Reviews with content warning for Miscarriage - The Conductors

I enjoyed The Conductors, Nicole Glover's debut novel following a married couple, Hetty and Benjy, former Underground Railroad conductors solving a mystery in post-Civil War Philadelphia. I loved the contrasting magical systems in this book, particularly the celestial sigil-based magic utilized by Hetty, Benjy, and several other characters. The inclusion of brief interludes which flash back to Hetty and Benjy's time working in the Underground Railroad were an effective way to include important background to the story, and I love Hetty as a character -- smart, determined, skilled, witty -- and can't wait to read more about her in future books. I did find that the pacing was a bit inconsistent (a little bit of 'info dump' at the beginning explaining who's who before the plot really gets going), and a few of the red herrings along the way to solving the mystery weren't quite convincing; however, this was more than made up for by Glover's incredible character development and, even more specifically, relationship development. Hetty and Benjy's relationship dynamic and their milieu felt very real to me, as the complicated relationships between the various secondary characters was really well established over the course of the novel.

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nullandvoidlibrary's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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thebakerbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Okay, first off, I loved this one on audio! The narrator did a fantastic job bringing Hetty’s voice to life and it kept me hooked the whole time.

Secondly, this book has a lot of elements to it, but I think it’s primarily a mystery story. There’s not a ton of world-building or explanation as to how this magic works, and it’s not the main focus. It’s more like Hetty is a detective who happens to do magic also. I would have liked a bit more exploration into the magic side, but I think the story still works as it is. Just don’t go into it expecting a big fantasy story.

The characters are all great but I especially loved Hetty and her relationship with Benjy. We get flashbacks throughout the story of Hetty’s past and their history together, and I loved slowly learning their story at the same time that Hetty is discovering new feelings and truths about herself in the present. I’m a fan of this romance 😍

This book does end neatly (no cliffhanger), so I was excited to learn there will be a sequel out later this year! I will definitely be reading it because I want more Hetty and Benjy 🙌🏼

Thank you to Libro.fm, the publisher, and the author for my ALC!

Read if you like: historical fiction, mysteries, detective duos, Philly.

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qace90's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes. This in no way influences my review; all words, thoughts, and opinions are my own.

Full review closer to publication but if you’re looking for a slow murder mystery set post Civil War with a sweet romance and fantastic chosen family, you’re going to want to check this book out!

Full review:

The Conductors is a fantasy murder mystery set in post-Civil War America and also has wonderful elements of chosen family and community, plus a sweet romance between Hetty and Benjy (whose marriage is one of friendship, not romance). From the moment I heard about this book, I was intrigued, and in no way did it disappoint!

Hetty is amazing and fierce and a very good example of competence porn. She’s very skilled with magic, and also at making clothes. She’s also known to meld the two together and sew sigils into the clothes she makes. I love her brashness and how she stands for what she believes in. But sometimes that also gets her into trouble, especially as a Black woman who used to be a Conductor on the Underground Railroad.

Her husband, Benjy, is also an amazingly competent individual and he does so many little things for Hetty to show his care, though sometimes she’s oblivious to the significance of his actions. He followed her to lead people from slavery because he was “bored” and together they balance each other and strengthen their skills in a way that ensured they were more often than not successful on their trips. Since the Civil War, they’re known to help people with unusual incidents - like finding a body in an alleyway with a cursed sigil carved in his chest.

All of the side characters feel fleshed out and the mystery was wonderfully layered. The clues were there, but at least for me I felt like I was along for the ride with Hetty rather than figuring everything out on my own.

I really enjoyed this story, and I’m looking forward to the continuation of this series. I loved the chosen family and community especially because it shows friendships growing from common pasts and how everyone in their community will help and when they can. I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy slower paced mysteries, especially with a unique magic system.

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maryellen's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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