolutely does!

I enjoyed this follow-up to Stealing Infinity, but I have to be honest (of course).

This one was a little confusing to me. There was a LOT going on, and I found myself lost a couple times. I did enjoy all the references to art, and I liked the character development, particularly with Nat and Braxton. But there were still a couple times with Nat that I just wanted to shake her and ask WTF ARE YOU DOING?!?!?

Overall, I enjoyed it, and I will read the next one.

NOTE: If you have not read the first book in this series, there may be some spoilers in this review.
Having read the first book in this series, I was anxious to get my hands on the second one to see where the story would lead. We are thrown back into the world of time travel with the characters we have come to know: Natasha, Braxton, Kilian, Mason, Arthur. As we found in book one, Arthur is still looking for his pieces to build his machine.
Natasha travels and finds what she needs but becomes increasingly suspicious of what exactly this machine will do.
Killian and Braxton still battle for Tasha's attention, and we are not sure who we can trust and who we cannot. Both holding secrets back from her.
The story is intriguing but once again we're given a lot of tarot card information which I just cannot seem to grasp (maybe it's me?). I feel like this particular plot point is very hard to follow. I also feel there are plot holes, which often happens in time travel books because of the nature of the way they need to be written.
The relationship between Natasha and Braxton and Killian is fairly tense. It's up in the air who she will end up with, for sure.
I still enjoy the time travel element. The descriptions of the clothing in the time periods are spot on.
There is definitely more mystery and tension in this book than there was in the first book. And the darkness of the Grey Wolf continues to intrigue me.
This book definitely tied up a few of the pervious book's loose ends while also introducing new areas of mystery,
Of course the cliff hanger ending has me wanting the third book now.

I appreciated going back into this unique world that Noël has created and the writing style definitely reminded me of her previous books that I read when I was a teenager. I wasn’t really a fan of the love triangle that was written into this book and wish that it wasn’t included. The last twist does still have been intrigued to read book two though.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you to Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Teen and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this novel.

Ruling Destiny is the second book of the Stealing Infinity Series, which follows Natasha, who is slowly uncovering the secrets of the Grey Wolf Academy and why she is there. Trying to deal with her emerging romance with Braxton, she is still intrigued by the charismatic Killian. She and her colleagues are able to take "Trips" into the past to seemingly steal expensive jewelry and pieces of art, but the main benefactor, Arthur, has additional plans for Natasha.

Ruling Destiny is an entertaining book, much like the first novel, Stealing Infinity. This book uncovers more about her past and her destiny. It's well written and seems fairly unique. I wish Noel fleshes out Natasha's relationship with her friend Macon, but I hope it's covered in the next one - looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

Really enjoyed this solid second entry of the 'Stolen Beauty' series. Author Alyson Noel gives readers more of everything that made 'Stealing Infinity' great: more action, more mysteries and secrets, more art and tarot puzzles to decode, and more romantic tension between our main character and her two love interests. I'm excited to continue the story, when will book 3 be released?

#RulingDestiny #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

Ruling Destiny amps up the tripping, the art, the secrets, and even the spice and I adored this second installment in this gorgeously imaginative series.

A lot of times with book series the second book can become the “filler” however, with Ruling Destiny I think I actually liked it even more than Stealing Infinity which is so rare for me. Alyson Noel really dives head first into the adventure and suspense in this one while still moving the story forward.

It is also hard not to spoil anything for the series as a whole, so I’ll tread lightly here but my heart breaks for Braxton in this. I’m not 100% sure why since every character has their own share of lies and secrets, but I felt like Braxton’s heart constantly got trampled on and I adore him and all the pieces we see of him.

Tasha is still trying to figure everything out in this installment between the boys, Arthur, Elodie, friendships, Song… there are just so many secrets and deceptions to wade through. However, we do get a lot more insight to some secrets and witness some beautiful time traveling. I am definitely excited to see where the third book goes.

This book continues a bit after the first book with Natasha needing to find the next piece to continue building the device for Arthur. Except now, Natasha is beginning to question a lot of things, especially those she works with, and has to figure out who she can trust and whether she should be finding these items to help Arthur or not.

I have such mixed feelings with this series. I LOVE the concept and the story idea. I love the time travel, the heists, and the odd sort of found family in this series. My biggest issue is with the characters, specifically Natasha.

In the first book, I did not like Natasha because she never questioned anything. She would ask the wrong questions and just go along with everything. She never thought "hey this is probably not a good idea". In this sequel, she's the same, only a bit worse, because she FINALLY starts to ask the right questions and questions everything, but she still just goes along with everything despite feeling unsure, and super paranoid. She starts to just look at everyone and everything with suspicion, and yet still just won't do anything about it. Like with Braxton, that just frustrated me so much. I mean clearly there are secrets everyone has, and yet she demands none of them, just says "okay it's fine", when it's really not!

My other issue with this sequel is that there was such a missed opportunity for a twist with a new character in here that could have happened. It would have made the series and story soooo much more interesting and exciting! And I am not one for love triangles, but seriously, I was all for it. Not to mention an awesome redemption arc.

Overall, it is well written, and I love visiting the past and time traveling through this book. I am curious to know how it ends, and so I do plan on reading the next book and see if maybe Natasha improves.

I received a free digital copy to read. Thank you to NetGalley, and the publishers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ruling Destiny is the second book in the Stolen Beauty series and picks up right where Stealing Destiny left off. I loved everything about this book and finished it in less than a day. I couldn't stop reading! The world that the author has built is captivating to me along with the history, time travel, numerology and tarot references. Natasha is determined to uncover secrets and lies and make sense of things while deciding who she can and cannot trust. This book has many layers, and I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say it was such a satisfying second book and I cannot wait for the third book.

While I really enjoy this series thus far, this sequel just fell a little flat for me. It didn't feel like a whole lot actually happened, especially compared to the first book. And the tropes in this one were some of my least favorite; love triangle and miscommunication.

We do get a lot of plot twists and more character development, which is great! I love to see these characters interact and build more intricate relationships. We're left on another cliffhanger, and I am looking forward to the next one.

I was unaware that this was a sequel. I tried to read it but because I haven't read the first one yet I was lost. I will be going to read the first one then this one and will update.

I received an E-Arc by the publisher and Netgalley for an honest review.


This second book picks up from the first book. What will happen next?

Natasha tries to focus on simple things but that does not happen. One thing after another and yet she realizes there are agendas everywhere. What is the truth? What is the lie? Who has what secret? Will Natasha be able to figure it all out? Who’s her enemy and who is her truth? I liked how she had to figure things out. It made the story interesting.

I loved the history and time traveling and magic aspects of the story!! It was so intriguing to me. The tarot cards were a nice touch. It felt like a puzzle. Twists and turns!

There is a triangle love interest here which I could see coming. I don’t mind them once in a while. I enjoyed both Braxton and Killian but while reading you have to be thinking one of them is a villain right? You gotta read the book to find out. I liked both characters but I think I leaned towards more to Killian. I blame the accent!

So if you are looking for mysteries, drama, time traveling..then this book is the one to read. You should probably read the first book “Stealing Infinity” then this one! The book comes out June 6, 2023!

Psstt…aren’t the covers pretty though??

This is book 2 in a YA fantasy time travel series. You need to read book 1 first as it is not a stand alone.
I love this series! This book has Tasha caught in a love triangle between Braxton and Killian while she time travels to Renaissance Italy to find the “moon”.
There is mystery and suspense plus the added historical world building. I like historical fantasies because it puts a creative spin on history. A few mysteries from the first book are revealed, but there is still more to solve as it does end in a cliffhanger. I like how Tasha doesn’t know who to trust: Braxton or Killian. It will keep you guessing until the very end.
I can’t wait for the third book!

Thank you Entangled Teen for the ARC! ⌛️🖼️🌕

Ruling Destiny is the second installment from the thrilling saga Stolen Beauty by Alyson Noel.
It continues right where we left in Stealing Infinity and continues with answering plenty of questions from book 1 but only to surprise you with more twists and turns and fresh set of questions, keeping you on your toes.
As Natasha continues her life in Gray Wolf Academy and tries to build for herself some kind of normalcy, she soon realizes that everything and everyone around her is built on lies and secrets and there's no such thing as true connection in this place… even she is forced to keep a few under her sleeve.
Determined to seek answers and unravel the truth, entering the whirlpool of deceit and lies is her only choice, with the hope she'll manage to sift through them and gather the bits and pieces that'll allow her to see clearly.
I love Natasha's character arc through book 1 and 2 – she went through all the phases' of denial, rebellion,grief, acceptance at the end of book one and the beginning of book 2, and finally, she got out of her accepting slumber and started to question more and starting to play her game and act to get what she's seeking.
Killian, to be honest, was the most intriguing character for me since book one and continued that trend thought book 2. His poker face, his accent, and bravado, combined with a sharp and observant mind that gives nothing away. And that makes the blink it, and you miss it moments his mask is off, only for Natasha all the more strong and emotional.
And also in my opinion he is the main catalyst,the spark that makes Natasha get out of her slumber/defeated state since the end of book one and start questioning the things around her and start seaking answers.He is a good influence to her in a weird way too ,ushering her to start living and not merely existing. Moreover, he is more upfront with her in comparrison to Braxton.
As to Braxton, I love that Ruling Destiny gave us more understanding of his internal struggle and turmoil but also why he is the character we see.
Ruling Destiny gripped me even more than Stealing Infinity and after that amazing ending I'm at the edge of my seat to continue the journey in the next book of this wonderful series.

So even though I had a couple of issues with book 1, I wanted to continue with the series. Natasha was too much for the bulk of Stealing Infinity, but she calmed down and became a likable character. Well, now we’ve backslid. Any character growth she may have had is gone, and she’s back to being impulsive, to being a right pill, and though I made it to roughly 60%, it is here that I bail.

There was no lead in to this book at all. You’re just supposed to remember exactly what happened a year ago in book 1. There are a few reminders further in, but it does the reader a disservice to just jump right into a story, which doesn’t work unless a reader finds the series for the first time after it’s finished.

We’re also back to the “Braxton is doing or saying something sketchy, but we’re going to ignore it, because I love him and kittens and rainbows,” or whatever. And he's so utterly boring, it feels like he's an afterthought in the plot of the Natasha and Killian will they won't they. Finally, far too many chapters end on something important or something of note, only to be a forgotten vein of story where the next chapter has nothing to do with the way the previous chapter ended. This is so confusing, and I don’t understand any of it, so I’m calling it a day.

Rarely have I ever read a book that has made me second guess myself as much as this one. This captivating sequel to Stealing Infinity left the main character as confused on who to trust as I was.

Some absolute bombshells dropped. New enemies. Unexpected friendships. Adventures to great and terrible places and times. Natasha really is an utter baddie in this book.

Caution: this book may have you DMing @alyson_noel to yell at her about you never being able to emotionally recover from this book. Or is that just me?

Either way, preorder your copy today because it comes out soon and you need it!

Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book!

I have scheduled promotional posts around release day for this book and I will provide a full review on my Instagram once I am able to get to this read.

Rating 5 stars on Netgalley as a placeholder for me to update later once the review is complete.

Will also complete a review on Goodreads once read.

Thanks again!