I read the blurb of this book and just knew I had to read it. I love historical fiction books and fantasy books and this was right up my alley.

I remember reading about the Underground Railroad when I was younger and thinking that al the leaders that were a part of the movement were heroes and how all of the slaves that managed to escape were so brave to have the courage to take charge of their own lives. This was a sad part of history that I was always interested in because it was a story of the little guy rising up and taking a stand. This novel does just that. It rewrites history in a way that makes a younger generation interested in something that while discussed, it hardly is brought up after your days in school. I loved how imaginative the magic system in this book were. It brought to light the significance of the star and the constellations were to the African Americans enslaved during this time period. It also brings to light the racial discrimination that we see today. This book talks about a couple that solve mysteries and crimes in their town that ae overlooked by the police. Today these same things occur. There are entire neighborhoods that are overlooked because of race, poverty and because death and crime is a normal occurrence. I think this is a great novel that can be used to open up deeper discussions with a younger generation.

This book had KILLER world building and a gripping mystery and all around just blew me away. I can't wait to read mire!

I’ll be honest, I was first interested in this book because of the cover. It’s gorgeous and evocative, and made me ask all kinds of questions about what this book could be about. And I was not disappointed.

We’re dropped immediately into some action, and the story doesn’t slow down from there. Even when we had slow and intimate moments between Hetty and Benjy, I was still on the edge of my seat, excited to know what was going to happen next.

The two magic systems are a fascinating thing to explore, although we don’t see a lot of Sorcery. But the Celestial magic was described so beautifully, I want to see this book animated. Just imagining the magic swirling with stars made my breath catch in my throat.

While the murder mystery was tense and intriguing, holding my attention for the entirety of the book, the slow developing and changing of the relationship between Hetty and Benjy stole the show for me. We have two well defined and unique characters, stuck in a status quo, and we get to watch as they both come to the understanding that they are ready to redefine their relationship. Usually, I don’t like romance as a side plot, but this was beautifully done.

I cannot wait for the next book in this series. This book ends with the mystery resolved, but enough of a new opportunity that I immediately want to know what happens next.

I thought The Conductors by Nicole Glover was interesting; the premise of formerly enslaved people using magic didn't develop as much as I would have liked. The plot was full of feuds and arguments, and people using their magic against each other. I think someone who enjoys magic and sorcery would get more out of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reading copy.

This one didn't grab me like I hoped it would. I didn't get clear on the setting until about 1/3 of the way through the book. That said, Hetty and Benjy are compelling characters and I am always happy to read stories of protagonists who are fully-realized adults!

The Conductors is a fascinating debut and the first story in the Murder and Magic series. Combining elements of history from the true Underground Railway, this is a detective agency-style story with a twist. Slavery and magic are intertwined with a murder mystery, all based in the 1800's, making for an interesting premise of a story.

While the writing style and pacing didn't always feel as fluent or natural as it could have been, Glover presents a solid story with incredible character creation and relationship development. I am incredibly excited to see how Glover's writing develops, as well as where the story Hetty and Benjy is taken.

With fantasy woven into it, this book is more than the story of conductors of the Underground Railroad that helped slaves escape their brutal masters. The characters are well written and sensitively portrayed, making this one of my recommended books this year!

I really enjoyed this book a lot.
At first I thought Hetty was quite brusque and unfeeling, and I loved how that unravelled as her character developed and you got to learn more about her.

The magic systems were pretty cool, I’d love a bit more of an in-depth description or explanation of them just to get a better grasp on how it works.

I did feel that the conclusion with her sister was brushed under the mat somewhat, seeing as it had been her driving force for so long. However that could just be an indication of how her priorities have finally changed and how she’s changed.

I’d love to read more about these characters in future books.

I found the Conductors a bit slow to begin, but I ended up really enjoying it. It has a plot, but it doesn't seem that important and instead it is the mysterious atmospheric feel that drew me in and kept me interested. I plan to read the next one at some point.

5 stars! The atmosphere and mixing of genres was fantastic in this book. I usually don't like historical fiction but it has such a good twist on the genre that I absolutely loved it.

When I read a summary of The Conductors on NetGalley, I was very intrigued, and was thrilled to be approved for an e-ARC. Sadly, this book doesn't live up to the excitement generated by the summary. While I did like the main characters, I never felt that I got to know them enough to establish a connection. I found the magic system to be confusing at times and inadequately explained at other times. I found the plot hard to follow, which led to the book being a struggle to finish. The idea was strong, but the execution fell flat.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is not just a typical debut whodunnit, it’s bigger than that on all levels, we get important real life historical allegory cleverly depicted, it’s set in 1800s black America within the backdrop of the underground railroad; some characters such as awesome cool #Hetty are conductors. Hetty earns their own money and is extremely sassy and talented. Hetty is more than a Jessica Fletcher, Hetty is badass who I believe can give anyone a good ‘side-eye’.

Hetty brings the ‘TEA’ depthly in her quest to figure out the murder her gentle giant husband Benjy helps too. Then on top of all of that we get to see magic lots and lots of that. On a reread I shall enjoy appreciating the astrology aspects more. I was in a hurry to finish.

We also meet a variety of characters some of who you immediately get invested with. I look forward to enjoying all the series that comes from book 1. That was a brilliant adventure. I am so glad to have read the book as I understand Queen Latifah wants to bring this to the big screen. Good commercial move 👌🏾👍🏾

Hang on to any signed copies you have if lucky to have/get one.

Thank you to Netgalley for a chance to read and review this ARC. This is a fantasy fiction debut novel that takes place in Philadelphia shortly after the Civil War has ended. Hetty a former conductor on the Underground Railroad teams up with her husband to solve murders and mysteries that the white authorities won’t touch. A lot of mystery and intrigue and a very creative magical system using star constellations.

Really well written for a debut novel. Let's jump right into the details today:

Characters
Our characters are adults whom are in committed relationships. No weird love triangles, first time love, or overdone romance. It's so rare to have a married couple (whom we didn't see meet one another at first) be the focus of a first book in a series. I love how their relationship grows and changes over the course of the book. As someone in a relationship of 13+ years their interactions, nuances, and treatment of one another felt very genuine. It's relaxed, but caring; and very understanding at the end of the day, much like my own. This gave it a nice real feeling which is something I always appreciate given how many over-the-top and ridiculous love stories there are out there.

Magical Systems
The two magic systems in The Conductors are unique and interesting (although I wish we had learned more about how they work). I loved the use of the constellations as our characters 'good' magic (if you will). I do wish I understood more about the sorcery or 'bad' magic as I am still not quite certain what makes it less desirable or why it lends itself to evil. Regardless, it didn't take away from the overall story, nor did it seem a big deal to not have this context. I just like knowing the intricacies of how an author has imagined complex magical systems and uses.

The Setting
Set shortly after the USA abolished slavery The Conductors is interesting as it demonstrates how unfair the country continued to be. Without a doubt (look at today to see proof) the sudden freedom people experienced did not necessarily improve their lives. Although it gave them a fighting chance; as we all know, change is much, much slower to truly come around. And I would think it clear that the world has still not achieved equality between races, cultures, religions, etc. Sad as that may be.
I was intrigued to see how scattered so many families and friends were at that time. This is something I had not really thought about very much before. The idea that you could be married to someone and your 'owner' sells them off to someone else is not only heartbreaking but unduly cruel. No person should be a commodity to be benefited from as someone else sees fit.

The Underground Railroad
I loved the snippets and little stories told of the Underground Railroad. I actually wish the whole book was written about our two main characters and their time as Conductors! With any luck more of these events are also told in past tense in book 2 of this series. This is a great introduction to what was being done, and the risks people took to save themselves and others around them. However I would say that Nicole Glover barely scratches the surface of what she could likely write about when it comes to the Conductors and their challenges, successes, and failures as they led people to freedom.

The Plot
The murder mystery was intriguing enough. I'm not really into murder mysteries; so I was far more engaged by the relationships, people, setting, and magical infusion in the novel. Ironically the plot of the story is the murders and their mystery; and yet it’s the part I cared about the least. It comes together fine, I was neither blind-sided, nor did the ending feel cheap; so for me that is a positive (if not resounding) approval of the main story.

Overall
I would definitely recommend this as a great (fun at times) read. If you are looking for details about the function of the Underground Railroad, it's Conductors, or in-depth look at the circumstances of the slaves I would say this is not really for you. Certainly the abolition of slavery is important here; but I didn't feel like I learned anything new or gained any greater introspective from what I had prior to reading The Conductors. All that said I quite enjoyed this book and will certainly check out the second one; and anything future Nicole Glover reads.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Very promising first novel!
The concept was strong, and I loved the heck out of the main characters, Hetty and Benjy, and how the arc of their relationship grew in such an interesting way.
However, the plot was a mess and the magic system was underdeveloped. These are big problems in a historical fantasy mystery story.

Overall, a great read. I liked the world-building and the main characters. I felt a touch unsatisfied by the end of the book but would recommend it. Really glad to have more MC of color!

The Conductors by Nicole Glover was included in a roundup of favorite opening lines in new releases on the Fresh Fiction blog: https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=11092

The Conductors by Nicole Glover (March 2021)

May 1871

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When the wagon rolled into view, Hetty took another small step along the tree branch. Lookout was not a role she would have chosen, but Benjy had argued a trap was useless if it wasn’t sprung in the right moment. Someone needed to watch the road, or trouble would be the only thing they caught.

I was immediately drawn in by the premise but unfortunately I think this novel tried to do too much so none of it was as good as it could have been. I found the characters flat and didn't get to know them well. The magic system was confusing and seemed disconnected from the world. How such magic would have affected historical events in context wasn't addressed so it seemed like an element added in without truth to ground it.

This really was an incredible book, but quite hard to find my reader's feet in, as it were. It's such an interesting subject, and there were some really awesome subtleties and tropes that were slightly twisted or flipped in here, which I really appreciated.
But, while this was a good book, it wasn't an unforgettable one. It did come very close and was one I'd read again however.

Thank you netgalley and librofm for my gifted copies. I loved that this was a perfect mix of history and magic. I loved that the author centered the story around the underground railroad but added some fantasy and magic to it. This one took me some time to get into but I enjoyed it.