'Midnight Strikes' Book Club Readalong Day 1!

Welcome to the first day of our book club read along for OwlCrate's March book, Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shanaz.

This will be a SPOILER discussion for Chapters 1-3 of Midnight Strikes, so ensure you have finished these chapters before continuing.

Discussion questions are listed below, and anyone who participates in the comments will be entered to win a free OwlCrate box!

The Story Begins...

Chapter 1:
Anaïs, a Pronesan in the Ivaerean Court, has made her debut two months ago, and much to her family’s chagrin has yet to make a match of marriage to secure an alliance for her family. And Anaïs doesn’t necessarily want one.

Leo, the prince second in line to the throne, known for his drinking, dances with Anaïs before leading her away from the ballroom to the garden. His kiss snaps Anaïs from her revelry - a match with the prince just isn’t going to happen. Back in the ballroom there is an attack, killing nearly everyone, including Leo’s family. Anaïs uses her magic to try to heal Leo after he is shot, but blacks out.

Chapter 2:
Anaïs wakes from what apparently was a horrible dream, hours before the disastrous ball. She asks her father if they can leave, skipping the ball altogether, but he denies her and tells her that there is not enough of their magic in the world to provide premonitions. He uses his magic to put a spell of protection on her.

The ball goes mostly the same as in her dream, but in an act of uncertainty Anaïs confesses to Leo what happened, trying to warn him. To her horror it all happens again.

Chapter 3:
Once again Anaïs awakes, begging her mother not to make them go, but her mother refuses the request. Her family introduces Anaïs to the king, and in desperation Anaïs reveals her premonition, but to no avail. It only causes offense. 

Dancing with her friend Gaspard, Anaïs has the idea to get close to the dias the royals are on to try to see if there are bombs beneath it. She flings her locket, a family heirloom, as an excuse to get closer. To her surprise Leo once again finds her, but this time he offers to use his Ivaerean magic to locate it for her. Having a male heir with magical abilities isn’t publicly known. He finds it for her, and as they separate for the evening the bells strike midnight and once again, disaster.

 Questions:

1. Why do you think Anias is experiencing the same horrific event over and over again?

2. Who do you think is behind the carnage?

3. Why do you think Leo seems to act differently in each situation?

4. Did you enjoy the first section of the book??

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