Scan barcode
A review by toggle_fow
The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
emotional
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Okay. This was a Regency-themed book about a girl entering her first Season secretly hoping to come out of it with a forbidden knowledge of magic rather than a husband. Sound cool? I thought so.
It's not actually Regency, because it takes place in a vaguely not-England sort of place that still somehow has a town called Meryton. The big difference is that across the sea there's a powerful country of infinitely more sophisticated black people which holds economic and cultural sway over backward, provincial not-England. Diversity, in MY Regency fiction? It's more likely than you think.
There's also magic. In general, it's a promising setup.
Beatrice is a bullheaded, independent-minded young lady who is determined to be a magical spinster forever, despite her family's wishes. Until she meets "the handsome, compassionate, and fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan," as the book's summary says. Ianthe also has a sister, who really interacts a lot more with Beatrice than her brother does. And she's also more interesting, and has flaws, and goals, and a personality. What results is a strange mix of genteel dances/picnics/calling cards with secret sessions of dangerous, illegal, and - let's be honest - stupid magic.
Like, I know these girls have no one to teach them the right way to go about magic because it's illegal for women to do. But oh my word, they almost gave me a stress migraine. Risking life and limb over and over with hardly any forethought! Saying over and over "oh you have to teach me this" and then, every time, running into time constraints and going OH WELL WE DON'T HAVE TIME, LET'S JUST RISK IT.
I was pinching the bridge of my nose and wincing through a whole lot of these shenanigans. It doesn't feel like calculated risk under desperate circumstances. It feels like unrepentant, thoughtless recklessness that got lucky to an extent that would be impossible outside the context of an obligatory-happy-ending romance like this one. This was an okay book that held my attention the whole time, but I think there were a lot of things that could have made it better:
It's not actually Regency, because it takes place in a vaguely not-England sort of place that still somehow has a town called Meryton. The big difference is that across the sea there's a powerful country of infinitely more sophisticated black people which holds economic and cultural sway over backward, provincial not-England. Diversity, in MY Regency fiction? It's more likely than you think.
There's also magic. In general, it's a promising setup.
Beatrice is a bullheaded, independent-minded young lady who is determined to be a magical spinster forever, despite her family's wishes. Until she meets "the handsome, compassionate, and fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan," as the book's summary says. Ianthe also has a sister, who really interacts a lot more with Beatrice than her brother does. And she's also more interesting, and has flaws, and goals, and a personality. What results is a strange mix of genteel dances/picnics/calling cards with secret sessions of dangerous, illegal, and - let's be honest - stupid magic.
Like, I know these girls have no one to teach them the right way to go about magic because it's illegal for women to do. But oh my word, they almost gave me a stress migraine. Risking life and limb over and over with hardly any forethought! Saying over and over "oh you have to teach me this" and then, every time, running into time constraints and going OH WELL WE DON'T HAVE TIME, LET'S JUST RISK IT.
I was pinching the bridge of my nose and wincing through a whole lot of these shenanigans. It doesn't feel like calculated risk under desperate circumstances. It feels like unrepentant, thoughtless recklessness that got lucky to an extent that would be impossible outside the context of an obligatory-happy-ending romance like this one. This was an okay book that held my attention the whole time, but I think there were a lot of things that could have made it better:
• Beatrice and Ysbeta clearly share one brain cell. I think upping this amount by even just double and allowing them their own independent brain cell might have improved things substantially.
• Give Ianthe a personality. Yes, he's kind and good and generous and open-minded and well-meaning and loves Beatrice. But like, what does he want outside of that? What are his goals for his life, besides just whatever Beatrice wants? Did he exist before he saw her? What are his hopes, his petty likes and dislikes? It feels like he's just there to exist helpfully and lovingly at the edge of every scene, when Beatrice doesn't really seem to deserve it.
• MORE NADI. Build his and Beatrice's friendship! More detail on how a relationship like that works!
• Really lean into the Regency stuff. Don't just use Harriet as a random etiquette prop 3 times. What are the norms, the unspoken requirements, the secret social rules! Let's see Beatrice navigate them, or at least fail to navigate them at first and start learning! Let's see some witty, circuitous conversation! I know we're not all Jane Austen, but we should at least take our best stab at it.
• On sort of the same topic, more Nadi and Regency stuff! After the first cringe-inducing debut into society before Beatrice had an accord with him, I wanted to see so much more of this once they became friends. Imagine the ripostes and shadow victories that could be won over boorish and mean-spirited opponents on the field of Regency social battle with supernatural luck on your side! So many things infinitely more subtle than making people trip and spill things are possible!
• I'm reaching at this point but I would have liked to see Harriet and Beatrice have an actual sisterly relationship beyond just fighting and using each other. I just love sibling dynamics, okay, and it's a waste when they're not appreciated more for the genuine sources of motivating emotion that they are.