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A review by wishbea
The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Confinement, and Sexism
Minor: Pregnancy