Ruling destiny

Natasha Antoinette Clarke continues uncovering new mysteries at the Gray Wolf Academy for time-traveling art thieves in Noël's SF/romance YA novel. Picking up immediately after the events of the previous book in the author's Stealing Infinity series, this entry sees Natasha continuing to deal with the aftermath of her sexual assault during her last time-travel excursion, or "Trip," as the students at Gray Wolf affectionately refer to their heists through time. Readers are quickly caught up on the story, though series neophytes may still be left behind by some of the complicated worldbuilding summarized here. Natasha does not know who among her circle at Gray Wolf she can trust, including the enigmatic Arthur Blackstone, ringleader of the Academy for whom the students steal priceless works of art throughout history; her swoonworthy boyfriend, Braxton, who always seems on the precipice of revealing a secret; Killian du Luce, a recently returned student who was lost in time for four years and blames Braxton; and Elodie Blue, the friend she blames for landing her in her current situation. The interpersonal drama at Gray Wolf increases with Killian's presence, as he tries to get closer to Natasha despite his friction with Braxton, much to the latter's dismay (unbeknownst to Braxton, Natasha and Killian even shared a passionate kiss upon their first meeting). Noël builds the suspense surrounding this uncertainty along with the tension between the characters themselves as everyone seems to pursue their own hidden agendas ("for reasons I don't fully understand, Braxton and Killian are sworn enemies"). The book ends satisfyingly, with a cliffhanger sure to bring readers back for the next installment. Most of the characters are cued as White, though physical descriptions are sparse. Diversity is more apparent in supporting characters such as Mason, Natasha's friend from her life before Gray Wolf, who is Black, and Keane, who is presented as brown; Mason is gay, Elodie is nonmonogamous, and two other male characters are in a relationship. Readers should be forewarned of discussions about sexual assault, but the issue is handled sensitively. A swoony SF sequel with as many thrills as its predecessor. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.