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jennas8's review against another edition
3.0
She has to find a prince by the stroke of midnight or the magic will end. And when the magic ends, the prince and the entire kingdom will die.
Groundhog Day meets Cinderella - the book may not be as original as that idea sounds, but it’s a fun read.
Seventeen year old country bumpkin Anaïs has come to the capital to find an aristocratic husband. The anniversary ball is the culmination of the season and Anaïs’s last chance at finding love. There’s only one problem: someone is intent on blowing up her chances.
Literally. There are bombs in the castle, and they go off at midnight.
This book makes some attempts at world building and political intrigue, but it’s almost entirely plot driven. The plot moves quickly. It’s a fun read.
There’s little to nothing in the way of character development, which wouldn’t have bothered me much if the book were shorter, but it’s a bit too long to have little sense of our main character’s development.
Groundhog Day meets Cinderella - the book may not be as original as that idea sounds, but it’s a fun read.
Seventeen year old country bumpkin Anaïs has come to the capital to find an aristocratic husband. The anniversary ball is the culmination of the season and Anaïs’s last chance at finding love. There’s only one problem: someone is intent on blowing up her chances.
Literally. There are bombs in the castle, and they go off at midnight.
This book makes some attempts at world building and political intrigue, but it’s almost entirely plot driven. The plot moves quickly. It’s a fun read.
There’s little to nothing in the way of character development, which wouldn’t have bothered me much if the book were shorter, but it’s a bit too long to have little sense of our main character’s development.
daniellem1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
readingwithkirstyn's review against another edition
4.0
I liked Midnight Strikes a lot and the style of the book. I am a huge fan of books that make you relive the day/solve something to get out of it. The setting was magical, the book kept me interested and engaged and I loved the magic system. All in all a very good book
aliciasrealm's review against another edition
4.0
Seventeen year old Anaïs is a reluctant attendee at this year's Anniversary Ball, tasked with landing an eligible bachelor to elevate her family's position in society. But as the clock strikes midnight, an unexplained explosion tears through the palace, killing everyone, including her. When she wakes up once again on the morning before the ball, she alone remembers the attack and her warnings are dismissed--and it happens again. As the day repeats over and over, Anaïs enlists the help of the insouciant Prince Leo to investigate the source of the attack, hoping they can unravel the mystery and end the time loop before it's too late.
First of all, I was super excited that this story has a Spanish inspired setting. We get to the action right away and the book manages to portray the idea of a time loop without tediously reiterating the same sequences. Still, the book did feel overly long at a certain point; she fails over and over and there are so many elements to the plot that it takes Anaïs quite a long time to figure everything out. While it speaks to her character and tenacity, I do wish things had wrapped up a bit sooner.
I loved Prince Leo and he was surprisingly afforded a character arc despite the resets, though his relationship with Anaïs was never fully developed. Still, that seems inevitable when dealing with time loops - how can two people form a relationship when one's memory resets every night? Ultimately, this story is far more fantasy than romance, which is not a bad thing at all as I did enjoy the story regardless.
Other pros: There is bisexual representation. The magic system is pretty cool. Doesn't glorify the monarchy.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
First of all, I was super excited that this story has a Spanish inspired setting. We get to the action right away and the book manages to portray the idea of a time loop without tediously reiterating the same sequences. Still, the book did feel overly long at a certain point; she fails over and over and there are so many elements to the plot that it takes Anaïs quite a long time to figure everything out. While it speaks to her character and tenacity, I do wish things had wrapped up a bit sooner.
I loved Prince Leo and he was surprisingly afforded a character arc despite the resets, though his relationship with Anaïs was never fully developed. Still, that seems inevitable when dealing with time loops - how can two people form a relationship when one's memory resets every night? Ultimately, this story is far more fantasy than romance, which is not a bad thing at all as I did enjoy the story regardless.
Other pros: There is bisexual representation. The magic system is pretty cool. Doesn't glorify the monarchy.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
sashendry's review against another edition
3.0
This read rounded off a "long weekend" bookended with two sick days. It was fun and didn't take too much attention!
Despite the interesting premise, the execution ended up a little slow and far more complicated than it needed to be. I'm not a huge fan of time travel romances where one person is deeply in love and the other has no memories of their time together. It's too sad and it's difficult to imagine how they reconcile that in the future.
That said, I liked the main character and how the narrative explored her cultural clashes and the microaggressions she faced. The deepest moments in this book came from the different ways her background made her feel out of place vs the eventual confidence she found in her identity.
Despite the interesting premise, the execution ended up a little slow and far more complicated than it needed to be. I'm not a huge fan of time travel romances where one person is deeply in love and the other has no memories of their time together. It's too sad and it's difficult to imagine how they reconcile that in the future.
That said, I liked the main character and how the narrative explored her cultural clashes and the microaggressions she faced. The deepest moments in this book came from the different ways her background made her feel out of place vs the eventual confidence she found in her identity.
jaznbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
faith11's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
mysticforestcrafts's review against another edition
4.25
Pros:
While I worried after hearing this book was similar in concept to Groundhog’s Day the movie I was pleasantly surprised. The author did a good job balancing repeating things and trying new options. I never felt like it was tedious and frustrating and that I had to get through this to get to something new.
I found this a beautiful way to explore the idea that history is written by victors and they can include, exclude and edit things as they wish. So much is lost/forgotten over time because of choices people made in the past and it is essential people learn that in a way that shows it’s importance like in this story.
Cons:
Part of me wanted a happier ending but that is just the happily ever after romance I grew up on.
While I worried after hearing this book was similar in concept to Groundhog’s Day the movie I was pleasantly surprised. The author did a good job balancing repeating things and trying new options. I never felt like it was tedious and frustrating and that I had to get through this to get to something new.
I found this a beautiful way to explore the idea that history is written by victors and they can include, exclude and edit things as they wish. So much is lost/forgotten over time because of choices people made in the past and it is essential people learn that in a way that shows it’s importance like in this story.
Cons:
Part of me wanted a happier ending but that is just the happily ever after romance I grew up on.