I thought I would relate to Beatrice in The Midnight Bargain more than I did.

Beatrice is a sorceress and, in The Midnight Bargain, the only use for a sorceress is as a broodmare. Upon marriage, sorceresses are no longer able to access their magic - for the safety of their unborn child - and are very much the property of their husband. The Midnight Bargain is about the struggle Beatrice has between choosing her sorcery, which she loves, and getting married to pay off her family debts.

I really think that Polk has lot of interesting things to say about how women's power - with which they could do so much good - is completely taken away by their husbands. There's a quote early on in the book, "So the device women have to wear for the safety of their children is an instrument of punishment to men in the chapterhouse" , which I think describes much of the messaging through the book. This book is a bit heavy-handed when it comes to the theme and the discussions that it has surrounding women's bodily autonomy and ability to enter into all professions as equals to men.

I wish this was a book club book, because I would like to discuss with others about whether or not Polk added anything new to the discussion. I found a lot of Polk's arguments difficult to separate from the setting, which made them difficult to discuss in a real-word context and the issues that women face with bodily autonomy and entering professions today. As a female engineer, I wanted to see something new. I wanted to relate with Beatrice and come out of the book knowing and understanding more about my current situation. I just couldn't untangle the messaging from the bridal season that takes place throughout the book.

The writing still does leave beautiful and thought-provoking gems throughout, like the following said by the love interest "“Absolutely. It’s utterly tragic,” Ianthe said. “She had to marry for advantage, not love. Look how unhappy she is. Look at the groom, who cares nothing for her distress—I’m furious just looking at it.” I would love to be able to have a full conversation with people about the depths of that quote because I just don't get it on my own.

I think a part of the reason that I didn't get as much of this book as I would have liked is because I didn't click with the characters until I was 25% of the way through the book. Part of the issue is that I recently read another book with a main character named Beatrice, written in the same tense, and I struggled to tell the two apart. Since a large part of the set-up and motivation is done in that 25%, I didn't really connect with Beatrice and her choices. I really enjoyed the middle, but at the end, when inevitably decisions have to be made, I was not as invested in any of Beatrice's choices as I should have been. The writing was nice, but not distinct enough for me to tell it apart from another Beatrice also going to the city for the first time as a grown woman.

I'm very glad that the writing was good in this, as I have to read Witchmark this week for my book club. The characters were distinct, and I enjoyed them in the middle of the book when I could see them as distinct characters. The historical research was pretty accurate to my understanding - Beatrice and the women did not wear corsets, but stays - and from my understanding of historical fashion YouTube, this is a correct impression. I think that I will thoroughly enjoy the next book of Polk's because I believe I will have that opportunity to connect with the characters and their wants and desires at the beginning of the book.

I recommend The Midnight Bargain to people who want to think about their books, and not to people who have just read a book about another Beatrice.

What a good book! A world that doesn’t allow women the freedom to pursue sorcery, when they get married they are bound by a collar that stops them from being connected to their magic for the protection of their potential future children so they won’t get possessed. Beatrice just wants to practice magic but she also knows her family is depending on her to find a rich match because her father lost the family’s money in a bad investment and throughout the book she has the argument of what she should do. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed the friendship that developed between Beatrice and Ysbeta, and the one between Beatrice and Nadi. Honestly if I was Beatrice I probably would’ve let Nadi hex more people. I liked the ending, especially the epilogue where we get this truth that applies to an argument our world is still having, “Women should have a voice in their futures, and her decisions and her decisions alone matter when it comes to how she will use her own body.”

The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk had everything a reader like me craves: it had magic, it had romance, it had wonderful side characters (they make or break a book for me) and it had friendship and sacrifice.

Beatrice is a strong, resourceful sorceress, who wants to be able to learn and use her magic so as to help her family and live her dream of becoming a mage, but cultural constraints won’t let her fulfill her dreams. But here’s the thing, she’s a fighter at heart.
Ianthe is a good natured, conscious and understanding guy, who puts the wishes of those he loves and cares about, first. He believes in equality, he has a kind heart and an open mind and doesn’t shy away from confrontations and speaking for what he believes is right and just.
Ysbeta is impulsive, a little overbearing at times, but she has a heart of gold and a determination that won’t quit!

Here’s an overview of what I liked: the book had romance but it didn’t occupy and over shadow everything else, every single character had their own identity, their own struggle. Take Harriet for example, our heroine’s little sister, she got on my nerves, but at the same time I could sympathize with her, because she was fair in her own right! That’s my biggest take away from this book, every character had a story to live, a battle to fight! Even the “Spirits” had their time to shine. I actually loved every time Nadi appeared, the interaction between Beatrice and Nadi were some of my favorite dialogues from the book. Similarly, the interactions between Ianthe and Beatrice were so swoon worthy, after ages it wasn’t the looks and the chiseled abs and the perfect jaw of the hero that was his most defining characteristic, it was his heart and understanding!

Honestly, I didn’t find any cons, I really didn’t, I enjoyed this book, it’s pace, and the message it gave: to not let anything come between you and your dreams and where there’s a will, there’s a way: albeit cliche, the saying holds truth.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.

This review and its contents can be found on my Goodreads by the link below

[4]
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review. The Midnight Bargain is a regency inspired fantasy-romance that follows our main character Beatrice as she attempts to maintain control of her magic in a world determined to tear it from her. To do so she will summon a spirit Nadi, to aid her, and form an unlikely alliance with the wealthy Lavan siblings who have the means to help her change her fate.

The strongest component of this book was definitely the writing. It kept me engaged while also covering heavy topics such as body autonomy. The use of the plot to convey the importance of such was really clever and was executed very well. The characters were also really interesting. I absolutely adored Nadi, the luck spirit that Beatrice calls upon for help. She was the comic relief that we needed and the hero we deserved. Just as there was a lot to like about this book there were a quite few things that I didn't enjoy as much as I thought I would. Seeing as this has a romantic element engrained in it, I thought the romance between Beatrice and Ianthe would have been a lot better. It just felt to rushed which then made me question Beatrice's entire dilemma for the rest of the book. Loved the characters on their own, but the romance just didn't work for me. The ending also felt very driven. It got to a point where so much was happening that I couldn't keep up with it all. This is probably more of a 3.5, but I so enjoyed the plot and where it ended so there we go.

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<p>Review copy provided by the publisher. Also the author is a friend of many years standing.</p>
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<p>Sometimes a book is incredibly timely because its subject matter fits the headlines of the time when it comes out. And sometimes its timeliness is more a matter of mood: that this is the <em>sort</em> of book people will want to read in its particular era. I believe <em>The Midnight Bargain</em> is the second kind. There is nothing in it about pandemics and vaccines. Humans are not dying by the thousand, in <em>The Midnight Bargain</em>. There are glamorous balls, card parties, flirtations, enticing bookshops, hidden grimoires. Beatrice Clayborn has serious problems, but none of them involve masks.</p>
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<p><em>Good</em>.</p>
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<p>Honestly, who could not use a story that is both heartfelt and witty, full of both peril and wish fulfillment, right now? <em>The Midnight Bargain</em>'s characters fight misogyny and wrestle with each other's trust. They struggle with duty and ambition. They bind willful spirits and break down social barriers. They ride spirited horses and sail gallant ships. They wear elaborate clothes and drink fruity gin drinks. <em>I love that stuff</em>. It is the fun stuff. And right now, it is exactly the kind of fun stuff I think so many people need right now, and I'm so glad that it's coming out soon, because in October? Less than a month from the US Presidential election, many months into a pandemic? EVEN MORE SO.</p>
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Thank you Netgalley and Erewhon Books For an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. 
This was such a fun story to read! Part Pride and Predjest part Sorcery Of Thorns. This book literary brings magic to the recency era scene. 
<img src="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/HelpfulImpracticalGoldenmantledgroundsquirrel-size_restricted.gif<img src="
Beatrice is a girl who is just coming into marriageable age. Her father lost a good portion of their fortune in a business venture gone wrong. Now it’s up to her to marry well and bring the family’s holding back into good standing. Her success is also important for her younger sister’s prospects for her season the following season. In true Austen fashion, we meet our hero early and he is all things good reminiscent of our dear Mr. Bingley. 
<img src="" width="400" height="150" alt="description"/*>
 He falls for Beatrice for her outspoken nature and her somewhat social nonconformity. 
Beatrice has a strong gift of magic but in her countrywoman are sold in marriage to help produce strong magical offspring. When a girl marries she must give up her magic by strapping a warding collar on. This stifles her magic to protect her unborn child from becoming soulless because of the spirits they partner with to make magic. See again, regency with a magical twist! 
This book will sing to the feminist in you. Woman’s rights are the main plot of the story.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this story I did find Beatrice to be very naive. There were several times I wanted to give her and Ysbeta a giant head smack for doing the things that they were warned multiple times not to do. Harriet is Beatrice’s younger sister but it definitely felt the opposite. Although Beatrice is very business smart it seems that Harriet is the one who has her head on straight. She is the one to lead and guide her sister through the social season and explain what stakes are involved in her failure. 
This is a very satisfying stand-alone novel. Overall I really enjoyed this story. It collides my love of all things regency/ Austen and my love of magic in a very unique story.

I loved the premise of this book, a world of sorcery in what feels like a regency era book? Sign me up!

But I could not latch on to the plot, I was always in desperate need of some greater overarching problem to come along but it never did. I was left wanting.

While I loved Nadi and Beatrice's monther I found that most of the other characterizations were rather flimsy, they would act out of character on occasion and varied greatly in severity of actions from scene to scene. And in the end I think that was what made the main relationship seem somewhat flimsy to me, I couldn't believe their words or promises to one another because they themselves never felt consistent.

The Midnight Bargain is a daring new fantasy that harkens back to the lush balls and proper courtships of the Regency Era.  C.L. Polk's refreshing take on body autonomy, women's rights, and sexism propels this novel from mere fairytale romance to a scintillating work of art that is sure to become a favorite among feminists, romantics, and fantasy readers alike.

The world that Polk has created is familiar, but at the same time diverse, atmospheric, and magical.  The societal pressures to fill a certain role are ones that many modern females have felt.  Despite this story taking place in a fantasy world inspired by Regency England, many can relate to the crippling power of misogyny, although not nearly in such a literal way as a metal collar that suppresses magical ability.  The addition of the magic system provides a levity to a story that could otherwise have been a depressing saga of desperation.

Beatrice is a firecracker and I adore her character.  It is refreshing to see a feminist MC that does not completely reject the idea of marrying and bearing children.  Beatrice both acknowledges her desire to honor traditional roles and yearns for something more.  As a contrast, Ysbeta represents women that crave complete independence.  Their partnership and eventual friendship provides insight into both perspectives and gives dimension to the battle for women's rights.  Additionally, Ianthe's development from bystander to ally is thorough and convincing.  The diversity of the characters and their backgrounds provides the necessary differences to make his conversion more believable. 

The romance develops quickly, but there is enough doubt and turmoil that it doesn't feel rushed.  For a standalone, the pacing is spot on.  I won't go as far as to say the story is action-packed, but, between the secret meetings, constant suitors, and magical experiments, I couldn't put it down.

I highly recommend this book to fans of A Discovery of Witches and Sorcery of Thorns.  

This book is set to release October 13, 2020.  Thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s very rare that I finish a full-length book in one sitting. It’s even more unlikely when it’s a book I’ve already read, albeit in an earlier draft.

Fair warning here: I am a very biased reviewer for this book. I was privileged to read an early draft because the author is a friend. You may think this means I’m giving Ms. Polk an automatic double-thumbs-up, but in fact, it makes me even more critical.

Be honest with me, when was the last time you were 100% hyped for something a close friend or member of your family was involved in? How many times did you hold your tongue rather than give unwanted and probably unnecessary criticism?

(Conversely, how many times have you been a bumbling idiot and recommended plot changes that would have cost an author an award? I’ve been that idiot. Don’t be me.)

Now imagine your close friend or family member is a critically-acclaimed, award-winning SFF author. Trust me, you learn to shut your mouth Really Damn Fast.

Because C. L. is a Very Good Author indeed. I’ve learned to wait until she’s done before giving my opinion.

See my previous remarks on being a bumbling idiot.

And now it’s time for that opinion. And….whew. This is a hard one, folks, because this book really is That Good. It’s good enough that I begged off playing Warcrack for a night, curled up in bed with my iPad, and started reading.

I didn’t stop until I was finished the book. It was 4am. It was worth it.


In Other Words

Beatrice wants to embrace her destiny as a sorceress. She is born with strong magical talents, which make her a valuable prize – unfortunately, as bride to any Magus wishing to further strengthen his own magical line. Men train in the arcane arts. Women wear restrictive collars with magic-inhibiting powers. Otherwise, a rogue spirit could inhabit their unborn child’s body.

Beatrice’s family is proud, but have fallen on hard times. As such, they have heavily invested in Bargaining Season, hoping Beatrice will make a match with a wealthy man. Not only will this help dig the family out of the financial hole they’re in, but it will help launch Beatrice’s sister when her own Bargaining Season comes around.

Beatrice has other ideas. She would rather give up love and marriage for her calling as a mage. Her parents educated her in the ways of business, and if she could only get her father to listen to her advice…

On her way to a dress fitting, she locates a book that will teach her how to link with a Greater Spirit. Her hope is dashed when it the book is swept right out of her hands in the middle of the book store. Desperate, she makes a deal with a lesser spirit of fortune. Will luck be on her side?


The MacGuffin

We all know this setup. It’s a classic romance story, guaranteed to suck in those of us who like a little kissing in our fantasy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I fully endorse it.

Beatrice is dogged in her determination to get that book, becoming fast friends with the thief, and falling in love with the thief’s brother in the process. You and I and the wall know that the real point of this story isn’t that book or the romance. It’s the greater issue of women’s liberation and autonomy, and Polk is a very skillful spider in her weaving of this tale. It’s in the process of trying to get the book back – failing multiple times at her attempts to liberate herself – that Beatrice becomes a stronger character. The struggle illuminates her allies and enemies alike, and shows just what a woman is worth in her culture.


Austen-esque

Illustration by Hugh Thomson (1860-1920)
Jane Austen has been on my mind recently. I mentioned Sense and Sensibility in my video, Bloody Wee Stitches. At the time, I was discussing costuming, and fashionable eras, and the fact that Jane Austen was more political than most would think. Like Midnight Bargain, Sense and Sensibility is often dismissed as a silly romance. Not so.

I’ve gone back to The Gutenberg Project’s text file copy of Sense and Sensibility – the section I want to discuss is in Chapter 2 (forgive me, I thought it was Chapter 1, but I was wrong).

Mr. Dashwood Sr. has just passed away. His dying request is that his son, John Dashwood, should assist the elder’s widow and daughters. John and his wife are, to put it mildly, not happy with this. They place great importance on their own worth, and the worth of their belongings. Their concern is solely for themselves.

The conversation starts with John Dashwood thinking he might settle a sum of three-thousand pounds on his stepmother and three sisters. By the end, he’s not only convinced they will happily do for themselves, but that they should feel fortunate to give him any extra monies they might have floating around.

What a dick.


Carried to Midnight

It is into this sort of world that C. L. Polk slyly places her heroine. Women, particularly women of good breeding and possible talent, are very valuable. Beatrice’s mother gives up power and wealth to marry for love. It is a privilege that is extended to Beatrice only if she manages to love a wealthy man. Even then, you have to wonder at a kind of love that quite literally puts a woman into a form of bondage that completely deadens her entire personality and world view.

The fact that Beatrice places more importance on her longing to become a mage is besides the point. Even her education is waved away as a “value-add”. She is schooled in the way of business so she will be able to spot when her husband’s household is being cheated by staff or suppliers. The expectation is that she will be a good chatelaine, and will give up any of her own interests for her husband and possible children. That collar is going on one way or the other according to the society she lives in. Beatrice is a commodity to be traded to the highest bidder.

Fashion

Mantua and petticoat of bizarre silk brocade, British, c. 1708 (MET)
I wouldn’t blame anyone who missed the political undercurrents in The Midnight Bargain. C. L.’s descriptions of fancy ball gowns, luscious textiles, and gorgeous vistas steal the show.

Beatrice quickly meets Ysbeta and Ianthe Lavan, the adult children of wealthy merchants. Her acquaintance with them launches her to the forefront of Bargaining Season and its social whirl. Anything they miss, Beatrice’s younger sister Harriet is sure to point out. Ms. Polk introduces us to fashions and styles inspired by history, but placed in their own context. This creates a visually stunning world seen only in the mind’s eye.

It’s the one-two punch of fancy and authenticity that take you off-guard when C. L. rips down those walls of genteel fashion to reveal the unsharpened truth. Surprise! This book is literary fantasy disguised as fluffy romance. Cherish it. We don’t see them very often.

The Midnight Bargain will be available in Hardcover (and digital media!) through Erewhon Books starting October 13th, 2020.

The Midnight Bargain sounded super: a regency set romance with magic! And women's rights! I flew through this one and read it in a day. The writing was smooth and easy to read and enjoy. I liked the characters, but wanted more from them. Beatrice, our main character, and her love interest, Iathne (what a name!) were lovely. I was invested in their story. However, it felt Ianthe was sort of the perfect man. He was agreeable, enough anger about women's rights, and even was a great dad. I longed to see his flaws. What makes Mr. Darcy so great in Pride and Prejudice is that his character grows over time...it did not feel that way with Ianthe. Beatrice on the other hand did have some growth (but got her way in the end, so kind of a perfect ending?). I felt very mixed on the epilogue - it felt very JK Rowling where characters name their children for people in their lives, but just to put it there (not for any real sort of meaning). I will say I enjoyed the magic and women's rights aspect of this story and again Polk's writing was easy and delightful. 

The right sort of read for me right now.

I really loved this book! The characters were complex and interesting, and their stories were balanced well with fascinating world building.

“The talent for sorcery in women is a curse when it ought to be a blessing.”

Beatrice Clayborn lives in a society where women are banned from practising magic. (Patriarchal much !!!!) They are literally forced to wear collars to diminish their magic, could this book be any more male society bullshit. Beatrice wants to fight for her rights (yes bitch!!! I am rooting for you) her independence and she has a partner a friend to support her Ysbeta.

"You are going to upset everything. Beatrice. You aim to turn the world upside-down" "I mean to do exactly that, Father. If that means you cannot accept me as your daughter any more -"

Then there is Ianthe, he is the MAN, let me tell you he is the person who supports Beatrice, tries to understand her, and be with her even it will mean that he will sacrifice his family over some patriarchal bull shit. (Though I don't think men like him exist)

"I fight what she fights. Too many gentlemen believe that sorceresses are happy to deny their full potential. There must be other men who support freedom"

The world was beautiful, with gowns, carriage, flowers, parties, card games, bargaining season reminded me of Jane Austen classics.

"That's enough. I am tired of you parroting out the plots of all your lace-ruffle novels as if they paint a real picture of bargaining season. I am not a prize for a raft of gentlemen contesting among themselves to win me, and I will not manipulate anyone into competing for my hand"

What I didn't like about this book was that this book's writing style didn't suit a lot of those internal dialogues made this extremely enjoyable plotline quite boring. Also the ending I mean, everyone made peace in a single chapter in a single page, what happened to what the society will say and what about your belief systems. How can these things evaporate in a minute?  

"So the device women have to wear for the safety of their children is an instrument of punishment to men in the chapterhouse. I could spend a very long time getting angry while thinking about that."

Overall, I enjoyed the plot a woman fighting for her right to choose, be independent. I loved how the points Beatrice makes throughout the book had a mirror impact of the sexism and misogyny present in the real world.  I enjoyed the pace of the book (except maybe in end) I enjoyed a few characters they were written so wonderfully, some not so much. I didn't enjoy the ending, it felt as if the ending was written in a form to place a nice little bow on the perfect gift wrap. It just felt too perfect and forced

Set in an alternate Victorian universe, The Midnight Bargain explores the Victorian gender roles using magic as the rights and privileges women must sacrifice for their husbands. In this world, both women and men have the ability to perform magic. When a woman comes of age she is courted and forced into an arranged marriage where her husband places a collar on her neck that blocks her magic. She must wear this collar especially when she is pregnant to avoid attracting spirits into her unborn child. All magical rights are given over to the husband. In this story, two young debutantes and aspiring sorceresses team up to find a way to avoid marriage and instead choose a life of magic, grimoires, and freedom. 

This was an action packed read about bewitching feminism and forbidden magic. The neo-victorian world that the author created was detailed and descriptive without being confusing or convuluted. There are many important points and lessons the story offers about disenfranchised women, social norms, individuality, and choice. I really appreciated the fantastical interpretation of women's rights which many readers will resonate with.

There is plenty of magic found in this book from grimoires and spells to rituals and invocations. Action, adventure, mystery, and mayhem are plentiful in the story along with romance, conniving characters, and surrepitious spirits.

The Midnight Bargain is a spellbinding neo-victorian fantasy about the magical rights of women and the brave individuals who will stop at nothing for their emancipation, navigating a harsh world of business transactions, social contracts, and forbidden magic.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Midnight Bargain was a roller coaster for me. It started off okay-ish but then the pace would just go up and down throughout the book. It wasn't steady enough for me so I will admit that I got bored in a few chapters.

Then there's the romance. Eh, it was okay. I mean, Beatrice was no Elizabeth Bennet.. but she also wasn't blind to Ianthe's feelings towards her. Heck, they even said special words to one another at a certain point. They were okay to me and nothing really felt forced to me but I wasn't here for the love.

Well, unless we are talking about the magical world that is. Honestly, this word was pretty intriguing. I just wanted to know everything about the magic but was left a bit disappointed. It just felt like this book was focusing on things that weren't deemed important to me. For example, the drama.. ugh. Then the ending/epilogue was pretty cute but I'm not sure how I truly feel about this one.

It had potential to be a great love though.

The Midnight Bargain's insides are as beautiful as its cover! Ingenious world building kept me gripped without feeling overloaded, while the pacing started gentle and quickly built into a masterful fantasy tale. 

The characters are brilliant, three dimensional people with complex motivations. The friendship between the main characters was so beautifully written that I wanted to befriend them both myself. 

My heart was in my mouth for most of the last quarter of the book as the story built to an incredible conclusion. I was disappointed to have it end, but feel so pleased to have read it! 

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

I'd previously read another of C.L. Polk's books (Witchmark, the first in her Kingston cycle of books), with some reservations about the strength of the characterisation and its treatment of class, so I suspect I was never going to be 100% sold on The Midnight Bargain unless those two issues were dealt with better here.

The basic premise of the book is that it's set in a country where both men and women can do magic but only men are allowed to study it to a high level and women with similar powers are admired only as breeding stock. To support this, women with inherent magical abilities are locked into warding collars from marriage to menopause, to protect their children from being possessed by a spirit in utero. It's revealed partway through the book that the majority of women who undergo this have no idea what it's like until it's too late - their particular society is massively patriarchal (think Victorian laws around women owning property) and therefore self-perpetuating.

Enter our female protagonist, Beatrice, who unbeknown to anyone has already acquired magical knowledge she's not supposed to have and is on the marriage market this year only because her family are drowning in debt. A good marriage is the only way to save them, even though this is the last thing in the world Beatrice wants - she wants to become a sorcerer, even though there is no opportunity to do this, not lose her magic till she's past child-bearing age. Early on, Beatrice falls in with a brother and sister, only to discover the sister is in a similar boat to her and they form an alliance, promising to help each other learn more about magic and discover if they can both avoid marriage and the loss of their powers.

So far, so good, if a little heavy-handed in terms of the allegories about bodily autonomy. Where it goes awry for me a little is again in characterisation - in this case, Beatrice falling madly in love with her new bestie's brother after one conversation and said brother's lack of 3-dimensionality. Ianthe, for that's said love interest's name, is everything the plot requires him to be: sensitive and thoughtful, willing to turn a blind eye (or assist) in whatever Beatrice and his sister are getting up to, and pretty to boot. It's your classic YA-instalust situation, with Beatrice thinking 'well, maybe losing my magic part-time wouldn't be so bad, if I'm shagging this hottie!' and wavering all over the place.

As a standalone novel, the author also falls into the trap of wanting everything to tie up neatly - the heroes get what they want, wrongdoers are punished, there are plans afoot to turn the world upside down after Beatrice figures out how to have their cake and eat it. It's a little like eating too much cake, to be honest, as the experience goes from sweet to slightly sickening in a matter of moments and I'm not sure I liked it all that much as a result.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

“The talent for sorcery in women is a curse when it ought to be a blessing.” 
Basically, in a world that doesn’t allow women the freedom of sorcery, there are secret grimoires that Beatrice learns magic from. She plans to make a deal with a great spirit to live her life as a mage and not have to get married.

Knowing that alone made me so excited to read this. I was ready for some magical badassery, but unfortunately, I was not feeling the magic. I really liked the story, and I believe a lot of readers will be captivated by it, I’m just not of one them.

Rating this is difficult for me because reading The Midnight Bargain was such a rollercoaster. So let me break it down:

Beginning - 3 Stars. Pretty good start, solid intro to the story but the conversations felt slightly forced and there was more ’”tell” than “show”. What really made me groan though, was the insta love.

“Could she give all of that up, even for him? Could she give him up, even for power?”

^That’s from chapter THREE. Guess how many conversations they’ve had at that point? ONE. THEY’VE HAD ONE CONVERSATION AND GIRLIE WAS ALREADY SWOONING OVER HIM.

Middle - 4 Stars. At some point, I started warming up to the characters and even rooting for our main couple. Things were interesting. At the very least, Beatrice wasn’t oblivious about Ianthe’s feelings for her. Her not being dense was a breath of fresh air. There was finally some proper world-building and magic use.

End - 2 Stars. Everything was going well… Until that one scene that made me bang my head against the wall and stop reading for a bit. At that point, a lot of stuff went down and yet it felt like nothing was happening at all. I never skim, but here I just had to. The drama felt forced, the characters were being annoying. The internal monologues started getting repetitive again.

Epilogue - 4 stars. I did enjoy how things ended for everyone.

So yeah. A rollercoaster. A cheap, but still relatively fun rollercoaster. This definitely would’ve been better as a slow burn. I would’ve loved to see Beatrice and Ianthe’s feelings for each other build up rather than just appear out of nowhere. But with the way things were, I honestly felt more chemistry between her and Ianthe’s Sister. (…Ship?) As for the magic, it was cool but lacked something. Except for Nadi. Nadi, the spirit, was my favorite part of the book. Get me a friend like Nadi. I LOVE NADI

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc!

I was enchanted by this story from the very beginning! I cheered for Beatrice throughout the entire story and couldn't wait to see how it ended. I loved her strength and courage to stand up for her freedom and wouldn't let anything get in the way. 

This book had the perfect balance of magic, romance and suspense to keep you wanting more!

C.L. Polk's fantasy novel The Midnight Bargain is a prescient take on women's autonomy and strength. In this Regency-esque alternate world, our heroine Beatrice is expected to fall in line and marry an eligible bachelor to secure a fortune that will salvage her father's failed business ventures. However, she is a skilled sorceress (a quality many women in her world possess), but all married women are forced to surrender their magic upon marriage to prevent the magic from corrupting a pregnancy. She is resolved never to marry until she meets the handsome Ianthe Lavan and his passionate sister Ysbeta. It turns out that the similarly-gifted Ysbeta shares Beatrice's fear of losing her magic to matrimony, and the two strike a deal to secretly improve their skills and become Mages in defiance of their patriarchal society. Yet Beatrice can't help but fall for Ianthe, who respects her talents and listens to her fiery opinions, leading her to question what choice she should make.

This is a feminist tale that fantasy readers will enjoy, along with those looking for all the dreaminess of a Regency-era love story but with more resistance to the stereotypical societal pressures. I was not captivated by the novel, but I appreciated it and its firm stance on female agency. The magic systems were sometimes confusing (along with my personal pet peeve of lots of fantastical names that I don't know how to pronounce). 

[3/5: A fun fantasy where a lead gets the man and to follow her dreams. Felt more YA than adult lit, so would likely appeal to both.]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was, to be honest, a little disappointing. The first of Polk's Kingston trilogy was one of my favourite reads the year it came out, so I was expecting more. It's a pleasant read, but I found the rather obvious "women's power over their own bodies" metaphor rather heavy-handed and the romance unconvincing.