Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

A few slow moments but overall worth pushing through

The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk

by 2 Comments

BINGO – Free (picked up from my local library) Beatrice Clayborn must get married. She must. Getting married is the only way to save her family from financial ruin. But to get married means that she will have to give up her passion and goals: to become a great mage and the first female mage. Complicating her situation further is Ianthe Lavan, an extremely wealthy, handsome, compassionate man determined to win her hand in marriage, and his sister Ysbeta who wants the same things as […]

A 5-star book in a 1-star world

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk

by 2 Comments

If I had read this a few years ago, when I hadn’t quite reached the “FED UP” stage, I would have loved it. I can recognize the skill that went into this book – Polk knows exactly what they’re doing, and does it tremendously well. I will definitely seek out more of their books, but I hope there are some solidly sci-fi stories, because I don’t think I can handle more historical fiction like this. In the world of Midnight Bargain, magic exists, and people […]

I Expect I’ll Turn the World Upside Down

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk

by 5 Comments

The Midnight Bargain is a wonderful stand alone fantasy novel. C.L. Polk has created a world that feels very mid-18th century – not quite on the verge of an industrial revolution, but moving in that direction. The society is stratified by wealth and a good way to earn wealth is through magic and the magical societies open only to men. Women are prohibited from the magical education which would allow them to practice higher levels of magic. Beatrice Clayborn is the eldest daughter of a […]

The Girls Get their Turn

Stormsong by C. L. Polk

by 3 Comments

Bingo review 4: Violet Stormsong is the second of what is planned to be a trilogy, and the covers are apparently going to reflect the bisexual pride flag; book 1 was blue (Witchmark), book 2 is purple (aka violet), and the to-be-released-Feb ‘21 book 3 (Soulstar) will be pink. Stormsong is the second of what is planned to be a trilogy, and the covers are apparently going to reflect the bisexual flag; book 1 was blue (Witchmark), book 2 is purple (aka violet), and the […]

Murder with Political Consequences in Steampunky World Equals Cutest Romance Story Ever

by 2 Comments

I don’t like romance novels; they’re just not my thing. Unless the love story is mixed in with something else. In the case of Witchmark, that something else is a rather steam-punk/gas-lamp setting medical/political mystery. It’s Edwardian England sort of, and post some kind of nasty war effort that the protagonist Dr. Miles Singer had some role in. Because of his war experience he decided to work as a psychiatrist at a local hospital where he apparently specializes in treating veterans. The hospital is being […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo