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lashette's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm glad I finally got around to reading this. It was unique in plot, the setting, the romance and the magic system. At least to me. I wish there was more of an explanation for how the magic system for black people worked but I enjoyed this despite that. I was all over the place mentally while reading this so this somehow became a comfort read. I know, don't look at me. Yet this didn't blow me away. The back and forth in timelines threw me off regularly because they weren't that different and I wasn't picking up that we had switched. Speaks to my mental state again. There were quite a lot of secondary and tertiary characters that were named and I got confused with most of them. I was also confused about the relationship for the longest time but that I think was done on purpose. Once I put all the pieces together everything up to that point made sense and was very cute. The case had very cozy mystery vibes. I feel weird saying this about a book set in a time right after the civil war, with slaves still escaping and Jim Crow very much all over the place. But this was a comfort read. And I am looking forward to more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, and Rape
laurareads87's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Murder, Slavery, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Medical content, and Racial slurs
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Domestic abuse
erinsbookshelves's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Death, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Torture, and Medical content
Minor: Abortion and Infertility
ballgownsandbooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The premise of this was so fantastic, but the execution was just... clunky? I think the main problem is just a lack of development: I almost felt like this should be the second book in a series, after we'd already got to know the characters and the world. I loved Hetty's resourcefulness and impulsiveness (I saw one reviewer compare her to Lizzy Bennet, and I never would have made that connection but I totally see it!) but I wanted so much more of her backstory than what we got in the few flashbacks. I also found the magic system quite confusing - I loved the concept of the two different magic systems and how they were practiced differently by Black and white people, but the rules of Celestial magic were never really explained and I couldn't quite get a grasp of how the different sigils worked and who could do what with them.
I did really appreciate the discussions around racial tensions and the dynamics of the Black community. This is set immediately post-slavery so that pretty much all the characters were slaves at least in childhood, if not longer, and I thought the exploration of the different ways people navigate life after this was so interesting. I also loved the way Hetty and Benjy's marriage of convenience/friends to lovers relationship developed, and I loved the little found family they'd built around them, but I did think there were a few too many side characters, whom I found tricky to keep track of.
I will mention that there were a LOT of typos and grammar errors - which I'm usually willing to ignore, especially in an arc, but this was particularly bad: there were mistakes every few pages, so much so that in some cases I had to really work to figure out what the sentences were meant to say. I'm hoping this will be cleared up in the final version, but I bring it up only because it did impact my enjoyment.
But for all this, and despite the fact that the first ~40% was a slog, the mystery did pick up as it went along: I was eventually engrossed enough to read the last 75% all in one sitting, with several moments towards the end where I could feel the tension in my body! So even though it wasn't the most well-crafted story, I did enjoy it overall and am keen to see where the story goes next!
I did really appreciate the discussions around racial tensions and the dynamics of the Black community. This is set immediately post-slavery so that pretty much all the characters were slaves at least in childhood, if not longer, and I thought the exploration of the different ways people navigate life after this was so interesting. I also loved the way Hetty and Benjy's marriage of convenience/friends to lovers relationship developed, and I loved the little found family they'd built around them, but I did think there were a few too many side characters, whom I found tricky to keep track of.
I will mention that there were a LOT of typos and grammar errors - which I'm usually willing to ignore, especially in an arc, but this was particularly bad: there were mistakes every few pages, so much so that in some cases I had to really work to figure out what the sentences were meant to say. I'm hoping this will be cleared up in the final version, but I bring it up only because it did impact my enjoyment.
But for all this, and despite the fact that the first ~40% was a slog, the mystery did pick up as it went along: I was eventually engrossed enough to read the last 75% all in one sitting, with several moments towards the end where I could feel the tension in my body! So even though it wasn't the most well-crafted story, I did enjoy it overall and am keen to see where the story goes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Racial slurs
bibookworm's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
First of all I want to thank Net Galley for this earc to read and review. I give the Conductors 4.5/5 Stars. This book was an amazing mix of historical fantasy and murder mysteries. I loved the magic system and character driven plot, this book is truly wonderful! The only issue I had with the book was it was hard to follow at some points but once you get the hang of it, the plot becomes easier to follow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, Torture, and Trafficking
These Trigger Warnings are all relevant to the time period
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