Early Review – The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Erewhon
Release Date: October 13, 2020
ISBN-13 : 978-1645660071
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from Edelweiss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

“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.

In a stroke of luck, Beatrice finds a grimoire that contains the key to becoming a Magus, but before she can purchase it, a rival sorceress swindles the book right out of her hands. Beatrice summons a spirit to help her get it back, but her new ally exacts a price: Beatrice’s first kiss . . . with her adversary’s brother, the handsome, compassionate, and fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan.

The more Beatrice is entangled with the Lavan siblings, the harder her decision becomes: If she casts the spell to become a Magus, she will devastate her family and lose the only man to ever see her for who she is; but if she marries—even for love—she will sacrifice her magic, her identity, and her dreams. But how can she choose just one, knowing she will forever regret the path not taken?”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I was offered an eGalley of this to review through Edelweiss.

Story (4/5): This was well written with some beautiful description, but slow. Beatrice is desperate to bind with a Greater Spirit and become a full-fledged Magus but women are not allowed to pursue magic. Her family’s hopes of escaping poverty lie in her value as a bride and the hope she will make a good match this season. When Beatrice summons a lesser spirit to grant her luck in her endeavors, the spirit demands her first kiss…which just happens to be with an amazing man who is sympathetic to her views. Now Beatrice is stuck; will she marry and give up her dreams of magic and her freedom, or will she destroy her family by pursuing magic against society’s will?

This was a beautiful story but the pacing was inconsistent. Some parts were long and boring while others felt rushed. At times this also feels a bit preachy about women’s rights. I ended up enjoying the resolution to everything but this took me a while to get through and wasn’t the easiest read.

Characters (3/5): I felt like the characters were underdeveloped here and their relationships grew in jumps and starts. Ianthe and Beatrice seem to fall suddenly, deeply in love after dancing around each other quite a bit and it made me feel like I had missed some of the story. Beatrice can be very overbearing about her women’s right views and I felt like this was just being pounded into the reader over and over. I also thought Beatrice came across as very selfish and immature, she could have communicated better from the get-go and half of this story wouldn’t have even been needed.

Setting (4/5): I enjoyed the setting. It’s a fantasy world with a very Victorian London-like feel to it. The world is well built out and we are introduced to multiple countries and cultures. I thought the way magic worked and the push and pull between how women and men used it was well done and intriguing.

Writing Style (3/5): As mentioned above parts of this story are beautifully written but the pacing was just so inconsistent. There were also parts of the story where things just didn’t quite fit together right and I felt like I had missed something. It was decently written but could have definitely used some more polish and editing.

My Summary (3.5/5): Overall this was a decent story but could have used a bit more polishing. I liked the magic system, liked the idea behind the story, and enjoyed the unique world-building. However the inconsistent pacing, leaps in character development, and overbearing preachiness from Beatrice on women’s rights made it so I just couldn’t love this. This should have been a short and fun read but it felt very very long.