First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy. I would be remiss to not admit that it has taken me a long time to read this. However, I will say that that fault lies within myself and not the book itself.
Nicole Glover has imagined a post Civil War in the United States where former slaves have magic. They were kept under control with the use of collars that muted their powers. Hetty Rhodes and her husband Benjy were Conductors on the Underground Railroad. Now in Philadelphia, they are trying to build a new life. However, a series of murders seems to be connected to their previous work.
Bahni Turpin does a fabulous job in the narration of the audiobook.
I found some elements of the magic system rather confusing. I loved the way that the constellations were often referenced. However, the author seemed to be trying to pack too many things into the story.
I gave this a 3.75 rounded up to a 4. I do think I am willing to continue on with the series to the next book.

I chose The Conductors by Nicole Glover for the “Lies” theme because it’s a murder mystery. However, it turned out to fit the theme in other ways as well: many of the suspects rewrote themselves and their lives to some extent after being freed from enslavement or moving up in the social order, meaning the investigators must constantly re-evaluate what they know and think they know. In addition, the protagonist Hetty Rhodes is a storyteller, and her thoughts about stories are relevant to the stories she and her husband Benjy are told about the murders.

“Where do you think my stories come from?”

“You heard them in the quarters and at your mother’s side as you shelled peas. You collected them from old aunties and uncles with more dreams than memories of African kingdoms. And most of all, you gathered them from the fancies of others wanting nothing more than to pass the time.”

“That’s one part,” Hetty murmured, “and it’s a very small part. A story is a living creature, and they need a personal touch to live on. You breathe in your woes, your loves, your troubles, and eventually they become something new. They aren’t the books you love so much. Stories change with the tellers.”

The Conductors is historical fantasy set soon after the American Civil War; the protagonists are formerly enslaved people who now work as amateur detectives in Philadelphia, among the Black community there. Magic is common, but in this world’s version of Jim Crow laws, people of color are forbidden from learning or using certain methods of using magic, for instance the use of wooden wands. Before Emancipation, enslaved people with magic were used by their enslavers and kept in check via the use of punishing collars that inhibited their abilities, not all that different from limitations imposed upon enslaved people and their talents in our world.

The details of the magic systems, wands versus nature and stars, were well thought out, both complex and thematically meaningful. The plot flowed very quickly. The murder mystery begins with a body found in an alley. Hetty and Benjy realize they have to search among their friends and acquaintances for the truth, and along the way they uncover more than they’d imagined. I won’t spoil the mystery here; I did guess the guilty party eventually, but not until close to the end. For me, guessing the murderer has nothing to do with how much I enjoy the journey!

The thing I wanted more of was a sense of place. I live in Philadelphia, and have some knowledge of the historical community depicted in the book, at least the real world version. I used to live in that area of the city and regularly read the historic markers. I had been hoping for a lot more sensory detail and specificity about locations and institutions; instead, the setting felt very bland, a background but not a character in itself, if that makes sense. For example, I am pretty sure the church and cemetery that figure into the plot were created for the book, which is fine, but felt very neutral; when real locations are mentioned, there isn’t a lot of detail. Obviously, the setting of this book is an alternate universe, so the Philadelphia with people using magic is not the same as the one I live in. But I would have liked to see the Black history of my city celebrated to a greater extent. This might have been a conscious choice to separate the story from real people and their lives, of course.

Incidentally, here’s the Historic Philadelphia Burial Places Map if you’re interested – there’s a lot of concern in Philadelphia about burial places that were utterly destroyed by developers, especially in the first half of the twentieth century.

Anyway! Wanting more of a book I enjoyed is always a good thing. I love the characters and the lowkey romance and the twisty plot. I’m looking forward to the sequel.

The Conductors is a novel that has a mixture of Historical fiction, Fantasy and mystery. It is the first book in the Murder and Magic series. Set in reconstruction era Philadelphia where free Black citizens navigating their way in this city of brotherly love. Hetty and Benjy Rhodes are a couple who were former Underground Railroad conductors, freeing dozens of slaves with their skill and magic. They use their magic skills to solve mysteries left unsolved by White police. There's true tension between those born free and those set free. Their magic draws its power from the constellations in the sky. The Rhodes’ Celestial magic, and those of many other slaves is spell-based, invoked through sigils, forbidden and punished by slave owners, and sneered at by whites, who believe their sorcery is far superior.

Hetty and Benjy bear scars from their years of slavery and from wearing magic-inhibiting collars, which they shed once they escaped. They live together in Philadelphia, Hetty works as a seamstress and dress designer, and Benjy as a blacksmith. They investigating a mystery when Charlie, one of their friends is found murdered, and the two begin using their connections and skills to search for answers. And like all investigations into the past actions of their dead friend, Hetty and Benjy unearth all sorts of resentments, secrets, and problems amongst people they thought they knew.

The Conductors by Nicole Glover is a historical urban fantasy, that merges history and magic seamlessly, giving readers a unique experience.

To be honest, I had trouble finishing this book. I would start it, think to myself, “this is really good. let’s go!” and a few pages later, I’d lose it. When it comes to mysteries, I have to be in the right mood, and The Conductors is also a historical fiction, which I have to be in the right mood for.

I was speaking with my friend on Twitter when I finally finished it (three tries. Stupid mood reading!) and told her it had nothing to do with the book. The failing for taking so long to finish it was mine. I encouraged her to read it, because, in her words, “Underground Railroad with magic? I’m So in!”

Yeah, you read that right.

Benjy and Hetty, our main characters, were conductors for the Underground Railroad. They are also practitioners of celestial magic. Something they were each born with, and which caused its own struggles as they grew up as slaves in the south.

The cool thing about The Conductors, is that not only is it Historical Fiction, and describes some of the struggles slaves endured to get free, but it’s also Urban Fantasy, in that Hetty and Benjy are practitioners of magic.

Their abilities with magic helped, a LOT, allowing them to move easily and swiftly in their work to free slaves to the north. Even after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation, slaveowners still wanted to hold onto the status quo.

Hetty and Benjy would travel to the south, and help these people move to the north, where they would be able to hold jobs, and be part of society.

Once I was able to get past my own issues with being a mood reader, I thoroughly enjoyed The Conductors. Normally, when I DNF a book, it’s because I found something problematic with the storyline, or the characters weren’t grabbing me…something. That wasn’t the case with The Conductors. I honestly liked the story, loved the characters, and urban fantasy is always fun.

After my second attempt at reading, I could have contacted Netgalley, told them I couldn’t finish it, and just not leave feedback. This would have been my right as a book reviewer.

I knew I would be able to finish it, though. I really just needed to give myself grace, and know I’d get there.

Which I did, and I’m so glad!

I love the premise, but I can't connect with the writing style, and the plot feels too scattered.

I've tried several times to go back to this book. Ultimately, this one just isn't for me.

DNF

I decided to listen to the audiobook and read along in my physical copy, which took me ages for some reason. In the end though, I do still think this was very much worth the read.

It was quite a slow read, and I do think it could have been a lot shorter and could have gotten to the point more quickly, but at the same time, this book discusses so much and incorporates so many different genres that this was quite the feat to witness. It's a historical novel, it's a murder mystery, it's a fantasy, and it also has a romance subplot of two people falling in love after they had already been married for quite some time.

I was especially intrigued by the magic system of this book. The celestial magic sounds so unique and interesting, and it was amazing to see this interwoven with the history of the underground railroad.

All in all, I'm definitely interested in picking up the sequel as well.

This was good story. Not great, but good. I struggled a bit and I know this is a classic case of, “it’s not you, it’s me,” since everyone I know read it and loved it.

This is a really cool world with a lot of potential, but the mystery element unfortunately fell short for me. Many of the secondary characters were introduced so quickly that I had trouble telling them apart, which made the eventual reveals less satisfying. Chances are still good that I continue with the series, though!

CW: enslavement and related abuses such as family separation, racism, sexism, murder, injury, gun violence, domestic violence, references to rape, family member deaths

I got a chance to catalog this book when it first came across the desks at Ingram and I was really excited by the premise!

Hetty, a former Underground Railroad conductor, is a magic user in her community who uses her magic to solves crimes. She and her husband, Benjy, solve crimes in the local community, but a palor comes over their work when they find out one of their friends has been murdered. To make matters worse, rumors start going around about who murdered their friend and some secrets about Benjy and others around them start surfacing. Solving this murder will take a toll on them both.

So first and foremost, I will be honest and say I tried to read this in audio and failed. I obviously need to go back and find it in physical book form. Fantasy for me is hit or miss in ebook/audio. Either I can pull myself in and get caught up in the world or not. I think if this had been merely a historical mystery, no problems. But adding that element of fantasy, which I think the book definitely benefited from what I read, not so much.

From what I did read, I was absolutely fascinated by the main character of Hetty and that is what will make me go find the physical book of this and finish it. Her voice as it was read by the superb Bahni Turpin had such depth and I was very intrigued to continue learning more.

I think the only thing that did kind of throw me was the introduction. Hetty gives us these former slaves and it's very reminiscent to sadly a block sale listing. And I felt like it didn't hold as much weight in the narrative as Glover wanted it to? Or maybe because I was having trouble focusing on the audio I lost the weight of it. I wasn't too sure which.

I do very much plan on finishing this and Thank Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I liked the idea of the story, Underground Railroad conductors turned detectives, and there is magic involved. Sadly, I didn’t like the way the story was told.

Too many characters are introduced at the beginning of the story and they all lacked backstory, so keeping up with who was who was difficult.

The magic system is not well explained. It’s not clear what makes a magic holder and how exactly the magic works. All I understood was that constellations work are used as sigils and those make up a spell.

The mystery is interesting, but since there was too much telling, via dialogue between the two main characters Hetty and Benjy, it was not very engaging.

This speculative fiction woven into a historical fiction story was not for me. Still, I am hoping the next books in the series are better.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the EARC in exchange for an honest review.

A murder mystery with magic, who wouldn’t love this book?

Initially I found the story to be slow going and did come close to Dnfing but I am so glad I didn’t as just over half way though it picked up the pace and I found I could not put it down. The intrigue of the story and background of the Conductors and the Underground Railroad is interesting and the couple Hettie and Benji take it upon themselves to be amateur Sherlock Holmes trying to solve crimes no one else wants.

Being a debut novel there were some holes and some parts of the story needs more development but overall I enjoyed it and I look forward the the next book in the series

Before reading, it's true that I expected more of the magic use and a plot centered on the characters using the underground railroad to help runaways escape. And while those things are still within this story, they take a back seat to the mystery that starts unfolding.

To the mystery/thriller part of this, I enjoyed it. I liked the main character even though she seemed more critical than those around her. But my main enjoyment of this book flourished in the slow burn of her relationship with her husband. A relationship once stemmed from circumstance takes a few different turns as they come to realize that there is in fact love between them. Or more accurately, takes one of the two to realize that obvious fact. Which is to say that by the end, they had me grinning like a love sick fool.

As for the minor characters, each one had me interested for more. I liked the interactions with the healer/mortician the most. I felt he provided a lot of the humor and relatability for the reader.

Meanwhile, the only thing I think could have been better would be the magic. It felt a little under developed. And while the idea was there, it lacked clear understanding or explanation. Which is a bit funny to say since other aspects got wordy, comparative descriptions that distracted from the story. Yet, this felt a bit second handed.

Regardless, it's a fun read!

I adore magical historical fiction and The Conductors is a stunning start to a series that takes place after the Civil War. The book didn’t dwell on actual battles that took place during the Civil War but it did highlight the efforts of the Conductors of the Underground Railroad – specifically Hetty and Benjy. Nicole Glover added in two very different types of magic and the type wielded by those of color (mainly African roots but it did state that some of the magic was learned or expanded upon by the Native tribes) was based upon constellations with varied uses and applications. My only issue with the magic was that the sigils/constellations is that they feature names we are familiar with; Ursa Minor/Major, Libra, Leo. Honestly, it’s not so much of an “issue”, I would guess that they would use names that would have been passed down through their families and/or community? The author also may have used names that the general populace would know to create less confusion? Less time is spent on explaining sorcery – other than it is used by white people, requires a wand, and doesn’t require an innate magical ability to utilize.

The timeline also takes place in Hetty and Benjy’s past in addition to their present time. Magic in the time of slavery brings a whole new set of circumstances to a time in history that was already atrocious to begin with. Magical collars that punished all on the property with a hint of magical ability. The author did an amazing job with both past and present views on racial subjects. Although Hetty and Benjy are no longer Conductors on the Underground Railroad that doesn’t mean that they stopped helping those in need and when crimes upon their own aren’t given the time of day by white authorities they take it upon themselves to see that the cases are thoroughly investigated. Hetty and Benjy’s past sheds light on their present – especially their varied and vibrant supporting characters and friends. There were many turns in their investigation that I didn’t see coming – there are quite a few interconnected moving pieces that kept things interesting. How it all tied together was a surprise and I had no qualms with how the book concluded the case or itself.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Conductors and I would highly recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fantasy, magic, the Civil War era, murder mysteries, and diverse reads. Nicole made an exceedingly strong debut novel and I cannot wait to see what trouble Hetty and Benjy find themselves working out next. I would like to thank John Joseph Adams/Mariner Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Nicole Glover, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this unique historical fantasy debut – all opinions are my own.

Rating rounded from 4.5 stars

Firstly, I LOVED the premise of this book. One of my favourite types of stories is where the author takes a historical event/time-period and gives it a fantastical element. Secondly, I love seeing fantasy in other settings aside from the Euro-centric medieval backdrop. Hetty, the MC, has all the qualities I enjoy reading in my MC- she’s brave, kind, loyal, strong, and knows her own mind. I also really enjoyed the magical system, which felt fresh and new. I would have liked to see more in-depth world-building as I felt it wasn’t as developed as it could have been, but it certainly didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this novel overall.

I loved this book so much more than I thought. The relationship between Hetty and Benjy were beautiful and real. I liked the magic and how it was mystic and not fully explained. Also, the mystery was a lot of fun and I'm excited to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher to sending me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Many Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC. It's greatly appreciated!

I started reading this book for Black History Month before I got sick and I recently was able to finish it. Wow. Just wow. There are a lot of emotions that are connected to this book for me, both as a descendent of slaves and as someone who struggled to find her biological family after being separated. So, let's get into this review!

The book features the married couple of Benjy and Hetty, two "Conductors" on the Underground Railroad that helps slaves freeing from the horrors of slavery. However, there's more to these two than meets the eye. Hetty and Benjy have magic and divide their time between helping escaped slaves, but also helping to solve disappearances and murders that the cops otherwise disregard due to the color of the victim's skin.

The story is gripping for me and I found that it was difficult for me to put down, which surprised me because I did find some pacing issues in the story that would have otherwise slowed me down. But Glover more than makes up for this with the richness and depth of her storytelling.

The subject matter can sometimes be a little hard to death with, but this story is definitely one worth reading. I would highly recommend it.

Despite the subject matter being murder, and the setting being only a short time after enslaved people in America had become free, this story was surprisingly fun. The main character and her husband have one of my favorite romantic relationships I've come across, and how they work together, communicate with one another, and interact with their friends, was simply delightful.

While the primary plot of the book was the murder mystery, I ultimately cared far more about what happened in the past, which did lead me to be less engaged in present day happenings than I would've liked.

The magic was amazing and so interesting, though I do wish I'd been given more details on how it worked.

An enjoyable read, and an author I'd be interested in picking up more from.

Didn't love it, didn't hate it. I thought it was cool how Glover bent and blended the genres of historical fiction with murder mystery and fantasy. The premise itself was very cool -- Hettie and her husband solve murders together in a the post-Civil War era -- and the author touched on themes of race relations, classic, and sexism all while keeping us gripped in a mystery. I didn't love the writing style, but I definitely think there's an audience for this.

I wanted to like this so much - the concept is great, and there's clearly been a lot of research put into Reconstruction era Black society in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, the writing just isn't as good as the premise. It feels, more than anything, like the various scenes were written at different times and then stitched together in a different order like a patchwork quilt, so that the characters' relationships to one another and to the mystery jump back and forth from more to less advanced without much rhyme or reason. There are elements of a deeper story about so many characters that are hinted at, but then never fully fleshed out. The timing is also all out of whack - on some occasions, the characters (for example) eat breakfast, and then 18 things happen that seem like they would take a long time, and then the characters are like "well, it's time for lunch now." On other occasions, it's breakfast, 18 things, and now it's 2 days later. You find yourself just drifting, waiting for someone to bring up what day/time it is, because you get no sense of that from the pacing of the story. In addition, the fantasy/magic elements feel tacked on and superfluous, and are never really explained coherently. The story would have been just the same if the characters were "mundane" former Underground Railroad conductors conducting a conventional investigation. I feel like the author has promise, but was failed by bad or insufficient editing. There are elements of a really riveting story present, but the book just doesn't deliver on them.

Unfortunately I found it difficult to get into this story despite the many great reviews I've read for it. This one was a DNF for me, but I plan to revisit it in the future.