I loved Sarah Penner's debut novel and was interested in the premise of this short story.

Olivia's husband is a conjurer, and she works onstage as his assistant during shows. When they were married, she had a terrible accident that caused amnesia and blotted out her past from her mind, so Olivia knows nothing about her life but her husband. Despite this, she still doesn't know the secret to how he conjures.

I enjoyed reading this story. Even though it was short, I felt invested in Olivia and her experiences, and I was interested in reading about her life and where it was going. There was also a bit of a twist ending.

If you like this author, I think you will enjoy this one!

Sarah Penner’s The Conjurer’s Wife is a mesmerizing novella set in 1820s Venice, weaving magic, mystery, and personal awakening into a captivating tale. The story follows Olivia, wife and assistant to renowned magician Oscar Van Hoff, as she begins to unravel secrets both on and off the stage. Along the way, the story drops intriguing references to Amalfi and the witches of Positano—breadcrumbs that hint at something much larger brewing. Perhaps a prequel of sorts to The Amalfi Curse?

Penner’s writing is lush and atmospheric, transporting you to the canals and dimly lit theaters of Venice. Olivia is a wonderfully relatable character, caught between loyalty to her husband and her growing need for independence. The twists are compelling, and the novella sets an intriguing stage for the themes Penner may explore further in The Amalfi Curse.

If there’s one downside, it’s that the story left me wanting more—a testament to how engaging it is. But as a standalone or a teaser of things to come, it works beautifully. Fans of historical fiction with a supernatural edge will devour this one.

Beautifully written and highly entertaining. I loved the mix of whimsical magic and the slow horror. I would happily read a full length novel like this.

A quick atmospheric read, set in 1820s Venice. Olivia is the young wife of a conjurer, she feels something is off and feeling slightly rebellious, she doesn't stand on the chalk mark on the stage designated for her by her husband, Oscar. Oscar is not pleased, he delights the audience with conjuring tricks, beginning by turning a man's hat into a peony and then working up. Olivia ponders the secret of his magic and also what caused her amnesia, attributed to an accident on her wedding night. An entertaining tale with tension and some twists and a sweet fox cub. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a short but very enjoyable read! I loved all the references to the upcoming The Amalfi Curse. It was a pleasant surprise.

A HUGE thanks to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book! I get no compensation whatsoever, and I write this review willingly.



The delightful cover which spoke of spectacle and ancient times what with the clothes and braid of the woman really caught my eye. But what intrigued me was the title, The Conjurer’s Wife! A conjurer? Interesting! And his wife… She’s clearly much more than what she appears to be at first.

I had to read this short story by Sarah Penner! Not only does it occur during the 19th century, but also in Venice, with a backdrop of illusionism and spectacles. I love everything magic and that relates to the arts of the scene.


So, I was kindly granted a digital copy, and honestly I read it so fast. When I had to do something else, I would keep thinking about the story and Olivia, the main character, until finally I could resume my reading.

This sounds like your cuppa too?

Keep reading, loves!

The Positive Points:
The prose is straightforward and includes much information in short sentences and fewer words than one would think. I love it! You know all you need to in a swift and direct way. The descriptions are succinct, yet they tell everything you need to know: like how common the clearing of throat is before a show as a spectator, and how the theatergoers are drunk, notably before it happens in the holidays and on a Friday evening. The author doesn’t shy away from less-than-agreeable truths and descriptions, and I appreciate it.

Also, I love the integration of gaslight system which is from that time period—it is accurate and well-thought of.

Plus, you can feel the tension between Oscar and Olivia right from his entrance! He doesn’t seem wholly good… what has he done in the past? It seems Olivia thinks it’s high time for a little rebellion of her own. I am intrigued about what truly happened to Olivia before the injury and what Oscar might have done to her… used her for his shows? Lied and manipulated her to wed her?

As I kept progressing in my reading, something clearly didn’t seem right about this whole thing and Oscar, was Olivia the magician before and then he met her and used her talents to become popular? Maybe he stole magic by causing her head injury… Argh, I didn’t know, but something was definitely wrong in this picture! He seemed to have no trick to his shows… which as a magician is highly improbable! Almost impossible. So what gives?

I love the scene with Olivia and the painting. It is much more important than we know at the moment!

Omg, the plot twist was great! I wasn’t expecting that plot twist until the very last minute. Fantastic and chilling at the same time. A grand number in the author’s show! The ending is excellent and rebellious—just like Olivia in the beginning. dang how I love her character! I would read a whole book about her.

Lastly, this short story reads like a show. I mean, it’s like I am watching a theater play or a tv show—it’s really entertaining and captivating.

The Negative Points:
How can she be sure that thing (no spoilers here) is magic? She simply assumed when she saw it. Perhaps Oscar plans his shows with it? This would be more logical than assuming it’s magic right away. This seemed a bit illogical and it bothered me, jumping to conclusion like that—the right one at that, and much less plausible than anything else!

In Conclusion:
Overall, I give The Conjurer’s Wife by Sarah Penner a grand rating of 5 stars out of 5 for how excellent the storytelling is, how captivating and engrossing the story is, and also how much I love Olivia as a character and the amazing plot twist! Honestly, I would really read a whole thick book about Olivia! This story is genuinely that good.

I recommend this short story to all lovers of magic in all its forms, art, and spectacles, as well as those seeking to be captivated by a story and characters and taken aback by a plot twist cleverly crafted!

This was such a well written short story. In just a short time I got completely invested and I just want more

The Conjurer’s Wife
By Sarah Penner
3.5 ⭐️

This very short story is fanciful and imaginative. Centered on a magician and his wife who suffers from amnesia, we get to join in on 2 of their shows. This is absolutely worth a read as it can be read start to finish in well less than an hour!

eARC courtesy of: NetGalley, Sarah Penner, and Amazon Publishing. 🪄

It's pretty fast paced, really a short story. I really love to read about the illusionists and stories revolving about such themes, but I didn't understand the ending. But it's atmospheric and a quick read if you want to come out of a reading slump, pick it up for sure!

This was a fun magical mystery short story set in Venice in the 1820s.
It excels in creating an atmosphere of anticipating an unsettling reveal and building up a feeling of dread. Olivia is fleshed out enough to have made me root for her. Her yearning for solid friendships felt particularly relatable to me. I wanted to know more about her husband, though. The mystery was intriguing and the twist well done. The ending felt a bit too abrupt. I think I would have liked to linger and explore Olivia’s feelings about the reveal a bit more. There were also some questions I wanted answers to. The writing was fine. There were some instances of overexplaining, but they didn’t detract much from my enjoyment.
Overall, I can recommend this if you’re looking for something really short and entertaining.

Characters: 6/10 x3 (Okay)
Relationships: 4/10 x3 (Mediocre)
Atmosphere/Vibes: 9/10 (Excellent)
World-building/Setting: 7/10 x2 (Good)
Writing: 7/10 x3 (Good)
Plot/Pacing: 6/10 x3 (Okay)
Enjoyment: 8/10 x4 (Great)
Total: ~6.53 = 3.25*

Thanks to the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t typically read short stories because I always want more. This was good though, for the length. The plot is very straightforward and lots of things are left unexplained, but the point of the book is still clear at the end. Quick and fun read.

This is a fantastic short story. Even with the short format, there is enough detail to be immersed in the story and connect to the MC. It ends well without feeling rushed, and while I could definitely enjoy a deeper dive into this story with a longer book, the author accomplished a wholly satisfying tale in the limited pages they used. I like that we aren't spoon fed too much information, allowing the reader's imagination to fill in the blanks for things like how the MC's husband obtained the magic he uses. Sarah Penner also does a great job writing her descriptions to create a picture in the reader's mind. Overall this was an enjoyable story for an under 30 minute read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sarah Penner, and Amazon Publishing for this E-ARC.

This story, though brief, was an excellent example in precision and craftsmanship. Every aspect, from the vivid setting to the interesting magic system, was carefully thought out and executed. I would love a full length novel expanding on this story, as I desperately want more. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the copy!

As I have come to expect from Sarah Penner, The Conjurers Wife is a beautifully written and empowering story. My only complaint is that it ended so soon.

Sarah Penner doesn't waste a word in The Conjurer's Wife. I was completely enthralled from the first few sentences. You're dropped into the middle of a scene with our MC centre stage at a magic show. I won't say much, other than for such a short book, the characters are very well defined and I loved the exploration of toxic relationships.
The setting and brief look at the magic system is also great.

Incredibly satisfying novella coming from someone I have only read bad reviews about.

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Olivia knows her role—she is to back up her husband, a conjuror garnering fame and accolades, serving as his assistant onstage and perhaps offstage. Nobody has ever asked if she tires of this role...but, well, she does. And when she pushes the boundaries, she discovers a secret that could upend everything...

This was a fun, quick read. I don't read all that much historical fiction, but I loved the surprises here; maybe in a longer work I would have guessed some of the secrets underpinning the plot, but in so short a story things moved too quickly for that. I haven't read any of Penner's books, but looking at them now I wonder whether this is connected to "The Amalfi Curse", which—if this is anything to go on—I would probably enjoy, because this short story would be a banger of a novel.

"The Conjurer's Wife" leaves Olivia at something of a crossroads, and while she manages tremendous growth in a short stretch of time, I'm definitely curious about what could have come out of a longer work.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

I normally don’t read novellas but when I saw it was written by Sarah Penner I knew I had to read it. I love how Sarah also focuses on such unique areas of history and intertwines it with magic. I was so intrigued by the focus of a magician/ transformationist and his wife/ assistant.

I flew through these pages, I thought it was very fast paced and well written but I could have done with a little more at the end. It ended more abrupt than I was expecting. Normally I find some of her work to be a touch longer than necessary so was surprised to feel this had the opposite effect!

Made me excited to see this can almost be seen as a precursor for her next book coming out- The Amalfi Curse. I will definitely be grabbing that after reading this!

I loved this short story! It was well written and it was captivating. I only wish it was longer. I think the setting was perfect and I also loved the character of the little fox. A very quick read, of course, but very satisfying!

What a unique short story! The Conjurer’s Wife tells the story of a magician in 18th century Italy who can conjure objects from nothing. His wife accompanies him on the stage as his assistant and is in the dark about his magic as much as the audience, until she starts to question things.

Even though this was a short story, I really felt for Olivia being so isolated. I loved the imagery and the dark-gothic vibes. I only wish that it was developed into a longer story! The ending felt a bit rushed and I would love to see what happens after!

This is my first time reading something by Sarah Penner but definitely adding her books to my TBR list! Thanks to Amazon Publishing for providing this book for review on Netgalley.