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mlkai's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
yes yes yes!! i’ve been waiting for a book like this.
- black characters where our trauma was not a plot point
- fantasy / sci fy vibes
- well written without being obnoxiously floral
- strong female lead
- love but not a romance novel & not tropey
stoked to read the second one :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Slavery and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Domestic abuse and Kidnapping
spikehype's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Domestic abuse
bbtea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
An amazing premise that I thought, overall, was pulled off pretty well. I love seeing not only black people (especially Black Americans) involved in and using magic, but it involves stars and astrology! I think this is also an era of American History (Post-Civil War) that either is t written about a lot in fiction, or I just haven’t come across personally and it was refreshing and interesting.
I also LOVEEEEEEEEE the characters so much. Hetty and Benjy have my entire heart and I care about them so much. Their dynamic was so easy and sweet and realistic and endearing. I wanted them to succeed at all times, cheering them on from my seat in reality.
My main gripes really come in two things—
1. I think the book is a little too long? I think it could 100 or more pages shorter, especially since the beginning is kind of…slow.
2. The solution to the overarching mystery fell kind of…flat for me? Which was disappointing to me personally, but didn’t ruin the overall finale. I felt satisfied and also looking forward to experiencing the sequel.
Overall, I highly recommend it!
I also LOVEEEEEEEEE the characters so much. Hetty and Benjy have my entire heart and I care about them so much. Their dynamic was so easy and sweet and realistic and endearing. I wanted them to succeed at all times, cheering them on from my seat in reality.
My main gripes really come in two things—
1. I think the book is a little too long? I think it could 100 or more pages shorter, especially since the beginning is kind of…slow.
2. The solution to the overarching mystery fell kind of…flat for me? Which was disappointing to me personally, but didn’t ruin the overall finale. I felt satisfied and also looking forward to experiencing the sequel.
Overall, I highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Violence
cj13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery and Medical content
sadgirlsidney's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This was a really interesting take on magic users and how that addition would be weaponized during times of enslavement. The magic aspect was also incredibly unique in a lot of ways, I really loved how important sigils were and the use of it in everyday items. The story itself was solid but I feel like it went on a touch too long and had a few too many side stories that drew my attention more than the story at it's core. Overall I definitely enjoyed, I just think I would have enjoyed it more minus a segway or two.
I think Bahni Turpin might be my favorite audiobook narrator. They do such a good job at voicing individual characters, it's just so good to listen to.
I think Bahni Turpin might be my favorite audiobook narrator. They do such a good job at voicing individual characters, it's just so good to listen to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Domestic abuse
rorikae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-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
3.75
'The Conductors' by Nicole Glover is a debut murder mystery with a creative magic system and characters that it are easy to care for.
Hetty and her husband Benjy were once Underground Railroad conductors but they have traded that life for solving mysteries in Philadelphia. When one of their acquaintances turns up dead and with a cursed sigil on his body, they are pulled into a murder mystery that has them questioning their own friends.
'The Conductors' is an engaging murder mystery that suffers from some pacing issues. The mystery at the heart of the story is intriguing, especially as it is used as a vehicle to learn more about Hetty, Benjy, and their friends. Many of the chapters feel a bit disjointed as some are very long and cover Hetty moving from place to place, while others are much shorter and encompass only one scene. The stakes were there for the mystery but they never felt particularly high. Even so, it was a relatively engaging read that kept me reading. The two best parts of this story are the characters and the magic. Hetty and Benjy, along with their relationship, are what cement this story and it works well. Peeks into Hetty's past and her search for her sister do a great job of fleshing her out and making the reader care for her. The Celestial magic in this story is also really intriguing and something that I hope to learn more about in book two. Mostly, I think where this book suffers it only suffers from being a debut and with her character and worldbuilding work, I have faith that Glover's books will only get better. I will be picking up book two as I am interested in seeing where Hetty and Benjy go next and how their relationship continues to blossom.
Hetty and her husband Benjy were once Underground Railroad conductors but they have traded that life for solving mysteries in Philadelphia. When one of their acquaintances turns up dead and with a cursed sigil on his body, they are pulled into a murder mystery that has them questioning their own friends.
'The Conductors' is an engaging murder mystery that suffers from some pacing issues. The mystery at the heart of the story is intriguing, especially as it is used as a vehicle to learn more about Hetty, Benjy, and their friends. Many of the chapters feel a bit disjointed as some are very long and cover Hetty moving from place to place, while others are much shorter and encompass only one scene. The stakes were there for the mystery but they never felt particularly high. Even so, it was a relatively engaging read that kept me reading. The two best parts of this story are the characters and the magic. Hetty and Benjy, along with their relationship, are what cement this story and it works well. Peeks into Hetty's past and her search for her sister do a great job of fleshing her out and making the reader care for her. The Celestial magic in this story is also really intriguing and something that I hope to learn more about in book two. Mostly, I think where this book suffers it only suffers from being a debut and with her character and worldbuilding work, I have faith that Glover's books will only get better. I will be picking up book two as I am interested in seeing where Hetty and Benjy go next and how their relationship continues to blossom.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Slavery
karcitis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Gore, Torture, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Classism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Alcohol
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: Death, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Medical content
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Miscarriage
ncoletti's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Slavery, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse
nullandvoidlibrary's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Blood
Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage