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.

I have no idea why but I just couldn't get into this book. I found the story slow, and myself not caring about any of the characters (which, for a book about people being kidnapped, that isn't good). Maybe it's Nicole Glover's writing style but I just wasn't vibing with THE CONDUCTORS. I found the magic system hard to understand and the book a chore to get through.

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.

this was such a unique read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed meeting Hetty and her husband. The was a great start to a fantasy read and I look forward to more from Ms. Glover.

Don't judge this book just on ARC reviews. I suspect it will improve.
I enjoyed the story, setting, characters, world, and plot. I would read more by the author.
The ARC, however, needs more editing. Some editing is for pacing and organization and what happens. There's barely time to process new information before yet another new thing happens. My working memory was working over time, making the book feel very slow. My long term memory had a hard time learning new facts and characters and piecing everything together. There were three separate mysteries, for example, multiple flashbacks, amd different daily activities that were unclear if they were distractions, backstory or clues. The arc also had a lot of typos and grammar mistakes leftover from revisions.

This is the first time I have read a mystery and while I really enjoyed it. It had a slow start and didn't really pick up through the book. It was also difficult for me to follow along with the many characters introduced closely together at the start of the book. The magic system was also difficult for me to grasp. It's also non-linear with flashbacks, that sometimes felt disjointed.

I loved Hetty as the protagonist though. She was a fantastic character. She is intelligent and driven, and I liked her relationship with her husband. While not a marriage built on love, they respect each other and that was nice to see. They solve crimes the White authorities ignore, but I was expecting more of a gritty mystery than what this is.

Most of my issues with this book, is the pacing, it was just really slow and made it hard for me to stay engaged. I don't know if this is a common thing for mystery books, or if it's just me not being used to the genre.

I found it odd though that there were no Native American characters at all, considering it's set in a Post-Civil War America. There should have been some beyond a brief mention.

I am just unsure if I like this book or not. It has a very interesting premise, but I just don't know how to really feel about it as a whole. It's all about the pacing, it never picked up for me. I think a lot of people who regularly read Mysteries might like. And it has a very interesting Historical Fantasy twist.

The problem with getting such early arcs (got the book in July, book not out until March 2021) is that when you read the book and you have issues, you don't really know if you should point them out because clearly they might still be editing the book. So I will only say this: I like the main ideas of the book and I like the story arc, I think if they fix some of the dialogue and tighten the narrative a bit, then this could be an absolutely excellent debut. The mix of fantasy/speculative historic fiction was interesting, some of the ideas refreshing and I am looking forward to see how the book will do once published next year.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel!

I struggled a little bit in the beginning with getting into the book, however, I am very glad that I'd pushed through because this turned out to be an amazing read.

I don't think I have ever read a book with a similar magic system to this one. The use of star constellations is an incredible idea and I would honestly love to read more about it. It's new (to me, at least) and exciting and I loved it. It's not the only source of magic though, which is more destructive and performed through the use of a magic wand.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the main couple. Hetty, the protagonist, is married to Benjy, their marriage was more of a convenience thing, rather than a whirlwind romance. Still (or maybe because of that), their relationship is something I adored, they have been through a lot together and they have so much understanding, respect and love for each other. They make a great team and have great chemistry, the scenes where they were together were one of my most favourite to read.

There is also a lot of side characters with interesting backstories and while I do appreciate their complexity and dynamics within the group, I did find myself lost and confused on some occasions. Especially towards the end, where the murder mystery began to unravel.

All in all, I can definitely see myself getting my hands on the book once it's available and I'd definitely be up for reading more stories set in this world.

The Conductors took me many times trying to read through and unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. I read about halfway through, but I just found the pacing way to slow for me and the character development wasn't enough to keep me interested in them.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I was very intrigued by this book. I thought the concept was amazing! The concept of former conductors of the Underground Railroad solving crimes was really interesting to me. Not only that, but they would be magic users! I was really excited to read this.
Sadly, The Conductors kind of fell flat for me.
I found the pacing of this book to be extremely slow. The murder mystery aspect of the book felt pushed to the side in favor of other side plots that I didn't care about. I also didn't find myself caring for many of the side characters. I found myself trudging through this book and it nearly put me in a reading slump. The magic system, while an interesting concept, isn't explained. That made it very confusing to read.
One thing I did enjoy was the atmosphere. Post-Civil War is a time period I read very little about and I thought the setting was very strong. However, it wasn't enough to save me from the slow pace of this book.
I feel like this books just didn't live up to my expectations.

One of the best Galley I had the pleasure to read this year. The Conductors is a historical crime-fantasy set after the American Civil war, focussing on the life of Hatty and Benji. The couple used to work ad Underground conductors, helping slaves to evict to North America to gain their freedom. Both of them are now settled in Philadelphia:

However, here's some stuff not mentioned in the blurb: a) Celestial Magic is the coolest thing invented; b) Hatty and Benji marriage is a convenience marriage. b) is also one of my favourite things to read, and I was not expecting a romantic subplot in this novel.

Overall, I enjoyed it a lot. The first part (around 100 pages) was extremely slow and I had some trouble getting through it, as too many characters were introduced and it took me a while to remember who was who. However, once the first introductory part is over, the novel is impossible to put down and, in the end, it's an extremely satisfying experience. I particularly enjoyed (maybe more than the present-narration) the bits set in the past when Hatty and Benji worked as conductors. I would love to read a prequel.

5/5

As a debut novel, I was really surprised at how well the story was developed from a plot and character standpoint. While the pace is on the slower side of things, I really enjoyed getting to know these characters, and the events that happen at different points in time that help the plot move along some as well. Over all, I really enjoyed this one. Especially the bit of romance we got between Hetty and Benjy, who really only got married out of convenience and had no expectations for a relationship past that of necessity.

The historical parts for me were very interesting and I now have a better understanding, or at least a good thought process, about how important the conductors were for the Underground Railroad. Even though this was a fictional story with magical elements, it was an interesting narrative. The side of magic that these characters possessed was the MOST intriguing part for me as a fantasy reader. The ideas this author had and created were so fresh and new to me, using the ideals of celestial magic and sigils.

I liked this one. The pacing was a little slow, but the characters were well fleshed out and the magic system was pretty cool (though a little confusing).
**,Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy of this novel