The midnight bargain is a fantasy standalone about a young woman who wants to continue using her power in a patriarchal society.

The midnight bargain was a really good read, fast paced with an interesting plot.

I loved the main character, Beatrice was very relatable and her friendship with Nadi was one of the best thing in the book.

The midnight bargain was a really good read, fast paced with an interesting plot.

I loved the feminism aspect of the book as it brings issues that are also present in our world (my body, my choice).

I really liked the richly imagined world-building and I appreciated the diversity in it.

The romance was the only thing I didn't enjoyed in this book. Ianthe and Beatrice met two times and then hop fall in love. I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between them, it could have been handled better.

I would definitely recommend the midnight bargain and I would love to read a book about Ysbeta's adventures.

Thank you for NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable tropey fantasy full of action and intrigue, though a mismatch between the world’s politics and main characters' arcs created some narrative dissatisfaction. Some sparkling moments involving the magic system and setting foregrounded theme to very good effect. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a rompy fantasy-romance in an Edwardian-like setting.


PLOT, CHARACTER, AND WORLD

The book’s themes and the world’s politics are oriented around gendered oppression: women are basically stripped of agency and power to be reproductive servants. Beatrice, a woman trying to navigate this misogynistic world, is keen to please her family and uphold the traditions she was born into, but on the other hand she wants to practice magic, something that is forcibly stripped from married women.

I think the tension of this arc worked through most of the leading action. The conflict featured prominently in Beatrice's mind and actions. But when the world has such dehumanizing politics, Beatrice trying to please her family creates the feeling of an unsatisfying narrative. The biggest flaw of the book was that the protagonist accepted the premise posed by the plot: that she must either marry or abandon her family in favour of magic with no in-between. Beatrice describes to Ianthe that tradition would have her literally collared and used, in her own severe words, as an “exhausted” vessel for childbearing, and that she does not want this—but still she pursues it through much of the book. The additional options that shape the story’s conclusion are not imagined until there's no other recourse.

Ysbeta was the best developed character, with the clearest motives and clearest politics. Ysbeta’s central inclusion in the narrative served to competently shape the world’s politics as well as Beatrice’s relationship to those politics; Ysbeta’s politics importantly diverged from both Beatrice and Ianthe.

The book’s characters in general are positioned as archetypes and foils in relation to the book’s politics. On the ‘tradition’ side there is Beatrice’s family; on the ‘progression’ side there is Ysbeta. These represent the two worlds Beatrice is trying to reconcile. Ianthe, like Beatrice, inhabits a middle ground; he clearly prefers to work the system from within. All of his friends are adherent to the standards of the world, making Ianthe look progressive only in contrast. Later in the book, Ianthe looks down at his sister and forbids her from pursuing magic as though he was her keeper, showing his true position until extreme circumstances force his hand.

I found Ianthe milquetoast; I found Beatrice milquetoast. This may be more revealing of my politics than the book.

Ysbeta’s role as a character, meanwhile, was to encourage Beatrice toward personhood, a role no one else held in the book (except arguably her mother). Personhood is a notion even Beatrice herself seems uncomfortable with. She is keen to make her own decisions throughout the book, and yet every decision she actually makes is in the service of upholding the system by unconventional means. Ysbeta and Beatrice's relationship was a highlight of the book. One powerful scene saw them opening each other’s stays in order to breathe more deeply and connect privately over magic. Some of the best moments of the book happened when seemingly aesthetic elements of the world combined with the politics to create strong images like this.

But while highlighting how important the relationship between Ysbeta and Beatrice was, scenes like these also painted Ianthe in such an unfavourable light that I wasn’t engaged by the romance. In another powerful scene, for example, Ysbeta is begging Ianthe not to force her to marry while Beatrice is reinstalling the very restrictive clothing that goes so far as to impede her breathing. A powerful image—made even more so when Ianthe repeatedly uses his authority to put his foot down and put an end to this nonsense (i.e., their expressions of personhood and agency). Both Ysbeta’s and, crucially, Beatrice’s interactions with Ianthe felt like they was making constant appeals to authority for personhood. Ianthe’s role landed unromantically with me for that reason.

The characters and their roles shaped the tone of the book and outlined the plot. Harriet pulled Beatrice in one direction; Ysbeta pulled her in another. Ianthe, her mirror but with actual power, pulled her this way and that according to what he determined his power was useful for that day. At times, the characters felt more like their roles than they did complete persons.

Never is this more apparent than in Ysbeta’s endgame. <spoiler>The ending felt rushed, the importance of Ysbeta’s agency again made secondary to the romance for reasons I cannot fathom. Then, at the book’s conclusion, Ysbeta remembers that she cannot be extradited from her own ship and that there she will have asylum. …What? Now? Surely she could have done this from the beginning. This serves as an analogy for the plot’s main problems: each woman might have acted for her agency alone but, for reasons not remotely apparent, only made those choices when their personhood had been already stripped.

I will also say that, given the degree of cruelty shown particularly to Beatrice, I didn't find the reconciliation of Beatrice and the Lavans to their respective families especially compelling. It played into the idea that staying loyal to family was a remotely favourable idea, and that the happiest ending of all was that Beatrice never actually had to choose; she got her family's loyalty and her freedom. This was where I felt most prominently that this was attempting fairy tale logic—something that feels out of place in most adult narratives, and it landed highly unfavourably with me.</spoiler>

The narrative felt overall unable to resolve the tension between the politics of the world and the characters’ baked-in arcs. The world’s politics were themselves layered—but the protagonist’s ability to explore them was limited, since her role in the story was to serve as the bridge between tradition and progression. The result was a protagonist who verbally opposed what she seemed to perceive as reproductive servitude without, somehow, taking Ysbeta by the hand and running away together to her ship to be lesbian witch pirates from the very beginning.


WORLDBUILDING AND MAGIC

I found some descriptions abstract and that the imagery of the world was sometimes more intuited than developed on the page. One manor “boasted the symmetry that was so important in beautiful houses,” but the characteristics of that symmetry are not described. What was symmetrical—pillars, windows? What was the colour of the house, the architectural style, were there lawns, what made this manor spectacular? This description, lacking specifics, is not quite immersive: the reader must leave the world and draw from examples from real life, then make that image fantastical themselves. Later in this same paragraph, a statue is described: “her fingers folded elegantly in the sign that the initiated recognized as a welcome and promise of hospitality.” Again, specifics are not given: how are her fingers folded? Are we talking about a fist in the air? Are we talking about crossed fingers? Lacking specifics, I pictured the statue of liberty. Maybe that’s a failure of my imagination—I showed friends the paragraph, and many of them found these descriptions very persuasive. But for me, the point of reading fantasy is to draw me into a world I could not imagine myself, which was not established here.

There were small political details in the worldbuilding that were very cool to see, notably the use of language. That Beatrice was fluent but not perfect in Ysbeta’s native tongue was a really nice detail that added a lot. When linguistic diversity appears in fantasy books, non-protagonists often adapt to the common language for the protagonist’s sake, and I enjoyed that the POV character was the one to adapt most of the time.

Finally: I love a well thought out magic system, and this was that. Some of the best exploration of society’s expectations of gender were focused around the literal practice of the magic. That Beatrice and Ysbeta had to undo their stays to get enough breath to muster power, I found that a powerful image. It was these moments of subtlety where the exploration of the book’s themes of oppression most shone, especially when combined with the implications of the robust magic system that itself shaped society economically as well as socially and politically.

The final action was quite impactful and featured deeply enjoyable tropes for me, but I wish it had been paced out a bit to preserve this feeling of completeness of the magic system. I like Polk’s dedication to rapid pacing, but either end of the book served action more prominently than world. Many will prefer the action; I preferred exploring the world.


PROSE AND STYLE

Some descriptions were vivid, especially about the cherry trees, carriages, and Ianthe’s code of dress. Colours are a particular strength of Polk’s prose; outfits were beautifully described.

At other times, prose felt thin and repetitious. A paragraph would start, “Ysbeta shrugged”—and so would the next paragraph with her dialogue in it. These telegraphing phrases are good for pacing in scenes heavy with dialogue, but they should be used with purpose. Ysbeta’s shrugging, Ianthe’s head shaking, or Beatrice’s trembling (her heart trembled, her stomach trembled, much of Beatrice trembled at one time or another) might be made clear in the dialogue or by some other means of phrasing instead of incurring this repetition. This sort of basic telegraphy contributed to why the characters and/or writing sometimes felt flat: in a section where Beatrice had been caught in her magic, the phrase “She was caught” appeared several times, as did “This ends now” from the male characters. More interiority or tailoring of dialogue for each character might have advanced the writing—but as it is, the prose values action, and action may be more important to the book.


CONCLUSIONS

There are a few elements that make this a compelling read: it’s a successful genre blend effort, it’s a fantastic example of a complete and comprehensible magic system, and it showed a world with layered politics. One of the central characters was largely successful at displaying those politics and nudging the protagonist toward questioning them. But as a whole, competition between fixed character arcs and the worldbuilding prevented some narrative satisfaction, while prose style sometimes flattened an otherwise sparkling and enchanting atmosphere.

A good book about magic and with many twists and turns. A good read that I enjoyed reading and would highly recommend to those who enjoy sorcery.

In this richly-detailed fantasy, a woman must give up magic when she marries. (This is not the result, as you first suspect, of misogyny. In this world, a woman must give up magic to protect her unborn children from vicious spirits.) Beatrice Clayborn wants above all to be a Magus, and so she is determined not to marry in order to realize her dreams.

Her family, on the other hand, is determined that she find a man of means during the yearly “Bargaining Season” so that she can help them get out of debt.

While pursuing a grimoire that may help Beatrice overcome obstacles and become a mage, she encounters the male and female Lavan siblings, magical in every way, who complicate Beatrice’s desires. In fact, it is unclear at first which sibling, Ysbeta or Ianthe, attracted Beatrice more. In any event, the choices for Beatrice are now not so clear cut. Can the allure of love win out over the allure of magic?

The world building was fascinating, but the characterizations less so. Nevertheless, it was mildly diverting, and I liked the Regency vibe.

This fantasy novel resonates with the struggles contemporary women face today in American and beyond. At its core, this book is a feminist story about women and who has the right to control their bodies during their reproductive years and where women fit in the hierarchy of the world. . The author creates a world in which young women with high magic, This book was an exciting oceanic adventure who are denied magical instruction due to their sex, are in essence sold to less powerful male magicians for the express purpose of breeding more magicians. These girls own magic is suppressed while they do this. Full of spirits, strong willed young women, and scheming families, this book touches on the topics of autonomy and a women’s place in the world. Set in a richly imagined, historical world, this book is not only timely, it is highly enjoyable.

Okay okay hold on I was super wary of this book because once i started it got a little boring and wordy and i was confused because i didnt know what was going on, but after i found my footing and went past the 30 percent mark, i found that i enjoyed this so much more than i expected. The romance was so sweet and actually my favourite part.

Elegant, stylish and sparkling, with a fantastic and fascinating magic system, great characters, and a really nuanced look at how different people choose to maneuver (and what's worth sacrificing - or not) in a glittering but unjust society.

Categorically speaking, were I to compare this book to others I've read, I'd say it's the romance equivalent of The Selection meets the power, sorcery, and ambitious yearning of The Folk of the Air series.

The result was an intriguing mash-up of genre, of theme. It was one where fantasy waltzes with feminism, with magical agency, then tangos with the restrictions of a regency-era patriarchy.

The book was enjoyable overall. Just not hit-it-out-of-the-park outstanding.

I found the world-building to be immersive yet also lacking in detail. I would've liked to have a better understanding of the world the characters were inhabiting - the kingdoms/countries, the languages, the chapterhouses etc- because you're thrown into the middle of it all without a tether. Without any kind of explanation as to where these places are or how they've come to exist. It would've been nice to be able to picture some of the locations better. Imagine the varying cultures and customs.

Ianthe and Beatrice were a tad too instalove-y for my taste as well. They converse for two seconds in a bookshop and PLING! Cupid's arrow strikes! That said, I did appreciate the way he listened to her charges about the injustices women face with regards to magic later on, taking the time to evaluate her arguments, giving them serious thought and consideration. I like a man who fights for his lady to be free and happy, to have agency. That's the way it should be!

Nadi was my favorite character by far, though. She was such an infectious little spirit--so vivacious and gleeful, so "carpe diem" in attitude. I particularly loved that she was always hex-ready to defend her friend from meanies. In fact, I think Casper may have a new rival for the Cutest Spirit Award!

Though I wished the magical system had been explored more and that the romance had been more dynamic, I still found a lot to enchant here. It's definitely worth a bargain. So read it, why don't you?

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the ARC!

Thank for to the publishers who gave me a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The premise sounded very interesting and the cover is absolutely stunning. However, I didn't connect with the story as much as I hoped. The opening image of the book was quite fun, I was thrown right into the main character's world and got a glimpse into her motivations. However, as the book went on, I realized I didn't connect with the main character nor any of the secondary characters. Her relationship with Ianthe felt quite rushed. It was very early on in the book when she remarked he was the nicest guy she'd ever met and she wasn't sure if she could give up all she wanted for him. This happened before they really developed any meaningful connection, which made their relationship come across a little forced for me.

As someone who really likes rooting for the characters in the books, it made me less invested in finding out what happened as I didn't care what happened to the characters in this story. The book was well written though and I can see many other enjoying this work.

Wow, this is an amazing story! I really loved this first in the series. It reminded me of Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy. Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I was excited to read something different and this book did not disappoint me.

The premise of this book really intrigued me. I sat down ready to read an amazing story but I couldn’t get past the first few chapters. The writing was just too YA for me. I think a younger teenager would enjoy this book very much. I found it hard to connect with the main character right off the bat as well. She seemed to “bounce” around with her words and thoughts.

I admit that while I am all for books on magic and witchcraft, this book did have some surprises and some parts that did fall a bit flat.

The book was mainly enjoyable, there were some parts that were a bit flat, like the romance. One of my favorite parts had to be the strong female friendships in this book. In a book that has a lot of feminism weaved into the book, it was interesting to see that clash with the main character who literally fell in love at first sight.... It's a bit contradictory, but I still enjoyed reading it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book!

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an arc of The Midnight Bargain! Set in Regency England, The Midnight Bargain features two extremely strong willed sorceresses, determined to fight against a very patriarchal society and claim their right to practice magic freely. This book has all the elements which make it a fantastic read — strong female characters, an endearing hero, magic, high stakes and a convincing premise.

My favourite thing about The Midnight Bargain was the bond between Beatrice and Ysbeta. I absolutely loved the way they stood by each other through thick and thin. Beatrice was a very clever and ambitious heroine. I could relate with Ysbeta's thirst to explore knowledge and hidden cities and her want to undertake her own voyage. The book just wouldn't be the same without this powerful duo.

The romance felt kind of rushed but this book is set in Regency England so I'll let it slide. I was captivated by the dance sequences and the descriptions. I really enjoyed the second half of the book (it had quite some surprises). I think this book would translate really well on screen! I would recommend this book to any fan of badass female characters, historical fiction, female friendships and fantasy!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't my cup of tea. The premises were interesting but I didn't like the characters and the writing style. Plus, it focused too much on the romance than the magic system. Maybe someone with less expectations could enjoy it more.

Okay so I LOVED this book. The mix of magic and romance was exquisite.

Beatrice is a sorceress who wants to become a Magus. However the Bargaining Season has begun and her family is pinning their hopes on her success in finding a husband to save them from falling into poverty. Women aren't supposed to become Magi and when they get married they receive a marital collar that cuts off their marriage to prevent spirit born children. Beatrice has decided she would rather choose magic over marriage, but her decision isn't so easy when her father refuses to see her magical talents and she can't help falling in love with dashing Ianthe whose wealth could save her family. Beatrice finds understanding in Ianthe's sister Ysbeta who is also being used as a pawn to gain her family power, but Ysbeta is determined to never marry and the clock is ticking down for both of them.

This felt like a regency romance mixed with fantasy. So if the kind of historical romances about finding a husband/wife before the season is over don't interest you, then this might not be your cup of tea. I liked how this felt like a fresh take on that concept, but the marital collar ramped up the stakes and the magic added excitement and tension. The friendship between Ysbeta and Beatrice was excellent and highlighted how women struggle to fight back in a society that sees their sole role as mothers and marriage bargaining chips. I can see this appealing to fans of The Glamourist Histories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"You will have a kiss by midnight, and then our bargain is done."

I rarely enjoyed regency romance and historial fantasy, so this book was a pleasant surprise for me. The Midnight Bargain told the story of Beatrice Clayburn, and how she fought against the misogynistic magical community where she lived in order to keep her own powers to herself. Along the way, she also gained the aid of the spirit of luck, Nadi, and the wealthy Lavan siblings, Ianthe and Ysbeta.

The Midnight Bargain tackled many issues such as sexism and women's rights, and I think it was well-addressed. Beatrice was a highly driven main character, and I loved her friendship with Ysbeta. It was very refreshing to see how their friendship progressed throughout the book. Nadi, the lesser spirit of luck that Beatrice summoned, was also such a delightful character and I loved whenever she appeared. However, Beatrice and Ianthe's romance felt quite underdeveloped for me, even though I adored them both (and to be honest I felt Beatrice and Ysbeta had more chemistry). I'm glad their relationship didn't overshadow the more important themes that this book tried to convey, though. But still, I wished the climax and the ending wasn't really rushed. Overall, the writing was excellent and it made me want to read C.L. Polk's other books.

P.S. READ IT AND STAN NADI!!

The Midnight Bargain

Beatrice Clayborn is trapped. Trapped in a society where magic is real, yes—but it’s only allowed for men to practice. And Beatrice yearns for the chance to study magic herself, to become a sorceress and experience every beautiful thing that magic makes possible.

She is in her Bargaining year, the time where young women are primped and paraded for potential grooms. In this grand society, women who come from magical families—the more powerful, the better—are the most sought after. Beatrice dreads the Bargaining season with her entire being, for being chosen as a bride also condemns her to a life as solely a wife, mother, and glorified housekeeper.

Women that have magical potential are collared upon wedding—their powers are silenced, muted, taken away—so that they may focus on tending their homes and children. That is the place for women.

It’s pretty rough, really, to be immersed in this culture of enslaved women; as the story progressed and I became more and more aware of just what Beatrice was facing should she marry, I found myself thoroughly relieved that this is only a fictional realm. To have the splendor of magic ripped away from you, solely because you’re only good for producing magically-strong children? Despicable.

As a whole, I enjoyed this story! It was nicely fast-paced, with an enjoyable protagonist that I loved and was rooting for. Beatrice’s dilemma was heart-wrenching to imagine, and her love interest was sweet and held his own.

I did at times feel like the premise of “enslaved women controlled by men” was a bit too pushy. Toward the end especially, when her father becomes the villain and tries to force her into an unwanted marriage—ignoring her tears and pleas, coldly putting his own desires above his own daughter’s—I had to tamp down some frustration. In my opinion, he should not have been so easily forgiven in the end; that type of behavior is very un-fatherlike and he needs to be out of her life, and his quick change of heart in the end was not very believable.

But, apart from some of the conflicts being too easily fixed or glossed over, I enjoyed this read very much. A very unique, real-feeling premise and fun, easy to love characters!

A big thank you to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for giving me this ARC! I wish all the best to author CL Polk and look forward to reading more of her books.

The Midnight Bargain is the latest novel from C.L. Polk, author of the Kingston Cycle of books which began with Witchmark a few years ago. Those novels were queer romantic fantasies, with strong queer romance secondary plots to go along with solid fantasy main plots dealing with issues of oppression, privilege, and more. By contrast, The Midnight Bargain is a fantasy romance* set in a regency-esque world (except magic is a very real part of this world), and as such, the romantic elements are the main attraction.

*I define Romantic SF/F is SF/F with romance as an important part of the plot, but not the main focus of the plot. SF/F Romances may have other subplots besides the romance, but the romance is the central point of the work, to the point where the story can end satisfactorily with the other plots hanging as long as the romance plot IS resolved or furthered.

And I enjoyed The Midnight Bargain a good bit. The story reminded me quite a bit of Stephanie Burgis' "The Harwood Spellbook" (which I also really enjoyed) in that it features a world in which women are essentially forced to choose between love/marriage and magic, with the implication for ladies of status that they must choose marriage in the end. But the story takes things in different directions than Burgis' series, as it features two women desperate to become masters at magic despite two very different opinions about the idea of love and romance, as well as a male love interest who tries to be understanding but is hindered at such by his upbringing. It takes some surprising turns through it all, and perhaps ties things up a bit too neatly, but I enjoyed this novel quite a bit and would recommend.
----------------------------------------------------Plot Summary-----------------------------------------------------
Beatrice Clayborn dreams of being a full fledged Magus - a mage who has summoned and communed with a Greater Spirit. But while women becoming sorceresses in their widowhood is an acceptable part of society and young women dabbling with magic before marriage is something tolerated, the same is not true of a married woman anywhere around the world. In fact, upon marriage, women are given marital collars which cut off their magic - as a still powered sorceress giving birth results in children damaged by the spirits, causing havoc before they are killed. There is nothing Beatrice fears more than being collared, and yet her family is in severe debt and is relying upon her to marry into wealth to save them all.

Beatrice has an alternate plan to marriage - if she can become a full fledged Magus and summon a greater spirit, she can use its magic to help her family prosper, and her traditional stubborn father will be forced to acknowledge her as a full partner in his business - and will let her live the life she wants. But when she finds a grimoire that contains part of the spell she needs, it is taken away from her by a pair of wealthy noble siblings: Ianthe Lavan and his sister Ysbeta. And all seems lost....until she encounters Ianthe once more at the start of the courting season and a spirit of fortune forces her to kiss him.

Soon Beatrice begins to spend more time with the Lavan siblings, and begins to find even more difficult questions for her future: for in Ysbeta, Beatrice has found a kindred spirit, a young sorceress desperate only to learn magic and to never marry. And in Ianthe, she has found the one man not offput by her true intelligent self and who she might truly desire....even if to have him would result in her magical dreams being forfeit......

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The Midnight Bargain features a regency setting which will be somewhat familiar to most readers: it's a mainly patriarchal setting, although some women do stand out and there are some differences in different cultures as to the extent, where magic as a full time profession is limited to men, and admittance into the Chapterhouse is barred for women, as thus are the major secrets of magic. The setting provides for some logical reasons why such a restriction did come about - the inability of a sorceress to have a successful child is real - but like in the real world, such a truth is seized upon to ensure that women have to make all the sacrifices to enter into a relationship, whereas men might not. And most of men and women in this setting, at least seem to accept that this is the way it must be and will accept no change, with women of decent stock (ladies) presenting themselves as part of the Ingenue for a marriage proposal and expected to live out happy lives in marriage as such.

This acceptance is not something for either our main character, Beatrice, or a major secondary character, in Ysbeta. Beatrice is a woman of conflicting wants: she desperately wants to help her family, and she would love to find a man and a happy relationship - if such a thing was possible given how much her knowledge of world affairs and magic is considered unladylike behavior - but her primary wish is to become a full fledged magus, with the magic in her never taken from her veins. As such, the Lavan siblings throw those contrasting wishes into full relief. Ianthe for example quickly proves himself to be the type of man she never thought could exist: loving her curiosity, intellect, and magical desires and wanting Beatrice to be happy, to say nothing of being very wealthy and thus someone who could save her family from debt. And she finds him more than attractive, so if there's anyone she would desire to marry, it would have to be him. But to marry would require her to give up her magic and.....

Then there's Ysbeta, who throws this all out the window, and is the real difference from the typical regency-esque romance novel. Ysbeta shares Beatrice's love of magic and desire to truly explore its potential - in fact she even has dreams that go beyond Beatrice's of what good she could do with magic she could learn from all around the world. But Ysbeta has no interest in romance or marriage or anyone else at all in that way (the book never comes around and says it, but I read her as being asexual & aromantic). And so while Beatrice's issues are that she does desire Ianthe and would want him but to have him would cost her her other dreams, for Ysbeta it's even MORE stark: to marry wouldn't just cost her her desires, but it would do so for a purpose that would only ever make her unhappy, no matter how nice or goodnatured the partner is. It makes her the most sympathetic figure in the entire novel, and god did I feel for her.

And so we have a plot where Beatrice has to try and negotiate her own desires, while also feeling desperate to help Ysbeta find someway out of her predicament if at all possible. We have classical regency villains - a father who doesn't recognize his daughter's worth, a nosy younger sister who feels her own dreams are resting upon her sister's success, a potential mother in law determined to keep her away, a suitor with ulterior motives and a willingness to take drastic actions....but honestly, the biggest villain in it all is the status quo's unwillingness to bend, and this book's best moments are where Beatrice tries desperately to show that to Ianthe, who may very well be as sympathetic as possible, but just can't see that anything can be changed and has to be forced to possibly consider how it can. And this works really well and effectively and makes this novel very enjoyable. It has some issues: the ending features a rush of people coming to decisions that counteract everything we know of them from the rest of the book, which seems almost too tidy really. But it's still a very enjoyable and satisfying fantasy romance, and I would definitely recommend it.

I enjoyed the mashup of paranormal and Regency and the writing is accomplished but unfortunately the main character did not grab me so DNF