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A review by aliciasrealm
Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shahnaz
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.