lini002's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rachel_b_824's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mklajic's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
littlelarks's review against another edition
3.0
In my mind, I took what had just happened [...] and I put it into a box. A box with a tight lid. I dropped the box into a deep brick-lined oubliette. It landed somewhere next to my mother's last words and my searing loneliness and everything else I needed to forget, and just like that, I was fine again.
Wow I love Ivy Gamble as a protagonist so much y'all, she's a desperate mess after my own heart. I'm (for maybe the one and only time) almost upset this is a standalone because I'd love to see her in future adventures. Alas, in Magic for Liars the plot that surrounds her - despite being a murder mystery in a magical boarding school! - doesn't quite measure up. Like, it's a Good Read.... but not as much as it should have been??
Wow I love Ivy Gamble as a protagonist so much y'all, she's a desperate mess after my own heart. I'm (for maybe the one and only time) almost upset this is a standalone because I'd love to see her in future adventures. Alas, in Magic for Liars the plot that surrounds her - despite being a murder mystery in a magical boarding school! - doesn't quite measure up. Like, it's a Good Read.... but not as much as it should have been??
catastrophic_maybe's review against another edition
4.0
A fun pulpy detective novel that swaps out unreachable high society with unknowable magic. I'd be lying if I hadn't put together the mystery roughly halfway through the book, but I'd also be lying if that put me off wanting to read the second half.
codeflawed's review against another edition
5.0
I was a little nervous about this book. When I opened it up and saw that it was written in first person, I immediately recoiled and worried that I wouldn't be able to immerse myself in the story. I've always had that trouble with most first person stories. It takes a lot of talent to tell an engaging story in first person.
Sarah Gailey absolutely NAILS THIS .
From the moment the book started I was hooked. We open in a library where someone is hidden among the books. A horrible crime scene, a heart wrenching tragedy, and magic in the most mundane setting. Gailey has an ability to tangle you in a story in an instant.
Ivy Gamble is such an intriguing character. Despite her bitterness and frustration, she's easily relatable. You can feel her anxiety and her worry as she takes on a case that she's not sure suits her, a case that she's not even sure that she'd be able to solve. Murder and magic? Neither are up her alley and aren't something that she has experience with.
Her sister's the one with the magic.
Gailey uses their words to paint a picture and take us through each brush stroke. We feel everything Ivy feels, see the world through her eyes, understand her so deeply it's as if we've stepped right into her skin. We feel the hairs standing on her skin when she realizes she's not alone in her office, the anxiety churning in her stomach as she takes on the case and realizes that there's so much more to the story than she could have ever imagined.
We feel her hope, her eagerness, her fear, and her heartbreak.
The reader grows with Ivy over the course of the story. Magic for Liars is as much about solving a magical murder as it is about finding yourself, letting your walls down, and embracing the things that make you you. It's done wonderfully and doesn't resort to typical tropes you find in mass market mystery novels. We get the chance to follow Ivy as she tries to repair her relationship with her sister, struggles to come to terms with the not being magical, and understanding that not everyone leaves.
My only complaint?
There's not a sequel.
Sarah Gailey absolutely NAILS THIS .
From the moment the book started I was hooked. We open in a library where someone is hidden among the books. A horrible crime scene, a heart wrenching tragedy, and magic in the most mundane setting. Gailey has an ability to tangle you in a story in an instant.
Ivy Gamble is such an intriguing character. Despite her bitterness and frustration, she's easily relatable. You can feel her anxiety and her worry as she takes on a case that she's not sure suits her, a case that she's not even sure that she'd be able to solve. Murder and magic? Neither are up her alley and aren't something that she has experience with.
Her sister's the one with the magic.
Gailey uses their words to paint a picture and take us through each brush stroke. We feel everything Ivy feels, see the world through her eyes, understand her so deeply it's as if we've stepped right into her skin. We feel the hairs standing on her skin when she realizes she's not alone in her office, the anxiety churning in her stomach as she takes on the case and realizes that there's so much more to the story than she could have ever imagined.
We feel her hope, her eagerness, her fear, and her heartbreak.
The reader grows with Ivy over the course of the story. Magic for Liars is as much about solving a magical murder as it is about finding yourself, letting your walls down, and embracing the things that make you you. It's done wonderfully and doesn't resort to typical tropes you find in mass market mystery novels. We get the chance to follow Ivy as she tries to repair her relationship with her sister, struggles to come to terms with the not being magical, and understanding that not everyone leaves.
My only complaint?
There's not a sequel.
poppyfitzclark's review against another edition
2.0
The story kept me reading, partly because it was almost really good and partly because I can’t put down a mystery but the writing took some really questionable turns that landed in 2011 tumblr fanfic territory more often than not
apushie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
alice_ahrens's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0