Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends

by A.D. Sui

This sapphic cli-fi thriller is a love letter to hope in the bleakest of times, combining the multiverse-bending drama of This Is How You Lose the Time War with the cat-and-mouse chase of Killing Eve.

On a near-future Earth devastated by climate change, Dr. Cassandra Barlowe is right where she wants to be: working on an island of floating trash in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, as far away from Dr. Yana Gulsvig as possible. Cas’s research on plastic-dissolving fungi is undervalued and underfunded, thanks to the invention of deleria, a drug that allows glimpses into different timelines. For the average user, it’s a way to view lost loved ones or experience a different life, but it also offers a glimpse into worlds where humanity has solved its many global crises. Now, most science funding is dedicated to trawling these different timelines, searching for a reality with the solution to the climate devastation.

But when Yana — the world’s leading expert on deleria and Cassandra’s ex-lover — is killed in a mysterious explosion in the hub of deleria research, taking the hope of reversing climate change with her, Cas is arrested on charges of domestic terrorism. Cas must delve through timelines to piece together what happened, while watching other versions of herself and Yana live out the life they could have had — happier, more in love. As brutal government agents close in and her addiction to deleria grows, Cas has to make a choice: live in the spiraling branches of reality, seeking closure for Yana’s death until the drug shatters her mind, or live in the now, even if that means embracing her own damaged self and fighting, however hopelessly, for her own future and that of humanity.

Genres: Lesbian, Queer, Science Fiction, LGBT, Fiction, Thriller, Science Fiction Fantasy

312 pages, Paperback

Expected publication October 27, 2026

About the author

A.D. Sui is a Ukrainian-born, internationally raised speculative writer, Nebula winner, and Aurora, and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist. They are the author of The Dragonfly Gambit (2024), The Iron Garden Sutra (2026), and more than two dozen short stories. A failed academic and retired fencer, they spend their days wrangling their two dogs and tending to a myriad of tropical plants. You can find them on most social media platforms as @thesuiway.

Reviews

[Steph.etleslivres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley.


If climate and psychedelics speak to you, then this one’s for you!

Science enthusiasts will be delighted as well. The science in this book revolves mostly around neuroscience. It’s all really digestible, of course, nothing too complicated.

I was so hooked by this book to about 70%, then the end fell flat for me. It dragged for too long and I don’t think I fully grasp everything. I still think it’s a really good book to read as the topics and story are so compelling. I definitely don’t feel like I wasted my time reading this book and would still recommend it highly! Cli-si/sci-fi has a way to my heart, so I might be a little biased. I was sold by the premise and the book did not disappoint on that end.

In this futuristic bleak, gloomy world at the mercy of climate change where acid rain is a constant that threatens to be nonstop, we follow our main character Cass, working on the Patch (Island of trash in the Pacific Ocean). As she receives the last call from her ex Yana, she’s then dragged back to Toronto with potential charges of complicit terrorist attack in destroying TempCog, the academic provider of Revelation, a drug allowing people to see other realities and the biggest hope for the resolution of the climate crisis. As Cass doesn’t believe in the suicide of the dearest person to her, she’ll start her investigation to know what happened.

Chapters are a really good length, which I really love, not too long, not too short, and the writing style is really efficient. All the characters are well developed. We’re fast immersed in the story. For example, even though we know so little of Cass and Yana’s story at the beginning, I could feel every ounce of emotion Cass was living after she received the call. I was as numb and devastated as her. I was therefore invested from the beginning, not only by the unusual place she was living in or the strong action kick-off, but by my feelings for the character and her past life that I don’t even know of.

The relationships are a bit weird in this book bordering on obsession, but that didn’t bother me. Overall it was believable and understandable. Having all female characters was intriguing and refreshing. I also liked the duality between Cass and Yana. We have Cass who is seeing the bad side of corp. and the impending doom looming over humanity. She’s also nonchalant over social norms and the pursuit of greatness. And then we have Yana who’s optimistic, passionate, has high standards and is charismatic.

Cimate awareness is big in this book. I was constantly reminding myself how lucky we are that our planet is still fairly in good condition. Obviously and unfortunately we are rapidly going towards a semblance of this world. It’s so sad to think that we will lose what we take for granted right now. Of course, I already knew, and do my best to have good habits for our planet, but that book made it so much more real in my head and is a good wake up call to have our utmost awareness towards what’s happening right now and what we can do.

Some of the critics/comments I have are the following :

- It’s always raining, people are never seeing the sun, in Toronto at least. It must take a toll on mental health, but people seem to live normally. I would have liked more of a general description of population health. How does it affect people? What are they doing to cope with it? I know Maya in this book represents the hopeless young generation and we can understand more through her, but I would have liked to have a better understanding still.
- I’m not sure I understand the ending fully. Can someone explain to me how Yana knew everything before the end?
- Really strong start and maintained during most of the book with everything new we learn, but a lingering ending. Could cut down at the end and make things clearer, concise. Make it make more sense. I really liked the message about the climate crisis though.
- Did the government agree on the destruction of the map? All this for nothing… Could be conserved and locked away. And surely it is stored elsewhere.

The concept of this book has so much potential! I do think that it could be reworked to become even better. As read in another review, with the good editing, I think this book could go very far.

I will definitely be reading other books by this author as I really liked her writing style, concepts and imagination.

[Sian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends presents an intriguing and timely premise — a futuristic vision of what our world might become if the climate crisis continues unchecked. The novel explores humanity’s tendency to search for perfect solutions in alternate realities rather than confronting the flawed but meaningful lives and relationships right in front of us. Conceptually, this was one of the book’s strongest elements, and it immediately captured my interest.

I appreciated that the story centres predominantly on female characters, which felt refreshing. However, I struggled to fully connect with them. Unlikeable characters can absolutely work when their motivations feel clear and emotionally grounded, but here that depth sometimes felt missing. Cassandra, in particular, came across as somewhat shallow and impulsive, and her love for Yana felt closer to obsession than romance, largely because we are given very little insight into how their relationship actually developed. Maya also leaned heavily into the moody teenager stereotype, despite hints that she was intelligent and witty enough to have been portrayed with more nuance.

The writing style itself is strong and often engaging. That said, parts of the opening leaned heavily into exposition, reading almost like a science textbook as the narrative explained the world’s history and technological background. I found myself wishing the worldbuilding had been revealed more organically through character experience and discovery rather than direct explanation.

Overall, I enjoyed the ambition and ideas behind this novel, but it ultimately missed the mark for me in terms of character development and immersive worldbuilding. A compelling concept and thoughtful themes made it an interesting read, even if it didn’t fully realise its potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Venneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sui is now on my autobuy list after this, The Iron Garden Sutra, and the Dragonfly Gambit. Just go and preorder this now. The two things you need to know about this book going in: 1. There is a drug that allows you to see into alternate universes. 2. Dr. Cassandra Barlowe is working on a plastic eating fungi on the Great Garbage Patch, and Dr. Yana Guslvig is the leading researcher on the aforementioned drug, and they used to be with each other. The story kicks off with Cassandra finding out Yana has died in a suspicious matter, and the novella is her journey using the drug to try and find out what actually happened, while also tormenting herself with other visions of herself and Yana in other timelines, with government agents thrown in as a fun side quest to deal with throughout this. Throw in the fun existential question of "should we invest money in actual practical proposals vs looking to other realities for what their solutions were or weren't", and deciding how to live your life after a major grief inflection point, and you have a hell of a novella. Highly recommended.

[jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and ECW Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ♡

Who let these emotionally constipated, catastrophically intelligent, chronically yearning, morally questionable lesbians into a collapsing climate apocalypse?!

Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends somehow managed to be a mystery, a climate fiction novel, a science fiction thriller, a story about addiction, grief, first love, obsession, guilt, hope, alternate realities, academia, environmental collapse, and women making the most spectacularly awful life choices imaginable...and against all odds, it works. I honestly think it works because beneath all the multiverse theories, the neuroscience, the espionage and the ecological devastation, this is ultimately a story about grief, about the impossible weight of loving someone after they’ve become unreachable, and about all the different versions of your life that exist only inside your head after someone leaves.

Is it crazy that I cried? Because I did. Not the just a single cinematic tear either. I mean the ugly, “why am I crying over fictional lesbians who desperately needed five years of therapy and one honest conversation” kind of crying. I cried because I was sad. I cried because I was hopeful. I cried because I was angry. I cried because there is only one big question this book asks: What if you knew there were countless versions of your life where everything turned out differently and none of them were the one you were living?

One of my absolute favorite things about this novel is that it starts in perhaps the least romantic place imaginable. The middle of the Pacific Ocean, where an island made almost entirely of humanity’s garbage rests called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A place created entirely by human negligence. A monument to convenience and to consumerism. To the centuries we’ve spent convincing ourselves that “away” is an actual place where our problems disappear.

I also don’t think I can talk about this book without talking about where I was reading it from. As someone from the Philippines, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch never felt like some distant dystopian backdrop that existed solely to make the world feel bleaker. Reading about an island built from humanity’s waste while living in a country that has repeatedly been treated as one of the world’s dumping grounds gave this novel an entirely different emotional weight. For decades, wealthier nations have exported waste to countries like mine, often disguising it as recyclable material while quietly shifting the environmental and human cost onto communities that never created the problem in the first place. We’ve seen shipping containers filled with household garbage, electronic waste, plastics, and hazardous materials arrive on our shores under misleading declarations. We’ve watched diplomatic disputes unfold because richer countries assumed Southeast Asia could simply absorb what they no longer wanted. Except trash doesn’t disappear just because it’s shipped elsewhere. Someone still has to live beside it. Someone still has to breathe it, sort through it, bury it, or watch it wash back onto their coastline. Waste colonialism has never simply been about garbage, but about power. It’s about deciding whose land is disposable, whose health is expendable, and whose future is worth sacrificing for someone else’s convenience.

That is what I think this novel understands so well. It never reduces the climate crisis to one cartoonishly evil corporation or a single villain whose defeat magically fixes everything. Instead, it exposes the systems that allow responsibility to be endlessly outsourced. Governments wait for miracle technologies. Institutions wait for someone smarter to come along. Individuals convince themselves that someone else will eventually solve it. Wealthy nations export their waste. Scientists search infinite timelines for a perfect answer while the oceans in this reality continue filling with plastic. The tragedy isn’t simply environmental collapse. It’s humanity’s remarkable ability to convince itself that responsibility always belongs somewhere else.

Reading those chapters as a Filipino, I couldn’t help but think, this isn’t speculative fiction for all of us. Parts of it are already history. Parts of it are already today’s headlines. Parts of it are already home. Maybe those sections resonated with me more because they touched on realities that have shaped my own country, but I honestly believe that’s exactly what great climate fiction should do. It shouldn’t simply ask us to imagine a dying world. It should make us recognize the one we’re already living in.

I’ve seen some readers describe the environmental commentary as preachy, but I never felt that way. To me, it felt deeply human because the book isn’t really lecturing about climate change. It’s examining the psychology behind it. The desire to delay. The temptation to believe that a miracle breakthrough, a technological shortcut, or someone more qualified will eventually save us from having to make difficult choices ourselves. The future this novel imagines doesn’t feel impossibly far away. It feels like tomorrow if we keep convincing ourselves that someone else, somewhere else, in some hypothetical future, will fix everything for us.

And I think that's the novel’s greatest strength. It understands that climate collapse isn’t only about rising temperatures, acid rain, or oceans choked with plastic. It’s psychological, political, even existential. It’s grieving a future before you’ve even had the chance to live it, while still finding the courage to believe that the work is worth doing anyway.

The introduction of deleria is honestly one of the smartest speculative concepts I've read in quite some time. A drug that lets you glimpse alternate realities sounds almost comforting at first. Who wouldn’t want another chance to see someone they’ve lost? Who wouldn’t want to know if somewhere, somehow, another version of themselves made better choices? Fell in love differently. Stayed instead of leaving. Picked up the phone. Said yes instead of no.

But if everyone becomes obsessed with looking at better realities, who’s left to fix this one?

But Deleria genuinely helped people. It genuinely comforted them. But comfort slowly became dependency. Hope became escapism. Curiosity became addiction. Entire governments redirected funding away from solving real-world crises because somewhere out there another reality had already figured it out. Humanity essentially outsourced responsibility to infinite possibilities instead of confronting the consequences of the present. And that doesn’t even sound unrealistic. We’re already experts at procrastinating catastrophes. We already keep treating future generations like unpaid interns cleaning up after centuries of bad decisions.

And of course, Cassandra and Yana. God. These two.

Mentally unstable, emotionally unavailable, professionally accomplished, romantically catastrophic. You name it. These two spent years finding increasingly creative ways to hurt one another while somehow never actually stopping loving each other. I think what made their relationship so compelling wasn’t that it was aspirational. It absolutely wasn’t. PLEASE do not aspire to whatever they had going on. It was compelling because it felt painfully human. Two brilliant people who understood climate science, neuroscience, alternate realities, and quantum theory better than they understood how to simply tell one another, “Please stay.”

There is also Dr. Sandra Okazaki, who somehow managed to become one of my favorite characters (if not my favorite) despite spending so much of the novel feeling like someone standing just outside the frame. I think she is one of the most emotionally fascinating people in this story because, unlike Cas and Yana whose love burns hot enough to consume everything around them, she loves with restraint, with patience, with devastating gentleness. She constantly feels like she’s choosing everyone else’s happiness over her own, even when it costs her everything. At first she almost comes across as cold, intimidating, impossibly competent, the kind of scientist who seems to have every answer. But the deeper the story goes, you realize that she carries guilt like it’s a second skin. She buries herself in work because work is measurable, predictable, solvable. Feelings aren’t. She’s willing to be abandoned before she’ll ever ask someone to stay.

(SPOILERS???? ISH ???) The chemistry between Cas and Okazaki completely won me over. I wasn’t expecting it to. It would’ve been so easy for Okazaki to exist solely as “the other woman” or some convenient replacement for Yana, but the novel wisely refuses to do that. She is never competing with Yana’s memory because no one could.

I also loved that grief in this novel isn’t clean, nor inspirational, nor linear. It’s downright obsessive, messy, self-destructive, embarrassingly irrational. Grief itself is basically deleria without the pills. You’re constantly visiting alternate timelines that only exist inside your own mind.

The science deserves its own paragraph because I actually think A.D. Sui pulled off something incredibly difficult. The explanations are detailed enough to feel convincing while still remaining emotionally grounded. I never got the impression the science existed simply to prove how clever the author was. It always circled back toward the emotional consequences. Every discussion about timelines eventually became a discussion about regret. Every conversation about consciousness became a conversation about identity. Every theory about inevitability eventually became a question about free will. Not “Can we change reality?” But... “Can we change ourselves?”

One thing I especially appreciated was how the novel refuses to provide easy optimism. The ending doesn’t magically solve climate change. It doesn’t suddenly erase grief. It doesn’t resurrect the dead. Instead, it argues that hope isn’t believing everything will be okay. Hope is choosing to continue anyway. I actually think that’s infinitely more powerful because hope without action is just another version of deleria, another comforting fantasy. The novel repeatedly insists that we cannot keep searching infinite timelines hoping somebody else has already solved our problems. Eventually, we have to become the people doing the solving ourselves.

I also really appreciated that the ending wasn’t wrapped up inside one perfectly symmetrical little bow. I know some readers wanted something more definitive, and I completely understand why. But personally, I think certainty would’ve betrayed everything the novel had been building toward. Life doesn’t end with neat conclusions. Grief doesn’t politely announce when it’s over. Healing isn’t a finish line. Instead, the ending feels like finally pulling a splinter from underneath your skin after three hundred pages of carrying it around. It still hurts. But now...You can breathe again.

If I have any criticism, it’s probably that there were moments where I wished the world had room to breathe just a little more. The ideas are so fascinating that I occasionally wanted to linger longer within them. I would’ve happily read another hundred pages exploring the politics surrounding deleria, the broader implications of alternate realities and how different parts of the world experienced climate collapse. But interestingly enough, I also understand why the novel remains so tightly focused. This was never really about worldbuilding for its own sake. It was about one grieving woman trying to find meaning inside infinite possibilities.

So... yes. 5 ⭐️
Without hesitation. Because this wasn’t simply a science fiction novel, or simply climate fiction, or simply a thriller, but an examination of what hope actually costs. It asks whether hope is something we discover or something we choose. Whether grief is another form of love. Whether there is any point imagining better worlds if we refuse to build one ourselves. And perhaps most importantly...It reminds us that the most dangerous fantasy isn’t believing in alternate realities. It’s believing someone else will save this one.

Final verdict? If you enjoy messy lesbians making catastrophically bad decisions, morally gray scientists, grief that feels so tangible it practically sits beside you while you read, genuinely fascinating speculative science, social commentary that actually has something meaningful to say, and stories that leave you staring at the ceiling wondering about humanity for an hour after you finish...I think Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends deserves a place on your shelf.

This book begins on an island made entirely of humanity’s waste. Somehow, it ends by reminding us that people are still capable of creating something better. Not because another version of us already did, but because this version still can.

[Christine Smonk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartwrenching tale of love and loss in a dystopian setting. One of the most unique and compelling parallel reality stories I've read! (Plus I'm a sucker for a great story set in Toronto!)

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

got the arc for this just after finishing a nonfiction book about the climate crisis for my book club. could not have been better timing & really enhanced my reading experience!! full rtc

[Matt Tiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to ECW Press, the author and NetGalley for the Advanced Readers’ Copy.

To be honest, the blurb got me hooked and I was intrigued with this dystopian sci-fi concept which made me more invested with the plot to see through it until the end. Basically the story tells us about two academics who has a breakthrough invention about deleria - a drug that lets a person dissociate from reality and gives an opportunity to see their deceased ones 24 hours before their untimely demise. This was done by seeking out alternate universe using a drug that works on the brain’s perception of reality.

Right off the bat, the main conflict was presented and the narrative stayed with this theme and was presented with alternating flashbacks and current timeline. The setting was also described immediately and the world building is not lumped at the first chapter and instead was spliced across various chapters for the story to appear less intimidating and daunting to the readers. The concepts of harmful scientific breakthrough, climate change and how psychology and emotional intelligence were incorporated within the story adds further weight to the novel’s relevance. I liked how deleria as a concept was lengthily explained throughout the story.

Just a heads up, though, that the main characters are truly unlikeable (Cas always putting her self to vulnerable situations and does not have even an ounce of self-care because she always act clumsy that brings harm to herself and always puts herself in tough situations) and even the dead Yana also shows selfish inclinations that puts Cas as the scapegoat for her failed decisions in life. So to avoid getting rage-baited by these characters, it would be best to avoid this book and find for a feel-good story because this is not meant to be an inspiring read. This story gravitates more on how regret and unprocessed grief could totally wreck a person especially when there was no amicable disclosure between the two main characters.

Across the entire story, readers might also get bored with the redundant appearance of Yana and how Cas still lingers to her memories to the point that she is willing to break her own sanity just to revisit such memories and seek answers from iterations of alternate universe which Cas repeatedly hopes for clarity and answer. But this repetition also shows how a flawed character, with unsettled fall-off with her ex, an intelligent and brilliant academic researcher yet emotionally unintelligent individual still chooses to linger on past memories despite how it leads her towards self-destruction.

Personally, what irked me in the story was the introduction of a villain which was made necessary for the plot to work according to its narration. Although that might be the author’s intention (i.e., there should be a cause so that the main character will be brought to shambles and eventually pick herself up and overcome her struggles), still I don’t think that was necessary since the story could’ve focused instead on a person’s tendency to self-destruct and do bad choices in life and drive the plot towards that end.

Overall, the moral of the story that resonated most deeply with me is that meaningful change begins from within. It requires us to relinquish our self-imposed fixation on those who have left our lives and recognize that the answers we desperately seek from them may never be readily attainable. Ultimately, the most constructive course of action is to grant ourselves the closure we deserve, allowing us to transcend our limerence before it begins to exert a detrimental influence on our emotional well-being and our lives as a whole.

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review: I was not entirely sure what to expect from this book, however, I ended up really enjoying it. This is a solid 4.5 stars for me (rounded up).

First off, the writing style is gorgeous. It leans more towards prose than simple writing, it's almost lyrical at times, but never to the point where it feels overwhelming. It’s the kind of writing you want to slow down and appreciate while still being pulled forward by the story. Speaking of that, the pacing is impressively well done. There really aren’t any lulls and something is always moving whether it’s plot, character development, or emotional stakes. It kept me consistently engaged without ever feeling rushed. One thing I especially appreciated was how the book handled its more scientific language. Whenever things got a bit dense, there was always some kind of explanation or a more digestible “for example” moment right after. It made the concepts easy to follow without dumbing anything down, which is a tricky balance and was executed really well here. Obsession runs quietly but powerfully through Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends, shaping both the characters’ choices and the emotional weight of the story. It’s not just destructive, it’s the very thing that keeps Cassandra going when giving up would be easier. The structure also worked in its favour. Chapters are nicely spaced and not overly long which made it super easy to keep reading “just one more” (and then five more after that). The characters is where I feel this book shines. Even the side characters who only appear briefly (Maya, Lori, Garcia) feel fully formed. No one comes across as flat or surface-level, and importantly, none of them felt irritating or unnecessary. That alone made the book feel richer and more immersive.

If I had to offer a small critique, it would be that the writing, while beautiful, occasionally borders on slightly too dense in certain passages, which might slow things down for readers who prefer a more straightforward style. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment much, but it’s worth noting.

Overall, this was a thoughtful, well-crafted read with strong writing, engaging pacing, and deeply developed characters. Definitely one I’d recommend if you enjoy an emotional story of love and obsession, deep inner thoughts of characters, and substance to the plot.

Im just gonna leave these quotes I loved down here... (no spoilers)
"Part of me always wonders how much of the wold i polluted by just being myself."
"I'm Cassandra and I pray at a church pew to a God I've forsaken. I remember those words. I remember their cadence. They flow from me like a river breaking from a dam."
"I'm letting you go so the world may survive"

[Misha · Rating 5 out of 5]

(rounded up from 4.5)

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC.

This was exactly my kind of sci-fi: deeply political, focused on the impact of a technological breakthrough, and extremely gay. There aren't even any men in the main cast, which is a delightful change (that said, the cast is only six people). The fundamental conflict here is that Dr Cassandra Barlowe is busy tracking the trash on garbage island (a frighteningly real phenomenon) when she receives a phone call from the love of her life — the one that got away — brilliant researcher Dr Yana Gulsvig, saying goodbye, seconds before she apparently blows up a building full of her own research materials. Cass is now suspected of being an accomplice in a terrorist act, grieving the death of Yana while using Yana's own invention, the drug Deleria, to glimpse parallel worlds to solve the mystery of why Yana did it. Hot on her heels is a sadistic cop who wants to use Cass to infiltrate the source of Deleria on the streets, the Den, and the possibility of a bad Deleria trip that eventually fries Cass' brain before she can find some answers.

Beyond the mystery, there's a compelling narrative that hurts my millennial heart. Maya is a 19-year-old sex worker representing the younger generation who are constantly protesting or dropping into a Deleria-induced coma to escape the harsh reality of the world they've inherited. Cass' guilt about taking the world we got and making it even worse before passing it on remains a chilling reminder for all of us. At its core, this is a story about living in the moment and trying to influence the future directly rather than losing ourselves in the past and in potentialities. The societal impact of having no hope for the future of our planet and having a drug that lets you see alternate realities where loved ones were not lost to you makes for a compelling escape for the youthful masses — and the book earns every bit of it.

The best kind of sci-fi connects technological advances with societal impacts, and this one manages it with a great deal of heart. Cass is a traumatised, fully-realised character willing to risk her own mind to uncover the truth about someone she loved. Her search for truth while resisting the temptation to lose herself in the parallel realities where Yana is still alive is deeply relatable and compelling. Each supporting cast member is also a three-dimensional character with organic motivations to chase the end they think is worth the means they must use. As a fan of nuanced characterisation, I found this enjoyable and engaging.

In a world where funding chases technology at the expense of the environmental crisis, this book is a sharp, hopeful reminder that action in the present beats nostalgia or shortcuts. Highly recommended.

[Ura Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pacing is just as scrambled as my thoughts about this book. I don't think the main characters are any better although the ending tries to make them more likeable. Yana may have done a noble sacrifice but that doesn't change the fact that she was toxic. Toxic in the sense that when she and Cas are sitting on the roof of a twelve story building, Cas asks her when she will tell her mother about their relationship (I think the more accurate term is schizophrenship because even Cas is unable to suitably label it) and Yana decides to step onto the ledge of the building which causes Cas to panic. Yana eventually steps away from the ledge telling Cas that she's overreacting and Cas who is still scared tell Yana that there's no need to tell Yana's mother about their relationship and that everything is fine. This is eerily similar to what some people suffer in real life. These people try to tell their romantic partner that they no longer want the relationship and romantic partner starts threatening to commit suicide which effectively make the other person change their mind. A very few actually end up leaving and sometimes their exes are too cowardly to follow, sometimes their exes actually off themselves(which is never their fault)

Now back to the story and its characters. Cas has a traumatic childhood which isn't explained in detail and it has caused her to develop a people pleaser personality. An example is when after a second meeting with the female government Intelligence worker who releases her, she buys a candle that smells just like her. Cas in my opinion isn't much better than Yana because she tries to use Okazaki as a replacement/rebound for Yana but she doesn't want Okazaki to do the same to her(what happened to do unto others as you want them to do to you?). She also does the abominable act of calling Yana's name in the middle of intimacy with Okazaki. Okazaki is always there for her and how does she repay her? By playing push and pull. First she claims she wants to forever etch Okazaki into her or something equally romantic then she's playing the holier than thou act.

Okazaki despite having such a fearsome reputation of intellect and control, is a complete pushover when it comes to Cas. If it is this bad with Cas, God knows how she operated with Yana.

Cromwell is an abuser of power and not even her sad backstory can change my mind about that.

**Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review**

[Mila · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Neither of us had a single domestic bone in our bodies. Instead, we had fire, and longing, and ambition, and it got us here.”
4.75☆|5

Every so often I encounter a book so good that it got me fixing my ceiling, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do now. This book is one of those, and I’m so glad for that.

In this captivating novel that hooks us right from the start, we follow Cas, a scientist trying to solve the climate disaster but who is going to be arrested on charges of domestic terrorism when her ex-lover’s lab gets blown up. An ex-lover that she left years ago and who was the leading scientist on deleria, a drug allowing users to see glimpses of different realities and the world’s main hope to solve the climate crisis.

This novel is fascinating. It’s fascinating, and it hooks us right at the beginning, taking us inside that devastated world that makes us want to scream. This book was frustrating at some point, as it explores humanity’s desire and tendency to find the perfect solution - to the point of utopia - instead of investing in smaller, less ideal solutions. But I feel like the author dealt with that perfectly; they did an incredible job with the conflicts, writing to the point where their book makes us feel so many emotions!

I loved this novel for so many reasons, but the main one was probably how the plot was dealt with. Due to the nature of the story, we deal with several timelines, and we get to see that doomed love story evolve in different universes, and I adore that. It was incredibly well written, and it helped make the novel so fascinating that we struggle to put it down. The way the plot unfolded was just as good as the writing of the realities travelling, making us go through all the emotions possible.

I also adored how the author wrote the dynamics between the characters, and how those helped the plot and made the book even more fascinating. The romance part and the doomed relationship were excellent – maybe I did scream several times, who knows. This is such an excellent novel and I fear that it made it to my favourite lesbian books already.

I don’t think that there is a single thing I didn’t like in this novel, and I can only hope that you’ll like it just as much as I did. It goes out on October 27th, and you can already preorder it. Thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC!

[Brittany | Lady in Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐

I have no idea how I found this book or decided to read it, but I have negative regrets about it. A.D. Sui has written a novel that is - all at once - a sapphic, otherworldly, terrifying, heartfelt, mysterious, post-apocalyptic eco-fiction, and I am here for absolutely all of it.

The novel takes place in a world that is dying, and we are to blame (of course). There's acid rain that can (and does) harm you if you're out in it too long and unprotected. The younger generation has never seen grass or a blue sky but instead lives day-to-day knowing they're doomed to a slow death when resources no longer exist.

Also in this world is a drug called Deleria. This drug allows the user to see other realities where life is different. People generally use it when they're grieving so they can see loved ones they miss. Our MC Cassandra finds out early on in the novel, that the love of HER life, Yana, has died in an explosion at her lab. Yana spent her adult life manufacturing Deleria, so when she dies (along with all her research), Cassandra needs to know why. What follows is Cassandra's winding, heartbreaking experience with a drug that has the ability to liquify her brain - all because she lost someone she loved.

This book was unlike anything I remember reading. I felt so bad for Cassandra, but I understood her need to figure out the mystery. The sci-fi aspect with Deleria and what it looks like to see other realities was one of the main reasons why I liked this novel, and I'm not a huge sci-fi fan. The way this component meshed with the romantic aspect was beautiful: the things we do when we love someone so much we're willing to destroy ourselves. On top of that, the focus on climate change and fixing a devastated planet didn't seem overdone but added another layer of complexity to the relationships between our characters.

Sui's novel is gorgeous. What they've written is smart without being pretentious. There's a message here - several, really - and it's equally timely and timeless. I'll be thinking about this one for awhile.

*Thanks to NetGalley, ECW Press, and A.D. Sui for this eARC. This review contains my honest, authentic thoughts and opinions.*

[maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

thank you to ecw press + netgalley for the advanced copy.

the comp titles for this one (time war, our wives) will have you believing this is going to be an emotionally compelling sapphic book, with the cli-fi crisis plot as set dressing. in reality, this felt like a book mostly about corporate espionage (? if you can call it that) and academic science malpractice before it was ever about grief or ~wlw-isms~. i think the comp titles are a complete swing and miss from the marketing team for getting this in the hands of readers who will enjoy it.

beyond that, it's difficult to speak positively about this book because i am honestly shocked review copies are being sent out to readers in this state. there are many technical errors ("blindly, i reach out and blindly grab one of Yana's tops", "Because in an instance we will all be gone") in addition to many continuity errors. In the beginning of the novel, it's repeatedly mentioned that all buildings are equipped with a decontamination showers, but soon that is dropped and never brought up again despite characters going in/out of buildings many times, there is also a chapter where our MC gets beat up and robbed - we are told her bank account is drained to $0, only for her to pay for things multiple times in the very next chapter. there is constant acid rain that the author mentions can thin people's hair and make them go bald, but characters frequently go out in it without any ramifications. these errors aren't just distracting; they undercut a lot of stakes this novel tries to set up.

beyond that, the characterization here left something to be desired. cassandra, our MC, does the one note smarmy humor in place of an actual personality that is so common in specific kinds of sci-fi/fantasy. characters are often 'stomping their foot' or smirking. we are told how emotionally close and devastating cas/yana's relationship was often, but rarely actually see evidence of this.

bummed i didn't like this, because the premise seemed like it would be an easy win for me. i hope the team at ecw is able to clean this up a little before it's full release and it gets in the hands of readers who would enjoy it more.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends is a swirling and captivating story about what happens to science when we're past the climate change point of no return. Dr. Cassandra Barlowe - who once had hopes and dreams of being the climate scientist who would fix it all - finds herself spiraling into drug addiction after her ex-girlfriend Yana dies in a mysterious explosion at a Toronto research institute. Cassandra's addiction? To a drug called deleria, which allows the user to see into alternate realities. The explosion? To the very facility that deleria was most heavily being researched at. Cassandra finds herself digging deeper and deeper into why and how Yana was involved in the explosion, deleria research, and the undoing of the climate crisis itself.

This book is very interesting and reminded me so much of one of my favorite pieces of media of all time, the show Orphan Black. I think - just like with OB - it can be so frustrating to have an unreliable narrator drive the story. We watch Cas repeatedly make stupid decisions over and over again as she spirals deeper into deleria, hurting those around her as she chases the answers that aren't there. It's one of those things that as a reader is so frustrating but also completely understandable from a storytelling perspective. (that doesn't mean I have to like it, lol)

I think this is an overall really good book, that was sometimes a bit confusing, as there would be timeskips that wouldn't be clearly communicated (for example, a 3 month time skip happens within a chapter indicated only by a few line breaks) or certain dislocated associations (Cas talking about one thing, making a conclusion about it, then quickly pivoting to a completely different topic) that took re-reading a few times. But the story itself is very fascinating and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is wanting a book that tackles a climate crisis future in a unique way.

3.75/5

[Holly Taggart · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing that A. D Sui is- is original. Their novels are not the same story with a new twist or different characters. They are wholly unique and well realized each time and every time you get really superb writing that flows- making it easy to read even when slipping through unfamiliar and somewhat complex concepts and situations.




We open up on "the Great Garbage Patch" where Cas is working to try to save the world- literally- using s science to do this. (This isn't part of Sui's imagination, this garbage patch exists. Click here for more info.)

Cas is exactly where she wants to be, far from her Ex- Yana who is a pharmaceutical researcher. The world is being taken by Storm by a new pharmaceutical, Deleria which allows users glimpses of alternate realities, and a future where some of Earth's problems may be solved. Cas is not immune to this drug and when Yana is killed in a blast and Cas is arrested as a possible domestic terrorist, Cas dives deeper in to Deleria until she's got to make a choice to spiral into a deleria delerium or to live in the now.

This is a well put together book that reads more like a fast paced Cli-Fi thriller rather than Sci Fi, though there are Sci-Fi elements. It is a great one for book clubs as there is a lot to discuss from each chapter.

For me this is not going to be my favorite A. D Sui book. Predictable because I am a SPACE SHIP Junkie, and this pretty much takes place on the mundane earth. For others looking for sharp discussion on the state of the Earth and climate, the pharma industry (side notes only) and sapphic relationships- this will likely be one they will want to pick up.

I'm unclear if this would qualify as a weird girl book, and I'm leaning towards no. There are "girls" in the book and they are a bit weird, but it doesn't have that Weird girl vibe. That said, it does have a vibe and the vibe is definitely OK.

[Smriti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy the book, but I wish I wasn’t drawn in with the comparison to one of my all-time favourite books, This is How You Lose the Time War. They aren’t really similar at all, other than the fact that they are both sci-fi and lesbian.

With a cli-fi thriller with a premise that is both fascinating and relevant, Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends presents a world where the climate crisis has devastated the Earth, leading governments and scientists to go searching across universes for the solution using a drug– Deleria. Yana, the ex of our main character, Cas, and the creator of Deleria, blows up a building of her own research, leading Cas to be suspected as involved in Yana’s murder– but that’s not what happened, and Cas is obsessed with finding out what happened. She runs into Sandra, someone who also loved Yana.

The prose is good, and I really like that the entire story is centered around women– but it gets a bit repetitive and, unfortunately, the pacing is off. Some parts are dragged out and other parts are glossed over too easily. Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends has a compelling beginning and end, but the middle definitely had room to develop.

I struggled to appreciate the love (or “worship”) that Cas has for Yana due to the lack of details that present their relationship in a truly healthy light (although it also felt a little realistic given their individual characteristics and the world they live in). Even the intensity of it is less shown and more told. All characters are fairly unlikeable, but I did feel like they all really did individually say something about humanity, which, of course, is critical in a dystopia, so props to Sui for that.

All in all? I would recommend this. Sui provides a world that feels horrifyingly real and plausible, a story focusing on queer women, and a message of the power of love, grief, and perhaps the most important of all: hope.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a future devastated by climate change, scientist Cass is working on the Patch, an island of floating trash in the Pacific, when her ex-lover Yana is killed in a mysterious explosion. Accused of being involved, Cass turns to Deleria, a drug that allows her to glimpse alternate timelines, hoping one of them will help her uncover what really happened.

This was an interesting, evocative mix of climate fiction, thriller, sapphic romance, and multiverse sci-fi. The world is bleak, and there’s this feeling that humanity is running out of time, but I really liked how much heart the story still had.

Cass was probably my favourite part. She’s messy, stubborn, grieving, and definitely doesn’t always make the right choices, but that made her feel real. She becomes consumed with finding answers about Yana while using Deleria to search through different timelines, and it's fascinating and heartbreaking. Seeing the versions of Cass and Yana who got the life they didn’t was painful.

Their relationship was complicated and sometimes bordered on obsession, but I thought it worked for the story. I liked the contrast between them. The floating trash islands and environmental devastation felt frighteningly believable, and it made me think about how easily the things we take for granted could disappear.

I also loved the concept behind Deleria. Being able to glimpse another version of your life sounds amazing, but the story does a great job showing how quickly that escape could become dangerous.

Overall, I thought this was a thought-provoking and emotional read with a great mix of mystery, sci-fi, and darker themes. It’s bleak in a lot of ways, but there’s still a thread of hope running through it. At its core, it’s a reminder that getting lost in what could have been can keep us from actually fighting for what could still be.

Thank you, ECW Press & A.D. Sui, for the #gifted earc. All opinions are my own.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sapphic, climate-fiction speculative thriller set on a near-future (very likely) Earth devastated by ecological collapse. When the leading researcher on a reality-viewing drug is blown up, her ex-lover is framed for terrorism.
Cas spirals with grief, drugs, and conspiracies. She is sure the answers lie in a drug which lets you view infinite timelines.

This is a close character study about a grieving and self-destructive woman stuck on what-ifs. This is aided by the small cast and the close internal narrative.

The planet, in some form, with its changing and adapting ecosystems, will survive. It will push on through, but in a form that is no longer hospitable to humans. We are, as always, the weakest link.

The climate fiction aspect is scary because it’s almost not fiction at this point. The resignation, fear, and intensity are states of being most of us oscillate between.
The book is a wake-up call, similar to how I felt reading Artificial Wisdom by Thomas Weaver.

The plot is its weakest aspect. I don’t think this is truly a thriller, but ties the line. The very ending had a complete shift in tone that felt too sappy and opposing to the rest of the novel. Perhaps I’m too pessimistic.

As we’re stuck in Cas’s head, it does start to get repetitive, especially enhanced by her drug trips.

The self, as Yana tries to demonstrate, isn’t anywhere in particular, but comes into relief the more we exist, the more we experience, the more we touch the world around us and let the world touch us in return.

Overall, a book about possibilities, getting ‘’stuck’, and the importance of acting in the present.

Arc gifted by publisher.

Bookstagram
Tiktok

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s lots of potential here in terms of the concept and the blurb comparing it to This Is How You Lose the Time War had my attention. Unfortunately, beyond the theme of alternative realities, there are few similarities and the writing itself isn’t very good.

There are cliches like characters stomping their foot in anger (which I’ve never seen someone do irl). There’s a lot of repetition and over-explanation of certain things while others remain weirdly underdeveloped. We are constantly told how close Cass and Yana were but without actually seeing this it’s challenging to feel invested.

I didn’t like the excessive use of therapy speak, Cass was always perfectly aware of how her trauma shapes her relationships with others and it just all felt a bit artificial and unnatural. There are also inconsistencies like how initially there was a big focus on decontamination showers but this stops appearing after a while despite the mc constantly going in and out of buildings. And I never felt convinced as to why Cass had no choice but to take Deleria vs just doing a normal investigation without it.

Finally, I feel like as a story meant to illustrate the need to act imperfectly to reduce the harms of climate change vs waiting for a perfect solution to emerge, it didn’t really use the narrative to the fullest extent since the perfect solution never really felt credible. You end up at the same point at the end as you were at the beginning and it makes it feel like none of the plot itself mattered.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

[En · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a trip. Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends is set in a world where humanity seems to have taken one step forward, only to regress to the starting point.

On the surface, this is a drug-fuelled espionage story about messy sapphics making terrible decisions while trying to change the fate of a dying Earth. But as the plot keeps moving forward, the emotional damage quietly creeps in from the side.

The more Cass, Yana, and Okazaki’s pasts began to unravel, the more I realised this was never just about Cass trying to save her own ass. Beneath all the secrets, chaos, nd survival instincts, this was a story about processing grief.

p.s. If you’ve ever lost someone dear too early, too young, take this as a content warning before picking this up.

It’s not all gloom and doom, though. Beneath the ache, this was also a reminder to treasure the present, to make the most of the hand you’ve been given, and to hold on to what still matters while you can.

Although this was marketed as cli-fi, the “climate” aspect felt more like a setting than the heart of the story. It could have been swapped out without really affecting my reading experience. Some gaps in the worldbuilding also felt jarring: the impact of acid rain, the role of law enforcers, the lack of global input on a global issue, and the idea that the world is burning but somehow has to be saved by a bunch of unreliable US scientists. (Sorry, but I struggled to believe that one person could be the difference between a thriving and a dying Earth.)

That said, this book lingered in my mind for days after I put it down. Which, honestly, is one of the best things a book can do.

Side note: if you hate the “why don’t they just talk” or miscommunication trope, read this. It was frustratingly satisfying 🫠

[Thomm Quackenbush · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only two complaints are that:

1) It needed a more merciless editor at times. There are parts that drag because the rest sparkles and speeds around the reader.
2) Surely not every named female character (aside from Eugene) can have sexual chemistry with Cas? Surely? The ex's ex? The teenage sex worker? The fed who threatens to jail or torture Cas in every scene? All of them?

It is sci-fi that doesn't imagine a glorious future of astounding tech or a hopeless, fascist dystopia. It is a world in which people inhabit, and not a happy one, but unremarkably so. If you lived in the End Times, as long as it wasn't too fast, you would probably still go to work and buy soup. The mechanics of deleria are sound enough, not relying too heavily on handwavium. It doesn't quite matter how the plot device works, only that it does. The italicized slips into other dimensions are well-done, and one wishes Cas had a bigger imagination than perseverating on an exploded ex.

I doubt a reader is too surprised by the conclusion/solution, though one wants to zap Cas every time she says, "Oh, this woman who has tended to my wounds, fed me, clothed me, cosseted me, and banged me in her office doesn't like me!!!" Girl, if that is what hatred looks like to you, I cannot wait to see what you imagine love to be. (I can acknowledge that her lifelong relationship with Yana probably screwed up Cas' ability to process emotions.)

Oh, her name is Cassandra. Like the mythic prophetess whom no one could believe. How clever. (This is not another complaint. We authors like to do this sort of thing, and we can forgive the indulgence.)

[TheNovelNomad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sapphic cli-fi thriller is ambitious, emotionally charged, and quietly devastating in the way it blends love, grief, and climate anxiety into one layered narrative. It’s as much about what could have been as it is about what still might be, balancing speculative science with deeply personal stakes.

The multiverse element adds a haunting emotional dimension, allowing the story to explore alternate lives, missed chances, and lingering love. Watching different possibilities unfold creates a bittersweet tension that runs alongside the central mystery, giving the narrative both urgency and melancholy. The relationship at the heart of the story feels fractured yet magnetic, shaping every choice and every timeline.

The near-future setting is bleak but thoughtfully constructed, with climate collapse forming a constant backdrop. The scientific concepts—particularly the search for solutions across timelines—add intrigue while reinforcing the themes of hope, desperation, and humanity’s tendency to look elsewhere instead of fixing what’s in front of it.

There’s also a strong undercurrent of obsession and grief that drives the pacing forward. As the stakes escalate, the story becomes both a chase for truth and a struggle to remain grounded in reality. That tension between escape and acceptance gives the narrative emotional weight.

Inventive, atmospheric, and poignant, this is a compelling blend of speculative fiction and romance that explores love across possibilities while holding onto a fragile thread of hope.

[Imogen L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where to begin?
In the near future, the mess we made of Earth is biting humanity in the butt. Acid rain, drought, food shortages, and an angry generation of youth who are, realistically, pointing the finger at the wrong people. But they’re angry, and they have every right to be.
A neuroscientist perfects a drug that allows people to glimpse alternate realities. This drug, Revelation (street name deleria) becomes the leading tool in climate research. How? Well, humanity loves passing the buck, so why not look for a reality where the climate is fixed, and take the solution from there?
Dr. Cassandra Barlowe disagrees with this approach, and not just because that neuroscientist is her ex, Dr. Yana Gulsvig, but because she believes the work to save the climate should just be happening.
Then, after 6 years apart, Yana calls Cas right before she dies in an explosion at TempCog - the building built to house her research.
Then Interpol show up and arrest Cas for Yana’s murder…yep.
What follows is a self-destructive, drug-fuelled dive into figuring out why Yana killed herself. Cas becomes a deleria user, meets Yana’s more recent ex-girlfriend, Dr. Sandra Okazaki, and together they almost destroy each other in their grief, lies, and trauma bonding, all while being hounded by a Canadian intelligence officer who has a score to settle, not really with Cas, but any scapegoat will do.
It’s wild to read a book where the MC is constantly disappointing you, but you want to know more.

[Stormie Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends, we follow Dr. Cassandra Barlowe, who has spent the past several years studying plastic eating fungi on an island of trash when an urgent call from a past lover upturns her life.

Yana, Cassandra’s ex-lover, has been k*lled in an explosion at her laboratory where she was studying deleria, a pill capable of allowing its user to hallucinate alternate realities. Deleria was originally marketed to help with grief yet like any drug, it is heavily abused. Yana has been researching how deleria can help combat the climate crisis.

In this dystopian reality, there is acid rain from the climate crisis and protesters actively push against deleria while advocating for a more active effort to save the planet.

Then there is the other doctor/scientist who was working with and a possible lover of Yana who has now become an active character in Cassandra’s life. Oh, and don’t forget the Intelligence officer who has an agenda to absolutely terrorize her.

All Cas wants is to know why/how Yana’s life ended. How far will she go in diving through numerous realities to find the answers she seeks? Are these answers even really answers?

There is so much happening in this book!!! You can expect to find yearning, obsession, jealousy, academic prowess, grief, addiction, and attention to the climate crisis all interwoven in a remarkably close to reality tale!

Females really do be yearning and will do the most whilst yearning.

[g · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

"our infinite and inevitable ends" is a brain melting spiral into the consequences of perfectionism and compounding guilt. following the fall out of yana's death and the explosion of the TempCog building, cas chases a never ending thread of infinite realities to solve yana's death, clear her name, and save earth—if she can. stuck between visions of a life she's never lived, a cop desperate to close the case, and yana's maybe-ex-lover, cas struggles to reconcile what all she's left behind for good.

this book does many things well and above all else, the grace with which it depicts the often messy reality of loving another person and living on a dying planet is exceptional. lost somewhere between hope for the future and grief for the past, "our infinite and inevitable ends" asks the reader to take a leap of faith. the bone-deep sorrow the characters feel and express was so candid that i found it impossible to not be sucked in to their descent. the surrealist imagery of overlapping timelines, drug addled crash outs, and whispers from the past all coalesce into a downward spiral that cas goes on head first. it was an absolute delight to read and was addictive from the start with one of the most solid opening chapters i've ever read. thank you so much to NetGalley and A. D. Sui.

[Rat Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for this arc.

WOW!

A sapphic, acid rain soaked, cli-fi thriller of a devastated earth with a brain melting drug that lets you glimpse other possible realities, “Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends” feels like Bladerunner 2049 meets Blake Crouch meets This Is How You Lose the Time War. And it knocked my socks off!

Far away from her ex-lover, Dr Cassandra Barlowe is on a floating island of trash in the ocean researching plastic eating fungi to help better an Earth completely devastated by climate change. Research that is ridiculously underfunded due to the existence of a drug that gives the user glimpses into other possible realities.
But after leaving Cassandra a cryptic voicemail, her ex is killed in a mysterious explosion - taking vital research into reversing climate change with her. Cas has to turn to the reality bending drug to piece together the mystery of what happened.

Tumultuous relationships and beautiful writing come together in a novel I just couldn’t put down! Set in a future where climate change is past the point of return, this novel is heartbreaking and all too close to home in its messaging.
Breakneck pacing, unravelling mysteries and complicated love triangles had me up until 2am devouring this book as fast as I could - after this I will read absolutely anything and everything A.D.Sui writes now!

[Reli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating: 4 Stars

This story is set in a dystopian world run into the ground by greed. We follow Cassandra Barlowe, a doctor working on a floating trash island conducting research. She'll receive a phone call from her ex-girlfriend, Yana Gulsvig, and that call will change everything. Suddenly finding herself accused terrorism in relation to Yana's sudden death, Cassandra's world is rapidly falling apart. Yana and Cassandra sat at opposite ends of their research and Cassandra will find herself becoming addicted to everything she stood against. Cassandra will become heavily reliant of the addictive drug, Deleria to find answers to what happened with Yana and try to prove that her own innocence. Can she keep her sanity intact as the deleria rips through her mind? Corrupt government officials and a vicious drug lord add to her already stress and pull further at her mind.

I had many thoughts during this story and was left with a lot of questions. I plan on re-reading this at a later date- this one definitely felt like a fever dream on a rollercoaster. It is a sad story and will deal with some pretty heavy themes. Overall, I think that if you like stories that make you think, this is great. It very much reminds me, not necessarily in the story but in its complexity, of Inception.

[Ridgerunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a blockbuster of a novel. Love , obsession and grief are the main themes concerning the three women at the centre of things in the near future when climate change has become serious. Novels dealing with time travel or alternative realities as here often become so complex that it feels impossible to keep track of events , but here it is reasonably understandable as the world looks for solutions to the climate crisis. Yana and Cass are the two scientists dealing with drug enabled alternative realities who have a volatile relationship and eventually part. Yana dies and Cass returns to try and find out what had happened. Cass becomes involved with Sandra , another brilliant scientist and I loved reading about their complex relationships as we find that all three are more connected than first appeared. Lots of introspection but it never is boring as we find out more and more about what makes them tick. Towards the end of the book as Cass’s brain becomes more damaged the narrative becomes almost dreamlike and the reader feels themself becoming part of this confused state. I was absolutely hooked on this book and it kept me thinking long after I had finished.
Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for the ARC

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really should have stopped reading this when I started getting bored with it at 50% or so. It was interesting when they were trying to mycologically solve the problem of the ocean garbage island, but then it devolved into a sci-fi version of relationship drama.

The premise is that there's a drug that allows you to experience alternate universes but not actually physically cross over into them. So, as you can imagine, people have become addicted to seeing all the what-ifs, especially alternate realities where a loved one is still alive. The main character in the book, Cass, is using it to try to discover why her ex (the creator of the drug, Yana) blew up herself and her research facility and, of course, to be with her ex again. Along the way, she gets to know her ex's ex and falls in love with her, too. So, everyone's obsessing over Yana and each other and doing drugs to try to be with their exes. The alternate universe trips aren't even interesting. And there's some sort of cop drama that makes very little sense here and there.

All the drudgery of reading this book didn't even result in much payoff at the end. So, this was a big ole Netgalley fail for me. I think you might want to judge this book by it's kind of awful cover.

[liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley for the copy!

oh my god. this was everything.

generally i get the impression that publishers and corporations do /not/ keep their fingers on the pulse, and catch up to current trends about 5-10 years too late. i got the exact opposite impression from this book.

i can't say just how amazing it was to actually read a story that addresses climate collapse with the thinking that some of us, including me, have and that is rarely, if ever, addressed (i'm referring to maya's cynical view of it all) and not plainly dismissed. i also definitely related to the main character emotionally and personality wise way too much. as for deleria, well... i think after all they could invent something i would go into debt for. lol. the physics i can't say anything about, but the idea of it was probable enough for me.

in the back of my mind i did think that there is so much that could be explored about this world but i have come to the conclusion that the story makes the most sense in this shorter form that focuses more on the emotional side. i got a good enough sense of the other characters despite the shortness.

i don't mind that it ends on a positive but frankly hopeless note because it does feel true to us today.