I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Conductors started off kind of slow for me but it definitely picked up after a chapter or two. Especially after meeting Hetty and Benjy. Now this duo was something I could get behind and invested in. I just wish the whole magic was a bit better in this book. Don't get me wrong, some aspects were a bit magical.. but some of it fell flat for me as well.

Now the solving mysteries was what kept me reading this book. Again, I loved this duo and it was completely interesting and addicting to see what they were going to do next. Even though they started out marrying for convenience.. it starts to show that they actually developed feelings along the way.

Definitely a fun book to dive into. I just wish the magic was better explained to me.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the magic system and the element of history was really well exploited to have a conversation with the reader. I liked the writing style. Overall this book feels unique and like nothing i've read before, which was really refreshing

I was just not very invested in this one. I believe a lot of readers would love this book but it was just not interesting enough for me to continue reading.

The Conductors is a unique and well written blend of historical fiction and fantasy with an exciting premise and multi layered storylines. I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book and of how the magic system and the historical elements would tie in together and this was done to such great effect. The novel follows Hetty and Benjy, a married couple who were once conductors leading enslaved people to freedom and now live in Philadelphia solving crimes. When strange occurrences keep cropping up and getting close to home however, they find themselves locked into a sinister and mysterious plot…

One of my favourite things about this book were the characters, especially Hetty and Benjy our resident crime solving pair. I had no idea before going in that theirs was a marriage of convenience type set up but I really liked how this was done and how sweet their relationship was and how they eventually realise they’ve fallen for each other. Even aside from their romance, their dynamic was so enjoyable to read and I liked how well they communicated and understood each other. It’s always nice to read such healthy married relationships and they are the epitome of this.

As well as Hetty and Benjy being great main characters, I loved the secondary characters and how Nicole Glover has featured the found family trope so prominently. Hetty and Benjy have a group of friends who have become like family to them, each with their own talents and stories. This element of the story becomes especially powerful towards the ending and I liked how the importance of friendship and platonic relationships was highlighted so well. I think this is also so moving because of the sense of loss so many of the characters have faced, being separated from members of their family during Slavery, the friendships they’ve formed after and sense of community have become even more meaningful.

As well as the characters themselves, I really appreciated how Glover weaved between fact and fiction so well. I thought the fact that Hetty and Benjy were conductors, guiding people to safety and freedom was so interesting to read about as a reference to the Underground Railroad. Glover doesn’t hesitate to explore complex issues like class and race, delving into the disparities of experience between the characters in her novel who were ‘born free’ and those who were born during slavery. I also thought the depiction of an elite club of sorts with shady business dealings and heady sense of vice, was compelling and definitely helped heighten the sense of mystery when it comes to the murder mystery part of the plot.

I think for me, the murder mystery plot was one of the most compelling threads but the novel got off to a slightly slower start which meant the conclusion of the mystery felt a tad rushed. There was something about the reveal of the murderer which felt anticlimactic and there were other directions it could have taken which would have made it feel more satisfying. Who the murderer ended up being also felt like a bit of a letdown and I wasn’t bowled over by the reveal either, however I did enjoy the build up just not the culmination of it all.

Overall, The Conductors was an engaging story, with interesting characters readers will really root for and explorations of class and race that serve to establish it firmly as a brilliant new addition to the historical fiction genre. I would happily read many more of Hetty and Benjy’s adventures, I think there’s definitely room for a sequel which follows them exploring a different case or mystery, but I would totally get if this is just a standalone novel as it stands well on its own. I would definitely recommend this to readers who are looking for historical fiction with a fresh twist.

This was an interesting take on some conductors of the Underground Railroad with a twist of magic. I like the idea and the mystery that keeps the story moving, but it fell a little flat for me. I’m not sure what it was- but while it was a good read, it wasn’t great.

3.5 stars
The plot of this book was intriguing as well as the magic system, however I wished there was more depth to the magic system discussed. I didn't really understand how the magic system worked until about halfway through the book when I finally put the pieces together myself; the book did not do much in the way of leading me to understand how these constellations aided in the magic. The characters weren't deeply interesting to me, but I did enjoy the marriage between the two main characters. I cared about their relationship because of its uniqueness, but I didn't feel too attached to either character or any of the interpersonal conflicts.

Have not had a chance to read this yet, but will keep it on my list for a rainy day! Appreciate being offered the reading copy!

3 stars. Interesting enough, but a slow start and disjointed pacing made it difficult to bring it above three stars. The premise of a famous magical duo of former Underground Railroad conductors now turned unofficial detectives in post-Civil War Philadelphia was very intriguing. There were some really well done interludes of community life and the hardships of living with black skin right after the end of slavery. I thought the romance was very sweet and made me feel warm and fuzzy, and this is coming from someone who usually finds the "falling in love with your spouse who is practically a stranger" trope getting a little hackneyed.

Ultimately though, the interludes distracted from the mystery, which felt a little predictable in any case. I also really would have loved to hear more about Hetty and Benjy's work on the Underground Railroad, and further explanations of this magic system.

Historical fantasy is a too small genre, but I would recommend it to anyone looking for a decent read in that genre, and to those who would enjoy a slower paced slightly slice-of-life mystery novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC!

The Conductors by Nicole Glover

Pros: fantastic worldbuilding, three magic systems, interesting characters, engaging plot

Cons:

Hetty and Benjy Rhodes both escaped slavery in 1858. They became Conductors with the Underground Railway as a way of locating Hetty’s missing sister. Their motto: never leave people behind. With the war over, the pair solve crimes affecting the black community in Philidelphia that police ignore. When one of their friends turns up dead, the case becomes much more personal as they learn more about their friends - and each other.

The worldbuilding is fantastic. The setting is often gritty and harsh, especially the flashbacks. The author really captures the complexity of the world, with various laws, good and bad areas of town, economics and politics. I especially loved the friendship connections surround Hetty and Benjy. Community is hugely important in this book, and I loved seeing the variety of interactions and how Benjy and Hetty helped and were helped in turn by their friends.

There are three magic systems: sorcery using a wand, restricted to white practitioners; celestial magic, a mixture of practices from Africa, the West Indies, and Native Americans, which uses sigils for power; and alchemy or potion magic, created by brewing herbs. While you see less sorcery than the other two, I loved how magic was integrated into the world.

The pacing was great. So much is going on here and the setting and characters were so interesting that I never felt the book slow or drag.

It was fun reading about a couple who married for convenience. It’s great seeing a different kind of marital relationship and I loved seeing the couple’s interactions. They don’t always get along, but it was cool watching people in a strong marriage make up after fights and work together towards their goals.

This is a fantastic book. In many ways it reminds me of Jaime Lee Moyer’s Delia’s Shadow. If you like historical fantasy with great characters, fun magic systems, and an interesting mystery, pick this up.

In total, I think The Conductors by Nicole Glover was a pretty good book! It wasn't anything too super special, but it kept me interested and I was able to power through the moments that dragged on and felt somewhat slow. As the main characters go, Hetty and Benjy are wide-eyed and wonderful. It took me a while to buy into the book as a whole, so at first, I had a hard time connecting with Hetty and Benjy in the ways I wanted to, but at some point, something just clicked for me and I was enraptured by both Hetty and Benjy and their intertwining story! They were awesome characters, and so fun to read.

This book has a really strong representation, and I loved the fantasy element. It feels like this book traced the intersectionality of many genres really well - historical, fantasy, mystery, and even a subplot that leaned romance! I'd recommend this to a friend, for sure.

I wanted to love this book. Civil War and Reconstruction era America with magic should have been awesome.

I was so disappointed because the synopsis sounded right up my alley, but the story just doesn’t go anywhere and she didn’t spend any time building this alternate world so it’s just blah.

I really enjoyed this book & the author did her research. It is a great murder[s] mystery that tells some history woven into an alternate world where there is overt magic used by individuals based on group. The main couple are conductors in the underground railroad after the war still helping their community. They were the ones that would go in & help slaves escape leading them to freedom. I was raised on stories of these heros as a child from my grandmother and their like. Lots of action & twists & turns & I couldn't even figure out who though there was a clue so big I could have kicked myself. Highly recommend.

I recieved an e-arc of this from netgalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We start by meeting Hetty and Benjy. Two people who have powers and have a plan to help save captured slaved while they are moving. We get a sense of the magic system, using constellations to create magic. We get the idea of team work the two have, which is promising as they could be a good dynamic duo.

I loved how we got an understanding of Hetty, who is just trying to protect her sister Esther. We get an insight into her past and how she was a slave with her sister. It was very insightful to see Hetty dream of escaping with her sister, having nothing left since her mother died.

The start of the book was slow, it wasn't until about page 50 that I started getting into the plot. I found the mystery thrilling and didn't want to put this down! Throughout this entire book, I tried to figure out the motive for murder and I have to say I was dead wrong! Which was a nice surprise. The ending was well throughout and connected nicely. I loved every second of this book 🥰

I loved Benjy and Hettys characters and the way they worked together. I adored the fake marriage trope in this too, which started to become obvious about 70 pages in. I rooted for them from the start and enjoyed reading about them. When Hetty admitted she was in love with Benjy, I was grinning from ear to ear. The realisation, the longing, the want. Oh my! Though the romance played a pivotal part in the book, it didn't take away from the plot and actually furthered the plot. I enjoyed our side characters too, especially Penelope and Oliver (and Thomas when he showed up!)  They were witty and fun to read about, and were also just great friends to our two main characters.

The plot was interesting and held my attention, I enjoyed the mystery a lot. That ending though *chef kiss*
The characters were well thought out and likeable and the writing was beautiful.

A beautifully well written story with a unique magic system that I enjoyed learning about. I definitely recommend picking this up and giving it a go!

This review is based on an ARC I received from NetGalley.

The Conductors had an interesting concept for a story. Two former slaves-turned-Underground-Railroad-conductors are now detectives after the Civil War, helping to solve crimes that the regular police ignore because they're against Black people. At the same time, two types of magic exist in this world, sorcery and celestial magic, with the former being kept for white people while the other was practiced by black people. Unfortunately, the execution was lacking.

I'm not a fan of mysteries, so I won't/can't say much about the mystery here. However, I was really frustrated by the lack of world-building done when it came to the magic. It seemed like such an interesting idea, and what little we learned of it did leave me intrigued. Sorcery magic involves wands and seems to be tied to colonialist ideas in that it sucks all the magical energy out there, whereas celestial seems to seek a balance and recognizes that others might do magic differently and that's OK. I loved this idea, but I was really confused as to how celestial magic worked. Could anyone do it? Only certain people? What did all of the sigils do? The book did eventually provide some answers, but it took a while and just caused a lot of confusion. I'm guessing this won't be the last book featuring these characters, so hopefully the author will dive more into this fantasy world, just hopefully more clearly. I definitely think it deserves more detail!

My other issue was with the pacing. The first third of the book was VERY slow. I struggled so many times to keep reading it. It did finally pick up and got more interesting, but I don't know if it was ever good enough to forgive that beginning.

I did enjoy the main character, Hetty. She was a delightfully flawed but strong woman. And the romance was a welcome development - but again, I think it would have helped more if we had more details of their prior relationship! It seemed a little to come out of nowhere. But I certainly wasn't dissatisfied with it. And some of the side characters were also well developed, and it seems like others are being saved for future books, which is fine.

Again, I'm not a big fan of mysteries, so others might like it more than I did.

***Special Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review***

In this episode, I was more intrigued by the premise than the execution...

Friends, friends, friends.

Welcome back to Teatime Reading where there are books in progress.

When I read this book several months ago, I recall feeling a very specific kind of way about it. I was compelled by the cover on NetGalley and when I started reading the synopsis, I was even more intrigued.

A world where slavery was connected to fears of magic reserved and bestowed upon black people was instantly compelling to me. However, I’ll admit it was a rough start. I just found myself drifting away from the story even as I was trying to get into it.

As I think about this book, I think that it could have used a little more world-building. When I read, I felt comfortable and confident that I truly knew and understood Hetty’s and Benjy’s respective characters and motivations. I wanted even more fleshing-out of the world that this story takes place within.

I could infer a lot from the flashbacks as well as the larger story itself. I felt like there were so many nuggets for author Nicole Glover to pull on.

The premise of The Conductors grabbed me, but the story didn’t quite compel me to hold on as tight as I should have.

It’s a good book that deserved to be great.

That’s just the best I can do with this one.

Until next time, keep your bookmarks close.

Peace, Love, Pages.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

The Conductors fuses the story of the Underground Railroad, magic, and a murder mystery. We follow Hettie and her husband, Benji, who were called "The Conductors" because they never left a slave behind while moving them along the underground railroad. We get glimpes of this throughout the story, but most of our tale takes place after the emancipation of the slaves. In this world, many African Americans cna do magic, calling upon the constellations for varying purposes. When bodies are found bearing a cursed mark, can Hettie and Benji solve the mystery or will they end up in the crosshairs?

I adore this book. Things I specifically loved: Hettie, Magic system, pacing, the mystery, and writing style. This novel submerges you in a world so rich and diverse you won't want to come up for air until it's over. With non-stop action and deep character development you'll be satisfied from start to finish. My gripes: in the beginning the flashbacks can feel jolting, and my biggest gripe is that this is a standalone. I want more! Even the flashbacks grew on me(which is a feat in and of itself) and I love the grown-up Nancy Drew feeling I got.

I highly, enthusiasticly and emphatically recommend this novel. Five celestial magic stars simply because I can't give it more. See for yourself what there is to love about this tale, you won't be disappointed.

Quite a good debut! I really appreciated the diversity of the cast of characters but the story and world building didn't totally work for me. Perhaps I was not the target audience, but this book will find its public!

This book was not quite what I was expecting. I felt a bit confused in the beginning chapters, I wasn’t sure what was going on. It got alittle better and became a mystery.
It had some interesting characters and a bit of a mystical feel to it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

3.75 stars. I think what ultimately does this book in is that the pacing feels like it meanders a bit to me. It made the book feel longer than it actually was. I also was never too sure why the Cursed Sigil was so bad beyond being told that it was.

Now with that out of the way, this book did some fantastic things! I loved the magic system and how it worked. The details that the constellations could be sewn into clothing were a great touch. The spin on the Underground Railroad being partially led by badass magic users? Amazing. Hetty and Benjy's relationship and separate characters development were great to see. To me this book read more like a character study of Hetty with a bit of a mystery on the side. While there is a big mystery throughout the novel, the way Hetty reacts to the pieces and her surroundings seem more important to me.

Parts of this were difficult to read, especially drawing parallels to the real world. The Interludes most of all. But they were so good. They detail the strength and courage Hetty and others had when escaping slavery and running towards freedom. I'd say they were my favorite parts.

All in all, The Conductors by Nicole Glover is a story full of stars, freedom, death, and mystery. It's a great book full of Black representation, awesome characters, and a fantastic magic system. I did feel the pacing lagged in some parts and that some of the minor characters felt more like set pieces, though. Regardless, definite recommend.

Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for an e-ARC.

** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**.
This book sounded so interesting. I couldn’t wait to read it.
However, I found the characters flat and the book boring.