The story begins simply, and seems a bit familiar even if, or especially because of its historical setting.

We open with, and looking through the eyes of, the titular conjurer’s wife, Olivia Van Hoff, standing on the stage of an early 19th century Venice theater, waiting for the curtain to rise on her husband’s masterful magical show filled with absolutely breathtaking illusions that no one can penetrate. Not even Olivia, who is not only his wife but also his assistant both onstage and off.

But Oscar is a man who demands that everything be ‘just so’, both on the stage and in their private life. Olivia is standing, knowingly, willfully and rebelliously, three whole entire inches off her mark when the curtain rises.

She can tell that Oscar is incensed. Olivia, however, is practically drunk on the tiny flame of rebellion kindled in her heart. Just as Olivia learns that defiance can be intoxicating, we learn that Oscar is an abusive bastard, and that Olivia has a form of amnesia so all-encompassing that she remembers nothing before their hasty marriage only one year previously.

And just as Olivia has a whole lot of sneaking suspicions about her life before the terrible accident that resulted in her amnesia, the mysteriously masterful nature of Oscar’s illusion, and the suspicious coincidence of timing between her accident and his rise to fame – so do we.

Olivia isn’t necessarily searching for the truth, or even, specifically, a way out of her marriage and the life in the spotlight that she has no desire for. Or, truthfully, for Oscar himself. But that does not mean she does not know precisely what to do with the truth when she finds it.

Escape Rating B: I initially picked this up because it looked like a quick read on a cloudy day, and because I liked two of the author’s previous books, The Lost Apothecary and The London Séance Society. At only 40 pages I read it over lunch, thought it was interesting but not very deep – which is fair for a 40 page story – and moved on with my reading.

(The Conjurer’s Wife also reminded me more than a bit of The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers, which is also a story about magic, performing under the spotlights, and secrets. Lots and lots of secrets.)

Then I picked up an eARC of the author’s upcoming book, The Amalfi Curse. Again, because I enjoyed The London Séance Society and The Lost Apothecary, and not just for their utterly gorgeous covers. But the blurb for The Amalfi Curse seemed like it was teasing me – specifically about something mentioned in The Conjurer’s Wife. Which led to the discovery that the audio of that short story was available through Amazon Prime, and that it would take me about an hour to listen to.

Which brings me to this review, because the story was even more interesting the second time around and the narrator, Helen Laser, did a terrific job as Olivia Van Hoff. Also, the story absolutely does tease something about the ‘witches of Positano’, Oscar’s potential and presumably unrealized ambitions in their direction, as well as the Amalfi coast if not (yet) The Amalfi Curse, making me all the more eager for the book coming at the end of April.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing, and Sarah Penner for an advanced reader’s copy of The Conjurer’s Wife in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve read a few other books by Sarah Penner and they are usually hit or miss for me. This one was a hit, for sure. Even though it was short, there was just enough tension and mystery that it kept me hooked for the length of the novella, and the twist! I did not see that coming! I’m not sure if this ties into Penner’s new novel, but it definitely makes me want to pick up something else by this author and see if it is also a hit.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕛𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕣’𝕤 𝕎𝕚𝕗𝕖
𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿
A Short Story

This is a story that can be easily read in one setting. The description is on point, the MC is edgy, and the ending had me rooting for her. The setting was 1820s Venice. Blend that with an illusionist husband and his assistant wife and you’ve got a heck of a short story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories, and Sarah Penner for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

The Conjurer's Wife is a short story by Sarah Penner that precedes her upcoming novel, The Amalfi Coast. Olivia is the Conjurer's wife and while she works with her husband as the assistant to his magic show, she recently suffered amnesia due to an accident on her wedding night.

While the story is a quick read, the characters are intriguing and the plot gives a solid foundation to the upcoming novel. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this short story.

This short story was just lovely! Enchanting and inspiring, it was an absolute treat to watch Olivia's journey. I'm a certified Marmalade fan. If there's one way to make me love a story, it's to include an adorable animal. <3

Thanks to Netgalley & Amazon Publishing for the ARC!

Publishing date: 01.01.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

I love standalone short stories like these. This one had a creative concept too. For a few pages I thought I had untangled the mystery only to get hit with it sideways and completely upended my theories.

Shortly described: The story centers the wife of a magician/conjurer who does absolutely mind-boggling magic tricks with seemingly ... no trick. Saying more will spoil it all.

A tiny nitpick, I wish we got even more of Marmalade and Olivia in the end. Just a glimpse ...

All in all, a good story. 3 stars, did what it needed to and has stuck to my mind since.

TLDR: Wife of a magician upends a mystery about her husband

A short story about the wife of a magician.

For a short story, this is one of the better ones I've read. Interesting story concept, usually short stories don't really pull me in.

I would've loved to know more about Olivia and Marmalade after leaving rather than ending so abruptly. This could have easily been fixed by adding just a few more paragraphs or pages to ease the transition and provide some closure.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Never underestimate the power of a women! What a fun read! I love the spooky vibes and feels it gives. Would definitely recommend.

I was SO excited that I read the Amalfi Coast first because this was just the little bit extra I needed from that time frame

I really enjoyed this short story. A lovely case of karma...or better what goes around comes around. An enjoyable read for sure.

This was a decent short story. Often, I don't find short stories that are almost historical in nature. The scene setting was perfect, and I completely understood the atmosphere in which the story took place. I loved the character of Marmalade, such a sweet addition that humanized our main character so much. I thought it was interesting, with a bit of magical realism sprinkled in, just left wanting a bit more which is often the pitfall of short stories.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

I enjoy this author’s work but I feel like this would have been better as a full-length novel instead of a short story. Fun concept, and I love the female empowerment, but I would love more! Maybe a sequel to come? Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC! “The Conjurer’s Wife” is out now!

I've read 2 previous books from this author, and I believe she is very good in writing historical fiction. She can create the settings and the right environment, and the stories are a delight.

This was the case with this novella. It was short, but it was so well crafted. The magical ambiance was perfect, and I read it almost in one go. Really recommend it.

Thank you Amazon Publishing for the gifted copy.

The Conjuror’s Wife
Sarah Penner
Publishing Date: January 1, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a great short story. Though short it felt well paced and as fully developed as a 40 page story can get. I absolutely loved the nods to author’s upcoming book The Amalfi Curse! Do yourself a favor and preorder that one asap! The book is stunning and the story equally so!

I really loved this cute short story. Sarah Penner is great at writing stories that keep you immersed until the end. It was a surprise to get the twist revealed at the end which I loved. My only complaint was it was too short and I wanted to keep reading about the conjurer’s wife in her travels.
Now, where can I find one of those cute little foxes!

Sarah Penner does a great job building this world and characters in a short story. They had depth and drew me in completely.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy Sarah Penner's work and this was a fun story with a bit of an abrupt ending. I wish there was more, but I did see that Sarah's next book is going to take place in the town mentioned frequently in this story, so I will have to see if there is any crossover! I would love to see more of Olivia!

I love when an author can pack a punch into a short story, and this one was just perfect. Sarah Penner created a world that glowed with possibilities and gave us something to make us think and want to explore it. Olivia was a wonderful character. She was mysterious and strong, and figuring out everything along with her was a perfect way to craft this story. Even in such a short story, I couldn't put it down. It had the feeling of old glamour and glitz, mixed perfectly with ideas of self, companionship, female empowerment, and autonomy. I will happily read anything that Sarah Penner writes, but especially any more short stories. It is not always that an author can create a complete experience that feels this satisfying in such a short amount of time.

I immensely enjoyed Sarah Penner's short story, "The Conjurer's Wife."

World-renowned magician Oscar Van Hoff regularly amazing audiences with his incredible illusions, confounding even his wife, Van Hoff's assistant.

in each performance, she knows her husband expects her to hit her marks and to stick to the lines he writes for her. However, with each performance, she begins to feel rebellious. She questions whether her husband perhaps holds any even darker secret.

Penner does a beautiful job of world building. I highly recommend this short story.

“ The Conjurer’s Wife“ by Sarah Penner – 4 stars - Out Now!

This short story does an excellent job of drawing in the reader, setting the place and scene, and finally placing you firmly in front and center of the stage where the Conjurer’s Wife stands, beautiful and mysterious.

This is a lovely little tale about a woman’s right to define herself with themes of empowerment, self observation, and a perfect middle finger to the patriarchy.

I find the information about the witches of Positano and the detail of the red fox cub, both fascinating, intriguing, and memorable, but also unnecessary and a seemingly irrelevant.

Thanks as always to NetGalley, the Author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this story. My review is my own. #ButIDigress #ButIDigressBookClub #SarahPenner #TheConjurer’sWife #NetGalley #ARC