Reviews with content warning for Confinement - The Midnight Bargain

I have now read all of C.L. Polk's books to date. The Midnight Bargain was a bit too slow for my own taste, but I'm sure that won't be a problem for others.

This is a blistering feminist tale, dark and dangerous when you stop to think about the society this is occurring in. The magic is really cool too, although much of its discussion and use is clandestine so you really feel the craft being held away from women by men.

Not my favorite Polk novel while still being better than most books. I jumped into the audiobook 2/3 of the way and that was well done.

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anjasshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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foxwish's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I kept reading this book because I was interested in the development of Beatrice's relationship with Ysbeta and Ianthe Lavan, however the intrigue of the romance fell apart for me once the book started wrapping up. Yet I still enjoyed the friendship between Beatrice and Ysbeta. I found Harriet to be an incredibly annoying and inconsistent character, which was a shame as she is a prevalent character in this story.

A great deal of the male characters were reprehensible and it made the book very hard to read, and the minor characters such as Clara simply have no personality and are merely there to do whatever the plot requires of them.

The book at first glance appears to have negative consequences for the characters, but they are very shallow consequences that are solved within a couple chapters. It never felt to me that there were any stakes and the pacing toward the end of the book was breakneck, I felt very unsatisfied by the way loose ends were tied up.

The events that happened at the end of the book felt like they were happening because the plot said they had to, plot developments to tie everything up felt extremely forced and I was disappointed by the very sudden changes in personality of certain characters at the end.

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maryellen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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claudiashelf's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I’d like to mention that this book is ideal for those who enjoy YA fantasy regency novels with strong female characters and interesting plots. ( It did an excellent job of showing gender inequity in a brand-new, interesting way. )

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but my apologies; I chose this book because of the captivating cover art. And surprisingly, I relished spending time in this book’s fantasy world. I believe that this book’s world-building and magic system are its greatest assets. Everything in this book is fascinating and alluring. This perspective on magic and the tension it generated regarding spirits residing in unborn infants and causing them to be born into the world, which would result in death and destruction, were both appealing to me.

This is a well-written fantasy book that is overall entertaining to read. This book contains some extremely moving lines, but the plot focuses more on how the MC will be able to maintain their magic. Also, this book’s solid magic system and convincing fantasy setting remind me of June Austen’s Britain but with magic. Although the story of Beatrice and Ianthe made me sob, I don’t really like instant love, which makes me feel a little strange. Overall, it’s worth reading.

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robin_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A regency era fantasy novel about two women out in society, who are supposed to find husbands but don’t want that and try to find ways around it.

I like the main idea of the story but it felt like the characters were dense and dramatic for the drama of it all and I don’t like that very much. Same with the withholding of information and miscommunication that could’ve been solved so very easily.
The author has a good way of telling the story and I enjoyed the story for the most part. I was invested into the outcome, even when I got annoyed with the characters. It was partly predictable and the epilogue is very all-around happiness and Happy End, which I don’t always care for.
All in all, it was a solid read about women’s rights to their own bodies and magic and overcoming societal expectations.

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greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

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