Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! I thoroughly enjoyed The Conductors. Hetty was such an awesome character and I admired her. This story follows Hetty and her husband Benjy who were conductors of the Underground Railroad. Now settled in Philadelphia they stumble across their murdered friend and know they must unravel the mystery surrounding his death. There's also constellation magic along with other magic involved which certainly added to the intrigue of this story! This one kept me on my toes and I loved that it was historical fiction interwoven with fantasy.

This one is a bit of a mixed bag. There are some things that are done quite well, I loved the setting (post-American Civil War with magic) and most of the characters. The relationship between Hetty and Benjy, who have a marriage of convenience growing into love, is very sweet and the female friendships are complex and interesting.

However the pacing is a bit all over the place, especially for a murder mystery. I think the author tried to put a bit too much into this first book, introducing a lot of secondary (and recurring I guess) characters, showing the class dynamics in the city at large but also in the black community itself and adding subplots that didn't tie extremely well into the main intrigue. This made the whole mystery case too slow for my taste.

That said, the ending is satisfying and I enjoyed parts of this story enough that I'll probably give a chance to the second book in the series to see if it gets better.

First of all, thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Conductors is a magical realism set in the world years after the abolishment of slavery, following a young couple who were conductors and helped free slaves. Now? They're helping solve a strong of murders.

I made the strange mistake of thinking this was YA going into it, and that's not accurate-whoops! The writing style did take some getting used to, but once we hit about 1/4 of the way through, I really started to enjoy it. I did wish we'd gotten a bit more background on the magic, but it was a good visualization to see how the Black community is discriminated against.

I do think this was a great read, and really important rep in historical fiction!

So many things drew my attention to Nicole Glover’s upcoming The Conductors. I’ve been trying to read more books by Black writers and realized how many books I had read set around the Civil War and the experiences of escaped slaves had actually been written by white authors. I also really enjoy when fantasy elements get layered into historic fiction. The Conductors manages to bring magic into the post-Civil War years in truly brilliant ways, losing none of the racial tensions or stakes at play while emphasizing the unique issues faced by the freed population.

Hetty and Benjy Rhodes are famous in their Philadelphia community. Powerful practitioners of Celestial magic, they used their skills as they helped lead others to freedom on the eve of the Civil War and even through the fighting. In the years since the war ended, the married couple have become the go-to pair for their community in matters requiring investigation where the local authorities aren’t trusted (which is most cases). But when a late-night call to examine a dead body in an alley turns out to be a friend of theirs and his corpse bears a legendary cursed mark, Hetty and Benjy begin questioning how well they really know their circle of friends.

I was intrigued by the ways that Glover brought magic into this particular period of history and still managed to maintain what I can only think to call the “historical integrity” of the period. By tying magic and how it’s practiced to culture, she is able to keep true to the history of the period with all its social power structures and prejudices. It shows that magic alone is not something that could have solved the existing issues of social structures rooted in such deep fear and prejudice. Before even being introduced to the main characters, readers see an abridged 13th amendment that both abolishes slavery and limits the rights of those freed people to practice certain forms of magic.

Even with the murder mystery driving the plot of the story, the tension that rang loudest for me was around reconciling the past with the present and moving into the future. Most of the circle of friends at the heart of the story met as Hetty and Benjy directly helped them escape to freedom or were part of the Vigilance Society that helped those efforts along with settling freed people into their new lives. Only a few years later, many are still searching for and reconnecting with those who had been separated because of slavery and it doesn’t always end happily. Some loved ones cannot be found, others have died, and some have moved on with other people. Beyond the people from the past and the unpredictability that comes from possibly having loved ones out there, there are also the lingering effects of what they’ve all endured and how that affects each of their lives. For those with stronger magic like Hetty, the methods used to control and dampen their magic have left physical as well as psychological marks.

When I began reading and saw how so many came to Hetty and Benjy with cases to work on, I thought that perhaps The Conductors was going to be the first novel in a series around the pair of them as they solved murders or something. That might still be Glover’s plan and I will happily read more about the found family she’s created here if it is the plan. However, as I reached the final pages I myself eager to see more standalone stories set in this universe but scattered across American history (for example, I would love to see a story in this universe set during the Civil Rights Movement).

The Conductors by Nicole Glover will be available for purchase March 2, 2021.

The Conductors, was an enjoyable read, I really liked the combination of genres. The book has magical elements and historical fiction elements, this combination made this book stand out from other fantasy books as I could picture myself in the world. I found the main character Hetty was an intriguing person, she comes across as a strong individual whose not afraid to use her magic. If you are a regular reader of historical fiction and fantasy novels then I would recommend getting this novel. Looking forward to reading more from Nicole Glover and congratulations on your debut novel.

This novel has an interesting fantasy element in the story of two ex-slaves who act as conductors for the Underground Railway in the 1860s, helping other slaves escape to the North. They are able to use a system of magic to help them evade those hunting for them.

Following the abolition of slavery in the US in 1865, conductors Hetty and Benjy are now living and working in Philadelphia. Hetty as a seamstress and Benjy as a blacksmith. They also help those who escaped slavery look for their relatives left behind in the south and now freed. When one of their friends, Charlie Richardson, is found murdered and mutilated in an alley they also become involved in hunting down his killer.

I wanted to like this novel more than I did. It has a great premise for a fantasy novel with a historical setting but unfortunately the world building and system of magic was poorly developed. We’re told that some white Americans are able to use sorcery but that black Americans are banned from using wands and learning sorcery. Black Americans are allowed to use a system of magic called celestial magic where they call up star signs to perform different acts. Although we see this in action many times, it’s never explained how this works and it’s also not clear if white Americans can learn this system of magic if they want to. Hetty is also able to sew charms and wards into clothing to use as magic or protection. I would have loved to learn more about celestial magic such as what the various sigils could do and I wanted to learn more about how white people used sorcery and also what Philadelphia looked like in this magical world.

While Hetty is the main character in the novel and we do get a sense of her nature, I felt the other characters could have been given more substance. Despite being her partner, Benjy is very shadowy and just seems to be there to help her when he could have been much more interesting. Likewise, Hetty’s friends are depicted rather vaguely and I had trouble distinguishing them as individuals. I also found that the two time lines didn’t work as the flashbacks didn’t give any extra context to the ongoing story and might have been better delivered in a linear format rather than as annoyingly interruptions to the main narrative.

This is the author’s debut novel and shows a lot of promise. I can see a sequel working well with a more in-depth exploration of the systems of magic and deeper character development.

2.5 stars

Nicole Glover’s debut brought the magic but left me dissatisfied.

Hetty escaped from slavery and made a name for herself by helping others make their way up north. After the war, Hetty and her husband lent their talent and bravery to help solve anything from missing persons to murders. It was when a friend turned up dead that the two had to look closely at those around them to determine the motive and the murderer.

I was drawn to The Conductors because I hadn’t come across too many historical fantasies, but the magic system left me with questions. It’s clear that Black people had magical abilities, but I didn’t understand how it worked. Along with a frustrating magic system, I couldn’t connect with the writing. While the time period was interesting, I never found Glover’s writing compelling. The writing felt like a series of statements and lacked emotion which took away from my enjoyment. I appreciate the creativity of the world, but it never led to a solid story or intriguing characters, including Hetty herself.

The Conductors had an interesting premise but the writing never worked for me.

This book was absolutely fabulous. A seamless mix of fantasy with a twisty-turny mystery. The historical setting was rich and real, delving into real-life struggles and the day-to-day difficulties or race, class, friendship, fitting in, and finding home. The magic system was unique and captivating. Hetty was a wonderful protagonist, smart and strong, but complex and layered, with her own vulnerabilities. A stellar novel that will have cross-genre appeal.

Hetty Rhodes and her husband Benjy were celebrated conductors on the Underground Railroad, famous for their prowess in magic and for never losing a person. The war has ended, and both are making ends meet in Philadelphia, solving murders and mysteries the white authorities won't touch. But when a friend is murdered, all signs point towards something nefarious in their inner circle of friends, particularly among the elites of Black Philadelphia.

I really, really enjoyed this.

A bit messy at first (so many characters to keep track of, and an odd present/past storyline), but it all came together quite nicely.

"I've mourned."
"You have not had even a spare moment to do so. They expect you to be strong, to not show a bit of weakness no matter what you're going through."


Hetty was utterly fantastic. She has spent her entire adult life searching for her sister, who she lost while the two were escaping to freedom. Her search has formed the impetus for her entire career—as a conductor, as a magic practitioner, and as one-half of a crime-solving duo. Her life, however, has essentially been one of non-committal, because how can she commit to anything fully when at any moment she might discover her sister's whereabouts and need to go?

Her relationship was Benjy was much the same—a marriage of convenience, with both really loving each other but reluctant to say the damn words. They are the best of friends, but the ghost of Esther and Hetty's refusal to accept and move on are firmly wedged between them, which leads the two to hide truths and secondary lives from each other.

However, when the hell has Hetty even had a minute to mourn, or been allowed for a second to let herself be perceived as weak? Glover's take on the Strong Black Woman stereotype is fascinating, and the implications of this stereotype permeate every single Black woman in the book. No one can be weak, no one can show weakness or reveal pain, or face being perceived as other or lesser. And so everyone carries on, chin up, forward momentum, hiding their hurts and wounds from each other.

"Burdens lessen when they are shared. Or will you better understand this with a story?"
He snorted. "I'm curious at how you'll tell it. Would it be a story told with animals? Of mice banding together to scare off a lion? Or ants that carry a bounty of food home? Oh, I know just the one: It'll be about birds that roll a pumpkin home?"
"It'll be a story about three impossible tasks the husband can't figure out until the wife shows him the trick."


I also ended up liking a lot of the secondary characters (and casual queerness—including a trans masc character and a gay couple!!!!!!!), despite being overwhelmed at first by how many there were and how they were related to each other. I loved how Glover documented and explained the lives of those who had escaped slavery and tried to move on—how they moved on, how they processed it (or didn't), and how those who had been born into freedom revolved around those who did not. It was a fascinating and well-researched insight into reconstruction Philly, and I really, really enjoyed reading about it.

The theme of community was so strong in this book—of people opening up, making themselves vulnerable and becoming stronger because of it. That is why there were so many secondary characters, because Hetty's world was a community and a network of friends and non-blood family, all connected, for the most part, because Hetty and Benjy led them all to freedom. They all shared a bond they could not forget, even those who wanted to move past their beginnings and start fresh. And while Hetty expresses this sentiment of becoming stronger together, she doesn't truly seem to understand it and embrace it wholly herself—she is an island, braving the ocean alone, occasionally visited by other ships in the night who ask of her resources and time.

I also liked the addition of the magic systems. There is the white-dominated system of Sorcery, which uses wands and a labyrinthian set of rules that is never really explained (mainly because I don't know if Hetty herself understood it, or cared to understand it). Wand-owning is banned for Black people, and during the war Black people with magical talent wore slave-collars that inhibited their abilities and kept them tied to the farms/plantations, which was an insidious depiction of white supremacy and systemic racism of this world. And then there was the magic of constellations, a magic debunked by whites (and denigrated by non-slaves) and used mainly by former slaves to subvert the system and covertly inform others of what was happening.

While this is a murder mystery at its heart, it's mostly a book about community and moving on and finding peace and love after a horrific series of events and trauma. Of becoming stronger together. Because the mystery itself ended fairly quickly, with a mustache-twirling monologue and all plot threads neatly tied up.

"Don't you think it's funny," Benjy said, "that after all the time you spend asking so many questions, in the end the answer just appears right in front of you?"


Overall, this is definitely a must-read.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

The Conductors is a wonderful historical and magical murder mystery. I was hooked on each clue, and I was really interested in all the cast members and their different goals and motivations. The main character, Hetty, has convincing depth to her, and she helps push the plot along. I like the pacing of the plot between present day and memory interludes, where we learn how each character met and how they became more of a community. The magic system is unique and I especially loved the constellation nature of it. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a bit of magical flair, along with anyone who appreciates a whodunit mystery.

This is definitely a different book and a different fantasy compared to the ones everyone is pretty much used to.
I liked the idea, the representation and the way magic is dealt with.
Highly recommended!

Ok so I devoured this book when despite the fact that I felt a reading slump coming. I love nearly everything about this story. The magic system using constellations is brilliant. It reminded me how enslaved Black people in real life used them to guide them to freedom. I liked how Black and White people had their own magic type. I wonder how it is for other races. The story felt very immersive. I love the theme of found family. I do think the pacing was a bit weird ⅔ of the way into the book. I did get a bit lost with the crime solving but that usually happens with me whenever there’s a lot of characters to keep track of. Overall I loved this book and I just saw the cover of the 2nd book and I can’t wait!

I feel guilty saying this was a DNF after reading a little over half of the book. I will not share my review anywhere other than here, so as not to sway anyone else's decision on reading it.

I thought the storyline was original and believe I would have loved it if it wasn't missing a few things. For example, there are people who can use magic and it sounds like a complex system. Yet, there was no introduction for the reader to understand the magic system or spells. Maybe some readers like not knowing this information immediately. I personally like more development up front.

There was also this question that kept popping into my head while reading. If these people had such powerful magic, how the heck did they become slaves? Couldn't they just use magic to get them out of the situation? Maybe I didn't read far enough and this question was answered. Even if so, I think its an important piece of the plot that should be shared at least somewhere in the first half (or even first quarter) of the story.

There were also MANY grammar and missing word issues. This, I'm sure, will be resolved with more edits. It just took me away from being absorbed into the story because I had to stop many times to figure out what a sentence was trying to convey.

Overall I really think this story is creative and with some plot revisions I think it could gain a lot of interest and success. I also give the author a lot of credit for putting herself out there with this story. Please don't take my criticism to heart - I'm not a writer. Just my view!

I want to first thank both #NetGalley and #HoughtonMifflinHarcourt for this gifted E-ARC in exchange for an honest review! I have included the synopsis from Goodreads on the second slide.
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I have to say I enjoyed this book and was shocked to learn it is a debut novel as it was very well done. The characters are excellent, and I fell in love with Hetty Rhodes, the main character. She is intelligent, witty, and her past story is so interesting.
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I enjoyed that this book bounces back and forth from the present day post-civil war living in Philadelphia and while Hetty and her husband Benjy were working as conductors on the Underground Railroad. This made the connections to the different characters you meet throughout the story even stronger as you learned at least a piece of their backstories and how Hetty views them. It also allows you to see how vital her ability to use magic is and its importance not being ordinary. The magic was great and was not the usual magic you may be used to in a fantasy book, which made me even more of a fan as Astrology plays a major role!
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The characters in this book were also great, and I loved how diverse their personalities were. Everyone who reads it should relate to at least one character on some level; they are that diverse. The diversity of the characters and how they are somehow connected did remind me of some Agatha Christie novels as the more you know, the more the connections came out. I enjoyed that aspect of the story. One minor issue I had was I felt a lot of characters were introduced in the beginning, so it got hard to keep track of everyone at first, but as the book progressed, I had no issues following who was who.
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The last central part of the book I want to comment on is the actual mystery that takes place in the book. I loved it; there were so many twists and turns that I never saw coming, and there were several parts I gasped out loud because I was so shocked. This book was excellent, and I noticed a second one that is scheduled to be released, making it a series! I will be reading the second one as I genuinely enjoyed this book! Anyone that is a fan of mysteries with some magic needs to pick this book up on March 2nd, 2021!

This is a complicated book to review. The things that it does well are great and the concept is very original. I am definitely interested in reading on in the series. However, it's painfully obvious that this is a debut and there are some issues (which we will get into) with the writing and the pacing. That said, I hope people will give this a chance (with measured expectations) and that the author gets to hone her writing in what could be a very cool series.

The Conductors is a historical fantasy/murder mystery set in post-Civil War Philadelphia and following a couple who used to be conductors on the Underground Railroad and are now sort of amateur sleuths in their community. This is an alternate history where magic exists and part of slavery involved controlling the magic of Black people, with ongoing oppressive laws that limit their access to certain types of magic use. We get periodic flashbacks to when the MC (Hetty) was enslaved, after her escape, and some of her time helping others escape. In the current time, people are dying one by one, leading Hetty and her husband Benji to investigate.

Hetty and Benji have a marriage of convenience but clearly have grown to love each other and seeing the progression of their relationship through the story is very sweet. And once things with the mystery and investigation really get going, I found it to be really interesting and satisfying. The problem is, this book is much too long and the pacing is VERY slow until about the 66% mark when things pick up a bit. There are lots of unnecessary scenes, excessive explanation and description that really drag down the pace of the plot. With this genre, you want something that hooks the reader in quickly and keeps them turning the page. Unfortunately, this book you really have to commit for awhile before you start to get a payoff. I think part of the problem is the author was trying to do too many things and address too many issues. For instance, we see a lot about the microagressions Hetty and others experience, spend time on the class separations even within the Black community, and see a lot of the social interactions. All of which is important and fine in moderation, but for a book that is intended to be in the mystery genre, there is far too much of it. If this wanted to be a historical fiction or historical fantasy that was really about those things, that's fine. But for this genre you really need to keep up the pace and this fails to do that for about the first half of the book.

That said, once things picked up I was really into the way the author wrote the mystery and scenes of danger and tension. I like Hettie as a heroine and liked the way this handled the complexities of female friendships as well. I would love to read more in the series, hopefully in a book with tighter editing and a faster pace. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The conductors is a marvelous murder mystery thriller set in a magic wielding world. We follow Hetty and her husband Benjy as they fight against crime and slavery while navigating their lives through racism, when one of their friends is murdered.

Mystery thriller is not a genre that i enjoy a lot so naturally it was not the plot that drove me as a reader, what held me throughout the book was the character dynamics. I loved them, from interactions between their friends, everyone second guessing each other, suspecting each other and the dynamic of Hetty and Benjy’s marriage, for this book, was as much focussed on their marriage as it was on solving the murder mystery. While magic was at the backdrop of this book, what truly makes this book a larger than life story is the realism of the themes explored. The flashback chapters paired with their struggle to maintain employment, rental apartments, or even the struggle to simply find loved ones, was portrayed really well. I also appreciate the inclusion of light skinned black people as they too adjust to survive in such a society.

That said i do have some nitpicks with the book. One of them would be that the magic, while explained well, wasn’t well defined, nor did it seem like it played a huge role in the story. On top of this I would’ve loved if the side characters were more fleshed out than it was!!

All in all, i enjoyed reading this book and it’s definitely a something people should pick up especially if you’re a fan of murder mysteries and magic!!

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for proving me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What attracted me to this story is that it’s fantasy set shortly after slavery is abolished in the U.S. and focuses solely on Black characters. I’ve only read one other fantasy story that shares such similarities — Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, which is YA horror historical fiction that has zombies in it (and is a really good read). The time period, genre, and focus on Black people are all major positive points for me, and as I read, other things appealed to me as well, like the magic systems. Three magic systems are mentioned:

Celestial magic, which Black people use. People use sigils based on constellations in the night sky to channel the magic. Often the sigils are drawn in the air, but the sigils are more powerful if carved into wood or metal or sewn onto fabric, which Hetty, who is a dressmaker, does.
Only White folks are allowed to do Sorcery, for which practitioners must use a wand and say spells to channel the magic.
Brewed magic, however, seems to be weaker than the two mentioned above. People use plants to brew potions for this type of magic.
I also liked the flashbacks we get. The main story is set after the Civil War and focuses on Hetty and Benjy solving a murder, but the flashbacks are about their adventures as conductors on the Underground Railroad — the close encounters they had, how they used magic to escape capture — and shows how they met their friends. I thought it was skillful way to give a bit of backstory on the couple’s friends, who all become suspects in the murder case at some point.

Another huge positive for me were the issues explored, mainly the different ways Hetty’s friends directed their lives after escaping slavery. Some chose to build a new life without hanging on to the past, while others use their past as a motivation for what they work toward in the future. It also touches on Black people with light skin passing as White, and even marital partners from slavery days popping up, much to the surprise of their significant other, who had married someone else.

But, despite these positives, I didn’t enjoy the story as much as I thought I would. The characters could have used more development. Despite the backstories we get, the characters all seem one-dimensional, even Hetty, the protagonist, who I didn’t like. I think she jumps to conclusions about people too quickly yet totally ignores/misses obvious, suspicious clues about them when conducting her investigations. It was frustrating. Also, we are told rather than shown that she is close to her friends, so sometimes I didn’t believe the sincerity of her interactions with them.

The worldbuilding was also lacking. It was as if I got a sketch of the settings, and the magic system could have used more explaining as well. I have no idea what the limitations are for them, or which celestial sigils cause what action or why is it that Black people can naturally do Celestial magic. Is it that most people are born with magical aptitude but can be trained to do either Celestial or Sorcery magic, or is it that you’re born with Celestial magic but can be trained in Sorcery? This was a big turnoff for me because I love a well-developed world with a magic system that’s explained to me, or that the author somehow tricks me into believing I understand after giving a brief explanation and distracting me with something else (lol).

The plot also threw me off, mostly at the points where it focuses more on Hetty and Benjy’s romance. It seemed random to me since for a good chunk of the story, romance between the two or how they relate to each other as husband and wife is hardly mentioned, so when the story switched its focus to that, it seemed like a hiccup in its flow. And I think the mystery was dragged out too much. I got the impression that the story tried too many things at once or didn’t fully commit to the things it attempted: the feel of the historical period, the magic systems used, the mystery that carries the plot, and the random focus on romance.

My last critique is that this strikes me more as YA fantasy than adult. That’s what I thought as I read and that’s what I thought when I was done. I even double-checked NetGalley to see if I was wrong in thinking it’s adult fantasy when I started. The way it’s written gives me more of YA feel than adult fantasy.

OVERALL: ★★☆☆☆ ½
The Conductors has a lot of potential as a historical fantasy novel set shortly after the Civil War that focuses on Black characters, many of whom are runaway slaves, but it fell flat for me. The characters and worldbuilding could use more development, and the mystery was dragged out too much.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Nicole Glover's debut novel, The Conductors, brings magic to an alternate timeline Underground Railroad. Readers follow Henrietta "Hetty" Rhoades, who along with her husband Benjamin "Benjy", was once a conductor along the railroad guiding slaves to freedom. Now, slavery has ended and Hetty has gained a reputation for investigation. When friends begin showing up dead, who better than Hetty and Benjy to take up the investigation.

One of the big successes of the novel is the dual part magic system. White people who are magic tend to practice Sorcery, with wands and encantations and extensive formal study. The mere possession of a wand is forbidden to Black people by law. However, Black people who have magic learn Celestial magic based on sigils and constellations that seems to be highly customizable by the intent of the practitioner. I found this system to be fresh and interesting and look forward to learning more about it in the sequels.

Glover also took care with her character development so that even side characters seemed fully developed with their own motivations and secrets. I don't tend to like the "marriage of convenience" trope, but it was so well established between Hetty and Benjy. In addition, having their relationship pre-established allowed the romance of the story to truly be a sub-plot that took a solid back seat to the murder mystery. Glover also wisely included "Interlude" flashback sections which allowed readers insight into Hetty's past, frequently with Benjy, that were smart ways of providing key insight to their shared experiences and history together. Glover also included queer-coded individuals that, while not identified by modern terms given the historical nature of the book, were given care in their crafting and were present beyond that aspect of their character.

Overall, I found The Conductors to be well-paced and an impressive debut that was cleverly constructed. I very much look forward to Glover's future works.

This was one of my very anticipated releases for 2021 and my spidey sense were right, because I loved it. It’s a mystery novel starring a married couple, who used to be conductors on the Underground Railway. While the book does a lot of things, it’s a mystery novel, then there’s the story of Hetty looking for her sister, the relationship between Hetty and Benjy, the magic that exists in the world, I think the mystery is the main focus. I noticed a lot of reviews mentioning a rough start, personally, I was into it from the beginning, though it did take me a while to keep names straight, so YYMV. The main character’s a seamstress and that’s one of the things makes me very excited in general.

The mystery
I don’t read a lot of mystery as a genre, especially non-sff, so my opinion may be uninformed. But, I loved it. It had so many small clues, one clue leading to another and the characters and the reader piecing it all together, I liked the parallels and mirroring. Some red herrings here and there. Lots of things turning out to be connected. A list of suspects to be questioned. Real danger for our protagonists as they get closer to the truth. They also had a map on the wall where they pinned locations, and got hidden messages, it was all a lot of fun. There was a lot of who do you suspect, who can you really trust that always had me guessing and second-guessing. I read it all pretty quickly over one weekend, so it was easy to keep on top of things, and uncharacteristically for me, remember what was going on. There were some clues that the MCs missed for a long time, but it all fit in with the uncertainty of not knowing who to trust, and always being so stressed and tired.

The married couple
MORE MARRIED COUPLES IN SFF PLEASE. I love it when books acknowledge that established relationships exist. It seems like such a mundane thing but it’s so rare. That was the detail in this book’s blurb that sold me on it instantly. I liked that it turned out completely different than I was expecting, and it was surprising and still had a lot of relationship development. I also liked how we got some flashbacks of them before getting married.

The characters
Hetty – She’s the MC and we follow her PoV, I think for the entire book. She is a lot. She’s independent, driven, close to her friends, maybe she keeps a grudge a bit well, a skilled and creative seamstress and a great storyteller. People gravitate to her and listen. She’s also the best celestial magic-user in town. I found her great to be around and liked it when some of her traits came back to bite her. She’s very driven to find her missing sister and we get flashbacks of how she’d go searching for her before the Civil War.

Benjy – the more analytical of the pair, puzzling out mysteries, also in some ways a mystery himself. He tries to keep Hetty safe but also respects her agency and independency, and that’s some sexy stuff. Overall I can’t say I was his biggest fan, but he had his endearing moments.

The friends & social circle – Hetty and Benjy are kind of oddities, they’re respected and well known for their work as conductors but a lot of the friends they’ve helped escape slavery want to distance themselves from the past. So our main couple doesn’t quite make it to the highest level of their society and some old friendships are very strained. At the same time, other friendships are strong and sturdy. Penelope and Oliver and the two that help out most. Penelope through her healing magical salves and plentiful cousins, and Oliver who’s the sort of friend that would help you hide a body, and put on a funeral too. He’s also missing his partner and I liked how even though it’s historical fiction people are accepting of a same-sex relationship and all his friends support him when he’s lonely. There’s also a mention of a trans character that’s very casual and cool with it.

The magic & setting
I admit I’m kinda confused by the other reviews I’ve read. Because I didn’t find the magic that weird or hard to grasp. Celestial magic is the main kind Hetty uses, it’s like glyph magic only with constellation sigils, and they can be small ones that are 2d and work like a simple alarm spell or ward, or if they’re infused with more power they can be full 3d translucent creatures able to affect the world around them. There are also ways to brew potions and salves, and enchant candles for protection. We’re not told what each constellation does and how everything works because Hetty isn’t learning magic, that’s not a point in the book, she knows it and she’s very good at it. It’s not a story of the wonder or discovery of magic, it’s just a tool that people use. It’s like there is a hard magic system at work in the world, but we’re not let in on the rules, which I’m ok with. There’s also a separate, in some ways stronger, or at least more combat-useful, magic system that is called sorcery and only white people are allowed to use, there’s mention about how that played into colonialism, but we don’t get a lot of details there.

I was worried at first, because the MC had this great hook of having been conductors, and then the story is set after that. But there were a lot of flashbacks to their conducting activities, and they tied into the characters from the present story, so I was happy with that.

Recommended for: mystery & historical fantasy fans, fans of Dread Nation that are looking for an adult, less zombie more optimistic post-Civil War book

This is a hard one to rate for me, because there are a lot of interesting elements going on in this book that intrigued me and I thought were successful. The premise (murder mystery in post-Civil War American following a Black couple with magic who solve crimes) was really intriguing and had moments of delivering me what I wanted. I think this book ultimately didn't fully come together for me, as I thought the pacing was just all over the place and it kept me from fully connecting with the characters. There were high moments, but it did not fully deliver on the promise of the premise. That said, there were enough moments of interest to keep me going, and I will be watching for what the author does in the future, as I believe this is a debut