*NOTE: Before I get into my review, please note that I’m unsure on how to do the accents for some of the names in the book (I’m typing on a tablet) so I’ve ultimately omitted them from the review.

Charles Perrault’s Cinderella (or ‘Histoires ou contes du tempes passe’) is one of the most heavily retold and reimagined fairy tales of all time. As such, it takes a very unique spin on the tale to distinguish one version from all the others. Zeba Shahnaz’ young adult fantasy debut, Midnight Strikes, offers an incredibly unique take on the much beloved fairytale - instead of a countdown to happily ever after when the clock strikes midnight, Anais keeps dying at the ball over and over again. When the day continually resets, she’s the only one who remembers the previous night and she must quickly figure out what’s going on to prevent it from continuing and save the kingdom.

The plot was a struggle for me. I really liked the time loop idea, but the story got repetitive very quickly. It takes multiple loops before Anais is able to get any real traction in solving the mystery of what’s been happening. I didn’t get invested in the story until the last ten chapters or so - it was entertaining but not particularly memorable. The romance was also weird - Anais and Leo’s relationship didn’t really make sense to me, given that he’s been forgetting her over and over and over again. Granted, it didn’t really make sense to Anais either, given that she made a point of not progressing their relationship past certain points when she knew Leo wouldn’t remember but it was still off putting.

While the plot and romance was not memorable, I did enjoy the worldbuilding. The magic system was excellent. The systems employed by each cultural group (the upper class with their ‘nicer’ magic vs the blood magic used by the lower class) made for some juicy political intrigue. I was not expecting some of the reveals at the end of the book that went into more detail about the origins of the different magic, and that was super exciting. The culture seems to be inspired by places like Spain, with the king being referred to as “Rey” and other Spanish honorifics being used for the nobles at the ball. Those little hints really helped me imagine the setting the author described, and I would love to visit the places from the book (when they're not being blown up over and over again, of course).

Overall, Midnight Strikes was an entertaining read with some minor issues. Narrator Nikki Massoud delivered a solid performance in the audiobook version of the tale. If you’re a fan of fairytale retellings intertwined with mystery and political intrigue, I think this book would be worth giving a chance.

Thank you to the author, the publisher Delacorte Press, the team at TBR and Beyond Tours, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book as part of my participation in the blog tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Midnight Strikes immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.

Midnight Strikes is a groundhogs day fantasy. Anais is a country girl in the capital to find a husband to save her family from ruin. The biggest night of the year sets Anais is a time loop where the palace is bombed, she dies, but wakes up the afternoon before the ball, over and over, and over again. I lost track of how many times this girl dies in this story and has been sent back. The mystery is trying to find out how to save everyone, who's behind the bombing, and how to get out of the time loop. The story is interesting and you find out pieces of the mystery each time she tries a new way of living. I did want more out of the ending though and that is my personal opinion.

After reading this blurb I couldn’t help but add it to my TBR! This book was a perfect combination of YA adventure, mystery & excitement that kept me guessing & also was the perfect pace. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Review:

Midnight Strikes is a story within a story within a story. Anaïs is such a complex character – lost in a world she never really wanted to be in, a toy in the cat and mouse game of aristocracy and magic. But, then the world crashes down and she’s the only one who remembers. And remembers. And remembers.

I’ve read quite a few stories like this in the past, but this one does a good job of not getting bogged down in the details of repeating the same day over and over. We repeat it, but there is always something new, some new chance Anaïs is willing to take to change the course of her destiny – and the destiny of her people. In the meantime, though, she dies a lot. And in some graphic ways.

As she finds allies and friends and lovers and enemies sometimes all wound together, Anaïs has to make a choice – to save them all – or to save herself. While this book is longer than I thought, it flies by as the story gets more complex and races toward the final act. Filled with lanuage and romance and fear and failure and heartbreak, Anaïs is braver than I think I would be in any of the 1,000 deaths she dies.

4 stars!

One of my top books of the year so far. Groundhog Day meets Cinderella= perfection! Protagonist Anais is the daughter of a wealthy Proensan family, expected to marry well and hopefully cement her family's place in the upper class of Ivarea, where they are considered to be outsiders. A marriage of status isn't exactly what she's looking for, but she's willing to do anything for her family. Therefore she attends the kingdom's anniversary ball, mingling and dancing... Until the strike of midnight, when everything changes. Bombs go off, killing many in the palace, and it's clear that someone is attempting a coup. Then Anais wakes up in her bed, and quickly discovers that it is the day of the ball, again. Queue montage of Anais attempting to stop this catastrophe. With the help of a handsome prince, friends both new and old, and a bit of magic, she just might succeed.

What a fantastical thrill ride. Time loops make for an interesting plot device, as you already know some of what will happen, but you get to follow along as the protagonist learns more and more as they attempt to break the loop. You get to see a lot of Anais' character development, and it's easy to connect with her. Like all fairytales, there's a bit of insta-love here, but it fits the theme, and I found the love interest, Leo, to be a worthy leading man. Great worldbuilding as well. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, full of magic, twists, and death. I ate it right up.

I am very picky when it comes to time loop/time travel type stories. In my opinion, this was just okay. The time loop plot didn't seem to get enough time in the story. I did enjoy the Cinderella inspiration though.

2.5 stars rounded to 3.

I was super excited to start this because I love a good time-loop story. And then to place it in a fantasy world? Even better.

In the beginning I found the story very cute and intriguing. The concept and the world building weren’t overly deep (and honestly for this type of story I don’t think it needed to be). The parts I started to find lacking though was that the plot really didn’t start to develop past the initial concept until about the last 15% or so. And then everything that came after just felt rushed and disjointed.

I also felt like the end didn’t give me a sense of satisfaction. Some detailed we’re wrapped up, but as a whole I was just sort of left wondering… “well now what?” I feel like in this particular instance even a short epilogue to really give all the final details would have helped the story immensely since the ending seemed so short.

Overall it was an enjoyable quick read, but in the end I feel like it’s not a super memorable one.

I really enjoyed this book, it had so many of my favorite tropes in a fairytale setting with so much more. The main character was witty and the banter was perfect. I also loved the romance plots and the way she worked to solve the mystery of who was behind the attack at midnight. ⁣
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This book is perfect for fans of fierce main characters and Cinderella with a twist. ⁣

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For whatever reason I could not get this book to download. I tried and tried and tried again. As such, I do not want to give less than five stars since I haven't read it yet and that would not be fair. But I also do not want my NetGalley rating to drop so.... rock and hard place. It sounds amazing and I was super excited for it.

Lovely and imaginative. This book was beautifully written and highly immersive. The world building that this author commits to I can not stop gushing over. The cast of characters written are diverse and imaginative and I drank up every word poured from the authors pen.

I was hooked by the blurb when I read it and it did not disappoint! I was a little worried that reliving the same day would get tedious to read through, but that was not the case at all. Each new attempt was different enough to make you want to read the next without frustrating you with repetitiveness. I liked the characters and the world the author created. Thank you for the ARC, my review is completely voluntary and honest.

Loved this action-packed story. It was definitely one that kept me turning the pages!! The building relationship between MC and the prince was exciting to read

Time loop books and fairytale retellings are 2 of my all time favorite kind of books and this book was the perfect mashup of the 2! I’ve seen the term sci-fantasy used and that is a great way to describe this. It had all the elements of a fun time loop novel miixed with great fantasy/magic world building! Loved this debut!

Midnight Strikes is a quick read about a young lady trapped in a time loop. She is the only one who knows that time keeps repeating itself so she needs to figure out what is going on. The world created is well defined but the plot gets repetitive quickly. I enjoyed it but it didn't stick with me after I was finished reading it. I may not have been the right type of reader for this story so you may like it better than I if you are interested in royal parties and time loops.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

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!

In Shahnaz's debut novel, seventeen year old Anais experiences a fantasy version of a time loop. The story is nicely written. For me there was too much detail given and I found it hard to concentrate on the story. For a lover of the time loop trope you will enjoy this story but for me it was just not for me.

At first blush this seems like it's going to be a fairly standard fairy tale type story. After all, we have a teen girl from an outsider family pressured to make a good impression at a royal ball. These are pretty familiar elements. But Shahnaz takes a hard left turn, introducing the time loop element at the end of the first chapter. We loop over the same events over and over, each version failing for different reasons as Anais learns more about her country, her peers, the royal family, and the nature of magic. It takes a bit of patience to wade through which details are actually going to matter but it's no less interesting for that.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I am fairly new to the fantasy genre but I have come to love it. I am so glad I took the plunge and read it because I was so hooked! I read it walking from my office to different offices as I had to go to meetings or get things done kind of hooked. The characters are so so so well developed and 3 dimensional, they felt so real! I also really enjoyed feeling like I was completely transported into a new world. This can be a bad thing if you then try to function back in reality. :-)

It is a book newbies like myself and long time fantasy fans can enjoy. There were a few twists that made me keep reading later than was wise when I had to work early.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up for Goodreads - contains spoilers

Overall the concept of the story really drew me in, I mean, "where the fairytale is bloody, and cinderella is the final girl" who wouldn't want to read a book with that tagline?! Picture groundhog day mixed with cinderella.

The book follows a young girl who is deemed to be part of the lower class in society due to her affinity/family ties to blood magic. Magic is highly sought after, but blood magic itself is viewed as barbaric. Our main girl, Anaïs, is at the ball trying to help her family by marrying a man of a higher class. However, as midnight strikes, disaster unfolds and Anaïs is sent into a bloody timeloop.

I really, really wanted to like this story - unfortunately it felt a bit disappointing for me. My major gripe with the book was that Anaïs was the ONLY person who remembered the loop everytime - which made all her relationships/accomplishments feel shallow by the next time the loop came around. In particular, her relationship with the prince just did not make sense at all.

The ending also fell a little flat for me, it felt like everything she worked for was null and void by the end, similar to some other endings- I'm looking at you Hunger Games & Divergent - and it just made me feel sad by the end. There was no real ending to me - she just went home. I guess that's okay if that is what the author was going for, like sometimes we just don't get what we want, but to build up such a fantastical world with royalty and blood magic it feels flat to just let it end like that.

I'll admit that it took me a bit to get into. For anyone looking for a fantasy YA with a good premise, I definitely recommend. It succeeds at that. But it is overlong, the characters a bit flat and the writing isn't the strongest. I kept going because I really enjoyed the premise and wanted to see how it all ended but I really had to force myself to continue. In the end, I probably could have skipped it but I realize that a younger YA reader will probably enjoy the story and characters.