A very fun short story! I loved the ending and didn’t predict the twist which is a plus. This would be fun to read in a middle-grade classroom and possibly use in a secondary level creative writing class.

4 Stars
One Liner: Nice!

1821, Italy
Olivia Van Hoff is the wife and assistant of famous conjurer and illusionist Oscar Van Hoff. The crowd goes crazy to attend his shows, and Olivia wonders about his magic acts. Her routine job of smiling and reciting the same lines for every show bores her. When a random act leads her to a secret, Olivia decides to take control of the situation.
The story comes in Olivia’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
This 40-page short story uses the craze for illusionists and ‘spiritual stuff’ in the 19th century as the backdrop to talk about the identity crisis, the role of women, the art of magic, etc.
Though people flock to see professional illusionists and are proud that they don’t encourage fraudsters, they also have a generational hatred for witches (pagan magic and women).
For a short piece, this establishes both characters, provides intrigue, reveals a few secrets, and leads the finale to an open ending. In a way, the end suits the character arc and lets readers come to their own conclusions.
The atmosphere and setting are well done despite the word limit. It is easy to visualize the scenes and characters, especially Marmalade (read to find out who/ what it is).
Though the story has a slightly heavier vibe, there’s a sense of lightness too. The balance is quite good and makes the story engaging. It’s a quick read as well.
To summarize, The Conjurer's Wife is an interesting and entertaining short story that touches on a few important themes.
Thank you, NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The ending felt rushed and left lots of things unanswered unfortunately. However it was a short, fun little read.

Magnificent short story, with a captivating plot and delightfully vivid descriptions.

Set in Venice in 1821, Olivia Van Hoff is the wife of Oscar, a conjurer and magician. Olivia is becoming increasingly frustrated by Oscar’s controlling nature and the secrecy about his performances. In the lead-up to their final show for theatregoers, Olivia seeks to find out more, although what she discovers will change her life.

Given the level of creativity demonstrated in this short story, I am interested in reading more work from Sarah Penner.

With thanks to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy, for review consideration with an honest review.

I really liked The London Séance Society, so I decided to read this short story by Sarah Penner before even reading the synopsis. Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Conjurer’s Wife follows Olivia Van Hoff, wife to a famous conjurer, as she grows frustrated by her husband and her mysterious past. The story follows the duo on the last two shows of a tour in Venice. Without giving much away, I liked the descriptions of the shows and found them very entertaining. While I didn’t know wholly know Olivia’s backstory before her accident, it wasn’t as surprising as I would’ve liked. I wanted more answers and wasn’t sure how the witches fit in aside from showing how Olivia wanted friends. I did like the ending, though.

This was a good short story that I read quickly. It was published on January 1, 2025.

A fascinating novella with a strong central character and a compelling plot! Thank you to NetGalley and to Amazon Publishing for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was an entertaining short story. I loved the FMC and felt that revenge is a dish best served cold. A delightful romp. I will see what else this author writes.

This was a satisfying, short little read. Its vivid imagery and descriptions coupled with the mystery of the magic draws you in. The ending could have been more gratifying, but it was open ended enough to wonder what may come next, which keeps you thinking about the story after it’s completed.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

While this was a super short story, it was well-written and engaging. I would read more of this story for sure!

This is a wonderful short story from one of my favorite authors. My only complaint is that I wish this was a full novel. I loved the concept and the writing style.

I loved this short story. I found it to be really clever and fun. I really liked the main character and found her to be enduring. I would not have minded one bit if this had been a full length novel!

Sarah Penner’s latest is a short story told from the point of view of a famous magician’s wife. Olivia’s observations show us that her husband, Oscar, is a conjurer who does amazing feats of magic and is controlling in all aspects of his life. Olivia is growing frustrated with his nonsense and begins to poke around in his life. What she discovers changes everything.

This is a quick and satisfying read, but I so wish it was a full length novel. There is SO much to explore here. I like the setting and find the characters intriguing.

This is a great story for fans of Sarah Penner and readers who enjoy fantasy/mystery types of stories.

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and Amazon Publishing, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Sarah Penner, Amazon Originals and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This short story (34 pages) packs a punch! Young olivia is the assistant in her older husbands magic show. Suffering from amnesia after an accident at their wedding she remembers nothing from before and relies and her husbands stories to fill in the blanks about what she was like before the accident.

During the course of several magic shows, Olivia becomes more and more irritated by the control of her husband and finds herself wanting more from her life. One night, after coming home from a "after party" she finds a secret her husband has been keeping about himself, his magic and her past.

Beautifully written and captivating from the start! I look forward to reading more from Penner in the future and will be recommending this short story to many reader friends this year!

Love how I am instantly transported to 1800s Venice. I was instantly intrigued by the story and liked the twist. I, however, still have questions so I wish it was a little longer!

Sarah Penner is becoming one of my favorite authors that I look forward to reading her books. Normally I am not a short story reader, but I read this because it was written by Sarah Penner.

I loved it!! The downside of a short story is that I want more!! I loved Olivia and Marmalade! This was a great quick read!

I love this short story about a magician’s wife and her discovery of how he conjures up his magical displays. It’s got vibes of empowering women and embracing the life you’re dealt and taking control of your own destiny.

A magician’s wife that discovers how his magic works in atmospheric Venice. The writing was lovely and perfect for a short story like this, but the ending was a bit abrupt for my liking. If you’re just looking for a fun short read this will do the trick!

I am very impressed with how this author was able to captivate me in such a short amount of time. The character building and suspense was wonderful. I would definitely read more work from Sarah Penner. This was a pleasant introduction to her work. Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Conjuerer's Wife is a short story surrounding mystery and illusions.

I enjoyed this one. I honestly would have preferred this to be a novella so there could have been more of a backstory and events leading up to the twist. Olivia was a compelling character who was easy to root for. I was really invested in her search for the truth.

Overall, I felt the magic and mystery tied in well with the setting and characters. The ending does not feel finished so I would have liked more closure. I have a feeling the quick mention regarding the witches is due to Sarah Penner's upcoming release The Amalfi Curse, so I am looking forward to checking it out!

—Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing, for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.—

I'm a huge Sarah Penner fan, so I was excited to get a small dose of her writing in The Conjurer's Wife. Like Penner's other books, this story features magic and strong women. I was impressed with her ability to pack so much atmosphere and character development into only 34 pages!

Thank you to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for the digital copy of this short story in exchange for my honest review.