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.

Sarah Penner is a must read author for me. The way she weaves a whole world in her books (and novellas!) is astounding.

I would read a full length novel about this world of magic, magicians, and people appearing and disappearing out of thin air.

I didn't know what to expect going into this short story by Sarah Penner. The story takes place in the early 1800's in Italy. Olivia, the wife of the famous conjurer, Oscar, helps Oscar with his magic shows, but is unsure how he performs his magic or what her past entails. As she learns things about herself, the story unfolds and takes a twist.

I actually enjoyed this story. The author could have made the book longer, but I felt like she got to the point quickly. Her descriptions were vivid and who doesn't love a baby fox?

I think the lesson here is that you can want all sorts of things, but that doesn't mean those things will ever want you back.

This was one of the best short stories out there, full of vivid imagery, deceit, and magic. Olivia is a great character and the story itself was very engaging.

Thank you NetGalley. This short story centers around a conjurer, Oscar, and his wife, Olivia, his beautiful assistant. His act is widely acclaimed and his ticket prices are dear. Olivia, who suffers from amnesia makes a consequential discovery after one of their acts that will change everything. Although I don’t mind an unresolved ending, I thought this one a little too vague but still very enjoyable

Men never learn from the saying...hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. This was a fantastic short story about deception, greed, and revenge. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This short story was charming and easy to read. The setting was well-done and the characters were detailed nicely despite the brevity. The story arc was great, but the ending was very abrupt. I have heard this may be a prequel or quasi-related to Sarah Penner's upcoming novel "The Amalfi Curse" and I hope that is the case because I greatly enjoyed the story and was left wanting more as it ended. I would recommend this to friends, and will plan to purchase The Amalfi Curse if it is a continuation of this story. Thank you for the advance copy!

The Conjurer’s Wife by Sarah Penner

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend? Yes
Finished: 01/12/2025
Format: Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sarah Penner for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Conjurer's Wife that came out January 1, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Olivia Van Hoff lives under the shadows of her magician husband, Oliver. She is his wife and assistant on the stage. They come to see him. But, they also come to admire her. Olivia has little life of her own. No friends, no memory, she takes cues from Oliver both on and off the stage. That could change if the secrets to Oliver's illusions are revealed.

BRAVO! All the elements of a full novel in a short story. I was pulled into the theater in Venice with the descriptive imagery instantly. It gave the vibes of a strong woman waiting to come out of the shadows. Penner has a way of mixing historical fiction and fantasy that is spellbinding!

Read this if you like: magical realism, descriptive imagery, deceit, novellas

Favorite quote: "The artist may do what he pleases with his brush, but he cannot control where the pigment drips and bleeds."

Unexpected gem. Sarah Penner is the best at historical mystery with a touch of romance. This was such a fun read. I enjoyed Olivia and Oscar they are quite the pair. This was a story about an illusionist and his wife. It left lingering questions but I suppose that’s half the fun of this 40 page stunner.

Olivia and her husband are days from their magic show's much anticipated finale, but something feels wrong. Her husband's magic feels wrong. Olivia's marriage feels wrong. Olivia feels wrong. Olivia also can't remember anything from before a year ago.

I've been on a feminine rage vibe kick lately - I love stories about women becoming themselves and recognizing the power they hold. This was a magical little rebirth and revenge story about an early 1800s touring conjurer and his wife, Olivia. It's very short and atmospheric. You can almost smell the cigar smoke wafting off the top hats of the boisterous men in the theater before you realize the curtain's raising and it's time for the finale.

There is a fox in this story & I loved that the author chose this animal because of what it represents throughout different cultures: cunning and trickery, femininity, death & the after life, and sins associated with wisdom. The author touched a bit on all these themes in this 40 page short story. The fox being a baby reflects Olivia's own innocence and her choice to care for it coincides with her decision to finally care for herself.

And then there's the mentions of the horse. You might argue the horse's historical connections to war, domination, and destruction, or the Trojan Horse. A mastery of trickery itself.

4/5 just because I would have loved a little bit more backstory about where her husband obtained the magic.. but this isn't story about him, it's about her.

________

♡ I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley; this is my honest review. ♡

This was a nice short little story and a good break after reading a longer book! I don't read a lot of shorter stories, but this was really fun to read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for this arc!

A lovely short story, this. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be recommending it to my friends.

3.5 ⭐️ Engaging storytelling, enveloping atmosphere, vivid imagery.
With the reference to the Amalfi curse, I wonder if a precursor to the author's upcoming book of the same name. Unfortunately, I was denied an e-ARC by Harlequin on NetGalley so it will be awhile until I find out ...

With thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this e-ARC.

The Conjurer's Wife was captivating and thought-provoking, more than I expected from a short story. The characters were well written and I felt like I was in the story with the main character. This was lovely!

I thought this was very well done! Short stories sometimes amaze me with how much they can fit into so few pages. Characters were written well and the book was very atmospheric. I wish it could have been a bit longer, but other than that... I loved it!

Entertaining short story that I would have loved to see explored a bit more deeply. It did make me excited for Penner's next novel, though!

The Conjurer’s Wife by Sarah Penner

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Recommend? Yes, for a very quick read
Finished: 1.11.2025
Format: Advance Digital: thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC 

Olivia floats through her life, hitting the marks her husband demands, taking his cues and captivating his audiences, but she has little of her own to show: no wealth, no autonomy, no memory. In the wake of a terrible accident, she has recovered enough to rejoin her husband’s conjuring act, but she chafes at the rigidity. Can she break free from her chains and learn to live her own life?

Read this if you like:
Short stories
Comeuppance
Magic

Favorite quote: “Still, at the age of twenty-four, Olivia wouldn’t hesitate a moment to trade these awestruck gazes for a single true friend.”