C.L. Polk's "The Midnight Bargain" is a charming fantasy novel that blends magic with social commentary. Beatrice Clayborn, a talented sorceress, faces a difficult choice: defy societal expectations and risk losing her magic upon marriage, or enter a loveless union. The story unfolds in a world reminiscent of Regency England, with a touch of rebellion simmering beneath the surface. Readers who enjoy witty characters, a touch of romance, and a critique of societal constraints will find themselves swept away by "The Midnight Bargain."

A god mix of gentle work building and magical storytelling. I enjoyed the characters in this book and found it really easy to enjoy.

I gave this one a shot and opted to DNF it - I'm slowly learning that regency-based fantasy isn't generally my cup of tea. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review!

Lyrical, evocative and intoxicating. I have a feeling that fans of Erin Morgenstern will enjoy this ...

There was so much in this book to enjoy, but I really wish that it was about 100 pages longer. A lot of the plot felt a bit rushed and some of the dialogue was a bit clunky because the characters weren't given enough time to grow organically. With that being said, I loved the characters in this book and thought that the author did a great job making us care for them so deeply. I also really loved the message and themes discussed within the narrative - I just wish it had had a bit more space to breathe. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who likes magical books...or Jane Austen!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

In a regency society where women's access to magic is controlled by men Beatrice Clayborn is determined to become a mage...

In Chasland women are permitted to use only small magics and cantrips while they are children. Once they are of marriageable age the better-off entry the Bargaining Season where influential men choose wives for their social standing or their magical gifts. Once married women must wear a binding collar, making them incapable of doing marriage to perfect any potential children being infected by spirits in the womb.

Beatrice is in her first bargaining season but also hunting secret grimoires that may allow her to eschew marriage and practise magic as a single woman, willing to ensure society's scorn for the thrill of her gift. But her family is in reduced circumstances and when she catches the eye of the most eligible bachelor she must decide whether to serve her family or achieve her dreams.

I loved the world Polk created and the gender politics of this magical regency society was fascinating. The story is full of adventure but tackles important issues about women's agency. The characters are captivating in their struggles for the lives they want and the plot is fun, using classic romance tropes with a magical twist to great effect. My only major grille is the epilogue. The time shift made me feel cheated of the stories untold and I would rather a second book or no epilogue at all!

For fans of Naomi Novik, Catherine Arden and Zen Cho

The Midnight Bargain is an interesting premise combining fantasy with feminism, in a world where women are forbidden from practicing magic at a high level due to an incompatability between magic and pregnancy. As such, women are expected to marry, forgo any affinity with magic, and bear children (preferably sons with magical potential).
I had really high hopes for this book, and there were elements that I really enjoyed, but unfortunatley it didnt quite deliver for me. I found that the story dragged a bit, particularly in the first half, and I couldn't connect with the romance.
The second half of the book was much better though, and I enjoyed seeing Beatrice, the main character, come into her own. I also liked the side character, Ysbeta, and found her really interesting. Had this book started at the 50% mark, and covered the events between the end of the book and the epilogue, I think I would have enjoyed it much more.
Overall, not a bad book, but didnt quite do it for me.

Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress who practices magic in secret, terrified of the day she will be locked into a marital collar that will cut off her powers to protect her unborn children. She dreams of becoming a full-fledged Magus and pursuing magic as her calling as men do, but her family has staked everything to equip her for Bargaining Season, when young men and women of means descend upon the city to negotiate the best marriages. The Clayborns are in severe debt, and only she can save them, by securing an advantageous match before their creditors come calling. This story is a cross between Regency England and a Magical Fantasy story. Beatrice wants to become a Magus. When she finds a grimoire, she knows it is what she needs to get her heart's desire. The sister of handsome, compassionate, and fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan steals the book from Beatrice and to get it back, Beatrice has to kiss her brother. Beatrice and Ianthe quickly come to care for one another and he wants to marry her, but she is not ready to give up her magic, even for love.

This was an interesting, fantasy story that I enjoyed. I am not one who reads a lot of this genre, so maybe that is why I enjoyed it more than so many others, I just went along for the ride. The story is set in a patriarchal society, where women are basically owned by their husbands, forced to wear a collar so they can't perform magic. Beatrice's mother is one of these women, but she resents it and gives Beatrice a look at what her life will be like with the collar, Beatrice is horrified, but is not sure how to get out of it. Beatrice and Ianthe are likable characters, but I do wish there was more to them. Ianthe has a bit of a cardboard feel about him throughout most of the book. There is a little bit of a Bridgerton vibe, but with magic and the female being the one who doesn't want to get married. I enjoyed the spirits, especially the playful and excitable Nadi who Beatrice conjures up. If she loses her magic, Nadi will leave her. This was an entertaining story that gave me a taste of fantasy as I dip my toes into this genre.

A wonderful read, I loved this so much, the regency/fantasy world is so creative and the writing really good, I know so many people who will love this book and will be recommending it to them immediately and I loved the strong female characters , brilliant escapism

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

trigger warning
<spoiler> misogyny, trauma, mention of death by fire </spoiler>

Beatrice has travelled with her family to the city to join the bargain season, where young women of marriagable age and certain means mingle, to meet eligible bachelors to form a profitable union.
But Beatrice has set her sight on a different goal.

This world is inspired by the regency romances Jane Austen wrote so much about, but add a pinch of magic. Sorcerers strike a bargain with an entity to gain power. Said entities can't have a body of their own, so they'd like very much to possess a fetus before it aquires it's own soul - a concept that's used to bind women's magic, no matter the cost.
This happens ritually at a woman's marriage, and this is what Beatrice dreads and seeks to avoid.

Of course, there are problems. Most notably that her father pays an outrageous amount of money so his daughter can make a good match, and the whole family puts pressure on her.

I felt for Beatrice. Of course, I live in an age and a place where nobody says "Hey you have an uterus, you need to marry and let somebody else dictate your life!", and I'm grateful and feel the privilege. I never had to decide between following my dreams or save the family from ruin, and I never will have to.
Yet the quest for knowledge for knowledge's sake is something I can understand and admire.
Additionally, the author makes it very easy to root for this protagonist, and I did not resist. I became invested pretty quick.

The characters are three dimensional, the pacing is quite good, I like the worldbuilding and would love to return to this setting in the future - not only my future, but also the world's future to see how the changes set in motion in this one play out.
This would not have to be tied to the characters we met, I am thinking of the Tales of Inthia series by Effie Calvin where the world developes and we might meet characters we recognise, but it is not strictly tied to two people.

I'd love to return.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

Sadly, 'The Midnight Bargain' didn't overall work for me. I really enjoyed the opening and the initial premise but I found myself drifting; I do think this was because of the lack of chemistry between Beatrice and Ianthe for me. The regency/fantasy world was creative and the writing good, so I know many people will love this book and would engage with the strong female characters in it.

When I first saw the cover and read the synopsis on Netgalley for the Midnight Bargain I was so excited to read it and sure that I would love it - bud sadly this wasn't the case and it was just an OK/mostly enjoyable read but nothing special.

To be honest I was expecting magic to be a larger focus of the novel but it read more as an historical or Regency style romance with the magic more of an after thought. I also didn't feel hugely connected to the characters. However it was a fun and entertaining light read and I liked the author's writing style though I wasn't sure at first if I would get into the story.

This books came out of no where and absolutely stole my heart.

Promising to be a meet of Bridgertons and the magical, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, however I was blown away by the intricate political society and the deeply rooted magical system.

Though occasionally a little predictable, the twist and turns of the story kept me captivated, and the relationships unfolding held my heart tenderly.
The ending was a little rushed for my taste, and the epilogue one of those I don’t quite know if I needed, but the rest of the book had me reaching for every page wishing for more.

Even now I desperately want C.L Polk to write me another story in this universe.
The warring needs of our MC’s between magic and love are truly eyeopening, and I even shed a few tears when the going got rough.

Over all a highly enjoyable read I will definetly be recommending.

THE MIDNIGHT BARGAIN is a fierce, feminist read about bodily autonomy and deciding your own path. The world is deeply patriarchal, reducing women to vessels for bearing children. It was one of those world that was so infuriating at times because you wanted to shake most of the men (or toss them into the sea) until they saw how stupid and entitled they were being.<

It meant I was rooting deeply for Beatrice and Ysabeta to succeed at escaping the fates ordained for them by their society and families, to forge their own paths. I wanted them to find their own happiness on their terms, and change their own, open the eyes of their society and find a better option - well, rediscover it.

There are two main cultures - Beatrice's very patriarchal one that removes all rights from women, and the Lavan's which gives some rights to women, but still holds them back from the fullness of magic in order to continue bloodlines. I liked the contrast, and that the "slightly better" option was held up as radical and really good by some people, as it reflects the reality of an option that still vastly benefits one group over another being hailed as progress and thus no need to find another. How we can settle for a bad option, simply as it's an easy solution that entrenches power.

The world is an alt-regency one. It's not set in our world, but the clothing and feel is very much like Regency. The UK publicity called this book "a fantasy Bridgerton." Which is somewhat accurate, in terms of general romance in a regency setting, but that's about it.

Beatrice's central dilemma was a really good one - follow her desire to learn magic, or to follow her heart and marry. The opposing tugs of two incompatible ideas gave her such a quandary to mull over, with real stakes and consequences.

Contrasted to her, Ysabeta knew exactly what she wanted - not to marry and to study magic, travelling the world to learn more. I loved seeing aro/ace rep, seeing her fight to be who she was in a world that didn't want to acknowledge her desires.

In The Midnight Bargain we meet Beatrice, a sorceress who practices magic in secret by uncovering hidden grimoires. Her dream is becoming a full-fledged mage but due to her family's financial troubles she's expected to marry into a wealthy family. The problem is that once a woman marries she must wear a warding collar to surpress her magic in order to protect any unborn children from possession by evil spirits. Beatrice tries to find a way to still help her family without having to marry. In her search she befriends Ysbeta, who has a similar search of her own. Together, Beatrice and Ysbeta try to uncover the secrets of the grimoires in order to claim the future they want. While Beatrice simultaneously must figure out her feelings for Ysbeta's brother, Ianthe.

I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about The Midnight Bargain. I loved the premise and especially enjoyed the feminist themes throughout the story. I always enjoy a well-thought off magic system but found the one in The Midnight Bargain confusing. It could've been explained more. Unfortunately it also took a while before the story sprung into action for me. The story lacked development in the beginning and the pacing was very slow until halfway through. After that I found myself to be more invested. The second half of the book was definitely worth the read. I was very satisfied with the ending.

I would recommend this book when you enjoy reading stories in the Regency era, magic and feminist themes.

I really wanted to love this book. That gorgeous cover and enticing synopsis really built up all my hopes however it just didn't live up to my expectations. At times I found the writing a little too stilted and stiff. It seemed to lack vibrancy or excitement, especially in the beginning, that first meeting in the book shop. It needed to reel me in right away but it moved too slowly, lagging in places. I liked the mix of magic with the time setting. That old world feel converging with the mystical and improbable. Over all it was just okay. I wasn't bowled over by the plot or the characters or the dialogue but it kept me interested enough to reach the end

(Thanks to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group Uk and Orbit for providing me with an eArc for review)

"You cannot own me, or any other woman. We are not objects to be locked up and used."

Beatrice doesn't want to marry - Beatrice wants to practice magic, become a mage and access higher magic. A path women in this regency-inspired romance are not permitted to follow.

Women are essentially traded during the Bargaining Season, a courting ritual where the male mages must find a wife, and the women are placed in warding collars on their wedding day - which cuts them off from all their magic powers and dulls the world and their senses - in order to protect any potential unborn children from evil spirit possession.

But Beatrice has been secretly practicing magic and tracking down hidden grimoires to learn how to control magics which are usually only taught to male students. On a search for one of these books she meets Ysbeta and Ianthe Lavan, who, it turns out share/understand her desire.

Very impressed with how this novel comments on women's rights, and the restrictions placed on women in a patriarchal society where the men hold all the magical power as well as the political. There were some unusual choices made by some characters which didn't sit right with the narrative, but overall the fantasy aspects were good, I enjoyed the conjuring and bargaining with the spirits, and the conversations with Nadi, the cheeky luck spirit that Beatrice binds with. There could have been a little more development in the world building but the book achieves its social commentary.

"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.”

En Chasland, las mujeres tienen prohibido practicar la magia, ya que corren peligro de que, al quedarse embarazadas, un demonio posea a sus bebés. Sin embargo, los hombres la practican libremente y se casan con mujeres con habilidades mágicas para tener descendencia también mágica. Las mujeres solo son un trofeo por el que regatear en cada temporada de casamiento. Beatrice sabe que este es su futuro y está dispuesta a arriesgarlo todo por su libertad y su magia.
La trama arranca en medio de un paseo en carromato. Beatrice va a buscar un vestido que llevará durante su «bargain season», esa temporada en la que hombres y mujeres jóvenes se juntan para conocerse y que acabará, irremediablemente, con más de una pareja comprometida. El objetivo de este evento, que dura varias semanas, está claro: los hombres buscan mujeres con poderes para que sean madres y amas de casa y las mujeres buscan hombres ricos que las mantengan. Una vez casados, la mujer deberá llevar un collar que restringe sus poderes, pues su única función es tener descendencia y esta puede peligrar si una mujer se queda embarazada sin protección mágica. Solo las ancianas pueden quitarse el collar para practicar magia con libertad, pero nunca tienen acceso a la universidad de magos y deben aprender por su cuenta.
Pero, en este paseo en carromato con el que empezamos The Midnight Bargain, Beatrice no está pensando realmente en su vestido. Su objetivo es encontrar unos grimorios muy especiales, escritos a escondidas por una mujer maga, que la guiarán a la hora de realizar grandes invocaciones. Si hace bien el ritual, Beatrice podrá permanecer soltera, ser libre y ayudar a su familia, que en ese momento sufre un percance económico. Sus planes se frustran cuando conoce a Ysbeta y a su hermano, Ianthe. Ysbeta busca lo mismo que Beatrice: ser libre, cueste lo que cueste. Pero las dos mujeres solo podrán conseguir su objetivo si se ayudan. Mientras tanto, Ianthe besa por donde pasa Beatrice, y esta no puede negar que quizá, y solo quizá, esté un poco interesada en él, aunque esos sentimientos vayan en contra de sus planes.
Todo esto se desarrolla en una ambientación muy interesante. Últimamente están vendiendo The Bargain Season como «los Bridgerton pero con magia» porque se ambienta en una especie de Regencia inglesa, aunque en un mundo inventado. Este mundo fue una de las cosas que más me chocó al principio, dada la cantidad de nombres de lugares y de culturas que aparecen nada más empezar la novela. Le autore no suaviza el golpe, sino que encima lo carga con temas políticos y sociales que son cruciales para la trama. Sin embargo, aunque cuesta un poco entrar, luego la recompensa es muy satisfactoria.
The Midnight Bargain es la tercera novela de le autore C. L. Polk y la primera que leo yo suya. Me ha sorprendido muchísimo, y para bien, con su prosa lírica, su mundo bien asentado y lleno de matices y sus personajes potentes y con voz propia. El mensaje, además, es muy interesante, ya que establece una analogía entre estas mujeres con magia que buscan practicarla libremente con la libertad sobre nuestros cuerpos a la hora de abortar. Este grito de lucha se entrelaza con otros aspectos en la trama de The Midnight Bargain, como son la familia, la amistad, el sacrificio, la lealtad, la responsabilidad de los embarazos no deseados y los derechos reproductivos de las mujeres. En general, me ha resultado una lectura muy grata que me ha dejado con ganas de seguir descubriendo más obras de C. L. Polk e incluso de releer esta misma novela en el futuro, para captar todos sus matices.

There were so many things in this story that I hated. I know it is not fair to judge previous generations by today's standards but when I finish building my time machine and go on adventures throughout time with my doggo, I'm going to completely skip the Georgian, Regency and Victorian eras.

It raises my hackles when I read how if a man looks at an unwed woman for more than a second he has insulted her father, first born brother, second male cousin twice removed, all future male generations and honor can only be resolved with a duel to the death. I hate that misogynistic bullshit.

But apart from all that Regency Romance nonsense, this was a lot of fun. It was imaginative, full of all the drama of a Bridgerton novel and the shenanigans of Catweezel. It descends into pure silliness and absurdity towards the end, but I don't care because it made me smile and laugh out loud a lot.

Nadi is the real star of the story. They are the imaginary friend or devil on the shoulder we all wish we had. The next time friends come to me for help, I might just ask myself, "what would Nadi do?" :hexxx:

Recommended for fans of Sorcery of Thorns, Etiquette & Espionage, The Paper Magician, Soulless, My Lady Jane, His Majesty's Dragon

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC.

How do you talk about a book that in a way is a historical romance, but not really, and at the same time it is a book about young mages finding their place in this world, but not really. True, the costumes and customs are from the 19th century, but as it’s not our known realm, all we know, it could be their present day. Protagonists are young people and they use magic and they want to become stronger mages, but it's not only about that.

The protagonists, Beatrice and Ianthe, have both magic in them, only one of them is formally taught how to use spirits, the other is self-taught. Beatrice doesn't want to live the life that is waiting for every girl in this realm, she does not want to lose her magic. Ianthe doesn’t want to marry just ‘cause his family expects it. Add Beatrice’s younger sister, who sometimes is known-it-all , sometimes just your usual moody teenager and Ianthe’s sister, who wants to know everything about magic and she wants it now. And with some expected and unexpected events/spirits/suitors/accidents, you get this story. So, the usual story. Also an absolute roller coaster, with good parts and not so good parts, with some inconsistency and some things that really irked me.

Good read, just not for me.