In The Midnight Bargain (Erewhon Books), C. L. Polk crafts a bright fantasy romance with high stakes between magic, love and ambition. Championed on Canada Reads a few years ago, I finally picked up this novel with the hopes of getting myself out of a reading slump—and it delivered. Our heroine, eighteen-year-old Beatrice, practices magic in secret and wishes to become a powerful mage, a role forbidden to women in her strict patriarchal society, where sorceresses are collared on their wedding day to prevent spirits from possessing their unborn children. Instead, her severely indebted family needs her to find a wealthy husband in this year’s Bargaining Season, a sequence of high-society parties, picnics and balls for eligible nobility. There, Beatrice meets the dashing Ianthe, a wealthy mage with feminist sympathies whom Beatrice quickly falls for, and she must decide whether to pursue her dreams of magic or stifle her ambition in a marriage. With Ianthe’s sister Ysabeta, who has similar aspirations, Beatrice secretly summons a spirit to help her navigate the impossible social pressures and find a way to happiness. A shrewd social commentary on patriarchy underscores the romantic narrative, as Beatrice and Ysabeta race to learn the secret rituals that will free them from the marriage collar while their families and suitors try to trap them in unwanted relationships. With its lively world-building mixed with Regency-style gowns and customs, this book feels like Pride and Prejudice meets Diana Wynne Jones. I liked Beatrice’s determination not to compromise on what she wanted, the value she placed on her friendship with Ysabeta, and the relationship between Beatrice and her spirit friend. It was fun to explore Chasland’s shops and parks, its magical chapterhouse, the Lavan mansion and ships, and discover the secret threads of resistance underpinning mainstream culture. A quick pace matched with vivid writing and a good balance between adventure and romance made The Midnight Bargain an ideal escape.—Kelsea O’Connor