Scan barcode
singrala's review against another edition
2.0
She's a shit PI, but this was an enjoyable enough listen for a long car ride.
marziesreads's review against another edition
5.0
If Alice Hoffman and JK Rowling had a novel lovechild, that book might be Hugo Award-winning writer Sarah Gailey's novel debut, Magic for Liars. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
When we first meet Ivy Gamble, she's busy being mugged and getting slashed accidentally in the arm by her clumsy mugger's knife. Her day only goes downhill from there. That's really saying something considering she gets hired for the biggest paycheck job of her career as a private investigator. The job comes with all sorts of feelings.
Set mainly at a magical high school called Osthorne Academy in Northern California, we see Ivy trying to solve a strange murder case that's already been investigated by the National Mage Investigative Service, i.e., the magical police. She's hired, in spite of their findings, by Osthorne's headmaster, Marion Torres. The job is further complicated by the fact that Ivy's very magical sister Tabitha teaches at the school. Ivy, you see, drew the short straw in the magical lottery, and Tabitha got (in theory) all the smarts, luck, and magical talent in the family. Ivy has been getting by as a PI (mainly marital infidelity cases) who drinks a bit too much and makes it a habit of never possibly outstaying her welcome by always being the first to leave. Especially in relationships.
The murder victim in question was one Sylvia Capley, a faculty member beloved by the students, and, also as we come to see, by some of the faculty. So who magically bisected Sylvia, and how did she end up in the library bleeding out, in the theoretical magic section, with all its perpetually murmuring books and their running, yet hard to grasp, commentary? And will this investigation spell the beginning of recapturing the sisterly bond between twins Ivy and Tabitha or will it be the final straw in their frayed sisterhood? Because ever since Tabitha sailed off to magical Headley, an elite academy for magically talented students up in Portland, Oregon, leaving Ivy dealing with their dying mother and grieving father, things have been tense between these two sisters. Ivy is full to the brim with unspoken blame and not a wee bit of jealousy. She regards Tabitha, who briefly comes home when their mom is dying with all kinds of magical cosmetic and personality boosts, as cold, callous, and abandoning. Was Tabi just not able to deal with their mom, or is Ivy's sad, angry assessment spot on?
Gailey has woven a mystery that is just a tad less interesting than the many memorable characters living in this practical/suburban magic world. Her complex portrait of sister love, jealousy, competition, and loyalty shines in this novel. I loved the book and I wonder if there is still more she can tell us about Ivy and Tabitha? Because I would enjoy learning more about this world!
Content Warning: This book takes a definite stance on a woman's right to choice (an stance I 100% agree with), but this is a point I both want to applaud, and apprise readers about, simultaneously.
A strong debut novel that is sure to be lauded and nominated for awards in its genre.
When we first meet Ivy Gamble, she's busy being mugged and getting slashed accidentally in the arm by her clumsy mugger's knife. Her day only goes downhill from there. That's really saying something considering she gets hired for the biggest paycheck job of her career as a private investigator. The job comes with all sorts of feelings.
Set mainly at a magical high school called Osthorne Academy in Northern California, we see Ivy trying to solve a strange murder case that's already been investigated by the National Mage Investigative Service, i.e., the magical police. She's hired, in spite of their findings, by Osthorne's headmaster, Marion Torres. The job is further complicated by the fact that Ivy's very magical sister Tabitha teaches at the school. Ivy, you see, drew the short straw in the magical lottery, and Tabitha got (in theory) all the smarts, luck, and magical talent in the family. Ivy has been getting by as a PI (mainly marital infidelity cases) who drinks a bit too much and makes it a habit of never possibly outstaying her welcome by always being the first to leave. Especially in relationships.
The murder victim in question was one Sylvia Capley, a faculty member beloved by the students, and, also as we come to see, by some of the faculty. So who magically bisected Sylvia, and how did she end up in the library bleeding out, in the theoretical magic section, with all its perpetually murmuring books and their running, yet hard to grasp, commentary? And will this investigation spell the beginning of recapturing the sisterly bond between twins Ivy and Tabitha or will it be the final straw in their frayed sisterhood? Because ever since Tabitha sailed off to magical Headley, an elite academy for magically talented students up in Portland, Oregon, leaving Ivy dealing with their dying mother and grieving father, things have been tense between these two sisters. Ivy is full to the brim with unspoken blame and not a wee bit of jealousy. She regards Tabitha, who briefly comes home when their mom is dying with all kinds of magical cosmetic and personality boosts, as cold, callous, and abandoning. Was Tabi just not able to deal with their mom, or is Ivy's sad, angry assessment spot on?
Gailey has woven a mystery that is just a tad less interesting than the many memorable characters living in this practical/suburban magic world. Her complex portrait of sister love, jealousy, competition, and loyalty shines in this novel. I loved the book and I wonder if there is still more she can tell us about Ivy and Tabitha? Because I would enjoy learning more about this world!
Content Warning: This book takes a definite stance on a woman's right to choice (an stance I 100% agree with), but this is a point I both want to applaud, and apprise readers about, simultaneously.
A strong debut novel that is sure to be lauded and nominated for awards in its genre.
nickgoe's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give this a 3.5, but I don't round up.
I liked this more until the ending. I enjoy the main character and would enjoy seeing more with her in it.
I liked this more until the ending. I enjoy the main character and would enjoy seeing more with her in it.
ellisaspen's review against another edition
4.0
Ivy Gamble is a private investigator who tells herself she's content with not having magic, until she is asked to take on a murder case at Osthorne, a school for mages—and the school where her estranged, magic sister also teaches. As Ivy navigates the case and learns more about magic, she wonders what life could have been if she had the kind of power her sister has. And she wonders if she can solve the case without losing her wits—or her liver.
The first, and admittedly best, thing I can say about Magic for Liars is: what a magic system! The explanations of how magic works are intriguing, as is the world at Osthorne. For example, the magical elements are interwoven with science, so students have to learn about molecules and light waves before they can perform certain spells. This isn’t just “it’s magic because it's magic," but a more developed, grounded, and nuanced view of what magic could be in a world like ours. Not to mention Ivy’s unique perspective as an outsider who only learns about the magic she needs to understand in order to solve the case. Other issues—such as the Chosen One—don’t concern her, and it was refreshing to have a peek at magic without completely diving in. Additionally, the students are realistic high schoolers whose magic doesn’t make them more mature than other students.
As a character, though, Ivy was a bit annoying at times. She tends to wallow in self-pity—a lot. She can also be biting in her judgments of others, or maybe it’s just a bluntness in her perceptions? Whatever the case, I understand the need to make her realistic and gritty, but at times this went a bit overboard.
But the two biggest issues I had with this book came at the beginning: the mugging in chapter one and the lonely bar scene sometime after that (since I listened to the audiobook, I don't know when exactly the second scene happened). Although the prologue makes a kind of third issue.
As is the case with most prologues, it introduces characters we aren’t destined to actually meet until a decent way through the book. It did what it was meant to and caught my attention, though. Dead bodies in a library of whispering books? Sounds pretty cool to me.
And then the slog of chapter one, and two, and however many until Ivy actually arrives at Osthorne, the school of magic. For awhile, the thought of that prologue and all the questions it raised was the only thing that kept me going.
First was the mugging, when Ivy’s shoulder is stabbed by some rando we never see again. I think she even kept his knife. As a PI, I expected she’d have figured out who did it. That, or I expected it to be related to the case. Neither option, however, is correct. This distracting instance would perhaps have been better handled if it instead was caused by was Glen, an angry client who kept phoning Ivy in the beginning of the novel. Just make the mugging an act of rage by an upset client, and bingo: you have a reason for her shoulder to be wounded without throwing around irrelevant plot points.
And then came the Bar Scene, when Ivy goes to a bar alone, gets drunk (which happens a lot in this book), and decides to spill her guts to the bartender. All the information (backstory) she tells the bartender ends up being discussed/revealed more naturally later in the book. Most of this has to do with her mother’s cancer and the frigid relationship she has with her twin sister. We get plenty of this at Osthorne, and it’s revealed more organically, too. Keep up some suspense by not dumping Ivy’s entire history on us in one of the first chapters. Plus, she’s someone who lies, avoids, and hides; she wouldn’t have told her life’s woes, she would have sat there wishing she could talk and instead drinking more to keep the secrets down.
So . . . After considering all this, I think a more proper rating would be a 3.5, not a 4. But I’m rounding up because, as I mentioned, I was captivated by the magic and world-building. Do I recommend it? That’s a trickier question. Magic for Liars is kind of like Sharp Objects mixed with your favorite CW supernatural teen soap opera, with a dash of Harry Potter tossed in.
The first, and admittedly best, thing I can say about Magic for Liars is: what a magic system! The explanations of how magic works are intriguing, as is the world at Osthorne. For example, the magical elements are interwoven with science, so students have to learn about molecules and light waves before they can perform certain spells. This isn’t just “it’s magic because it's magic," but a more developed, grounded, and nuanced view of what magic could be in a world like ours. Not to mention Ivy’s unique perspective as an outsider who only learns about the magic she needs to understand in order to solve the case. Other issues—such as the Chosen One—don’t concern her, and it was refreshing to have a peek at magic without completely diving in. Additionally, the students are realistic high schoolers whose magic doesn’t make them more mature than other students.
As a character, though, Ivy was a bit annoying at times. She tends to wallow in self-pity—a lot. She can also be biting in her judgments of others, or maybe it’s just a bluntness in her perceptions? Whatever the case, I understand the need to make her realistic and gritty, but at times this went a bit overboard.
But the two biggest issues I had with this book came at the beginning: the mugging in chapter one and the lonely bar scene sometime after that (since I listened to the audiobook, I don't know when exactly the second scene happened). Although the prologue makes a kind of third issue.
As is the case with most prologues, it introduces characters we aren’t destined to actually meet until a decent way through the book. It did what it was meant to and caught my attention, though. Dead bodies in a library of whispering books? Sounds pretty cool to me.
And then the slog of chapter one, and two, and however many until Ivy actually arrives at Osthorne, the school of magic. For awhile, the thought of that prologue and all the questions it raised was the only thing that kept me going.
First was the mugging, when Ivy’s shoulder is stabbed by some rando we never see again. I think she even kept his knife. As a PI, I expected she’d have figured out who did it. That, or I expected it to be related to the case. Neither option, however, is correct. This distracting instance would perhaps have been better handled if it instead was caused by was Glen, an angry client who kept phoning Ivy in the beginning of the novel. Just make the mugging an act of rage by an upset client, and bingo: you have a reason for her shoulder to be wounded without throwing around irrelevant plot points.
And then came the Bar Scene, when Ivy goes to a bar alone, gets drunk (which happens a lot in this book), and decides to spill her guts to the bartender. All the information (backstory) she tells the bartender ends up being discussed/revealed more naturally later in the book. Most of this has to do with her mother’s cancer and the frigid relationship she has with her twin sister. We get plenty of this at Osthorne, and it’s revealed more organically, too. Keep up some suspense by not dumping Ivy’s entire history on us in one of the first chapters. Plus, she’s someone who lies, avoids, and hides; she wouldn’t have told her life’s woes, she would have sat there wishing she could talk and instead drinking more to keep the secrets down.
So . . . After considering all this, I think a more proper rating would be a 3.5, not a 4. But I’m rounding up because, as I mentioned, I was captivated by the magic and world-building. Do I recommend it? That’s a trickier question. Magic for Liars is kind of like Sharp Objects mixed with your favorite CW supernatural teen soap opera, with a dash of Harry Potter tossed in.
janicec37's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. A highly flaws main character. Multiple intertwining storylines. An interesting magical world.
inuyasha's review against another edition
2.0
june pick for my book club!!
i have so many thoughts on this omg..... i feel like while i was reading it i had a lot of really harsh things to say but this was honestly a really fun ride in hindsight, but I'm also very easily pleased by whodunnits. i will say that there are some glaringly obvious editing mistakes in this and a lot of sections read like a first or second draft - i'd be interested to read any of gailey's writing with a different editing team bc i def feel like they have a lot of potential!!
i have so many thoughts on this omg..... i feel like while i was reading it i had a lot of really harsh things to say but this was honestly a really fun ride in hindsight, but I'm also very easily pleased by whodunnits. i will say that there are some glaringly obvious editing mistakes in this and a lot of sections read like a first or second draft - i'd be interested to read any of gailey's writing with a different editing team bc i def feel like they have a lot of potential!!
lwheels's review against another edition
2.0
It was entertaining, I guess, mostly in the back half. The ending left something to be desired, and not that I like long books better, per say, but this one felt like it should've been twice as long. I just kept hoping for so much more development, more character dives, just... more. There was so much more story to be told, I swear.
Also there wasn't a single character I truly cared about. Interesting? Sure. But none that, if they were picked off, I would've cared about. I didn't feel connected to them, and some were just so base level. Rahul is the quintessential nice guy with not one single flaw, the classic alcoholic PI with a bone to pick, the talented sister who overshoots her abilities, the gruff school administration... it was all predictable. I wanted this to be better than it was, honestly.
Also there wasn't a single character I truly cared about. Interesting? Sure. But none that, if they were picked off, I would've cared about. I didn't feel connected to them, and some were just so base level. Rahul is the quintessential nice guy with not one single flaw, the classic alcoholic PI with a bone to pick, the talented sister who overshoots her abilities, the gruff school administration... it was all predictable. I wanted this to be better than it was, honestly.
mollymctouch's review
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
4.75
I would love to read a sequel!
lauz_w's review against another edition
3.0
A solid 3 stars, but could have been more.
I loved the Magic / PI mash up, and the undertone of family dynamics. It was an easy read if a bit predictable. I liked how the author dealt with Ivy's grief, and I don't think you were meant to like her but I found her wallowing took away from the rest of the story a bit. Mrs Webb totally underutilised!!!
Pros: the magic school and the teachers, the mix between magic and non magic.
Cons: Ivy and the other whiney characters.
I loved the Magic / PI mash up, and the undertone of family dynamics. It was an easy read if a bit predictable. I liked how the author dealt with Ivy's grief, and I don't think you were meant to like her but I found her wallowing took away from the rest of the story a bit. Mrs Webb totally underutilised!!!
Pros: the magic school and the teachers, the mix between magic and non magic.
Cons: Ivy and the other whiney characters.
jennapreble's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the concept of a more adult magic school. I liked the world building. I liked the murder mystery being solved by a “muggle” detective. I liked the writing.
I didn’t love the ending. It would’ve been five stars otherwise.
For adult fans of Harry Potter and Veronica Mars.
I didn’t love the ending. It would’ve been five stars otherwise.
For adult fans of Harry Potter and Veronica Mars.