Fantasy

The Midnight Bargain

The Midnight Bargain

  • Downloads：2665
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-07 10:52:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：C.L. Polk
  • ISBN：0356516296
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Summary

Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress who practices magic in secret， terrified of the day she will be locked into a marital collar to cut off her powers。 She dreams of becoming a full-fledged mage， but her family are in severe debt， and only her marriage can save them。

Beatrice finds a grimoire with the key to becoming a mage， but a rival sorceress swindles the book right out of her hands。 Beatrice summons a spirit to help， but her new ally exacts a price: Beatrice's first kiss 。 。 。 with the sorceress's brother: the handsome， compassionate， and fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan。

From the World Fantasy Award-winning author of Witchmark comes a sweeping， romantic new fantasy set in a world reminiscent of Regency England， where women's magic is taken from them when they marry。 A sorceress must balance her desire to become the first great female magician against her duty to her family。

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Reviews

Ayre ，

This book follows a young debutant named Beatrice， a very powerful sorcerer。 Except for the small problem that this universe is very misogynistic and she is not allowed to be trained in magic and must be collared to lock off her magic the moment she marries。 A woman's job is to provide male heirs for her husband and uncollared women give birth to soulless children who go on murderous rampages around their 4th birthday。 Beatrice does not want to marry but her family needs her to marry quickly bef This book follows a young debutant named Beatrice， a very powerful sorcerer。 Except for the small problem that this universe is very misogynistic and she is not allowed to be trained in magic and must be collared to lock off her magic the moment she marries。 A woman's job is to provide male heirs for her husband and uncollared women give birth to soulless children who go on murderous rampages around their 4th birthday。 Beatrice does not want to marry but her family needs her to marry quickly before their father's bad investments are discovered by their debtors。 I like the idea of this book and I understand why it was nominated for the Nebula awards based on its discussion of men's comforts being more important than women's needs。 Unfortunately， I already deal with a lot of misogyny on a daily basis and didn't get a lot of enjoyment reading a book where 80+% of it is about misogyny。 The main character annoyed me a little bit because she kept saying she didn't want to marry ever but basically instantly fell in love。 Every other page she would change her mind between planning her life with this man and becoming a spinster。 Overall this was fine， it very well paced and I read the book in just one day。 I just feel like I'm going to forget about it quickly。Recommended for anyone who wants some feminism with their fantasy。 。。。more

Charna Caylor ，

a fun magical romance。 The worldbuilding was well done。 How the magic works， the reasoning behind why women are oppressed the way they are， and how the society works was pretty well explained in a way that made sense and didn't feel like an information dump。 The magic itself was also a unique concept。Most of the characters were well written and I enjoyed seeing their growth。 Ysbeta， Ianthe， the delightful little spirit Nadi。 It was fun to see the progression of these characters。I think the chara a fun magical romance。 The worldbuilding was well done。 How the magic works， the reasoning behind why women are oppressed the way they are， and how the society works was pretty well explained in a way that made sense and didn't feel like an information dump。 The magic itself was also a unique concept。Most of the characters were well written and I enjoyed seeing their growth。 Ysbeta， Ianthe， the delightful little spirit Nadi。 It was fun to see the progression of these characters。I think the character of Beatrice was a little flat for my taste compared to the other characters。 Ianthe and Ysbeta's motives and actions made sense and were understandable。 But I felt like much of Beatrice's actions were selfish and not very well thought out。 The romance between her and Ianthe was sweet， and I enjoyed that the author took the time to show their friendship develop。 I wish it could have been less instalove and more of a slow build between the two of them， but if you let yourself just hop on board and accept their love at first sight， it makes the rest of the story enjoyable。 It fell apart a little for me with the drama at the climax of the story， which felt a little clumsy and forced。 I won't go into too much detail so as not to spoil anything。 It just seemed like a lot happened very suddenly and half the characters suddenly turned a 180 in their behavior compared to the whole rest of the book。overall though， this was a really enjoyable book。 There's a line at the end which I found particularly funny because of how true it seemed。 DON'T READ THIS PART IF YOU DON'T WANT A MINI SPOILER ABOUT THE VERY END OF THE BOOK！Beatrice has just presented to a group of male Mages and told them about the secret that her and Ianthe have discovered for how a woman can be a sorceress while also carrying a child fully to term safely。 Basically， the husband has to relinquish his magical powers for the duration of her pregnancy。 And one of the men at the 'conference' huffs and proclaims:"give up magic while my wife does her duty？！ It's unacceptable， it's outrageous！"which of course its clearly ridiculous given that women are expected to give up magic for essentially their whole lives in order to have children。 。。。more

LauraJade ，

（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 p （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。” 。。。more

Catherine ，

Pretty good！ I wasn't sure about this one at first， but I ended up enjoying it a lot。 A good read for a couple of low-stress afternoons or evenings。 （a buddy read with a friend） Pretty good！ I wasn't sure about this one at first， but I ended up enjoying it a lot。 A good read for a couple of low-stress afternoons or evenings。 （a buddy read with a friend） 。。。more

Fabs ，

Kinda。。。 Boring for myself

Bella Bassett ，

3 stars for Beatrice， 10 for Ianthe。 The book had me in the first half， I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish but I was pleasantly surprised at about 65% in。 I wish the ending/epilogue was a sequel bc it would have been significantly more interesting than the first book

Rachelle Tyrrell ，

What I enjoyed: Nadi the Spirit， Ianthe as a love interest， the regency-style narration， the sister-sister relationship。Needed more: Actual use of magic！ If I'm to believe it's worth abandoning love for magic， then convince me that having magic is an exciting， vibrant and amazing experience！ Needed less: Relentless repetition and hand-wringing over Beatrice's dilemma。 This got pretty tiresome。Overall: Worth the read， but required some skimming to get through the repetitive bits。 What I enjoyed: Nadi the Spirit， Ianthe as a love interest， the regency-style narration， the sister-sister relationship。Needed more: Actual use of magic！ If I'm to believe it's worth abandoning love for magic， then convince me that having magic is an exciting， vibrant and amazing experience！ Needed less: Relentless repetition and hand-wringing over Beatrice's dilemma。 This got pretty tiresome。Overall: Worth the read， but required some skimming to get through the repetitive bits。 。。。more

Melissa ，

I liked this book far more than I expected。 It took me a little while to warm up to it but then I was completely absorbed in the world。

Aswatson ，

I had mixed feelings on this one， I liked it but it wasn't as good as some others in this genre。 I had mixed feelings on this one， I liked it but it wasn't as good as some others in this genre。 。。。more

JP ，

Lots of interesting ideas and concepts that just didn't quite work all the way through the book。 Characters were interesting， but the story got less engaging for me as it went on。 Lots of interesting ideas and concepts that just didn't quite work all the way through the book。 Characters were interesting， but the story got less engaging for me as it went on。 。。。more

Kathleen Lalor ，

Book number 4 of 5 of Canada reads 2021 contest。 Not my cup of tea。。。。 a lot of courting and talking and boring logistical stuff in my opinion。 It needed more adventure and plot。 I feel like nothing really changes from the beginning of the book to the end。 The characters are all the same， and you don’t really get any action until like 50 pages until the end。 There was only one character I actually liked， the rest I found boring and bleh。 While the feminism storyline was important， it just didn’t Book number 4 of 5 of Canada reads 2021 contest。 Not my cup of tea。。。。 a lot of courting and talking and boring logistical stuff in my opinion。 It needed more adventure and plot。 I feel like nothing really changes from the beginning of the book to the end。 The characters are all the same， and you don’t really get any action until like 50 pages until the end。 There was only one character I actually liked， the rest I found boring and bleh。 While the feminism storyline was important， it just didn’t get executed properly to make this story feel inspirational。 Overall an underwhelming book and I wouldn’t recommend。 。。。more

Laurie ，

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about magic and sorcery。Beatrice follows her heart and is determined not to marry so she can learn more about magic and making it on her own。 She must make a choice。In the end she also finds her soul mate in Ianthe， and figures out a way to be free and to be together and have children who can be safe， while she practices magic and breaks barriers。This author is Canadian and I will definitely read more of her books。

Gary ，

C。L。 Polk is a Magus！ I have read a lot of pretty good SFF books in my life， and particularly in the last 18 months and this was one of the best。 The characters were well-drawn and distinct， the plot was good and the magic believable。 I thought the pacing was also top-notch。 I'm not entirely sure why so many people are ambivalent about it。 I do have a couple theories， though。 One is that it's from a small publisher and perhaps has not really been "pushed" the way that some of its competitors hav C。L。 Polk is a Magus！ I have read a lot of pretty good SFF books in my life， and particularly in the last 18 months and this was one of the best。 The characters were well-drawn and distinct， the plot was good and the magic believable。 I thought the pacing was also top-notch。 I'm not entirely sure why so many people are ambivalent about it。 I do have a couple theories， though。 One is that it's from a small publisher and perhaps has not really been "pushed" the way that some of its competitors have been。 Also， it contains a lot of words that may be unfamiliar to many readers。 Although this is set in a fictitious past， with fictitious cities and countries， the era and the words therefrom are very real。 I knew some of them already - maquillage， modiste， landau - but not some of the others。 But for heaven's sake， people！ There is a dictionary/encyclopedia as close as your phone or laptop！ This shouldn't be an obstacle in the 21st Century。 Just read it。 And don't over-think it afterwards。 。。。more

Amanda ，

This book is tough to rate because there are aspects I enjoyed， but I found the book frustrating overall。 I liked the Regency-esque alternate world that also included magic。 Beatrice was perfectly fine as a character-even though the fact that she immediately fell for Ianthe was both predictable and undermined her character a bit。 I liked that Beatrice returns to help her fellow sorceresses， but really wish we could have seen some collective action among the women。 At times I felt that the book w This book is tough to rate because there are aspects I enjoyed， but I found the book frustrating overall。 I liked the Regency-esque alternate world that also included magic。 Beatrice was perfectly fine as a character-even though the fact that she immediately fell for Ianthe was both predictable and undermined her character a bit。 I liked that Beatrice returns to help her fellow sorceresses， but really wish we could have seen some collective action among the women。 At times I felt that the book was far too heavy handed。 We get it。 Marriage is a prison for women。 However， I did like the explanation for the warding collars and the danger of spirit-born children。 I found the final scene on the boat to be laughably corny。 After all that， the parents were just fine with everything？ I found it difficult to believe that Beatrice's father would have been so understanding given the fact that he seemed like a cold man who cared more about controlling his wife and daughters than about their hopes and desires。 Overall， reading a book where the main conflict that a character faces is gender based oppression just makes me feel tired and I didn't feel like this book had anything new to add to that conversation。 。。。more

Brooke Glazener ，

It is truly sad how easily believable such a misogynistic world is， and infuriating to see how women are prized entirely for the uterus and it’s expulsions。 I did appreciate the heroine’s difficult choice between love and magic， something which women often have to deal with （albeit in more mundane ways）。 Never before have I been so enraged and enraptured by a book。

Jordan ，

wow wow wow wow wow wowwow wow wow wowwow wow wow wowWhen I tell you I loved this book - please understand that it checked every box on my list of what I like in a book。Strong female characters - checkFeminism - checkMagic - checkRegency vibes - checkSisterhood （in its myriad of forms） - checkNeat magic system - checkNeat world - checkGrapples "real-life" issues - checkRomance （but make it feminist） - checkWell written - checkIn some ways， it feels like this book is an amalgamation of everything wow wow wow wow wow wowwow wow wow wowwow wow wow wowWhen I tell you I loved this book - please understand that it checked every box on my list of what I like in a book。Strong female characters - checkFeminism - checkMagic - checkRegency vibes - checkSisterhood （in its myriad of forms） - checkNeat magic system - checkNeat world - checkGrapples "real-life" issues - checkRomance （but make it feminist） - checkWell written - checkIn some ways， it feels like this book is an amalgamation of everything I've read so far in 2021， all thrown up into one perfect book。 Why didn't this book win Canada Reads？？？ Why is this a stand-alone？？？ Going to need to do a deep dive into all the CBC coverage and figure that one out。 I've also never been so satisfied with an ending。 Like ya， of course， OF COURSE， I expected and wanted a romancy happy-ending ending but as I got closer and closer to the end I found myself questioning why I expected that type of ending， and if that is really a "happy ending" for the characters。 Anyways。。。。 I'm going to add the rest of C。L。 Polk's books to my TBR now。 。。。more

Deanne ，

I've been on a bit of a romantic fantasy kick lately， and this book pushed all the right buttons。 Talk about sticking the ending， too！ I loved it。 ❤️ I've been on a bit of a romantic fantasy kick lately， and this book pushed all the right buttons。 Talk about sticking the ending， too！ I loved it。 ❤️ 。。。more

Brenda ，

Fantasy/ young adult romance is not the type of book I usually read。 This one is for a book club。 I expected to hate it but I didn't。 In the beginning， I wasn't invested at all。 I didn't care if Beatrice became a magician or got married - the only choices available to her。 Eventually， some of the characters grew on me and the writing style isn't bad。 Most of the men treat females like possessions with the exception of Ianthe Lavan。 I especially disliked Beatrice's father。 ***spoiler alert*** He Fantasy/ young adult romance is not the type of book I usually read。 This one is for a book club。 I expected to hate it but I didn't。 In the beginning， I wasn't invested at all。 I didn't care if Beatrice became a magician or got married - the only choices available to her。 Eventually， some of the characters grew on me and the writing style isn't bad。 Most of the men treat females like possessions with the exception of Ianthe Lavan。 I especially disliked Beatrice's father。 ***spoiler alert*** He made terrible investments leading to high debt for his family。 Even his 16-year old daughter is a better businessperson but he refuses to listen to her good advice。 Instead， he expects her to marry someone wealthy to get him out of debt。I found the ending predictable。 。。。more

Kritika Rag ，

Ratings -3。 5/5Beatrice Clayborn is a young sorceress on Chasland who dreams of mastering her powers one day but the only obstacle in her way is that she is a women in a world where power & dreams are only reserved for men while women have to give up their power but putting a collar around their neck at the time of their marriage which suppress their magic and further they are only expected to produce heir to their husbands specially a BOY。 She practices her magic secretly and dreads the day whe Ratings -3。 5/5Beatrice Clayborn is a young sorceress on Chasland who dreams of mastering her powers one day but the only obstacle in her way is that she is a women in a world where power & dreams are only reserved for men while women have to give up their power but putting a collar around their neck at the time of their marriage which suppress their magic and further they are only expected to produce heir to their husbands specially a BOY。 She practices her magic secretly and dreads the day when she too will have to put the collar around her neck but The Bargaining Season is here， young men & ladies go to parties in the hopes of securing a marriage contract & only way to save her family。 In her conquest to find powers she gains the fellowship of Lavan siblings Ianthe and Ysbeta the most eligible members of The Bargaining Season。 Also she get to have friendship with a spirit named Nadi， who is a spirit of fortune。 With her friendship with Ianthe she is now also struggling with the feelings of becoming his wife after all among all the men she have met until now cares about what she thinks。 At last she is faced with choices: Get married to his love， & do what her society & family expects him to do or give up her family & love for her dreams。 Well in a fantasy world this book described the real world scenario of male dominated society where there are unlimited excuses why women should quit on there dreams & further solutions for most of the problems are restrictions on women only。 The only down point in this book for me was the rushed romance， it was too much of an instant love which felt like a cringe。 Otherwise the book， characters & world building all were amazing。 。。。more

Carla Estruch ，

¿Qué encontrarás en The Midnight Bargain？-Una ambientación tipo Regencia， pero en un mundo donde la magia es posible y donde existen los espíritus。-Una protagonista que luchará con uñas y dientes por ser la dueña y señora de su futuro， por ser libre y poder practicar magia。-Una historia de amor basada en el respeto mutuo。-Debates sobre los derechos de las mujeres en una sociedad donde su única función es ser madres y amas de casa。Sigue leyendo la reseña en mi blog。 ¿Qué encontrarás en The Midnight Bargain？-Una ambientación tipo Regencia， pero en un mundo donde la magia es posible y donde existen los espíritus。-Una protagonista que luchará con uñas y dientes por ser la dueña y señora de su futuro， por ser libre y poder practicar magia。-Una historia de amor basada en el respeto mutuo。-Debates sobre los derechos de las mujeres en una sociedad donde su única función es ser madres y amas de casa。Sigue leyendo la reseña en mi blog。 。。。more

Philip ，

4。25ish stars。 Pleasantly delighted。

Sally S ，

A brilliant feminist fantasy！

Steph De Mel ，

Fantasy-of-manners is a genre I very much enjoy， so I was excited to discover this novel。 The premise of "The Midnight Bargain" is particularly interesting， and its inter-weaving of magic， manners， and gender politics is well executed。 I found myself sympathetic to the protagonist's plight， and invested in her quest to secure her own freedom and agency。 The weakest aspect  of this novel is， however， the romance sub-plot。 This is particularly unfortunate for a book whose front cover describes it Fantasy-of-manners is a genre I very much enjoy， so I was excited to discover this novel。 The premise of "The Midnight Bargain" is particularly interesting， and its inter-weaving of magic， manners， and gender politics is well executed。 I found myself sympathetic to the protagonist's plight， and invested in her quest to secure her own freedom and agency。 The weakest aspect  of this novel is， however， the romance sub-plot。 This is particularly unfortunate for a book whose front cover describes it as a "smart， sexy。。。 alter-Regency romance"。 The love interest is almost painfully nice， with little to distinguish him as a character beyond his wealth and good looks。 I strongly prefer romance sub-plots of the slow-burn， enemies-to-lovers variety （with extra points for stinging repartee）; thus， this relationship's combination of insta-love and general amiability leaves me cold。 In a similar vein， I find the cast of supporting characters rather one-dimensional， and wish that Beatrice's relationships with her family and peers displayed a little more depth and nuance。 In summary， I enjoyed reading this novel （and got through it very quickly）， but I'm afraid it hasn't earned a permanent home on my shelves。 。。。more

Sarah ，

damn this book cover is pretty

Rachel ，

DelightfulIt’s great。 Read it in one fell swoop。 Nice world building and good delving into themes of freedom and women in society

Catherine ，

Definitely one of the best novels I've read in months。 I couldn't put it down and found both the storyline and writing style captivating。 This book has some similarities with Mary Robinette Kowal's glamorist series， which I also enjoyed several years ago。 I would love for this to be the first of a series but the story is definitely well-contained enough that it （sadly） does not have to be。 Definitely one of the best novels I've read in months。 I couldn't put it down and found both the storyline and writing style captivating。 This book has some similarities with Mary Robinette Kowal's glamorist series， which I also enjoyed several years ago。 I would love for this to be the first of a series but the story is definitely well-contained enough that it （sadly） does not have to be。 。。。more

Cara ，

4。5。 Oppressed women use magic to fight for bodily autonomy。 It's the feminist historical fantasy I didn't know I needed！ 4。5。 Oppressed women use magic to fight for bodily autonomy。 It's the feminist historical fantasy I didn't know I needed！ 。。。more

Luchia Houghton ，

The Midnight Bargain was a delightful read。 I can see why it’s compared to Bridgerton with the tones and the main romance is completely swoon worthy！ The overall theme is about women being oppressed and wanting to find a way out of it， it was basically a really adorable read though。 Full review to come on my site this weekend。

Emily ，

This book was literally everything imagine Bridgeton meets sorcery of thorns。 I was super intrigued with the magic system & how one became mage。 I loved all the characters in this book & how the lead character didn’t let go of morals I admire her so much

Jenny Thompson ，

The first few chapters could have used some revision to more clearly layout the world-building。 There were some aspects of the work that felt rushed and under edited。 For instance， I'm still not entirely sure who was responsible for writing and publishing the grimoires （a rather important detail， in my opinion， as they provided the path to rebellion）。 Everyone seemed obsessed with collecting them， and that left me puzzled as to how it happened that so many were still out in the wild for these te The first few chapters could have used some revision to more clearly layout the world-building。 There were some aspects of the work that felt rushed and under edited。 For instance， I'm still not entirely sure who was responsible for writing and publishing the grimoires （a rather important detail， in my opinion， as they provided the path to rebellion）。 Everyone seemed obsessed with collecting them， and that left me puzzled as to how it happened that so many were still out in the wild for these teenage girls to discover。 Overall， I struggled to get into the story until Polk got to her main point， which I took to be that allies are invaluable。 As long as everyone keeps fighting only their own private battles for the specific changes that matter most to them， we all lose。 I thought getting to this point improved the book， but it was unfortunately accompanied by some rather rapid character development of secondary characters which felt unearned。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Midnight Bargain

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Midnight Bargain&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Midnight Bargain&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0