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A review by ballgownsandbooks
The Conductors by Nicole Glover
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: Death, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs