Can you imagine having a terrible day, comforted by the fact you can go to bed and wake up to a new day, only to wake up the same exact horrible day, over and over and over? In Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shahnaz Anaïs finds herself in a mysterious time-loop, repeating her death until she can find a way to break the curse.

Growing up in her small provincial rural town of Massilie, Anaïs was raised knowing she needed to elevate her family status by marrying Ivarean nobility. However, Anaïs is Proensan, ostracized by the Ivarean kingdom, even though she has been blessed with a blood magic. Anaïs and her parents travel to the capital city of Marenca in hopes of striking a marriage deal during the Anniversary Ball festivities. Anais, never one to be swayed by the "glitterati" of the current court, begrudgingly goes through the motions of mingling with the very people who hate her. She meets and dances with Infante Leopoldo Cardona, or Leo, before they leave to walk the gardens. Then, the clock strikes midnight, and a brutal cycle is set in motion where the last thing Anais sees is Leo dying in her arms, before she herself dies.

Shahnaz’s debut novel is a breath-taking addition to the young adult fantasy genre. With a time-loop story such as this, attention to detail is imperative in order to keep the story on track and Shahnaz did this remarkably well. The world building and political intrigue are described in such a way that you find yourself just as frustrated as Anais must be, forced to live and remember every detail of every death, while everyone else has been "reset" so to speak. Her feelings of insecurity and frustration make the story more relatable, showing that life and the world can never be perfect, even when you can go back in time

My one critique is the relationship development between Anais and Leo. She's basically busy trying to save their world yet "falls in love" with him relatively quickly. I find it difficult to imagine being able to develop feelings for someone who doesn't know who you are, and you're forced to repeat the same plea for assistance, every day. That may detract some readers but this was still a wonderful debut fantasy novel worth the read.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advanced copy!

Ebook received through NetGalley

I absolutely adored this book and was pulled in from the beginning. Would love to follow along for longer but the ending location makes complete sense. So glad I had the opportunity to read along.

A very unique way to go with a Cinderella story! I don't usually love time-loops (and this one definitely took a bit for me to get into) but Shahnaz has found a really cool approach to this one. It's hopeful and critical all at once and while the ending doesn't wrap everything up in the bow I would've liked (I love a happily ever after), it feels right for the story. As with any time-travel there are definitely holes if you look hard enough, but nothing glaring that throws you out of the story.

The pacing bounces a bit but the back half of the novel is super strong and the characters are delightful. One of the normal faults of time-loop stories is that side characters don't really have a chance to grow since they don't retain any memories of their experiences. This novel feels that a little but as Anais's perspective on her friends changes you feel like they're growing (when really it's just Anais growing, and that's nifty). The romance does feel a little weird because of the time-loop, but both characters are aware of that and that mitigates it.

Overall a very fun YA fantasy and so impressive for a debut!

Midnight Strikes is an enchanting fantasy novel with elements like political intrigue, curse, time loop, magic, war, secrets & betrayal.

Anais attended a royal ball in hope to find a husband. At midnight, the bells chimes followed by several explosion that killed everyone at the ball. But strangely, Anais found herself waking up in her own bed, with everyone having no memories or traces of the attack that happened and was preparing for the royal ball. Soon, the main protagonist found herself caught up in a time loop, which the attack keeps happening at midnight, and waking up in the morning where everyone is living their lives as if the attack never had happened.

The story also highlighted some main issues like human greed, injustice, death and loss.

I enjoyed the time loop concept plus the character of Anais is well developed. BUT, the romance with Leo is a big no for me (there's no sparks & their relationship is undeveloped)

I requested this because I thought reading about a time loop in a fantasy setting would be fun, but Midnight Strikes was <i>so</i> much more than that. This is one of those books that I love so much that I don't really know what to write because I just want everyone to go read it. So if you're reading this, this is your sign to pick up this book ASAP. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The only reason I didn't read the whole thing in one sitting yesterday was because I already had plans to go to a concert, otherwise I would've.

Anaïs was a really interesting main character, because as the reader learns who she is through the story unfolding, she's learning alongside them. Shahnaz managed to create a painfully human main character, and have her simultaneously be one of the most badass fictional women I've ever read. Anaïs truly goes through an insane amount of trauma and still tries to do the right thing anyway. And Leo? Leo lowkey reminded me of Cardan from TFOTA, which is high praise because Cardan is one of my favorite characters ever. There's so many layers to Leo that Shrek would be proud. I don't want to say too much more because of spoilers but I love those two, and the rest of the cast of characters so much.

One of the other things I absolutely adored about this book was how the situations weren't shown as black and white. Everything had nuance to it, and everyone had a reason for their actions, both good and bad. This book was deliciously anti-colonialism and was such a breath of fresh air when it came to heavier and complex topics like that. Maybe it's because of how poorly the last fantasy I read handled it's racism and colonialism, but Midnight Strikes truly shone bright when tackling those for me.

My only complaint is that some of the lines with swearing felt a bit out of place due to the phrasing sounding too much like it was from our world rather than the fantasy one, but it was so minor that it's barely worth mentioning.

Overall, Midnight Strikes is an excellent fantasy standalone that tackles finding yourself, your future, colonialism, power imbalance and so much more. It's also impossible to put down and has some swoon worthy romantic moments. It's something I'm really hoping to see in libraries and other places teens can access it, because I think it's a great way to encourage awareness of those topics within the books they read. Essentially, I think it could be a very fun way for teens to learn to question the subtext of what the other fantasies they read are, which is something I think is more important than ever in the wake of so much censorship.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for granting me access to the earc!

Midnight Strike has an intriguing premise and contains everything I look for in fantasy books, such as the enemies tolovers trope and time loops, so I had high hopes for it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it, despite the fact that several characters undermined Anaïs goals and dragged the plot down. With an impressive world building and addictive writing, I only wish this had a slightly different and surprising ending.

I was really looking forward to because I thought the premise sounded very creative and original. However, the story was not executed well. I found the romance to be very creepy. It would have been better if Prince Leo also remembered the events throughout the time loop. I also thought the story was very anti-climactic and had a disappointing ending. I thought that the ending it should have ended differently. However, the ending made all the events that happened seemed worthless. Thus, it had potential but it sadly the story could not be pulled off. Still, it was a very short read, and it started off great. The characters were very stereotypical. The setting was well-developed with immersive world-building. I recommend this novel for Long Reign the Queen, Mechanica, and The Prince of Nowhere!

Sadly this book isn’t available to read on my kindle so I can’t give it a proper review. I don’t read on my phone or computer so when publishers don’t allow kindle readers access it hinders me from reading a lot of books.

I wish I knew this before wasting a request.

"In this explosive fantasy debut with a time-loop twist, a provincial girl must work with a roguish prince to stop an attack on the royal family and escape a nightmarish curse that forces them to relive the same night again and again."

This was a fun fantasy romance with a great plot and lovable characters. Time loop stories can be hard to pull off, but the author did a pretty good job with this one. I look forward to reading more stories by Zeba Shahnaz.

<b>Quick Stats</b>
Age Rating: 13+
Over All: 4.25 stars
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5

<i>Special thanks to Delacorte and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.</i>

This was a really interesting book. I’ve always loved the idea of time loop books, but rarely do I enjoy the execution of them. It’s hard to write the same day over and over and over again without the plot becoming repetitive. Though this book did drag in a couple of places near the middle due to the inherent repetitive nature of a time loop olot, it was one of the strongest and most continually engaging time loop books I’ve ever read. Zeba Shahnaz has incredible skill, she is able to make each day feel distinct, unique, engaging, while still taking place within a very specific set of parameters.
I absolutely adored Anais as a character and narrator. She was the perfect amount of driven and unsure, distinctly voicy and relatable. The side characters, too, were compelling and easy to love. Leo, of course has my heart. I loved getting to know him more throughout the novel. However, I didn’t like the romance. It felt far too much like insta-love. Because Leo never remembered what had happened during the previous deaths, there was never an ability for a true romance to foster between him and Anais. So I never felt any real connection or chemistry to make Anais’s declarations of love hold any weight. It seemed shallow and unfounded. I enjoyed the light flirtation and crush, in the beginning, but I felt the disconnect was too severe as soon as Anais’s feelings supposedly progressed beyond that. It never felt believable to me. I honestly don’t think that a time loop novel can have a successful romance unless both characters are stuck in the loop together, or they have a strong history prior to the loop, and the MC is more <i>realizing</i> her existing feelings, not developing new ones.
Despite that, I really enjoyed this book. I don’t think I’ve ever read a time loop in a second world fantasy. I’m impressed by the execution of that aspect, and it made it easier to suspend the disbelief that can sometimes come with a time loop plotline. I definitely recommend this book, and I think Zeba Shahnaz is an author to watch. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book was not good. I didn't enjoyed it at all. I love time loop but nothing really happened. She kept dying again again and made the same mistakes all over again. It had similar content with Harry Potter (the unbreakable locket) but it was just a similar part of Harry Potter..and it wasn't even beautifully executed.

Leo and Anais had a think but then they didn't... Like what? She time travels constantly and they don't end up together? No way Jose.

I wanted so bad to dnf it and I didn't just to see where it would lead.. Spoiler alert: It didn't lead anywhere.

So, yeah....just no!

A time loop.

A death lived every day.

Find a way to stop it all.

This book was something I really did not expect. I have read time loop books in the past and each one has a unique and this one was not quite as different as the others. We have a young woman lost in a time loop trying to stop it and learn why she keeps living it over and over. Along the way, she falls in love with a pompous prince who has no real memory of her each time.

This is what I did not understand - how she fell in love so fast with the prince and yet he had no memory of her each time. I would have thought that he would have maybe a small fragment of memory of these loops. Nope. None. He remembers none of them. There are times he does believe her and there are times he does not. I loved how he was in the beginning before the time loop started. I actually thought that this was a romance that could survive a time loop and yet it didn't. They interacted in some of them but there was no real connection in the feelings department from his side of the spectrum. I think if he had some memory or had some ability to be part of the time loop (it was said he was a magician so why could he not have memories?).

Anaïs tries to do so much during these time loops. No matter how many times she goes back, the loved ones she tries to save end up dying again and again. So, her attention turns to finding the person behind the whole bombing. Each time she goes back she finds pieces of information here and there before she realizes exactly who is behind it all.

The problem with all of this is that this becomes a conundrum with no end in sight. The loops are repeated too many times. Questions that should have been asked in the past are finally asked during one loop. Why wait until now. I get it things finally dawned on Anaïs to inquire about her necklace. I would have asked about it a long, long time ago.

Like the moment my Maman gave it to me.

I get this story was just meant to be a novel. The world-building was nice but I wish we had a bit more history of the people. There was a lot of potentials there for more of this world. I hope the author does go back to this world. I enjoyed it.

This book is one of my favorites of 2023. I loved the characters, the world, and the whole loop thing. It was definitely a page-turner to the very end. And the mystery is something you really won't see coming.


I want to take this moment to thank Netgalley, the author, and Random House Children for the chance to read this book before its release. This review is my own opinion.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I think I figured out I'm not a huge time loop fan. The concept was interesting, I just thought Anais would start to figure it out a little sooner. I didn't think we needed the "F" word in this book. It felt like it was just added for shock value. I did like the 2 magic systems and how they finally came together. I wish that was developed a little more. If you are a time loop fan you will definitely like this book.

I thought that the overall idea for this was really fascinating, but the execution of said idea was a bit lacking. I love a good timey-wimey time loop plot point, but I almost think that the loop was too short? I feel like we need more time for Anaïs (main character) to learn things while going through this loop. I also wanted a bit more world-building, specifically in the magic system area. Blood magic? Sure. Ivarean magic? What's going on there--I'm a bit confused. The romance was also pretty standard of YA/YA fantasy and so I don't have much to say there. The ending was not my favorite thing--I don't want to give much away for those who haven't read it yet, but the character choices and what happens is just really hard to suspend my belief for.
Oh also, the choice to use real-world curse words was kind of jarring. I don't mind cursing in my books--I curse like a sailor, but the frequency of cursing combined with them being out of place in the world tripped me up a bit every time I read one. Nothing too major, but it's just something that I remember sticking out to me while reading.

Overall, this story was okay--a decent read and pretty good debut. I would love to see what more this author writes, as I liked their narrative voice/overall style.

Thank you so much TBR and Beyond Tours, Zeba Shahnaz, Netgalley, and Delacorte Press for sending me an eARC to read and give an honest review.

"'The world forces our hand sometimes, Anaïs. Wouldn't you rather choose where you're standing if that happens?'"

WARNING: very slight spoilers ahead

*3.25 stars*

This book was pretty good! I found the time loop plot very interesting (though at times, a tad frustrating, as all time loops are supposed to be). There were several things that led to the 3.5 star score from me for this book (which was actually one of my top releases this year). Did it live up to my expectations? Not really. Was it still enjoyable? A little bit!

First of all, the time loop was very well-done, and Anaïs was not the only one frustrated by it (which shows how well it was written!). At times I found myself skimming simply because the writing was a little wordy, and I found that I could actually still follow the storyline while doing so (take that for what you will). The endgame of this book probably could've been accomplished in far fewer attempts than were actually written, and I desperately wanted someone else besides Anaïs to remember the events. Additionally, with the whole time loop thing, the romance between Anaïs and Leo was very unbelievable. It was kind of a love-at-first-sight situation, which I absolutely hate. It left me with the desire for more scenes of them together and building a relationship throughout the story (despite the literal time constraints).

Secondly, the worldbuilding was . . . decent. It wasn't as detailed as I would like (didn't truly explain the difference between cultures/history/economy), and this book dropped major cuss words, which was unexpected and a little jarring at times. The magic system was underdeveloped - no defined consequences/limits for using magic, besides the fact that it made the Ivarean highborn/royalty perceive you as beneath them (even though they have their own type of magic too). The blood magic was an interesting concept, yet wasn't really explained well (just prick your finger, spill some blood, ask the gods/saints what you want, and poof! it works).

However, I did appreciate Anaïs's determination and cleverness in trying to save people's lives and escape the time loop.

Overall, a great premise, but poor execution. I really wanted to love it, but was unable to due to the length of the time the characters were stuck in the time loop, the poor development of the worldbuilding, and the insta-love romance.

"'I believe in the inevitable. And I believe - I have to believe - that our choices here and now shape the people we need to be in order to face destiny. Inevitability. Whatever it is. Whenever it is.'"

Midnight Strikes is a riveting debut from Zeba Shahnaz! This book is action-packed and full of twists and turns. I've read several books now with the "Groundhog Day" trope, and in the past I haven't enjoyed books with the trope due to its repetitive nature. However, Zeba Shahnaz keeps readers on their toes at every moment. I didn't get bored of watching Anaïs try different tactics to figure out who was behind the plot to overthrow the royal family.

Where the book fell short for me is the romance between Anaïs and Leo, which was sweet, but not a standout for me. I felt that their relationship developed fairly rapidly considering that Leo barely knew Anaïs each time the time loop was reset. The status of their relationship at the end of the novel was surprising to me given their journey throughout the book, but in hindsight made sense.

Fans of fantasies with fast-paced action will definitely enjoy Midnight Strikes. I look forward to Zeba Shahnaz's future works.

4.75/5 Stars

“For better or worse, all I have - all I’ll ever have - is myself.”

This is a time-loop fantasy novel with a provincial girl who must work with a roguish prince to stop an attack on the royal family and escape a nightmarish curse that forces her to relive the same night over and over again. Seventeen-year-old Anais is an outsider that is looked down on due to her heritage at the kingdom’s anniversary ball in which her family has tasked her to find a husband. But as the bells chime at midnight, an explosion rips through the palace, killing everything in its path, including her. The last thing she sees is fire, smoke, and chaos. And then she wakes up in her bedroom, hours before the ball. No one else remembers or believes her warnings of the deadly attack - not even when it happens again and again. Anais has to take control of her fate and stop the attack before it happens but the court’s rotten subjects grabbing for power, royals who secretly dream of taking the throne, and discontent commoners itching for revolution prove it difficult for Anais to do anything about it due to her status. It’s up to her to figure out why this is happening and how she can stop it.

The amount of trauma Anais goes through throughout this book makes it a very heartbreaking and harrowing read. I absolutely loved it and felt she had beautifully written character growth throughout the story as she worked on figuring out why the attack was happening and how she can stop it. It was tragic to watch everyone around her doubt and laugh at her mainly due to her heritage and them seeing her as less than them. She is surrounded by a court full of vipers but by the end of the story, she creates meaningful friendships that she never realized were there, to begin with. Watching all of the deceptions, lies, and secrets come to light was very interesting and kept me turning the pages well into the night.

I wish that instead of a vague ending that left it open-ended for readers to guess how the story goes on -there was more closure but I still loved the book either way. I feel like the romance between Anais and the prince was undeveloped but the plot was great enough to keep me reading it!

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely. It is full of court politics, injustice, a time-loop plot, death, a touch of romance, magic, action, and revolutions. I would recommend it to anyone that likes these things and love their soul being crushed by devastating stories. I hope I see more from the author because this was a brilliantly thought-out book with a unique storyline, worldbuilding, and character-building.

DNF.

I have been trying for MONTHS to read this book, but just couldn't get into it. The writing wasn't bad and the time-loop plot was interesting, but I just wasn't invested in any of the characters.

While I liked the premise of Midnight Strikes, the execution fell short for me.

The time loop aspect is always fun, but Anaïs only has a few hours before she's killed and the loop resets, so she never really has enough time to learn much. As a result, she lives through the loop a. ton. of. times. and it gets repetitive after a while. The loop either needed to be longer or Anaïs needed to ask better questions.

The magic system is a little shaky. The blood magic seems mostly straightforward, but the Ivarean magic doesn'tmake complete sense, especially in the parts about charms and talismans. The connection between the two types of magic is interesting and a nice little twist, but I wasn't sold on the magic system overall.

Sort-of instalove. The argument can be made that Anaïs encountered Prince Leo time and time again and got to know him, but he only spends a few hours at most with her, which isn't enough time to fall in love. Maybe if Leo had been stuck in the loop with Anaïs--which would've been a better choice, in my opinion--then the romance would've been believable, but as it is, I wasn't buying it.

The random foul language. It feels out of place in this world to use real curse words, although in-world curses would've been entirely appropriate.

The ending. I didn't expect things to go smoothly once the final loop came around, but what happened was pure crazy, and honestly, it was just too much. And then Anaïs's decision at the end made the romance even less believable, although the hints at something in the future helped hedge things a bit. Still, I wanted more closure.

So what did I like? Anaïs herself is likeable, and her determination to save the day is admirable. She also starts to get more clever as the loops continue, which was a relief. The worldbuilding is also interesting, and the secondary characters that Anaïs gets to know better "each day" are fun; Jacinthe in particular would be a fun character to know more about. And I really enjoyed that this story is dark. Anaïs has to die for the loop to reset, and most of her deaths are mentioned, as are the deaths of everyone else at the ball. The violence gives realness to Anaïs's task and makes it obvious why she can't just run away.

All in all, Midnight Strikes is a fun read and a decent debut, but I think a tighter plot would've made this a real winner. I look forward to seeing what Shahnaz comes out with next.

4.75/5 stars! Magic, time loops, and an epic fantasy adventure; what more could you want? Also, this cover y'all. This cover is everything! Anais and Leo have enemies to reluctant allies vibe that I adore. Leo is rude and commanding, but Anais puts him in his place as they work together to fix this groundhogs day effect.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily