Bumpy Oak Books

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

4 stars

Nicole Glover’s debut novel, The Conductors, brings magic to an alternate timeline Underground Railroad. Readers follow Henrietta “Hetty” Rhoades, who along with her husband Benjamin “Benjy”, was once a conductor along the railroad guiding slaves to freedom. Now, slavery has ended and Hetty has gained a reputation for investigation. When friends begin showing up dead, who better than Hetty and Benjy to take up the investigation.

One of the big successes of the novel is the dual part magic system. White people who are magic tend to practice Sorcery, with wands and encantations and extensive formal study. The mere possession of a wand is forbidden to Black people by law. However, Black people who have magic learn Celestial magic based on sigils and constellations that seems to be highly customizable by the intent of the practitioner. I found this system to be fresh and interesting and look forward to learning more about it in the sequels.

Glover also took care with her character development so that even side characters seemed fully developed with their own motivations and secrets. I don’t tend to like the “marriage of convenience” trope, but it was so well established between Hetty and Benjy. In addition, having their relationship pre-established allowed the romance of the story to truly be a sub-plot that took a solid back seat to the murder mystery. Glover also wisely included “Interlude” flashback sections which allowed readers insight into Hetty’s past, frequently with Benjy, that were smart ways of providing key insight to their shared experiences and history together. Glover also included queer-coded individuals that, while not identified by modern terms given the historical nature of the book, were given care in their crafting and were present beyond that aspect of their character.

Overall, I found The Conductors to be well-paced and an impressive debut that was cleverly constructed. I very much look forward to Glover’s future works.