I REALLY LIKED THIS! Ugh maybe I'm just lonely and a sucker for some good historical romance with a magical bend but this was really lovely! Can't wait to check out more from Polk.

I LOVED this book and enjoyed reading it so much. The storyline captivated me and at times was just a little slow, but thats just because it grabbed me so well. Some parts were a bit predictable but may not for the general audience. Historical romance and fantasy are right up my alley. Solid book, looking forward for the hard copy!

C.L. Polk builds a beautiful, intricate, and magical world. It’s like Jane Austen, but interesting. Beatrice carries the gift of magic, but in the bargaining season, she must find a groom to improve her family’s fortunes. When magical women marry, they’re given a warding collar which strips their magic and dulls their senses, all under the guise of protecting their as of yet unborn children.

But Beatrice craves magic. Beatrice meets Ysbeta and Ianthe, two wealthy siblings with a penchant for magic. A love story unfolds between Beatrice and Ianthe, passionate and filled with the moody missteps of youth. Ysbeta is a powerful and influential asexual character. Finding openly described asexual characters in novels is so damn refreshing. Ysbeta cares not for love or lust - she cares for knowledge, she yearns to travel the world to collect and share magical knowledge. But she has to escape some social expectations and outdated practices first.

This book is fun and fast and interesting. There’s a lot of spirits coexisting in human bodies and those internal discourses between humans and spirit are some of the best parts of the book and has me waving my arms around trying to summon a spirit to come use my body to eat some cake and run on a beach and go gamble.

There is a part of me that yearns to hear a different story though - not of these people endowed with prettiness/wealth/opportunity/youth. We glimpse into a network of lower class magic women who have found their own mode of practice through secrecy, codes, and hidden pathways. (Until privileged Beatrice shows up and makes them feel bad for wanting to protect the network they have spent years and risked everything to build.) The seamstresses, the maids, the cooks, the village women, the farmers’ wives, the spinsters, and all the women and non-binary folk we don’t see who are enriching the lives of the women we do see (and at what cost). A story that surrounds us every day, a story we must engage with.

A unique blend of magic and feminism. Beatrice is intent on escaping societal expectations of woman to pursue her ambitions of becoming a Magi and save her family from financial ruin.

Even though this isn't my usual read I devoured this book in two nights. Several times I prepared myself to be disappointed in the lead character, but was pleasantly surprised as she continuously refused to compromise her integrity.

The book had enjoyable and strong willed female leads. In particular I enjoy a book not having a women abandon her life long aspirations for a man. And we got not one, but two.

The plot was intriguing and kept me engaged the entire read. I didn't really find many dull points and didn't find I had to force myself to push through for the sake of finishing. The writing was a breath of fresh air and the author descriptions transported me to this world, painting lovely scenes. The magic system was unique and interesting. Overall I was delighted to have been given a chance to read and review this book, and it's definitely something I will recommend.

If you are looking for a charming short (at least by my standards) read with a compelling magic system and enjoyable characters, this is an amazing book. I loved reading it, and I was constantly reading to learn more. Ultimately, I finished this book in less than 24 hours.

I want to start this (more critical/cynical) review by saying that I have many thoughts on this book. I will separate different components of the book into sections where I will go into depth on my thoughts and feelings. I also want to note that this book isn't usually the type of book that I read.

Characters:
I enjoyed the characters and the gradual depth that the two main heroines gain. Beatrice is an enjoyable femxle lead who is fighting for her own autonomy and agency. I enjoyed following her story and her adventure to do so. I have a few qualms with Ianthe and his character, which mainly lie in the idea that he was 2D and an unrealistic portrayal of a man (especially in the setting of this world). It was too good to be true, and I had to suspend my disbelief for a large portion of Ianthe's character. Nonetheless, I did enjoy these three and their rendezvous throughout the novel. I feel that the characters could have been developed more thoroughly, given more depth, and more information to reveal their intentions, motivations, and ideals. Though, I concede that this may be the case only for me and those who tend to like longer books with more developed characters.

One of the first notes that I wrote for this book was "Beatrice's incompetence is alarming for a girl trying to gain her own autonomy/agency" and I stand by that. I think it was unnecessary to place the main character in situations where she acted stupidly for the sake of moving along the plot. Luckily, this was only a pitfall at the beginnings of the book, but I have read many books that manage to maintain a heroine's ability to do literally anything while also showing how they are oppressed because of their gender. I think that this is a small detail, but I wanted to call it out because this book is trying to send the message of womxn being just as capable as men. I can understand that these scenarios give more depth to a character, but personally I didn't love it.

Plot:
I adored the majority of the plot. I believed that the pacing was quite smooth, and there wasn't a point in the story where I was dreading to continue. By no means was every part of the book a pageturner, but I was thoroughly enticed and compelled to learn more about the story. I have almost no issues with the plot other than the fact that I wanted more drawn out scenes, more scenes to learn about the characters (which falls more with 'character' than 'plot'), and that it was somewhat predictable.

World-building/Magic System:
I think that the slow introduction to the world and the magic system was done charmingly. I do think that the reader could have been given some more information at the beginning, but overall I liked the way that it was done. I think that it would have been nice to have developed the magic system more and explained it in more depth, but the way that it was done in the story was great. For the type of book that this is, it is compelling and I was constantly curious to learn more about the magic, how it worked, and how it was such a necessity to the two main heroines. At times there were certain scenes where I was slightly confused by the magic system and its connection to the world/characters, but these do not detract greatly from the story.

Writing style:
I have to say, the writing style was not my cup of tea. However, I liked the immersion that the writing brings. It placed me in the time period and the world. It kept me immersed in the setting, and it was done masterfully. My criticisms lie in the dialogue between characters, which was very stoic and felt rigid. and one dimensional This, for me, took away from the chemistry and romance between the hero and heroine. I admit that this may be because of my inexperience with these types of books (that emulate the atmosphere of the time period). I felt that the stoic dialogue remained consistent throughout the book and it was hard for me to understand the feelings of the characters. Sometimes, I felt like the writing was too blunt and straightforward while other times it was too ambiguous, though that lies entirely in my taste in writing.

I also want to say that the use of colons to signal internal dialogue was really off-putting to me. Also, there were a handful of misplaced or missing quotation marks. I don't know if that has to do with the ARC that I received, or a genuine error in the book.

Overall:
I loved the message that is being portrayed throughout this book, and the arguments that Beatrice makes are well-spoken and heavily relate to issues involving misogyny and sexism in the real world. I think it's unfortunate that most people reading this book are not the ones who need to understand and learn these messages. I think that the plot and characters were compelling, but my (albeit) very critical eye had issues with this book. Especially with the message that it is trying to convey. I understand that pulling off a perfect 'No More Sexism!' story is extremely difficult (especially in a realistic setting).

I had some issues with the idea that not having children was the epitome of sacrifice, and was essential in a marriage. Though these issues were addressed and calmed in the story, I do not feel like enough attention was brought to womxn truly having their own autonomy and agency. I think that this story could have been much more engaging and impactful from Ysbeta's point of view, especially considering the message/moral that this book is trying to impose. The ending is, in my opinion, realistic and well done. (Though it isn't what I would have wanted or expected). It becomes somewhat indulgent and ties up the book (in my opinion) too nicely.

Simply put, I feel like this type of book should have been given more depth in all components. It was a nice quaint read, but I feel as though I would have truly been enamored with this story if it had been given more. More of everything.

This was pretty good. The storyline flowed well. Interesting characters. It did get a bit cliched at times. I did find find that I struggled to connect to the character and it meant for me the story was a bit flat. I would definitely recommend this to anyone wants to read a kind of historical romance with a bit of magic thrown in. Not sure this works for me. But it was ok.

Magic and romance, the perfect combination. I found this story really interesting since its main focus was about a young sorceress trying to keep her magic (which would be taken from her when she married) while also trying not to fall in love with her new friend's brother. The struggle that both Beatrice and Ysebta both faced as young women trying to find freedom on their magic in a society that keeps trying to force them to settle into the norm and leash their magic was a great one to read about. I enjoyed the relationship between Beatrice and Nani (her spirit of fortune) and how they came to trust and love each other. This book was a great read and I loved how it dealt with the matter of women's freedom in the face of society that tries to take it away from them and the understanding of loved ones.

I absolutely loved this book. I read it in one sitting, and stayed up way too late! The Midnight Bargain does an excellent job combining fantasy and romance, while questioning gender and reproductive roles. The characters and plot are well developed and interesting. The Regency England-like setting was wonderfully detailed. The way that women had their magic taken from them when they married, by wearing a collar that effectively trapped their powers, was heartbreaking. I found myself cheering for the main character, hoping that things would work out for her in the end. Sigh. I didn't want the book to end. I definitely recommend it.

Though this book was a bit outside my typical genre, I quickly became obsessed with the plot and characters, and finished the book in one sitting! The Midnight Bargain is a story, while set in a time and place much different from our own, that has very contemporary and relevant themes (reproductive rights and traditional gender roles). While these are some complex topics to tackle, the fantasy setting made them feel accessible and presented the issues in a new and engaging way. All in all, it was the perfect combination of fantasy, romance, and, surprisingly, social issues! A truly fantastic read!!