Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress who practices magic in secret, terrified of the day she will be locked into a marital collar that will cut off her powers to protect her unborn children. She dreams of becoming a full-fledged Magus and pursuing magic as her calling as men do, but her family has staked everything to equip her for Bargaining Season, when young men and women of means descend upon the city to negotiate the best marriages. The Clayborns are in severe debt, and only she can save them, by securing an advantageous match before their creditors come calling.

In a stroke of luck, Beatrice finds a grimoire that contains the key to becoming a Magus, but before she can purchase it, a rival sorceress swindles the book right out of her hands. Beatrice summons a spirit to help her get it back, but her new ally exacts a price: Beatrice’s first kiss . . . with her adversary’s brother, the handsome, compassionate, and fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan.

The more Beatrice is entangled with the Lavan siblings, the harder her decision becomes: If she casts the spell to become a Magus, she will devastate her family and lose the only man to ever see her for who she is; but if she marries—even for love—she will sacrifice her magic, her identity, and her dreams. But how can she choose just one, knowing she will forever regret the path not taken?

Review:

One of the things I like most about Fantasy books is how they can use the genre to explore contemporary issues.  The Midnight Bargain is one such book.  Besides being a suspenseful tale of a magical society, it really is a book about a woman's right to choose her own destiny, particularly in regards to marriage and parenthood.  This was so timely.  I loved the characters, and the various twists and turns of the story.

What I Liked:

World-Building:

This was a world of magic in an oppressive patriarchal society.  Magical abilities run in some families, with those clans becoming rich and powerful. Magical boys are educated and, when they have enough control, bond with a spirit, and become a Mage.  Women are not trusted to be able to control such a symbiotic relationship.  

Instead, women are not allowed to use their abilities, and are regulated to the task of bearing sons with magic.  This keeps the men's hold on power by carefully arranging marriages within magical families.  Also, there is a very real possibility (since women are not allowed develop their abilities) that a spirit can possess babies in-utero, using the children's bodies to wreak havoc as they grow up.  The solution: putting magical collars on women when they marry, thus preventing them from using magic.  This also conveniently controls women.  They are allowed to remove the collars once they hit menopause.  But by then, their most productive years are behind them.  It's too late for most women to develop their gift.

Themes:

This, of course, is a direct analogy to the control men have over women when women don't have autonomy over their own bodies.  Whether it's property rights being handed over to husbands, not having a say of when (or if) they marry, or in deciding if they want to give birth, all these things happen to women in this book.  Women have also been subjected to these practices in real life.  Thankfully most contemporary generations do not have direct memories of these times.  But it is timely reminder of what's at stake if the freedoms we have are removed.

Characters: 

 The main character, Beatrice, longs to practice magic out in the open.  She is being pressured by her family to marry, as her marriage would save her family from financial ruin.  But this would be the end of her dreams of becoming a Mage.  I could feel how stifled and oppressed she was, not just by her father, but by society as a whole.  

But she has a plan to secretly bond with a spirit and become a Mage before she can marry.  While she wouldn't be able to marry, she could help her father with the family business.  Matters become complicated when she falls in love with the most eligible bachelor in the city.  Can she be with him and allow herself to suppress her magic?  Can she even bond with a spirit without the proper training?  It's a classic struggle between your head and your heart.

I also enjoyed Beatrice's mother.  She quietly supports Beatrice over her husband's objections.  One can tell she has many regrets, and doesn't want the same fate for her daughter.  I loved how she finds a way to really show Beatrice what wearing the collar will be like so she can understand what may be in store for her if she marries.  Her quiet defiance was a clear sign of her strength, and love for her daughter.

Story:

There are many aspects of the story that parallel that of a Jane Austin novel.  The setting is Regency, with elaborate clothing, complicated manners, and a huge disparity between the rich and poor.  And parts of the story mirror Pride & Prejudice, such as the massive campaign that families undergo to marry off their daughters, and the class structures that create obstacles for Beatrice and her dream guy to marry.

But this is also a completely original story.  I loved the idea that a person could bond with a spirit.  But how would that work?  The conventional wisdom from the men was that they needed to dominate the spirit.  But Beatrice takes another approach.  She learns that these spirits yearn for the experiences people take for granted; things like running on the beach, or the taste of a glass of wine.  She helps her spirit with these experiences, and develops a friendship that forms a much stronger bond than by forcing one by brute strength.

Rating: 

Author:  C.L. Polk

Genre: YA fantasy

Release Date:  October 13th, 2020

Publisher: Erewhon Press

Page Length:  384 Pages

Source:  Public Library

Format:  E-book

Recommendation:  There is so much to love about this book.  I really hope more people will read it and enjoy it as much as I did.