asegurasmith's review against another edition
5.0
Listened to the audiobook. Suspenseful and unique story.
campreadkarin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
emymarch's review against another edition
It's hard enough to read a book where the main character is battered and abused, but even more so when there aren't enough redeeming qualities in the story or writing to make me continue. Domestic violence against women is a difficult enough topic and not what I was looking for when I picked this up. I couldn't continue to read this story, seeing as how the violence starts when she's just a little girl and I have a feeling won't stop until the very end of the book. Not enough substance here to bypass the distaste of the violence.
noregrets4life33's review against another edition
If I have to keep forcing myself to pick something up just to skim thru and finish..why am I bothering?
For the record, what I read wasn't terrible, just not enough to keep me engaged. It's possible this is a good book, but I couldn't honestly say because I'm moving on.
DNF @ 15%. Thank you to Netgalley for a review copy for free!
For the record, what I read wasn't terrible, just not enough to keep me engaged. It's possible this is a good book, but I couldn't honestly say because I'm moving on.
DNF @ 15%. Thank you to Netgalley for a review copy for free!
benfiretag's review against another edition
5.0
An interesting take on magic and illusion. A woman who performs illusions runs from the scene where a man who is assumed to be her husband has been killed with the tools of sawing the man in half. But is she a murderess, or the victim of domestic violence who has been pursued by a man who is not her husband?
byashleylamar's review against another edition
4.0
It all starts out when Arden, famous for sawing a man in half, one night trades her saw for an ax. When her husband is found dead later that night, killed by an ax, Arden is the obvious suspect. Did this famed illusionist kill her husband or was it all...an illusion? She professes her innocence but is she telling the truth or is it all just one big lie? Her career is all smoke and mirrors but in this novel it's her life that is all the line.
I kept going back and forth while reading. Did I believe Arden or not? I also found it a bit odd that handcuffs could hold this amazing illusionist as she sits talking to the officer. Honestly, handcuffs? I didn't buy it; surely a famed illusionist could escape from simple police handcuffs, right? In the end though it all comes together perfectly and I was extremely satisfied.
I kept going back and forth while reading. Did I believe Arden or not? I also found it a bit odd that handcuffs could hold this amazing illusionist as she sits talking to the officer. Honestly, handcuffs? I didn't buy it; surely a famed illusionist could escape from simple police handcuffs, right? In the end though it all comes together perfectly and I was extremely satisfied.
imanreads's review
3.0
It was ok and was an easy enough read. I think it would make a great movie though.
laterry75's review against another edition
2.0
It felt more like an agony aunt column than an actual book.
impalalove's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
I quite honestly have no idea what rating I’d give The Magician’s Lie, because it’s certainly a thrilling and mesmerising ride (due to giving time to build quite a bit of suspense) that keeps you guessing whether or not the central character, a female illusionist, did murder her husband.
I quite honestly have no idea what rating I’d give The Magician’s Lie, because it’s certainly a thrilling and mesmerising ride (due to giving time to build quite a bit of suspense) that keeps you guessing whether or not the central character, a female illusionist, did murder her husband.
violetlily13's review against another edition
2.0
I tried a number of times to get through this novel, but while it contains pockets of imaginative material about turn-of-the-century theatre and magicians, the weaknesses in characterization and plot are too difficult for me to overcome. (I glossed through the last eight chapters and haven't changed my mind in the least.)
My primary problem with this novel is that Ada/Arden's narration robs the narrative of emotion in all the wrong places. She furthermore glosses over other her supporting characters to such a degree that we only get rough sketches of her fellow performers - even Ray and Clyde are too polarized as the "very bad man" and the lover. There are also two significant problems with pacing. The first is that things happen to her too easily, such as sneaking into Biltmore and, not only landing a choice job with the travelling illusionists, but taking over its management after only three years. Secondly, Ada's transformation into an illusionist does not occur until over-halfway through the novel - her early life is convoluted and soap opera-like in nature, leaving too many unanswered questions and, more painfully, a great many Chekov's rifles left unfired. This is unfortunate because her relationship with Ray and the very visceral horror it evokes in Ada is important to depict and explore, but Macallister's way of doing so keeps falling short - Ray becomes more of a bad penny and the stock figure of the abusive man than the kind of Gothicized character Macallister seemed to want to create.
This novel has a significant amount of potential, but it badly needs editing to improve the narrative flow and the narrative style. The magic and the illusions are barely more than background, but more importantly, so is the emotional centre of the story. I will try to flip through just to see how it results, but I'm already too disappointed by this point.
My primary problem with this novel is that Ada/Arden's narration robs the narrative of emotion in all the wrong places. She furthermore glosses over other her supporting characters to such a degree that we only get rough sketches of her fellow performers - even Ray and Clyde are too polarized as the "very bad man" and the lover. There are also two significant problems with pacing. The first is that things happen to her too easily, such as sneaking into Biltmore and, not only landing a choice job with the travelling illusionists, but taking over its management after only three years. Secondly, Ada's transformation into an illusionist does not occur until over-halfway through the novel - her early life is convoluted and soap opera-like in nature, leaving too many unanswered questions and, more painfully, a great many Chekov's rifles left unfired. This is unfortunate because her relationship with Ray and the very visceral horror it evokes in Ada is important to depict and explore, but Macallister's way of doing so keeps falling short - Ray becomes more of a bad penny and the stock figure of the abusive man than the kind of Gothicized character Macallister seemed to want to create.
This novel has a significant amount of potential, but it badly needs editing to improve the narrative flow and the narrative style. The magic and the illusions are barely more than background, but more importantly, so is the emotional centre of the story. I will try to flip through just to see how it results, but I'm already too disappointed by this point.