Our Fates Are Sealed Whether We Know It Or Not

I recently finished reading Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shahnaz. This is OwlCrate's March 2023 book. *POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT* Rating: 3.5/5 stars "Provincial outsider Anaïs just wanted the royal ball to end. She didn't expect to be swept off her feet by the notorious Prince Leo only to be killed at the stroke of midnight by an explosion that levels the palace. And she definitely didn't expect to come back and experience the whole thing over and over again. To escape this nightmarish time loop and save the oblivious people trapped at the palace, Anaïs must take control of her fate for the first time and discover who's behind the attack. And survive midnight." Overall, this was not a bad book, I do want to preface that I am not normally a fan of time-loop storylines, so I am trying not to judge the book unfairly in that aspect. That being said, I felt that the book was a little too long. Indeed, what Anaïs accomplished by the end of the book could have been done in less time with fewer failed attempts.

Throughout the entire book, I found myself wishing that someone else (specifically Leo) retained their memory along with Anaïs. Had Leo and Anaïs both remembered what had happened every time that time looped, then they would have been able to come up with a better plan and forge a relationship that I think would have been highly enjoyable to read about. And speaking of their relationship, it was so odd how fast Anaïs fell in love with Leo. It seemed like they hardly knew one another one moment and the next Anaïs was suddenly in love with him. Had Leo also retained his memory every time-loop, that love would have made so much more sense and it would have given Leo the opportunity to love her back as well as work through some of his vices and issues. I was hoping that maybe at the end of the book, Leo would somehow get all of his memories back and realize that he also loved Anaïs, but that did not happen at all.

On the subject of the ending, I was pretty disappointed. I felt like there could have been a better solution to ending the time loop than the plan that Anaïs came up with. She went through the time loop over and over again in an attempt to save as many people as she could, only to have most of the people die anyway. What was the point of going back so many times if everyone was going to die anyway? She even seemed to realize that was what was going to happen halfway through the book, but she dragged us along with her as she kept going back and failing all over again. Finally, the very end of the book, Anaïs just decides to go home without trying to make something of her love for Leo. It was hinted that something may happen, but I would have liked more than a hint after everything.

Some of the magic in this book also felt random and a bit confusing, but the blood magic was an interesting concept. if you like time-loops, I'm sure you'll like this book, but if not, this probably isn't for you.

A few quotes that I enjoyed were the following:

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

"Not all legends are worth bringing to life."

Check out Midnight Strikes, and take on the never-ending adventure of the time loop. Happy Reading :)