katieg4's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
deirbear's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Jane Austen meets magic. A fun witchy read with a current of feminism.
hans_cosy_corner's review
4.0
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book, I loved the magic system and I absolutely adore regency romances. The love was a touch instant and the MC made decisions I didn't agree with but I think we need to normalise female protagonists not being perfect so let's keep on having MCs I disagree with :)
etceteras's review
4.0
4.25 stars. I think. I may change my mind and go higher after I think on it a bit more, though. This was a fun read. It wasn't super heavy but the stakes felt real and it kept you invested. The main characters and their relationships were believable and likable. The romance was very cute but not over the top. The worldbuilding was fun, too, and I'd be interested to know more if the author were to set more stories in this world. Overall, it's very worth the read if you're looking for a feminist fantasy or enjoy regency type settings with a little bit of magic.
booksandprosecco's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rubyslippers96's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
theshaggyshepherd's review
5.0
The Midnight Bargain // by C.L. Polk
This is a book that I have been looking forward to for several months now. I’ll be honest: Sometimes I judge a book by its cover. Whaat? And this was one of them. I know I had to read it as soon as I saw it and the blurb solidified it. Since then, I have heard so many good things about it. I finally picked it up on a whim yesterday morning and was not able to put it down until I finished it completely that same day!
As is so often expected in other books as well as real life, women in The Midnight Bargain are expected to set aside their own dreams in order to fulfill the wishes of men. The imagery of the collar was so repelling to me that I immediately grabbed at my own neck when first reading it! Even when there is already a perfectly fine way to do things differently or when there are people willing to search for alternatives, those ideas are suppressed or deemed unimportant because there is no obvious benefit to the men of the society who always find themselves more important than their counterparts. While the feminist focus was definitely the strongest theme of the book, there were also others, such as power, privilege, and social norms, that were effortlessly woven into the story as well.
Without wanting to give too much away, I just want to say that this book pulled me in completely right from the start and didn’t let go until I finished it that evening. There are many things I enjoyed about this book but, aside from the themes, some of the other highlights are that books are an integral part of this story, friendship is as important as the romance, and the difficult choice the main character is asked to make has no obvious answer and will find your struggling to make it yourself the whole way through. Also, while it’s always fun to have complex bad characters in novels, it was also a nice change to have one that you can so effortlessly hate the entire way through this time. While I definitely wanted to throw my kindle at the wall at one point, I admire the way the author played with a wide range of my emotions with this book. I don’t know right now whether this is supposed to be the start of a series or a standalone, but she cleans up rather nicely in the end in a way where it could be either one.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book that I have been looking forward to for several months now. I’ll be honest: Sometimes I judge a book by its cover. Whaat? And this was one of them. I know I had to read it as soon as I saw it and the blurb solidified it. Since then, I have heard so many good things about it. I finally picked it up on a whim yesterday morning and was not able to put it down until I finished it completely that same day!
As is so often expected in other books as well as real life, women in The Midnight Bargain are expected to set aside their own dreams in order to fulfill the wishes of men. The imagery of the collar was so repelling to me that I immediately grabbed at my own neck when first reading it! Even when there is already a perfectly fine way to do things differently or when there are people willing to search for alternatives, those ideas are suppressed or deemed unimportant because there is no obvious benefit to the men of the society who always find themselves more important than their counterparts. While the feminist focus was definitely the strongest theme of the book, there were also others, such as power, privilege, and social norms, that were effortlessly woven into the story as well.
Without wanting to give too much away, I just want to say that this book pulled me in completely right from the start and didn’t let go until I finished it that evening. There are many things I enjoyed about this book but, aside from the themes, some of the other highlights are that books are an integral part of this story, friendship is as important as the romance, and the difficult choice the main character is asked to make has no obvious answer and will find your struggling to make it yourself the whole way through. Also, while it’s always fun to have complex bad characters in novels, it was also a nice change to have one that you can so effortlessly hate the entire way through this time. While I definitely wanted to throw my kindle at the wall at one point, I admire the way the author played with a wide range of my emotions with this book. I don’t know right now whether this is supposed to be the start of a series or a standalone, but she cleans up rather nicely in the end in a way where it could be either one.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.