The Midnight Bargain was a surprising star of 2021 for me. It took me a while to actually start the book, I don't know what was causing the hesitation, but once I got started it was difficult to stop!

This book is a Regency-type fantasy novel, where magic is snuffed from women once they get married and are ready to have children. Our MC, Beatrice, can't imagine a life without her magic so we follow her on her path to try and escape her fate. This novel has pro-choice, feminist writings - of which I'm a massive fan of.

I really enjoyed the romance in this novel, I found that it worked really well for me and I was supportive of the exploration of what demands are asked of partners and what are they willing to sacrifice for love - and whether it's a fair sacrifice or a sacrifice at all. Family dynamics are also interesting, with so much societal expectations being placed on the female in the family to provide stability and support for their family through their prospects however being shackled by the patriarchal demands. Friendship and knowing/trusting yourself are also integral themes explored.

If you liked The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and enjoyed the dynamics of Thomas Cresswell & Audrey Rose Wadsworth (Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco) then I have a feeling you'll find something to love about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the worldbuilding but the stakes were making me more anxious than excited. I’m a wimp about that, this year more than ever. Will pick up the author’s next instead, or reread Witchmark and it’s sequels.

This novel is compelling, fast paced, and highly entertaining. It sweeps you away to Chasland, a dazzling world of ballrooms and parties, traditions and courting rituals, and vibrantly-colored fashion. The world building is fantastic. I'm not normally a fan of insta love but it seems to work here.

This was pretty interesting! The magic system was great, very cool, I really enjoyed this aspect. The characters were ok, I really enjoyed the younger sister. The romance was only ok for me? And the pacing was very slow. like, it was tough to get going for awhile. I might try more by this author. but i don't know. Solid three stars, overall enjoyable, but not a standout.

The Midnight Bargain follows Beatrice Clayborn, a sorceress on the threshold of selecting a husband. Once married, Beatrice will have to don a collar that suppresses her magical abilities in an effort to protect her future children from becoming possessed by a spirit while in utero. Not only does Beatrice not want to be married, the thought of losing her abilities is a fate worse than death. Facing mounting pressure from both society and her own family – can Beatrice alter her destiny or will she be forced into a life of disappointment?

This is a tough one to review. I will say that if not for the book making the 2021 Canada Reads shortlist, I would never have picked it up. That’s both the blessing and the curse of Canada Reads! Sometimes I get pleasantly surprised by books that exist outside my comfort zone and other times, not so much. Luckily for me, it’s the former that seems to happen more often than the latter.

Fantasy, regency-era and romance are three genres that are decidedly not within my wheelhouse. So, what do I do when I’m faced with a book that takes all three and rolls them into one book? Push through, I guess. I tried to approach this one with an open mind, but its near four-hundred-page count felt daunting to say the least. At about halfway through the book, I started to really feel its length as it just seemed to go on and on with certain scenes seeming like they were repeating over and over again.

That said, I will say that I thought the premise was very interesting. The way in which C.L. Polk described the effects of the collar on Beatrice was particularly heartbreaking and haunting. I also enjoyed the way in which Beatrice interacted with a spirit when it entered into her body as it reminded me of Wesley Chu’s Tao trilogy, one of my favorite series of novels. The back and forth between Beatrice and her spirit – Nadi – produced some funny moments.

I don’t believe I’m even the best person to accurately review this book because I couldn’t honestly tell you what this did right or wrong within the fantasy and romance genre. I love reading more than most anything and this one felt like a chore or errand I had to run. Not exactly the most ringing endorsement, I’m sure

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, if I could.

This has all the hallmarks of a good book for me: strong female leads, magic, and antiquated society. And it is a good book. I adored the main characters. Beatrice is strong-willed yet thoughtful. Ysbeta is sassy and bold and a bit impetuous. Ianthe is wonderfully supportive; we need more male characters like him in fiction.

The magic itself is pretty cool. The way they go about it - with hand gestures and intonations - is reminiscent of a lot of other depictions of magic. The part that makes it special is that it also deals with spirits. Nadi is delightful! And the fact that Nadi had a noticeable character arc made me very happy.

I didn't rate this higher because I felt like it missed the mark sometimes on a technical level. First, I would have loved to seen more in this world. It felt like it could've been a duology. The ending felt rushed. Sometimes things were repetitive. The romance wasn't much to remark on. I understand that it wouldn't be the same in the society Polk set up but it felt contrived in a lot of ways. It's almost like the story couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a buddy story or a romance; the balance was off.

That said, I did really enjoy this. I'd recommend it to other readers!

A historical magic related plot, Beatrice is a young sorceress who wants be a mage. But the path won’t be easy , because she is a woman, of course.Women can perform magic only after giving birth to child of their husbands, since marriage until having children a woman will wear a collar which will take their ability to use magic. So, the story is about how Beatrice will break the rules and achieve her goals. The plot is very inspiring and very easy to read. Loved it and recommend this to all.

I liked this authors other series a lot. I like this book slightly less, in part because it felt a little scattered and I wasn’t sure about how I felt about the society. That said, it kept me reading and I liked a lot of individual elements.

C.L. Polk is creating a unique place in fantasy literature. A little bit modern, a little bit historical, a little bit fantasy, a little bit romance, a little bit social commentary, and ultimately a whole lot of fun.

Beatrice Clayborn is the oldest daughter of a socially ambitious but very economically unfortunate merchant. She also aspires to become a mage. She secretly practices magic with the help of coded grimoires, books about magic that have themselves been magically disguised to appear as ordinary tomes to the uninitiated. In one final, desperate hope to surpass their dire financial circumstances, Beatrice’s father has bet everything on one goal: Beatrice finding a rich husband.

Marrying carries with it the expectation of bearing children, and that is a major problem for Beatrice’s own ambitions. For reasons that become clear through the book, magical power is very dangerous to unborn children. Not just to the children, but the magic can be fatal to others as well when the unknowing child becomes a conduit for powers beyond their control. Therefore, married women are not allowed to practice magic. They are, in fact, prevented from doing so by a magical locket that is hung around their necks during the wedding ceremony, a locket whose key is given to their husbands. Although some societies do allow women beyond childbearing age to practice certain small magical tricks later in life, Beatrice’s culture does not. When she marries it will save her family. It will also destroy her dreams.

The Midnight Bargain is Polk’s second foray into an Edwardian-inspired culture filled with the class distinctions and gender expectations and flouncy dresses and waistcoats that any such novel requires, but with magic. Beatrice is an amazing protagonist. She is fiercely determined to save her family, she is even more determined to practice her magic, and she is desperate to find a third way that allows her to do both.

What she absolutely does not expect is to fall madly in love.

With the title one might be forgiven for having a little bit of Cinderella deja vu while reading this. I suspect the author was drawing some inspiration from the fairy godmother and poor girl meets Prince Charming parts of the story, but this Cinderella is not waiting for talking mice or enchanted pumpkins to help her out. She knows what she wants and she goes after it. If he is indeed the “man of her dreams,” he will help her get it. If he doesn’t help her, he is not the right man. Although he is handsome and charming and thoughtful and smart and takes her seriously and...no, if he doesn’t help her he is not the right man. Unless….

Oh you fickle unpredictable heart!

Polk puts Beatrice into a conundrum that is both thoroughly modern and recognizably Edwardian. Follow one’s dreams or follow one’s heart? Save your family or save your sanity? Marry for love or marry the nasty dude who paid all your father’s debts? OK, that last one is not as common today. Still, we see the dilemma facing Beatrice and we are eager to see how she resolves it.

Polk is a gifted writer with great stories to tell. The Midnight Bargain is more than just a new take on a popular fairy tale. It is a powerful story of love, strength, and finding your way through a society with different values.

31 Aug, 2020

Miscellaneous Reviews

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C. L. Polk’s 2020 The Midnight Bargain is a secondary world fantasy, due out in October.

Beatrice Clayborn could be one of Chasland’s greatest magi — if only she were a man. But she is a woman and the only roles she’s allowed are those of wife and mother. Oh, she can do a little magic once she is too old to bear children, but even that permission is grudgingly given and strictly circumscribed.

But women will hone their talents, disregarding patriarchal restrictions. There are grimoires intended for women, disguised but recognizable to those with talent. Beatrice, desperate to escape matrimony, has been methodically searching them out. The final volume she needs, the one that will permit her to ​“summon a greater spirit and propose the pact of the great bargain,” thus becoming a mage of unquestionable power, is one quick purchase away.

And then…

Ysbeta Lavan also seeks magical power, for much the reasons as Beatrice. Unlike Beatrice, Ysbeta has money and social position. Beatrice is standing in the bookshop, holding the grimoire in her hands … but she hands it over to the other woman. She is afraid that Ysbeta could use her wealth and family connections to hurt Beatrice’s family. Ysbeta does promise Beatrice that she can visit and read the grimoire, but Beatrice fears that this promise will not be honored.

Lie becomes truth once Ysbeta discovers that while her magical talents may have allowed her to locate the necessary work, she cannot read it. Beatrice can. Separately, neither woman will be able to master the techniques to bargain safely with a greater spirit in time to avoid being married off. Together, they may be able to succeed.

The unexpected bargain comes with a delicious bonus: Ysbeta’s brother Ianthe. Ianthe is good-looking, charming, immediately fond of Beatrice, and (best of all) regards women as people. (It helps that Ysbeta and Ianthe come from a nation less misogynist than Chasland). Beatrice did not enter into her pact with Ysbeta in order to find a husband, but Ianthe would be a fine catch if that were the result.

Ianthe is charming, kind, and wealthy. He’s also smart. Smart enough to work out that Beatrice and Ysbeta are dabbling in magic. Trained in magic himself, he has an all too vivid awareness that magic can have unintended but dire consequences in the hands of untrained enthusiasts. He would like to help them; he’s afraid of outing them; he’s afraid what will happen if he doesn’t help.

Of course, were he to marry Beatrice, he could supervise her studies.

It’s just too bad that Ianthe’s mother doesn’t see Beatrice as an attractive marital prospect. Beatrice’s father has speculated unwisely and lost most of the family fortune. Beatrice herself is charming but she doesn’t have the business acumen that Ianthe’s mother, a businesswoman in her own right, wants in a daughter-in-law. No, Beatrice will not do.

Beatrice’s father has his own plans. He’ll find his daughter a husband who is both socially acceptable and wealthy. A man who will assuredly crush Beatrice’s magical ambitions.

~oOo~


I enjoyed the author’s previous novel, Witchmark, enough that I couldn’t wait to read the ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) I was sent. When you read this, know I sat on the review for four months …

Mr. Clayborn, Beatrice’s father, isn’t a villain; he just a sexist knucklehead with an exaggerated faith in his own business skills. I grant that the differences between villain and sexist knucklehead may be subtle. But the husband that he picks for his daughter, is a moustache-twirling cad. A real villain, which makes the problems facing Beatrice that much worse.

Chasland is obviously modeled on Regency England. But there’s one major difference: magic. The magic in this setting often involves making deals with spirits, deals that can be dangerous to pregnant women. Babies in utero can end up possessed by spirits, spirits of great power but who are also capricious, selfish, and lacking self-control (imagine a sugar-addled toddler with the power of a genie). There are several ways to minimize the danger. Chasland being Chasland, they’ve opted for a solution that hurts women while protecting men. I sense that there is a moral here.

As good as Witchmark is, The Midnight Bargain is better.

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

The Midnight Bargain is C.L. Polk's take on the ever growing"regency-romance-with-magic" genre, breathing new life into a genre that has works of authors such as Silvia Moreno-Garcia (The Beautiful Ones) and Mary Robinette Kowal (Shades of Milk and Honey). Usually with these type of books, my complaint as an avid reader of fantasy is that there isn't much magic to carry the plot, but not for this book. This time, the magic certainly delivered.

While the genre was an automatic win for me, I was also really intrigued by the worldbuilding itself, some details felt very natural and did not make me question the actions of the characters' for the most part. In this society, sorceresesses has to wear a collar upon marriage that prevents them from every accessing their magic again, because if they harness their magic their children might be born possessed, called the spiritborn. It's a great analogy for discussing reproductive health issues and all around sexism..

In The Midnight Bargain, we follow ambitious Beatrice Clayborn who knows exactly how she can both survive her first Bargaining Season without having to get married and save her debt-ridden family: she will acquire a grimoire and summon a greater spirit to help her achieve magic only male sorcerers are capable of. However, with the alluring Lavan siblings on the way, she needs to be more cunning to get the grimoire. I found Beatrice to be rather flat for a main character, luckily her spirit guide Nadi quickly became my favorite.

All in all, read this book if you are a fan of the above authors, or just appreciate a good analogy in your regency romance with a dash of magic.

Polk takes the popular Regency-romance-with-magic trope to another world, in order to give a reason why women are kept from becoming mages, while preserving all the fun trappings of a Regency romance social life. That gives our heroine, who wants to flout the system and become a mage in spite of the laws and limitations on women--until she falls in love, and is torn between two desires.

Meanwhile she forms a friendship with her heartthrob's sister, who also is desperate to become a mage, while behind the scenes both sets of parents are anxious for their daughters to make excellent marriages by their own standards. And there is Beatrice's younger sister, who watches Beatrice like a hawk, knowing that whatever choices Beatrice makes are inevitably going to redound on her.

It's a lively setup, and the problem about women and magic grounds the story. I loved the magic system, and the spirits (especially Nadi). The pacing moves along between some action scenes and society setpieces, with fun explorations into magic by the heroines.

I really liked the hero, who is the opposite of Draco Malfoy alpha who is more beast than beauty. The attraction might have been instantaneous but it was a pleasure to watch the steady growth of friendship and trust between the two. This, in turn, added heft to the difficulty of Beatrice's choice: give up a great guy forever for a magic life forbidden to her, or give up her dreams for domestic comfort and love?

3.5 stars

For the most part, I enjoyed this book, but it somewhat lost me at the end. It seemed like a really idealized version of an ending and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but combined with the fact that the ending felt rushed, I really felt like I was missing something.

Most of the side characters seemed to either change their minds completely or just resign to what was happening and it just felt really anticlimactic.

I also didn’t really feel the connection between the main love interest. She was supposed to have fallen madly in love with him, but the connection wasn’t really there.

But I did like the allegory to the way that birth control is treated in today’s society and thought that was well done.

It was a really good idea that lost something in the execution.

But by far my favorite character was Nadi.

This was a deeply feminist fantasy story that I feel my more mature students would all love. CL Polk continues to be one of my favorite writers.

‘The Midnight Bargain’ by C. L. Polk is a very interesting historical fantasy - alternate Regency Britain with magic. The book centers around Beatrice Clayborn, who has magic but doesn't want to spend her life in servitude as a wife and mother to magic sons. While trying to find successful way to practice magic, she meets Ianthe Lavan and personal conflict ensues.

This is the first book I have read by Polk and I really like the writing but was not drawn to the characters as much as I expected. I think the overall tone seems 'innocent' and 'new adult', versus fantasy. However, Polk is a strong writer and will definitely read more of her books.

Bridgerton meets Harry Potter meets Hunger Games - and on the way to the ball they pick up some female Indignation and Independence, Good for readers who want a well written helping of romance and magic with a side of strong female integrity.

One of my absolute favourite genres is fantasy of manners – Regency or Victorian inspired fantasy which takes all those balls and tearooms and adds magic – and I’m happy to say that The Midnight Bargain is a new favourite in the genre!

Content warnings: misogyny and societal control/abuse of women including control of reproductive rights.

While I understand marketing this to cash in on the success of the Bridgerton TV series, the similarities are extremely minimal. The Midnight Bargain is set in a Regency-inspired time period, but it’s not our world, and there are some significant differences in how society works; it also has a single perspective, and isn’t nearly so focused on sex and romance. It is, however, a very good Regency-inspired fantasy full of etiquette, romance, and magic – I had a wonderful time. This is a genre that for me always manages to feel cosy, even when it tackles some serious issues, and I loved the combination of magic, feminist thought, and fluffy romance.

Beatrice is an enjoyable heroine who will feel very familiar to anyone who has read much in the historical romance genre, fantasy-based or not. She’s a smart, determined young woman who feels trapped by society’s rules, except here they aren’t just the regular ‘women must get married and not pursue their interests’ kind, but also that women are forbidden from doing magic while they’re of childbearing age. On marriage, the women of Chasland are forced to wear collars that suppress their powers until there’s no chance they could have children, so for Beatrice, who wants to study magic more than anything, marriage is something to be dreaded. It’s an interesting, if slightly heavy-handed, way to amp up the marital pressures of the period, and puts Beatrice firmly in the “obstinate, headstrong girl” mould. I really enjoyed watching her learn to be herself through her friendship with the Lavans, who as foreigners, offer a rather different perspective.

There is a strong romance plot here, and the ending meets all the criteria for a romance novel, but I actually think that Beatrice’s personal development is far more the focus of the book. Yes, that includes falling in love with Ianthe, but it also includes standing up for herself, seeking out the secrets of magic, learning how to have friends, and creating a better world for the women who come after her. If you’re put off by the romance element, don’t be, because this is first and foremost a story of girl power. Beatrice and Ysbeta’s friendship, and their quest to learn magic, are so important to the plot. I actually wish it had been a romance between the two of them, though there are character reasons why that can’t be! But yes, if I were selling this book, I would focus on the feminist aspects and magic over the romance. It’s immensely fun and interesting even if you took the romance out!

The real star of the whole book, for me, is Nadi, the luck spirit Beatrice summons early in the book. Nadi is a creature of pleasure, and brings a really fun twist to the very rule-bound world both for the reader and for Beatrice herself. I’m spoiling nothing, but Nadi was pretty much my favourite thing, and even made me shed some tears! Though they don’t have much in common (one being a small furry creature and one being an incorporeal spirit), I think that if you liked Mephi in The Bone Shard Daughter, you’ll enjoy Nadi’s voice and Beatrice and Nadi’s alliance!

My one complaint about the book in general is an issue that I’ve had with Polk’s writing in the past: I think her world-building can be too opaque. There’s a tricky line to walk between info-dumping everything or not explaining enough, and unfortunately I feel this tends a bit to the latter side. This is set in an alt-Regency world, but outside of the fashion and etiquette, there are some significantly different elements that the narration kind of assumes we know about, which means that characters mention things offhand that the reader actually has no point of reference for. This can be done well, and means you have to use your brain to infer something about the world, but there are social and political issues here that are key to the plot that are simply never explained, like why Chasland (an England analogue) has such very different views on women’s magic to the other countries. There’s a bunch of history there, presumably, but in trying not to dump that on us, I think Polk actually left too much unclear. It’s not actually an enormous issue for the book as a whole – I decided at a certain point to stop trying to understand it, and had a great time once I had – it’s just a niggling little thing that pulls this down from being a five star read for me.

(Actually, I have one more very small complaint. I hate some of the names in this book. Ianthe, mentioned above, is the main male love interest, but has a name I’ve only ever seen used for girls, and I couldn’t work out if it was being done intentionally to shake things up genderwise, or just by mistake, as most of the other names seemed relatively traditional for the period. I also absolutely irrationally hate the name ‘Danton Maisonette’, which is just ridiculous.)

Fans of Stephanie Burgis’s Harwood Spellbook series or KJ Charles’s Charm of Magpies books will find much to love here, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re a fantasy lover who wants to step into historical romance, or a historical romance lover who wants to step into fantasy. Especially if you like your women rebellious, your society flawed, and your spirits adorable! Despite my criticisms, I had an absolutely brilliant time with this book, and highly recommend it. Four and a half out of five stars, rounded up for NetGalley!

CL Polk never ever fails to write a beautiful story. This book was everything I wanted it to be and so much more. I love all of the characters and would love to read more in this world!

The Midnight Bargain is fantasy romance at its best! I loved the nod to regency England and the heroine was a fierce, determined, woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it.