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A review by ninegladiolus
The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Having really enjoyed Alicia Jasinska’s debut novel, The Dark Tide, I was thrilled to learn Jasinska was writing a follow up novel—The Midnight Girls. Sometimes when I have high hopes for a book it can backfire on me; I usually try to temper my expectations for this reason. Even if I didn’t quite manage to temper my expectations, The Midnight Girls delivered exactly what it promised: magical and monstrous bad girl protagonists, a thrilling rivals to lovers romance, all set in a decadent and devious winter wonderland of a setting inspired by late-18th century Poland.
Both our protagonists, Zosia and Marynka, serve powerful and mysterious witches, Black Jaga in Zosia’s case, and Red Jaga in Marynka’s cast. Foremost among their duties as servants is to deliver hearts to the respective witch they answer to. Already longtime rivals, this rivalry goes from ember to inferno when both of them have designs on the heart of the same prince.
Zosia and Marynka were both compelling characters and really stole the show for me. I was invested in both of their individual arcs and loved their dynamic together - huge sun/moon dynamics, which is always a favourite of mine. The shift in their relationship from antagonistic to not was well done, which I feel is difficult to pull off in a YA novel and is a transition that has disappointed me in the past. It was so refreshing to see young women being allowed to be ruthless, ambitious, powerful, and monstrous, especially within the context of a sapphic novel and relationship, an even rarer find.
Aside from the main characters, there is a lot more to love. The descriptions of Karnawał and the ongoing revelry are breathtaking, first in their aesthetics and later as tensions mount for Marynka and Zosia. Beata, a prominent side character and confidant of Marynka, was not only sapphic as well but provided a unique, emotion-provoking counterpoint to the perspectives of our protagonists. And finally, there is an MLM romance between two side characters for your added dose of MLM/WLW solidarity.
The Midnight Girls was one of my favourite YA novels in a long time. It’s clear Jasinska has my number as far as hitting character archetypes, tropes, and emotional beats that resonate with me, and I couldn’t be more glad. If you want a great standalone YA fantasy featuring villainous sapphic protagonists, an intense whirlwind of a WLW romance, and crystalline clear historically influenced settings, this one is worth checking out. I can’t wait to see what Jasinska has in store next and I will definitely be pre-ordering at this point; she has made a fan of me!
Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley for an advance reading copy. All opinions are my own.
Both our protagonists, Zosia and Marynka, serve powerful and mysterious witches, Black Jaga in Zosia’s case, and Red Jaga in Marynka’s cast. Foremost among their duties as servants is to deliver hearts to the respective witch they answer to. Already longtime rivals, this rivalry goes from ember to inferno when both of them have designs on the heart of the same prince.
Zosia and Marynka were both compelling characters and really stole the show for me. I was invested in both of their individual arcs and loved their dynamic together - huge sun/moon dynamics, which is always a favourite of mine. The shift in their relationship from antagonistic to not was well done, which I feel is difficult to pull off in a YA novel and is a transition that has disappointed me in the past. It was so refreshing to see young women being allowed to be ruthless, ambitious, powerful, and monstrous, especially within the context of a sapphic novel and relationship, an even rarer find.
Aside from the main characters, there is a lot more to love. The descriptions of Karnawał and the ongoing revelry are breathtaking, first in their aesthetics and later as tensions mount for Marynka and Zosia. Beata, a prominent side character and confidant of Marynka, was not only sapphic as well but provided a unique, emotion-provoking counterpoint to the perspectives of our protagonists. And finally, there is an MLM romance between two side characters for your added dose of MLM/WLW solidarity.
The Midnight Girls was one of my favourite YA novels in a long time. It’s clear Jasinska has my number as far as hitting character archetypes, tropes, and emotional beats that resonate with me, and I couldn’t be more glad. If you want a great standalone YA fantasy featuring villainous sapphic protagonists, an intense whirlwind of a WLW romance, and crystalline clear historically influenced settings, this one is worth checking out. I can’t wait to see what Jasinska has in store next and I will definitely be pre-ordering at this point; she has made a fan of me!
Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley for an advance reading copy. All opinions are my own.