The Midnight Girls
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- Create Date：2021-12-07 09:50:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alicia Jasinska
- ISBN：1728210011
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Summary
The Wicked Deep meets House of Salt and Sorrows in this new standalone YA fantasy set in a snow-cloaked kingdom where witches are burned， and two enchantresses secretly compete for the heart of a prince， only to discover that they might be falling for each other。
It's Karnawał season in the snow-cloaked Kingdom of Lechija， and from now until midnight when the church bells ring an end to Devil's Tuesday time will be marked with wintry balls and glittery disguises， cavalcades of nightly torch-lit "kuligi" sleigh-parties。
Unbeknownst to the oblivious merrymakers， two monsters join the fun， descending upon the royal city of Warszów in the guise of two innocent girls。 Newfound friends and polar opposites， Zosia and Marynka seem destined to have a friendship that's stronger even than magic。 But that's put to the test when they realize they both have their sights set on Lechija's pure-hearted prince。 A pure heart contains immeasurable power and Marynka plans to bring the prince's back to her grandmother in order to prove herself。 While Zosia is determined to take his heart and its power for her own。
When neither will sacrifice their ambitions for the other， the festivities spiral into a wild contest with both girls vying to keep the hapless prince out of the other's wicked grasp。 But this isn't some remote forest village， where a hint of stray magic might go unnoticed， Warszów is the icy capital of a kingdom that enjoys watching monsters burn， and if Zosia and Marynka's innocent disguises continue to slip， their escalating rivalry might cost them not just the love they might have for each other， but both their lives。
It's Karnawał season in the snow-cloaked Kingdom of Lechija， and from now until midnight when the church bells ring an end to Devil's Tuesday time will be marked with wintry balls and glittery disguises， cavalcades of nightly torch-lit "kuligi" sleigh-parties。
Unbeknownst to the oblivious merrymakers， two monsters join the fun， descending upon the royal city of Warszów in the guise of two innocent girls。 Newfound friends and polar opposites， Zosia and Marynka seem destined to have a friendship that's stronger even than magic。 But that's put to the test when they realize they both have their sights set on Lechija's pure-hearted prince。 A pure heart contains immeasurable power and Marynka plans to bring the prince's back to her grandmother in order to prove herself。 While Zosia is determined to take his heart and its power for her own。
When neither will sacrifice their ambitions for the other， the festivities spiral into a wild contest with both girls vying to keep the hapless prince out of the other's wicked grasp。 But this isn't some remote forest village， where a hint of stray magic might go unnoticed， Warszów is the icy capital of a kingdom that enjoys watching monsters burn， and if Zosia and Marynka's innocent disguises continue to slip， their escalating rivalry might cost them not just the love they might have for each other， but both their lives。
Reviews
Grace Morrison
，
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this book。This Polish fantasy is a great winter read。 Marynka （Midday） has worked hard for years to win her adoptive witch grandmother's approval。 Her grandmother took her in as a child and gifted her with magic。 Grandmother needs to eat princely hearts to gain more power， but she cannot take them on her own。 So Marynka must steal them。 However， Midnight， grandmother's sister's servant， keeps getting in the way。 Midnight only se Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this book。This Polish fantasy is a great winter read。 Marynka （Midday） has worked hard for years to win her adoptive witch grandmother's approval。 Her grandmother took her in as a child and gifted her with magic。 Grandmother needs to eat princely hearts to gain more power， but she cannot take them on her own。 So Marynka must steal them。 However， Midnight， grandmother's sister's servant， keeps getting in the way。 Midnight only seems to be getting more powerful， and Midday does her best to keep up。 But Midnight often gets to the hearts before Midday， leading to a fierce rivalry （at least on Midday's side）。Their paths cross at Karnawal， a days long winter celebration where everyone shows up and parties， including a prince with the purest of hearts。 As they both vie for his heart， they learn more about each other and start to question their true feelings for each other。Along with some good world-building， there are a lot of great moments in this book: a masquerade ball， a romantic ice skating scene， an ill-fated sleigh ride， magical transformations， and an enemies to lovers slow burn。 I also loved how Midday's and Midnight's story line was mirrored by the prince and his friend。 I really enjoyed this book， as long as I didn't think too hard about the magical aspects。 I wanted more context about what the witches' purposes besides competing with each other and more background about how exactly the magic works。 I also felt like with how convicted Midnight was to her mission， she could have just turned into shadows at any moment and stolen the heart。 She didn't need to wait for cover like Midday， so why did she？ I also wish this was a duology！ I think the ending left a lot of room for a second book， and I felt like there was a lot more to learn about this world。 。。。more
Rachel
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Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for granting me access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This was just okay。 I liked the concept of it but the two girls were very frustrating at times and I found myself rooting for the prince they're trying to get the heart of。 Plus Beata deserved so much better the entire story。 Full review to come。 Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for granting me access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This was just okay。 I liked the concept of it but the two girls were very frustrating at times and I found myself rooting for the prince they're trying to get the heart of。 Plus Beata deserved so much better the entire story。 Full review to come。 。。。more
Daniella
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Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for giving me access to an eARC to review！Definitely an interesting concept， but I just wished we had more time to establish the protagonists' years of being rivals。 We got a couple of chapters at the beginning giving kind of like a summary of their rivalry， but I would have loved to see them interacting and their relationship changing over the time they've known each other - I feel like I was being told that they were long-term rivals without seeing m Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for giving me access to an eARC to review！Definitely an interesting concept， but I just wished we had more time to establish the protagonists' years of being rivals。 We got a couple of chapters at the beginning giving kind of like a summary of their rivalry， but I would have loved to see them interacting and their relationship changing over the time they've known each other - I feel like I was being told that they were long-term rivals without seeing much of this。 We also sadly didn't get to see much witch-stealing-hearts content either tbh which was a little disappointing。I found the dynamic between the prince and the priest a lot more interesting than the relationship of the main couple， and didn't feel like we got to know a lot about our witches apart from the fact that they were rivals and had different feelings about their jobs as witches。 I think just a little extra time spent establishing these two characters and their dynamic would have made the slow-burn rivals-to-lovers more interesting to me。 But this was definitely a solid read， and I think it's a good addition to sapphic YA fantasy without being super heavy on the romance。 The pace picked up a lot near the end， but I just wanted a bit more from it！Big Shadow and Bone vibes - there was a scene between the priest and one of the witches that was giving a lot of Nina/Matthias energy， and the prince reminded me a lot of a Nikolai type！ I also think that the witches had more interesting relationships with the prince and the priest than with each other tbh。。。and there was the inclusion of some elements of Polish history/culture that weren't super fleshed out though there were a lot of references to Polish culture/food/dress which was nice！ Also love a snowy setting！ 。。。more
theresa
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loved this！ rtc
Lisa Mandina
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Review to come！
Melanie
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4。5 StarsThanks to Source Books Fire and Netgalley for an arc of this book。Marynka is determined to be a better witch's assistant than her rival， Midnight。 She will do anything she can to collect more hearts to bring back to her adoptive Grandmother。 But when Marynka is sent on a mission to steal the pure heart of a prince， she runs into Zosia， who is secretly on the same mission。OH my goodness！ Marynka is such a character！ She is completely feral and determined and I love her so much。 I also re 4。5 StarsThanks to Source Books Fire and Netgalley for an arc of this book。Marynka is determined to be a better witch's assistant than her rival， Midnight。 She will do anything she can to collect more hearts to bring back to her adoptive Grandmother。 But when Marynka is sent on a mission to steal the pure heart of a prince， she runs into Zosia， who is secretly on the same mission。OH my goodness！ Marynka is such a character！ She is completely feral and determined and I love her so much。 I also really like Zosia。 This book was so interesting and I loved the world building and the magic system。 The ending was also absolutely beautiful and I loved it！ Such a great and wild book！CW: Animal death， blood， child abuse， domestic/emotional abuse， body horror， injury/injury detail， murder， violence， death 。。。more
Anjali Roul
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very nice
Anna
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~e-arc from netgalley~This is definitely the sapphic enemies to lovers book I've been waiting for！The beginning of the story started out really interesting and intriguing and the ending left me wanting more。I really liked how the author paralleled the relationship of Zosia and Marynka and the prince and his "friend"。 I feel like that added to the story in a really good way and helped the main characters realize their feelings。 The banter was also really fun and really added to their relationship ~e-arc from netgalley~This is definitely the sapphic enemies to lovers book I've been waiting for！The beginning of the story started out really interesting and intriguing and the ending left me wanting more。I really liked how the author paralleled the relationship of Zosia and Marynka and the prince and his "friend"。 I feel like that added to the story in a really good way and helped the main characters realize their feelings。 The banter was also really fun and really added to their relationship development。 Ice skating scene was probably my favorite！I also really like how with Marynka， she goes from never questioning anything with her grandmother to questioning everything once she learns more and realizing that she wants something else besides a life living as a "servant"。The only thing I wish is that there was more。 I really liked how the story ended but I was hoping that there would be a more complete ending rather than it being open ended。 I was worried that it would be one of those endings like in most sapphic movies where there is no happy ending and I guess open ended is better but the only thing that would make the book better would be to actually have them meet at the end rather than giving that kind of implied maybe or maybe not ending。 Aside from that it really was a great book and it was super easy to read as well！ 。。。more
Alyson L
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Not really my type， but I can see why people love it as much as they do。 The romance is not as heavy as I originally thought， but that makes it better。 Everything about this book was so great， and I loved every minute of it。 I became fully invested in the storyline on Zosia and Marynka。 This is a book you might want to think about trying。
Karolina Szymczak
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Dawno się nie podjarałam tak żadną książką。Fantastyka inspirowana polską kulturą z romansem wlw。 Muszę to przeczytać！！！
Penguin Books Australia
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The following reviews have been shared by Penguin Random House Australia - publisher of The Midnight Girls。Dark and delectable， you'll sink into this tale with utter delight。 A magical， immersive and feminist fantasy – I wanted it to last forever。 Keep your eyes on Alicia Jasinska。 – NEW YORK TIMES， USA TODAY AND INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR， AMIE KAUFMANAlicia Jasinska is a master of dark， atmospheric fantasy。 The Midnight Girls reads like a modern-day Grimms' fairytale with a dash of his The following reviews have been shared by Penguin Random House Australia - publisher of The Midnight Girls。Dark and delectable， you'll sink into this tale with utter delight。 A magical， immersive and feminist fantasy – I wanted it to last forever。 Keep your eyes on Alicia Jasinska。 – NEW YORK TIMES， USA TODAY AND INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR， AMIE KAUFMANAlicia Jasinska is a master of dark， atmospheric fantasy。 The Midnight Girls reads like a modern-day Grimms' fairytale with a dash of historical fiction and a compelling Sapphic romance。 I loved the unique magic system， the wintry world， the fragments of Slavic folklore。 It’s evocative and enchanting， and it completely swept me away。 – TOBIAS MADDEN， AUTHOR OF ANYTHING BUT FINEAlicia Jasinska’s The Midnight Girls will be eagerly devoured by fans of her dark fantasy YA debut The Dark Tide 。 。 。 Jasinska’s creative use of Polish history and culture is dazzling， and the dark fairytale ambience of the novel will appeal to readers of retellings such as Erin A Craig’s House of Salt and Sorrows。 – ILONA URQUHART， BOOKS + PUBLISHINGBewitching from the first page！ Alicia Jasinska has given us a dark and stunning tale， steeped in vicious magic。 Watch out for these monster girls—you’ll be begging them to eat your heart。 –HEATHER WALTER， AUTHOR OF MALICE 。。。more
Bethany
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This is such a great read。 It gave me fantasy and fairytale vibes， and I loved that it was inspired by 18th century Poland！It’s the perfect winter read， with winter wonderland scenes and fairytale costumes， and characters you can’t help but root for—even if they’re trying to steal the hearts of princes。Marynka and Zosia’s story is one I couldn’t put down！ I loved the enemies-to-well， still enemies but not enemies…you know？ Oh， the thin line between love and hate！ I loved seeing them grow and wor This is such a great read。 It gave me fantasy and fairytale vibes， and I loved that it was inspired by 18th century Poland！It’s the perfect winter read， with winter wonderland scenes and fairytale costumes， and characters you can’t help but root for—even if they’re trying to steal the hearts of princes。Marynka and Zosia’s story is one I couldn’t put down！ I loved the enemies-to-well， still enemies but not enemies…you know？ Oh， the thin line between love and hate！ I loved seeing them grow and work through their deeply rooted internal problems， and seeing them become themselves with everything—and everyone—pushing against them。 Monsters， witches， and princes—oh my！ If you love cat and mouse， rivals to lovers， and magic then this is the book you’re looking for！This is a fantastical read for fantasy and fairytale lovers！ 。。。more
Jordan
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What a lovely wintery read。 Oppressed， morally grey， monstrous （literally）， magical young women fighting back against their jagas。 Starting out as rivals but developing some feelings along the way。 Set in a historic， snow-covered， Poland-inspired landscape。 It's slow paced with some interludes of action， and is more character-focused than anything。 What's not to love？ What a lovely wintery read。 Oppressed， morally grey， monstrous （literally）， magical young women fighting back against their jagas。 Starting out as rivals but developing some feelings along the way。 Set in a historic， snow-covered， Poland-inspired landscape。 It's slow paced with some interludes of action， and is more character-focused than anything。 What's not to love？ 。。。more
Blue
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Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram Website Thank you Penguin Books for this book in exchange for an honest reviewThe Midnight Girls is a vibrant fantasy book that focuses on the lives of two rival witches Marynka and Zosia， that are sent after the hearts of young princes to ensure their powers ravish and grow。 With the desperate need to prove themselves to their clan， the witches must beat each other to get the heart of the same prince。 Our two leading ladies， also known as Midday and Midnight， wer Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram Website Thank you Penguin Books for this book in exchange for an honest reviewThe Midnight Girls is a vibrant fantasy book that focuses on the lives of two rival witches Marynka and Zosia， that are sent after the hearts of young princes to ensure their powers ravish and grow。 With the desperate need to prove themselves to their clan， the witches must beat each other to get the heart of the same prince。 Our two leading ladies， also known as Midday and Midnight， were epic as all hell。 This bad ass babes are evil， cunning and witty and I loved every minute of their epic adventure。 You have no idea how happy it makes my dark little soul to read about BAD ASS WOMEN that are actually BAD ASS WOMEN， not just regular women that are promoted in bad assery！ Both characters were fantastic， entertaining， and wonderfully written with compelling motivations and personalities that really keep you enthralled in the book。 Realistically it doesn’t matter what the plot looks like as you could read about these two taking out the trash and it would still be hella fun。 。。。more
Marta Cox
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I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book and obviously the cover art caught my attention so initially was very excited to read this。 Then sadly I felt a teeny bit disappointed as I’ve read a couple of books this year that also featured young women carrying out untold horrors on behalf of Witches。 Now I could have stopped right there but I’m so happy that I didn’t because the characters here are anything but pawns and actually are the sort of protagonists that it’s very easy to empathise with I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book and obviously the cover art caught my attention so initially was very excited to read this。 Then sadly I felt a teeny bit disappointed as I’ve read a couple of books this year that also featured young women carrying out untold horrors on behalf of Witches。 Now I could have stopped right there but I’m so happy that I didn’t because the characters here are anything but pawns and actually are the sort of protagonists that it’s very easy to empathise with。 This isn’t just another rehash of myths or fables such as Hansel and Gretel but a well thought out story with politics， greed and yes love。 As much as Marynka and Zosia are intrigued by each other there’s also side characters who face hurdles if they are to embrace their relationship。 This has fabulous magical abilities， heinous acts and hope written through it so yes I did enjoy this book and happily recommend to those looking for fantasy that embraces love wherever you might find it。This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair 。。。more
Louise
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RTC over on my blog
Alli
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I originally found out about this book browsing NetGalley， and after reading it， I'm honestly surprised I haven't seen more hype for it！ It was an exciting 1800's Poland-inspired fantasy filled with an exciting festival， awesome morally grey characters， and a slow burn sapphic relationship。I found this book to be a tad on the slower side - the best part of it is far and away the characters。 Our two protagonists are absolute monsters - quite literally！ Zosia and Marynka are in a race to see who c I originally found out about this book browsing NetGalley， and after reading it， I'm honestly surprised I haven't seen more hype for it！ It was an exciting 1800's Poland-inspired fantasy filled with an exciting festival， awesome morally grey characters， and a slow burn sapphic relationship。I found this book to be a tad on the slower side - the best part of it is far and away the characters。 Our two protagonists are absolute monsters - quite literally！ Zosia and Marynka are in a race to see who can steal the prince's heart first， and the battles and tricks they pull on each other kept me engaged the whole way through。 I also really liked how they stayed true to themselves and their goals。 Even by the end of the story， they were still monsters and quite vicious。 And the banter！ The back and forth between these two was incredible。 The side characters were also incredibly well-thought-out！ Despite having less page time， I was just as intrigued by Beata and Prince Josef's stories as I was Marynka and Zosia's。If you like your fantasy to have lush and gorgeous settings， then this is a story for you！ I'll admit that my knowledge of Poland's history is limited， to say the least， but coming purely from an enjoyability standpoint， the backdrop was incredible！ I'd love to be able to go and experience Karnawal as the characters did， it truly made for an atmospheric story - which is no small feat when you're writing a YA fantasy novel under 400 pages！This is a smaller detail that doesn't have much to do with the content of the story itself， but I appreciated the fact that Jasinka included a pronunciation guide in the front！ I honestly wish more fantasy did that - it has to be one of the harder to pronounce genres！Overall， this was just such a fun sapphic fantasy！ It's obvious that Jasinka loved writing this， and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future！I received an advance copy from SOURCEBOOKS Fire and Netgalley， all opinions are my own！ 。。。more
K TEA
，
📚Book review📚It was simple。 Everyone knew if you served Red Jaga well she would gift you with magic， and if you didn’t， if you failed at the tasks she set， well then， she would eat you。It was THEN that I knew this was the story for me。 This is a very beautiful story and I enjoyed reading it very much。 The characters are all so interesting。 My favorite Hass to be a morning！ This story definitely takes you on a magical trip then I guess you lost in this world。 I did not want to put this one down a 📚Book review📚It was simple。 Everyone knew if you served Red Jaga well she would gift you with magic， and if you didn’t， if you failed at the tasks she set， well then， she would eat you。It was THEN that I knew this was the story for me。 This is a very beautiful story and I enjoyed reading it very much。 The characters are all so interesting。 My favorite Hass to be a morning！ This story definitely takes you on a magical trip then I guess you lost in this world。 I did not want to put this one down and it is an easy read。 Thank you so much for the advanced for copy and the opportunity to review it！ 。。。more
Evie Hoff
，
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced review copy。 All opinions are my own。I enjoyed The Midnight Girls， but I'm a little conflicted about how much I enjoyed it， because it felt like something was missing in the story。 I enjoyed the dynamic between Marynka and Zosia， as well as Beata， and seeing how their character arcs evolved over the course of the story。 The setting was inspired by Poland， and the winter descriptions were very atmospheric， which I enjoyed。 It was also very Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced review copy。 All opinions are my own。I enjoyed The Midnight Girls， but I'm a little conflicted about how much I enjoyed it， because it felt like something was missing in the story。 I enjoyed the dynamic between Marynka and Zosia， as well as Beata， and seeing how their character arcs evolved over the course of the story。 The setting was inspired by Poland， and the winter descriptions were very atmospheric， which I enjoyed。 It was also very cool to see mentions of the three Abrahamic religions （Judaism， Christianity， and Islam） coexisting in the story's region and to see representation for each group of people in the cast of characters。 The LGBTQ+ representation of the story was also fantastic， and is a main focus since the book is told from Marynka's and Zosia's perspectives。 This is going to be a great recommendation for me to give to customers looking for books as they transition from MG to YA， as there aren't any intimate scenes， which we definitely need more of with the heavy trend to upper YA。 Though anyone not okay with gore might want to stay away from this one， as some of the injuries and battle scenes are graphic。However， it still felt like something was missing。 And the more I thought about it， the more I've concluded it's in the magic system and the overall drive of the characters。 The story utilizes a soft magic system approach， meaning the rules of the magic are not explained or analyzed in depth。 This can sometimes work very well， but here it just really wasn't clear to me what the point of the magic was， because it didn't feel deeply connected to the main characters and their mentors。 At the end of the book， I still didn't know what the witches do with their magic。 Maybe I missed something， or maybe there isn't supposed to be a point because of the fact that it's a villain/monster story and this was an intentional choice on the author's part。 Or maybe it's simply the fact that I like going in depth with worldbuilding and with stories， so I tend to enjoy series more than standalones。 Bottom line is， I think it was more me than it was the writing， since I'm still glad I read the book。 Hence the four stars。Buy， Borrow， or Bypass: I would suggest borrowing this one。 I'm glad I read it， and I would still recommend you give it a read， but right now I don't see myself rereading this one。 Though， to be fair， I'm still kind of considering buying a copy for my collection since Charlie Bowater did the cover art and I love her work。 :） 。。。more
Kerry
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Set in the snowy landscapes of a Polish inspired land this has turned out to be a lovely winter read。 Due to the European names in this book the author provides a really helpful pronunciation list at the beginning of the book to ensure that you correctly pronounce names of characters in the book， something that really helped my reading experience。The Midnight Girls follows 3 servants Morning， Midday and Midnight battling against one another to win the hearts of princes in a way you would never e Set in the snowy landscapes of a Polish inspired land this has turned out to be a lovely winter read。 Due to the European names in this book the author provides a really helpful pronunciation list at the beginning of the book to ensure that you correctly pronounce names of characters in the book， something that really helped my reading experience。The Midnight Girls follows 3 servants Morning， Midday and Midnight battling against one another to win the hearts of princes in a way you would never expect！ This book is definitely fitting of its YA category with a sapphic slow burn enemies to lovers romance trope。 The characters are really interesting， all hugely different personalities and each develops throughout the book in their own way。 For me one character in particular starts as soft and timid， building confidence and vengeance due to jealousy and I loved the subtle changes in her character。The writing style is highly descriptive and atmospheric with lots of world building metaphors。 Plot is good and somewhat unexpected for the most part， I did find the mid section a little slow and the competitive nature of the plot a little repetitive at times but I really enjoyed a side line romance and a twist on heroics。 Perfectly pitched as a YA Fantasy and would highly recommend for ages 12-18+ I want to take this opportunity to thank Alicia Jasinska， Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced copy of The Midnight Girls。 。。。more
Anka
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This sounds really interesting plot-wise but ughhhh Charlie bowater covers all look exactly the sameeeeeLike she’s such a talented artist but she has this terrible case of same face syndrome and it makes her covers like… boring now :////
Amy Imogene Reads
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Just found out about this， and I can't believe I missed it！ So pumped。 Polish folklore， ruthless girls， queer love （？）。。。 Can't wait！ Just found out about this， and I can't believe I missed it！ So pumped。 Polish folklore， ruthless girls， queer love （？）。。。 Can't wait！ 。。。more
Teri
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The comp titles and cover drew me to this novel。 The snow-cloaked kingdom set in Poland also seemed perfect for this time of year。The description gave me the impression Zosia and Marynka were in some sort of competition for the prince’s heart。 Somehow I missed they were literally competing for his heart to take back to their jaga （witch） grandmothers （who are sisters） to eat。 The purer the heart， the greater the power it contains。 Now that was something I could get on board with。With a slow star The comp titles and cover drew me to this novel。 The snow-cloaked kingdom set in Poland also seemed perfect for this time of year。The description gave me the impression Zosia and Marynka were in some sort of competition for the prince’s heart。 Somehow I missed they were literally competing for his heart to take back to their jaga （witch） grandmothers （who are sisters） to eat。 The purer the heart， the greater the power it contains。 Now that was something I could get on board with。With a slow start， it took me a while to get into this novel。 Pacing soon picked up， and well action scenes moved the plot along。 Having competed in numerous quests to attain the hearts of princes in the past， Marynka has a losing record against Zosia。 Marynka is determined to prove herself to her grandmother and gain her approval。 Zosia is tired of being a servant and wants to keep the power for herself and escape the bonds of servitude。 Clearly these girls are morally gray characters。 Between the two of them， they’ve killed plenty of princes and have no regrets。 Normally I’m a fan of this type of character， but I didn’t really care for either of them。 Looking at other reviews， I’m in the minority on this， but I liked the relationship dynamic between Prince Jozek and Prince Kajetan better， but that’s just a personal preference。 Beatka， Marynka’s friend who serves another jaga grandmother （and sister to the other two）， also appealed to me more。 Marynka is impulsive， which causes her to think before she acts， and Beatka is often the voice of reason， as well as a mediator when Marynka and Zosia argue。 The poor girl is long suffering。The author’s note mentions some of the events are loosely based on late 18th century Polish history。 I really enjoyed how Polish culture， including food， clothing， and traditions are woven into the background。 Setting most of the plot during Karnawal season lends an atmosphere of festivity and mystery that adds to the story。This novel will appeal to fans morally gray， ambitious characters and the enemies to lovers trope， especially readers who enjoy the fantasy genre。I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Andy
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Thank you to Source Fire Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。I absolutely loved this one！！ The Midnight Girls is a dark Polish inspired fantasy about the apprentices of Red， White & Black Jaga。 Marynka serves Red Jaga and is always put in competition with Midnight， Black Jaga's servant。 She wants to prove she's worthy of being a witch and Red Jaga's approval。 After losing to Midnight one too many times， Marynka is determined to take down Midnight once and Thank you to Source Fire Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。I absolutely loved this one！！ The Midnight Girls is a dark Polish inspired fantasy about the apprentices of Red， White & Black Jaga。 Marynka serves Red Jaga and is always put in competition with Midnight， Black Jaga's servant。 She wants to prove she's worthy of being a witch and Red Jaga's approval。 After losing to Midnight one too many times， Marynka is determined to take down Midnight once and for all。 To do this she'll need to steal a Prince's pure heart。 I loved how monstrous this book was。 The fact that the girls are magical， but also have monster forms， I loved it。 I loved the rivalry between Midday （Marynka） and Midnight。 I was addicted to their competition。 I loved seeing the girls trying to figure out the best way to get to the prince。 This is the perfect winter book and was so much fun！ Cannot recommend enough。 Rep: Sapphic white Polish female MCs， sapphic female side character （lesbian coded）， Jewish female side character， Muslim BIPOC male side character， Black male side character。CWs: Animal death， blood， child abuse， domestic/emotional abuse， body horror， injury/injury detail， murder， toxic relationship （witch and Marynka）， violence， death。 。。。more
Brittany Smith
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Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。The Midnight Girls was a surprise arc that showed up on my doorstep but evil sapphic rivals to lovers witches？ Say no more！The Midnight Girls is a dual perspective young adult fantasy novel that follows two rival witches; Marynka who is known as Midday and trained by Red Jaga， and Zosia who is known as Midnight and trained by Black Jaga。 Both are the apprentices of rival sister witches， who send Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。The Midnight Girls was a surprise arc that showed up on my doorstep but evil sapphic rivals to lovers witches？ Say no more！The Midnight Girls is a dual perspective young adult fantasy novel that follows two rival witches; Marynka who is known as Midday and trained by Red Jaga， and Zosia who is known as Midnight and trained by Black Jaga。 Both are the apprentices of rival sister witches， who send them after the hearts of princes in order to consume them to grow their power。 As children often sent after the same hearts， they had to beat each other to the hearts first in order to appease their masters。But as young women， both are sent after the pure heart of a prince， said to be the most powerful out of all hearts。 Marynka， who saw Midnight as her rival， wants desperately to best her AND prove herself to Red Jaga。 Zosia， who saw Midday as an annoyance， wants to get the heart for herself， to finally become powerful enough to escape Black Jaga forever。And so begins the contest to see who can reach this final heart and claim it first， which takes them to the capital， in the midst of the holidays and political unrest， where Marynka and Zosia finally meet face to face， passions high and their opposing wills and magic making this simple retrieval much more complicated than intended。The Midnight Girls was quite a lot of fun if you like antiheroines/evil women protagonists and witchcraft， and is a perfect read for the winter/holiday season。Both main characters were well written， their personalities and motivations differing yet compelling， and it was very enjoyable to read both perspectives throughout this novel， especially when it came to their budding romance。 Marynka was bold， hot-headed， and rash， just like her powers over Midday， heat and fire。 Zosia was calm， collected， and quietly steadfast， just like her powers over the night and cold。 I love their slow burn over the course of the novel， and the dynamic of their relationship to one another， as well as how their relationship doesn’t change the very thing that brought them together。After the first part of the book， I read the rest in a single sitting。 And overall really liked it， especially for a YA book， except the ending was kind of… strange。 It was by no means bad （or unsatisfying） but probably not the way I would have chosen to end it， knowing it was a standalone。Definitely a book I would recommend for those looking for LGBT （lesbian） winter reads！ 。。。more
Tammie
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Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！I downloaded this book on a whim， and was so pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it！ This is morally grey sapphic rivals-to-lovers excellence。 In this book， we're following three servants to three sister witches who draw power from different times of the day - Morning， Midday， and Midnight。 Marynka （Midday） and Zosia （Midnight） are our main POVs， but Beata （Morning） also plays a large role in the s Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！I downloaded this book on a whim， and was so pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it！ This is morally grey sapphic rivals-to-lovers excellence。 In this book， we're following three servants to three sister witches who draw power from different times of the day - Morning， Midday， and Midnight。 Marynka （Midday） and Zosia （Midnight） are our main POVs， but Beata （Morning） also plays a large role in the story， and I really loved seeing their relationship and rivalry with each other。 They have all been competing for years to collect the hearts of princes for their Grandmothers， and this time around， they're all competing for the heart of Prince Jozek - a prince with a pure heart， the rarest type of heart that grants the witch who consumes it immense power。 This is a very character-focused fantasy， and for me， this was perfect。 There isn't too much plot， but that's what I personally loved about it。 If you need more plot in your books， you might not love it as much， but I loved getting to know our main trio， as well as the prince and his companion， Kajetan。 The tension between all of these characters was so well done， and I really think Jasinska did a really great job at making you feel sympathetic to all the characters， despite them all doing some pretty morally questionable things。 The writing is very atmospheric， and I think is the perfect book for a cold winter's day and a hot beverage。 It has very folktale/fairytale vibes， and the imagery reminded me a lot of Howl's Moving Castle （the Studio Ghibli film， not the book） if it took place in the wintertime。 I haven't read Jasinska's debut novel， but I'm definitely now very interested in picking it up - I enjoyed her writing style a lot。All in all， I'm so glad I took a chance on this one and gave it a go！ I don't see a second book listed on Goodreads yet， and I'm desperately praying that there will be a book 2， because I just want more time in this world with these characters。 If you like dark， atmospheric YA fantasies， rivals to lovers， and morally grey characters， I think you'll really enjoy this one！ 。。。more
Tonicha
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hmm 3。5
April
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This twisted fairytale had 'A Gathering of Shadows' vibes to it （except not as intricate）。 I like Jasinka's creative take on Baba Yaga。 Three young servants， Marynka， Beata and Zosia， are competing for the favor of their witch masters Red Jaga， Black Jaga and White Jaga。 The story， although a bit simple， begins with Marynka being sent on a task to get a Prince's heart。 Goofy and savvy， her character is immediately likeable。 As she grows， so does her resentment （resentment or love？！？） of Zosia （o This twisted fairytale had 'A Gathering of Shadows' vibes to it （except not as intricate）。 I like Jasinka's creative take on Baba Yaga。 Three young servants， Marynka， Beata and Zosia， are competing for the favor of their witch masters Red Jaga， Black Jaga and White Jaga。 The story， although a bit simple， begins with Marynka being sent on a task to get a Prince's heart。 Goofy and savvy， her character is immediately likeable。 As she grows， so does her resentment （resentment or love？！？） of Zosia （ohhhhhh the angst）。 When they're unexpectedly all thrown together seemingly after the same prize sparks fly。 I loved Zosia's delightful badness。 I would've liked a more layered plotline though。 It was a little ridiculous that Marynka and Zosia had no indication who each other was until the first fight with Jozef。 The book would flow much better if they had recognized each other before traveling together。 It seemed to me like they did， so the "shocking" discovery that they were Midnight and Midday by that point in the book was unnecessary。 The ending was seriously fantastic。 Overall if you like fairytale retellings check this one out。 I liked the beginning， the middle lagged a bit but the end redeemed it。 The writing is good， the story is captivating and cute with a dash of darkness and the characters are developed。 The Midnight Girls releases either Dec 7th or 28th 2021 check with your bookseller to preorder。 Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS for my free review copy。 I'm told a certain book box will be doing a special edition next year。 🖤🖤🖤 。。。more
Logan Rogue
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“'I know we’ll fight。 I kind of like fighting with you。 And sometimes I like watching you be reckless。 It makes me want to act that fearlessly。 I meant it when I said together we’d be unstoppable。 And if you think you can actually hurt me…’ She paused， chin lifting defiantly。 ‘You can’t。 You won’t。 You know better than anyone that I’m not easily defeated。 I can take anything you give me。’”I think it’s safe to say that I’m obsessed with this book！！！ Seriously， holy shit。 Guys。 If you’re even slig “'I know we’ll fight。 I kind of like fighting with you。 And sometimes I like watching you be reckless。 It makes me want to act that fearlessly。 I meant it when I said together we’d be unstoppable。 And if you think you can actually hurt me…’ She paused， chin lifting defiantly。 ‘You can’t。 You won’t。 You know better than anyone that I’m not easily defeated。 I can take anything you give me。’”I think it’s safe to say that I’m obsessed with this book！！！ Seriously， holy shit。 Guys。 If you’re even slightly interested - PREORDER IT！！！ It’ll be out on December 28th， 2021 ⏳Set in a Polish-adjacent fantasy world， The Midnight Girls is about two monsters who are constantly competing to cut out the hearts of the pure。 Called Midday （Marynka） and Midnight （Zosia）， these monsters are competing to steal the prince’s heart （l i t e r a l l y） 🫀🗡Marynka and Zosia have SO much chemistry。 It was so refreshing to read about them。 I mean we’ve got morally grey protagonists， rivals to lovers， sapphic elements， monster girls， etc。 What more can I even ask for？！ They’re honestly so chaotic and exist to try to destroy each other （and also maybe…。 kiss？！）。This was an easy 5 stars， no question about it。 It was extremely original， I’ve never read anything like it！！ I do wish there was more romance， but honestly it was so on brand for the characters that I loved how it ended。✨“‘Of course I hate her！’ Marynka snapped， flushing。 The sheer violent intensity of this feeling—it had to be hate， didn’t it？”（omg marynka stop 😂）Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Claire
，
In her follow-up novel to "The Dark Tide，" Alicia Jasinska once again stars angry girls in an enemies-to-lovers arc， but fails to capture the same magic and thrilling atmosphere as before。 While "The Midnight Girls" gets its points for having a gorgeous setting and magic dripping from every scene， it feels too rushed， too heavy-handed， and too simplistic。 One thing that truly did bother me about this book was the way trauma and abuse were handled。 Both of our main characters are abused， and whil In her follow-up novel to "The Dark Tide，" Alicia Jasinska once again stars angry girls in an enemies-to-lovers arc， but fails to capture the same magic and thrilling atmosphere as before。 While "The Midnight Girls" gets its points for having a gorgeous setting and magic dripping from every scene， it feels too rushed， too heavy-handed， and too simplistic。 One thing that truly did bother me about this book was the way trauma and abuse were handled。 Both of our main characters are abused， and while one recognizes it， the other always makes excuses。 Personally， I think this would have made an interesting dynamic if the abuser hadn't been made to seem so sympathetic and "did something good" at the end。 It felt gross and sloppy， and we never see our main character realize that the abuse she suffered was wrong。 This plot point should have been extremely nuanced， but Jasinska sacrifices the exploration of abuse for the romance instead。 I also feel as though Jasinka falls into the problem of having diverse side characters for the sake of having diverse side characters instead of letting them actually contribute to the plot。 Which is heavily disappointing and a huge problem。 As with other Jasinska books， the romance felt very perfunctory and simplistic， which I don't always mind， but there is little-to-no character development here other than "angry girl gets less angry。" Their romance almost feels forced and less romance than lust。 Don't get me wrong， I love the "monsters loving monsters" trope， but I honestly wasn't in love with either character because they felt very two-dimensional。 My biggest complaint with this book is that there is so much going on — revolution， betrayal， abuse， romance — and it is all so incredibly complicated， and the reader never gets to see that explored。 Decisions made by characters feel rushed or don't make sense。 Also， there is some HEAVY plot magic going on to ensure these girls don't get caught after their first attempt on the prince。 After the Dark Tide， which felt more fairy tale than story and thus avoided many of the criticisms above， "The Midnight Girls" was a disappointment that could have held so much more potential。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Midnight Girls
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Midnight Girls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Midnight Girls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0