Olivia and her husband are days from their magic show's much anticipated finale, but something feels wrong. Her husband's magic feels wrong. Olivia's marriage feels wrong. Olivia feels wrong. Olivia also can't remember anything from before a year ago.

I've been on a feminine rage vibe kick lately - I love stories about women becoming themselves and recognizing the power they hold. This was a magical little rebirth and revenge story about an early 1800s touring conjurer and his wife, Olivia. It's very short and atmospheric. You can almost smell the cigar smoke wafting off the top hats of the boisterous men in the theater before you realize the curtain's raising and it's time for the finale.

There is a fox in this story & I loved that the author chose this animal because of what it represents throughout different cultures: cunning and trickery, femininity, death & the after life, and sins associated with wisdom. The author touched a bit on all these themes in this 40 page short story. The fox being a baby reflects Olivia's own innocence and her choice to care for it coincides with her decision to finally care for herself.

And then there's the mentions of the horse. You might argue the horse's historical connections to war, domination, and destruction, or the Trojan Horse. A mastery of trickery itself.

4/5 just because I would have loved a little bit more backstory about where her husband obtained the magic.. but this isn't story about him, it's about her.

________

♡ I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley; this is my honest review. ♡

This was a nice short little story and a good break after reading a longer book! I don't read a lot of shorter stories, but this was really fun to read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for this arc!

A lovely short story, this. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be recommending it to my friends.

3.5 ⭐️ Engaging storytelling, enveloping atmosphere, vivid imagery.
With the reference to the Amalfi curse, I wonder if a precursor to the author's upcoming book of the same name. Unfortunately, I was denied an e-ARC by Harlequin on NetGalley so it will be awhile until I find out ...

With thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this e-ARC.

The Conjurer's Wife was captivating and thought-provoking, more than I expected from a short story. The characters were well written and I felt like I was in the story with the main character. This was lovely!

I thought this was very well done! Short stories sometimes amaze me with how much they can fit into so few pages. Characters were written well and the book was very atmospheric. I wish it could have been a bit longer, but other than that... I loved it!

Entertaining short story that I would have loved to see explored a bit more deeply. It did make me excited for Penner's next novel, though!

The Conjurer’s Wife by Sarah Penner

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Recommend? Yes, for a very quick read
Finished: 1.11.2025
Format: Advance Digital: thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC 

Olivia floats through her life, hitting the marks her husband demands, taking his cues and captivating his audiences, but she has little of her own to show: no wealth, no autonomy, no memory. In the wake of a terrible accident, she has recovered enough to rejoin her husband’s conjuring act, but she chafes at the rigidity. Can she break free from her chains and learn to live her own life?

Read this if you like:
Short stories
Comeuppance
Magic

Favorite quote: “Still, at the age of twenty-four, Olivia wouldn’t hesitate a moment to trade these awestruck gazes for a single true friend.”

I devoured this in about 30 minutes—it’s the perfect short story for a quick escape to 1820s Italy.

Olivia, the conjurer’s wife, is clever and quietly rebellious, living in the shadow of her husband’s fame while harboring her own secrets. Her husband’s magic is dazzling and unpredictable, but there’s a darker mystery behind his performances.

The story is packed with fantastical visuals and a strong sense of intrigue.

Interesting points: atmospheric, magic, paranormal, rebellious wife, unique vocabulary

*The air this evening feels different.*
This was SO well written and fun, Loved it! i had to go back and read the last bit, feeling like i'd missed something but i hadn't... it was Brilliant!
im always impressed with a short story that is SO well done it feels like a novel... 5 Stars!

"To this day, even as his wife and stage assistant, she still does not understand the secret to Oscar’s work."

This is just a quick little read, with all the charm of Penner’s longer works. The nature of a good short story is always to leave the reader wanting more, and this was no different. The ending was a bit abrupt, as was the build-up and reveal, but that’s to be expected in something only forty pages long. Overall, I liked this a lot and I’m hoping it ties into Penner’s upcoming novel.

4/5 stars

Rather short read, but the imagery and story make it definitely worth the time. Very well written, love the magic show aspect. Unique story— left me wanting more!

A very enjoyable short story about a woman who questions her place. The writing was excellent and the story is something you can enjoy in 20-30 min.

I want to thank NetGalley and everyone involved in allowing me early access.

This is a very short novella of Sarah Penner, one of my beloved authors, that manages to bring all the vibes of mystery and magic. I felt it was a prelude for what is to come in the Almafi Curse, but we shall see that in April. Regardless, if you already love Sarah, don't miss on the opportunity of reading this story.

This little novel was exactly what I needed. That imagery from the authors words were vivid and memorable. I loved the story. I wish it was longer. Such the struggle with a novella! Short but not long enough. I really enjoyed this!

Thank you NetGalley!

This was a fun, short read! I had my own theories about the main character and her husband, but was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the book.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 #𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 #𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘞𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.


Any story with a unique twist I don’t figure out until it is revealed is almost always a winner in my… book. 😉 This one did not disappoint.

It had been on my TBR list, so I was excited when I saw it on the available list at NetGalley.

A new twist on the magician story, I really enjoyed the historical aspect and the descriptions of the act. I liked the background on Olivia and Oscar’s story, but I wish there was just a little more of them interacting outside of being onstage.

Overall, it's a great story!


#NetGalley #ShortStories #HistoricalFiction #MagicalRealism #Mystery

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing and Sarah Penner for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I've always been intrigued by Sarah Penner's titles based on her faithful fanbase- but hadn't tried anything yet. I thought a novella would be the perfect place to start- and it sure was. This was a delightful small taste of the imagery and magic she can weave.

Perhaps it wasn't the point- but this book made me think about AI. Anyone else?

Brief/quick overview: The wife of a magician believes he might not be telling her the full truth.

My thoughts: I love a good short story, and boy was this GOOD! It manages to be descriptive enough to provide all the necessary details while still keeping the story about 40 pages. It seems to be a bit of a set up for her new novel Almafi Curse, as far as I can see! My only complaint here is that there isn't more, but it actually wrapped it up well enough that I don't really feel like I'm missing anything. Very impressive!

📌New Review

Thank you #partners @netgalley & @amazonpublishing for my #gifted copy.

📲: The Conjurer’s Wife
✍️: Sarah Penner
🖨️: Amazon Original Stories
📈: 3⭐️
🪄: Magical Realism

📝:

This was a quick, cutie little novella told by a magician’s wife, Olivia. Oscar Van Hoff is a world-renowned illusionist, but his beautiful young sidekick claims just as much attention from the audience. He would truly be lost without his wife & it shows when she purposely begins to aggravate him by saying the wrong lines, & standing too far away from her assigned spots on stage.

Life hasn’t been the same since her accident the night of their wedding exactly one year ago & she can’t quite put her finger on why. That is until one night she’s rooting around somewhere that she doesn’t belong & the proof is in the pudding. Now there will be hell to pay for dear old hubs.

💭: What’s your favorite tale of magic?
🙋🏻‍♀️: Hocus Pocus or Sabrina The Teenage Witch 🐈‍⬛

🏷️
#newbook #amazonpublishing #amazonoriginal #amazonoriginalstories #partner #fantasybooks #fantasyreads #fantasyreader #fantasybook #magicalrealism #magicalbooks #booksonmagic #witchyreads #bookreview #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreads #newnetgalleybook #newreleasebooks #justlikemagic #hocuspocus #sabrinatheteenagewitch #primereading #amazonprime #primereads #freebook