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


It took me a while to get through this book but I will definitely say that I really enjoyed this book and how it was a very unique time period. A very unique style of magic and just a very enjoyable read. I definitely say that it takes a little while to get familiar with the world but I definitely want to check out the sequel.

I loved this book! It was fantastic and had great rep as well as the atmosphere. The writing was so evocative and I felt like I was there with the characters. I loved the writing and will deff be checking out some more by this author. I also have to give a nod to the cover design because it is beautiful and immediately grabbed my attention.

I've tried to read this twice now and didn't make it past the first few chapters. I don't think this one and I are going to be friends. Having trouble with the writing style and even though the concept is interesting, I'm just not getting through the first few chapters after multiple tries.

After reading several reviews where the magic system was described as confusing I do not believe this book is a good fit for me anymore. I really struggle with magic systems so I do not believe it would be fair for me to review this book.

THE CONDUCTORS is a mystery novel steeped in magic, murder, and mayhem. Set against the backdrop of post-civil war, it follows Hetty and her husband Benjy, who formerly aided slave escapes to the north with their magic, as they setting into Philadelphia. When one of their dear friend turns up dead, body carved with cursed magic, and the local authorities refuse to investigate it, Hetty and Benjy take matters into their own hands to hunt down the truth.

The story was atmospheric, rich with history and brimming with tension, which kept me reading from one page to the next. I love both Hetty and Benjy, who are imperfect in their own ways, but also determined to face the truth, no matter how hideous. I struggled with the pacing and exposition, as it made the story feel more plot driven than character driven, but it was still a compelling read.

I absolutely could not put THE CONDUCTORS down until the end.

I did put this book down and haven’t picked it back up yet. I was very eager to pick this up because I love historical fiction but for some reason I couldn’t get into it. I’m not sure if it’s because it had a fantasy aspect but it just wasn’t for me now.

"This case isn't like the others. Everything we learn about it strikes close to the heart. When strangers are murdered, we discover their secrets. But when it's someone we know that's dead, we end up learning secrets about ourselves."

As a mixture of murder mystery, historical fiction, and fantasy, THE CONDUCTORS is a tale that weaves several different elements together. I would have loved to learn more about the magic they use, as it holds such an integral part of the story, but other than a brief introduction early on, it almost feels like the reader is supposed to inherently understand it. Note, I loved the interludes that focused on Hetty and Benjy's time as Conductors. The writing felt incredibly rich, and the pacing of those chapters left me wanting to know what happened next.

While reading, I felt that there were a lot of minuscule details and interactions that could have been edited out, but upon finishing the novel, I saw that it was intended to be a series. I'm hopeful that Glover will bring some of those storylines to a conclusion in her later novels. Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me (2.5 stars). Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Although I think the author is a talented writer and the plot was intriguing, what I realized is that I just don't really care for the speculative fiction genre. So for me personally, this book dragged a bit.

But I love the idea of black characters in this genre so I want to encourage Nicole Glover to keep writing. I'll recommend this book to others, it's just not my taste.

Hetty and Beni married for convenience but have worked together investigating crimes that the law doesn’t care about. In between solving crimes with a little magic, Hetty keeps looking for her sister that she left behind before the war was over. This time the victim is someone they know. From the title I was expecting more of a historical mystery featuring conductors from the civil war, but only in flashbacks was this the case.
Goodreads

This book was so different from everything I read before, in the best way possible.
I love Historical Fantasy, but I have never read anything like this. Novels centring on Black characters and culture are luckily getting more recognition nowadays, but we still need more of this!
I adored the characters, especially Hetty and Benji, and yet, they didn't overshadow the secondary characters, as it happens sometimes. Also, the hidden message of the story warmed my heart. The found family theme was spot on.
To be honest, the only aspect that really did not settle well with me was the magic system. As much as I tried to understand how it worked, I could not. There were no explanations about how Celestial magic worked at any point throughout the novel. Sometimes it looked as if it wasn't fully developed.
Besides that, I was fully engrossed in the story, and despite how slow the pace was, I could not put it down.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner books for the ARC of this great title**

While this book was not exactly my cup of tea, I can definitely appreciate it as a debut novel and look forward to what Nicole Glover puts out next!

The star magic and sorcery aspects of the book were very interesting and unique, but I found them to be quite confusing at points. The historical aspects regarding The Underground Railroad were fascinating/horrific and definitely brought to light some of our country’s dark past.

The book jumped perspective and time lines multiple times, without providing much background or useful information to the plot. I would have loved this book if there was more character development and if the flashbacks provided more important information to the plot at hand.

While the magical aspects of this book were neat and caught my interest, the main part of the plot crumbled down into a (not very interesting) WhoDunnIt. I think if I had cared more about the “mystery” involved in the book that I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Overall I found this book to be lacking a little bit of substance but think the themes had a lot of potential. I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, sorcery/magic, and mysteries.

I was very excited to read this book based on the summary, and aspects of it really drew me in. I loved the speculative history and the magic system, which were unique compared to many other fantasy novels I've read. However, the pacing did not always work for me. It took me longer than I expected to feel drawn into the story, especially for a concept I was so excited to explore. I also wish there was more exploration of the magic system. Overall, I did enjoy this book and will check out Nicole Glover's future work!

A story of two conductors of the Underground Railroad who have magical powers that help hide and protect their passengers. I thought the characters where well-rounded and very interesting - you learned a little more about each one as the story unfolded. I love a story with a twist and the magical aspect definitely twisted this book into a great read! I'm anxiously waiting for the next book, The Undertakers!

The Conductors is a poignant tale that explores the harsh realities of Black American life during slavery against a speculative backdrop.

What I liked most about this book was the world building. The magic system is just so brilliantly thought out. This is not a fast paced book but I couldn't stop reading.

I think the story is unique and definitely shows more for the rest of the series. I liked the romance side of the story too between Hetty and Benjy. This is a murder mystery with the blend of magic aspect. Brilliantly written and looking forward to reading more of Glover's work.

Magic mixed with a whodunnit mystery. Hettie and Benjy were conductors in the Undergound Railroad. Now they help solve cases with magic. When strange sigils start popping up around murders, the have to figure out who is responsible before more end up dead. I loved this book and Hettie is a damn queen. I can’t wait to see how her relationship with Benjy progresses and read more of their adventures.

This was such a good book.I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the story and the sense of history I got while reading this book. My least favorite thing about this book,.was the errors. As I was reading I found a number of errors that just felt should not have been there, These errors did not take away from the story, they were just ab it off putting, as it took a moment to understand what she author was trying to say. I cannot wait for what this author writes next.

This was a great, gripping story. A world-breaker of fantasy, filled with vivid descriptions and brilliant plotlines. I would recommend this read to any reader out there, looking for a new fantasy!

Reposted from Instagram @lazyfeline89.
Thanks to marinerbooks and netgalley for the e-arc
Synopsis:
Hetty and Benjy ; once enslaved , have served as underground railroad conductors helping many a slaves attain liberation. In the post civil war Philadelphia, they solve crimes , which the whites turn a blind eye to. When one of the black elites and their close friend is found slain bearing the cursed sigil, they are set on the track of a cold-blooded murderer, magic and more.

Review: The conductors is the first book in a series combining 3 of my favourite genres- fantasy, mystery and historical fiction. I loved the characterisation of protagonists and their complex relationships.Hetty, the celestial magician and seamstress , is very much human; her insecurities, her confidence , everything about her is relatable. Benjamin as her partner and an amateur sleuth is a delight to follow. The other characters are written with an element of mystery surrounding them . The incorporation of celestial magic in a book on slaves set in a historical era is quite a feat and the author , though a debutante , has managed it brilliantly. With the ongoing discussions on including the critical race theory , a book showing everything wrong with slavery and racism is the need of the day. This is one of those books which would get you hooked right from the first page. The murder mystery is quite intriguing and almost all the suspects do have motives, so that we keep guessing almost till the end and solve the case with the protagonists .The book is written with the necessary interspersed interludes on the slavery era and keeps us glued to. What I felt could have been better was the explanation of celestial magic, which was confusing at times. A glossary explaining each sigil would have been helpful. The book leaves many unexplained questions and I'm really looking forward to unraveling these in the next installment.
Rating: 3.8/5

Sadly, this one did not meet my expectations. I was a little bored and I think the book suffers from too much description and details of things that don't add to the story. I expected something a little different based off the synopsis as well. I think the idea was great but it wasn't executed as well as I had hoped. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!