Sign in with Facebook
Âá±ð²Ô²Ô²ââœ�'s Reviews > The Midnight Bargain
The Midnight Bargain
by
by
Âá±ð²Ô²Ô²ââœ�'s review
bookshelves: 2020, adult-fantasy, romaaaance, arc, fempower, adult-historical, canadian-author, author-of-colour, black-authors, queer-authors, poc-side-character
Sep 30, 2020
bookshelves: 2020, adult-fantasy, romaaaance, arc, fempower, adult-historical, canadian-author, author-of-colour, black-authors, queer-authors, poc-side-character
10/13/2020: PUBLICATION DAY! �
This is a beautiful Regency-era fantasy that tackles female empowerment with more gusto (and explicit passion) than any speculative OR historical fiction I’ve read in a long while. Also, is a Canadian author of colour—my favourite kind of writer!
But I had zero investment in the romance and didn’t feel particularly connected to any character, despite objectively recognizing that Beatrice Clayborn (protagonist) and Ysbeta Lavan (love interest’s sister; eventual friend/partner in crime) are strong women with radical dreams of empowering sorceresses throughout their lands. I’m not sure if this is a function of the book or me—I haven’t been in a headspace for fiction lately, and really didn’t have the attention span for a fantasy.
In light of this, 3 stars feels like the right rating for me at this moment: Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ lingo for “liked it,â€� which I certainly did.
That being said, I’m going to keep The Midnight Bargain in the back of my mind to revisit sometime in future (I really liked Deception by Gaslight, which wasn’t a fantasy but was historical fiction and also featured a badass heroine, and I think that was because I was in the right headspace when I read it).
Bottom line: I implore you to pick this book up—support (spec-fic) authors of colour, savour its beautiful prose, and immerse yourself in a good dose of Regency magic and romance.
Thank you NetGalley and Erewhon Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“The talent for sorcery in women is a curse when it ought to be a blessing.�
This is a beautiful Regency-era fantasy that tackles female empowerment with more gusto (and explicit passion) than any speculative OR historical fiction I’ve read in a long while. Also, is a Canadian author of colour—my favourite kind of writer!
“But no one is looking for another way,� Beatrice said. “The current system lays all of the restriction, all the responsibility, and all of the burden on sorceresses. Men aren’t inconvenienced in any way. They may do whatever they like. For them, the system isn’t broken, so why look for a solution?�
But I had zero investment in the romance and didn’t feel particularly connected to any character, despite objectively recognizing that Beatrice Clayborn (protagonist) and Ysbeta Lavan (love interest’s sister; eventual friend/partner in crime) are strong women with radical dreams of empowering sorceresses throughout their lands. I’m not sure if this is a function of the book or me—I haven’t been in a headspace for fiction lately, and really didn’t have the attention span for a fantasy.
In light of this, 3 stars feels like the right rating for me at this moment: Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ lingo for “liked it,â€� which I certainly did.
Perhaps he thought her too honourable to summon a luck spirit and cheat at cards. Perhaps he thought her too ignorant. Beatrice trembled. Why couldn’t she be cunning? Why couldn’t she be underhanded?
She was cunning. She was underhanded. And she was going to save her own skin, and let Ianthe believe what he would.
That being said, I’m going to keep The Midnight Bargain in the back of my mind to revisit sometime in future (I really liked Deception by Gaslight, which wasn’t a fantasy but was historical fiction and also featured a badass heroine, and I think that was because I was in the right headspace when I read it).
Bottom line: I implore you to pick this book up—support (spec-fic) authors of colour, savour its beautiful prose, and immerse yourself in a good dose of Regency magic and romance.
Thank you NetGalley and Erewhon Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Sign into Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to see if any of your friends have read
The Midnight Bargain.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
July 9, 2020
– Shelved as:
to-read
July 9, 2020
– Shelved
July 9, 2020
– Shelved as:
2020
July 9, 2020
– Shelved as:
adult-fantasy
July 9, 2020
– Shelved as:
romaaaance
July 9, 2020
– Shelved as:
arc
September 25, 2020
–
Started Reading
September 25, 2020
–
0.0%
"ngl the lukewarm reviews (and mention of detested INSTALOVE) for this book have really put me off starting it BUT i know i need to just do it or i never will 😅
netgalley, the things i do for u"
netgalley, the things i do for u"
September 30, 2020
–
9.0%
"so i finally understand what the eponymous MIDNIGHT BARGAIN is—she makes a bargain with a spirit in which she allows it to possess her and KISS someone by midnight
gotta say, i'm massively underwhelmed 😑"
gotta say, i'm massively underwhelmed 😑"
September 30, 2020
–
27.0%
"2 things i appreciate about this book so far:
1) acknowledges that the characters speak diff languages, and that there's difficulty communicating in a non-mother tongue
2) recognizes that willpower, fury, desire for justice—all SO important but sometimes still not enough for change. it's good to have both: ysabeta furious about chaslandian misogyny, beatrice understanding its structural/far-reaching influence"
1) acknowledges that the characters speak diff languages, and that there's difficulty communicating in a non-mother tongue
2) recognizes that willpower, fury, desire for justice—all SO important but sometimes still not enough for change. it's good to have both: ysabeta furious about chaslandian misogyny, beatrice understanding its structural/far-reaching influence"
September 30, 2020
–
33.0%
"i'm really hoping the romance doesn't play a prominent role in this story bc frankly all the men are insufferable (even the "sympathetic" love interest) and if the book were purely about beatrice and ysbeta i would NOT COMPLAIN ONE BIT"
September 30, 2020
– Shelved as:
fempower
September 30, 2020
– Shelved as:
adult-historical
September 30, 2020
– Shelved as:
canadian-author
September 30, 2020
– Shelved as:
author-of-colour
September 30, 2020
– Shelved as:
black-authors
September 30, 2020
– Shelved as:
queer-authors
September 30, 2020
– Shelved as:
poc-side-character
September 30, 2020
–
Finished Reading
