I might not read much fantasy, but if I hear the words "magical school", I'm all over it. Magic for Liars is a mystery featuring private detective Ivy Gamble, who is asked to investigate her first murder case at a private school for mages- where her estranged sister, a mage herself, teaches. I really enjoyed this story!
Here's why I think this book worked so well for me: it's told from the perspective of a non-magic person, who is outside looking in. Ivy might understand magic more than the average layperson since she has a mage in the family, but her understanding of everything is still from the outside. As someone who doesn't read a lot of fantasy, I think this helped with my understanding of the world.
4.5 stars

Every time I reach that stage where I feel like  I've just burnt myself out on urban fantasy and convince myself it's time to focus on a different genre for a while, a new book comes out that just looks too good to resist. This was definitely one of those books and I went into it expecting urban fantasy along the lines of The Dresden Files or the Mercy Thompson series and quickly had those expectations shot down within the first few pages. Magic For Liars by Sarah Gailey was a fantastic read that I was nothing like anything else I've read before.

Magic For Liars is one of those books where I don't think I can say much about the story without spoiling plot points for the book. I will say that it does remind me of  Lev Grossman's The Magicians in that both books feature magic schools and magic systems that are unlike anything else in the genre. It's also really interesting to read an urban or contemporary fantasy story which is set in a school of magic, where the main character has no magic to call her own. I thought it added an interesting dynamic to the story and impacted the plot in some pretty unexpected ways.

There have been a lot of authors over the years who have tried to combine fantasy and noir fiction with what I think are fairly mixed results but thought Magic For Liars managed it well. Ivy is a great character and I thought Sarah Gailey did a great job with the whole hard-bitten alcoholic PI schtick that often seems to come with the genre. My only complaint is that I was slightly disappointed by the fact that I didn't find the rest of the characters to be quite as real or believable as I did Ivy. Though that could be because we spend most of the book in Ivy's head and see all the other characters filtered through her.

I would definitely recommend this story looking for something new and different to enjoy. I think it would be enjoyable to read no matter what genre someone normally prefers.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book started slow for me. I wasn’t really into Ivy’s voice, and I wasn’t really interested in the murder. But then. I dunno, somewhere about 30% of the way through, I was hooked. And I couldn’t put it down. I was fully invested in the book, and it definitely packed a solid emotional punch.

I especially loved the sisterly bonding throughout the book, I think Ivy and Tabitha are both written so well, and the dynamic is very nuanced (cause let’s be honest, sisterly relationships can be very complicated). There were so many emotional layers to this book, and it was laced in with fascinating world-building, a wonderfully flawed protagonist, and fantastic story-telling.

This book is another in the vein of fantasy books mixed with mystery that I’ve gotten lately and another one that I’ll recommend whole-heartedly. So, there it is, if you’re looking for an urban fantasy, but want some murder mystery with some solid subplots that will pull at your heart-strings, this is the book to pick up!

Alright, this book was well hyped by the publisher, let’s see how it stacked up.

I’m not going to summarize this book, because that’s not a review. Read the publisher’s blurb for that weak-sauce.

I absolutely LOVED the writing style, like a real person who had read thoughts wrote them down. An actual person, not some bullshit “ideal” person who learns from their mistakes every single time, but a person who sins and might repeat that sin we don’t’ know yet let’s find out.

I would be interested in a sequel, but dear God Gailey, don’t write one. Let this ending be, with life moving on after this exciting bit in our characters’ lives, just let this go. A prequel, that I could handle, but the ending of this story made me smile even though everything fell apart.

**I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Magic for Liars is the latest standalone novel from Sarah Gailey. Honestly, after having finished this novel, I found myself wishing that it wasn't a standalone novel. But more on that later. Magic for Liars has so much to offer, with a rich blend of ideas and genres.
Ivy Gamble is a twin, but she and her sister are as different as you could ever imagine. Ivy grew up to be private investigator. Tabitha grew up to be a professor at a magic high school. Yes, you did in fact read that right. Their worlds collide thanks to a grisly crime that Ivy has been called in to solve.
This novel was absolutely fascinating and so much fun to read. It was well written, but I also loved the fun twists on a certain famous magical school series (cough cough Harry Potter cough). Magic for Liars made me chuckle, but it also enchanted me and kept me anxiously turning the pages.

Magic for Liars ended up being so much more than I expected – and I had decently high hopes for this novel. I knew upon reading the description that it was going to be a blast to read, and I wasn't wrong.
The core concept of Magic for Liars was very clever – magic meets private investigator. With some family drama, emotional trauma, and a heavy dose of self doubt thrown into the mix. And that's not taking into consideration all of the tongue in cheek moments in this novel.
There were a lot of clearly intentional jokes about Hogwarts snuck in here and there. Some were more obvious than others. But all of them made me chuckle. I had to appreciate the irony in some cases. For example, this novel is basically from the perspective of the non-magical sister (remind you of Petunia and Lily?). And let's not forget the new perspective on prophecies and chosen ones. That was a nice touch!
Ivy was an interesting main character. I'm not going to pretend that I liked her right away. Because I didn't. But she did grow on me. In fact, by the end I found myself rooting for her against all odds. I couldn't help but feel the heartbreak and every other emotion she was forced to deal with.
Speaking of Ivy, I found the PI side of things to be a shockingly good touch. It was fun seeing a 'normal' try and solve a mystery in a magical setting. You'd think that Ivy would be completely overwhelmed by the prospect – I know I would. But nope, she soldiers on. Because of her limited abilities (magically speaking, that is) and knowledge, Ivy had to work with what she had. And it was fascinating to see her work her way through the process.
This novel was a unique blend of genres and tones. It was magical and mystery, comical and intense, dramatic and light. Because of that it was a fantastic read. I hadn't realized how much I would enjoy this mixture...but now I'm desperately craving more of it!
This is one of those novels that I hated seeing the end of. Not because I didn't like the ending (though in this case I would have killed for just a bit more), but because I just wasn't ready to finish reading it. Admittedly I haven't read any of Sarah Gailey's other novels, so clearly I'm going to have to dig through those and see what I can come up with! And I'm looking forward to it.

Sarah Gailey shifts gears in her first full length novel, Magic for Liars. Her previous two novellas (River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow), now published together under the title American Hippo, imagined an alternate 19th Century in which hippos roamed the American South. Magic for Liars has a fantastical premise but something that will be much more familiar to fantasy readers – a murder in a high school for magic users. Yes, Magic for Liars places itself firmly in Harry Potter territory but in an adult mode more along the lines of post-Potter fiction like Lev Grossman’s Magicians series or Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series.
After a cold open involving a gruesome death in a magical library, the narrative moves into full on noir detective mode. Ivy Gamble is a fairly successful private detective, making a living tracking down cheating husbands and small debts in San Francisco. Like many of her fictional ilk, she is a hard drinking loner, living with regret and sorrow. Then an opportunity comes up to do something big. Headmaster of the local high school for mages (they do not like to use the term wizards and witches in this world) hires her to look into the death of Sylvia, one of their teachers. The death that has already been ruled a self inflicted accident by magical authorities but the headmaster can not let the matter rest. Ivy is not magical and jumps at the job before realising that her estranged and very magical twin sister works at the school as a teacher.
Ivy is an engaging heroine although carrying a massive chip on her shoulder about her inability to do magic and her sister’s successes. The case itself unspools as crime readers would expect, with Ivy often frustrated in her attempts to get solid clues while also pursuing a romance with one of the teachers. Along the way, Gailey plays with fantasy concepts like the idea of a ‘Chosen One’ and different styles of magic.
Magic for Liars is a reasonably successful private detective meets magical academy mash up. The solution is fairly predictable from about half way through although some of the plot wrinkles take a little longer to become clear. On the magic front, the reader, much like Ivy herself is kept well outside of the system to the point where it is so opaque that it ends up being anything the plot needs it to be. Making the whole, while enjoyable, slightly less than the sum of its parts.

Sarah Gailey adroitly combines fantasy with mystery in "Magic for Liars". It all begins with the discovery of a body in the library at Osthorne Academy for Young Mages. The corpse of Sylvia Capley (who taught health and wellness) has been cut in half right down the middle! A spell gone wrong or murder?

Did not finish. I was unable to find the setting or characters to engaging and stopped at chapter 10. While I enjoy Gailey's writing, this did not find a home run for me like the American Hippo novellas did.

Already a fan of both Sarah Gailey and their fiction, I was thrilled when I heard they had pitched this book as "The Magicians meets Tana French." Tana French being my favorite living author, I couldn't wait to grab this one!
Gailey has written a compelling and entertaining mystery. They deftly drop clues and red herrings--here they really shine--throughout.
Magic for Liars skillfully wraps mystery trappings around a story of sisterhood, resentment, and hitherto-unaddressed feelings of inferiority where one longs to find loyalty and belonging. A strong debut from a strong talent. Looking forward to whatever comes next from this author!

Sarah Gailey is officially added to my personal list of favorite authors. They write about things that are immensely interesting to me and effortlessly add in SO MANY QUEER CHARACTERS. I thought I loved them after our escapades with hippos in the Louisiana swamps, but now after reading this full-length novel - it's official - I'm hooked.

Magic for Liars is a murder mystery tale that is set at a magic school (think Hogwarts but with more linoleum and gum-crusted lab tables). Our protagonist Ivy Gamble is the private investigator that is hired by the school after the death is ruled a magical accident. She has to navigate interviewing the student body and faculty while also trying to juggle forming a new relationship with her estranged sister who just so happens to be hella magic and work at the school.

The relationships between the characters is what shone so brightly to me. Ivy and her sister Tabitha have so much between them that is still raw and painful after no contact for seventeen years, but they try to forge a new something together. Watching Ivy put aside her teenage jealousy of Tabitha's magical abilities and see her sister with her more mature adult worldview was very satisfying for me. As was Ivy's intense yearning to have a "regular" relationship with her - where they could casually go for a drink and just discuss their lives. (As someone with an estranged sister of my own, I cried a little, okay?)

The mystery is twisty and interesting and came to a surprising, but logical end. I audibly exclaimed "OH NO" when I figured it out mere paragraphs before Ivy. There were many suspects who had motive and seemed suspicious, so the entire ride was intriguing up to the very end.

This is a genre-bending read that I'm confident both fantasy and mystery fans will enjoy. The prose is tight while still being emotional and the plot is well-done. The characters think and react like real people and I found myself caring for all of them (even the annoying ones). All in all, this was a blast to read and I can't wait to see what Sarah Gailey comes up with next.

I love Harry Potter, and based on the summary, I was expecting something similar with this book. It wasn't the case, but that's okay. I still found this to be an enjoyable book.

It did take me a bit to get into the book. There's a lot of world building and backstory, but it is important to set up the remainder of the book. At times, I was a bit confused, but that was resolved as the mystery started to unfold. I don't think I've read many detective/fantasy stories, which is how I would classify this book. There were a few surprises along the way, which is always a good thing. The ending was a good fit for the overall story. There was a bit of repetition in the writing/story, but it balanced out as things unfolded. While this wasn't what I thought it would be, it was still a good book overall.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn't required to leave a positive review.

The plot summary made this sound like it was more heavily influenced by Harry Potter than it actually is. That's not a bad thing, I actually liked this much better. But my expectations didn't match with the reality of the book.

Ivy Gamble’s sister, Tabitha, is the magic one. Tabitha is the one who went off to magic school, who can do cool things like change the color of her eyes and hair, and make herself more beautiful. Now that they’re grown, Tabitha has a glorious life as a teacher in a prestigious magic school, but Ivy is just ordinary. She’s the one who was left behind, to deal with their mother’s death and their father’s depression. Now she’s scraping together a life as a private investigator, spending most of her days catching cheating husbands or wandering wives.

But when a teacher is literally split in half at Tabitha’s school, Ivy is called in to investigate. It’s her first murder case, more money than she’s ever seen, and she tells herself that she can just do the job and get out again. She won’t get sucked back into her sister’s life. She won’t get sucked into this magic world where she doesn’t belong.

But it’s just not that simple. As the case progresses, the suspects pile up — including her own sister. Ivy finds herself drawn into a budding relationship with another teacher; investigating the origins of a mysterious prophecy; and wondering whether the school’s resident mean girl is the source of a much deeper kind of evil.

It took me a while to get into this book; there’s a lot of backstory, and a lot of work creating the magical universe. I found myself lost at times. However, once the mystery got going, it read like a detective noir meets fantasy. Ivy is a likable protagonist, and the mystery is well plotted and interesting. And it has an ending that is both surprising and emotionally resonant. A good read, especially for fans of V.A. Schwab or the Dresden novels.

Fantastic story of estranged sisters, a magical academy, and a bloody murder. Terrific writing, great plot, dynamite ending!

The intriguing cover pulled me into the story from the start. Immediately, the scene is set with a murder in a magical school for mage. Action packed from the get-go, non-magical Ivy Gamble, a struggling private investigator is recruited to solve the murder at Osthorne Academy, a magical school where young mage are trained and where her magical estranged twin sister Tabitha is a teacher. Ivy tries to untangle the web of lies hiding the killer, all while encountering young, bullying, magical mage, navigating sibling jealousy and resentment, the reopening of childhood wounds and family tragedy buried for years, a powerful prophecy, a smoking hot magical love interest, and magic for liars. Who’s lying? Whose magic is behind the murder and why?

I loved this book so much.

If you are into unique fantasy novels that cross genres and have strong compelling writing, and you might enjoy an unreliable narrator in a hard boiled detective story set in a magical high school, Magic for Liars is EXCELLENT and I highly recommend it.

It's no secret I love unreliable narrators and I'm starting to better understand that I love them because there is a certain honesty in those stories between the writer and the character and the reader that we are all unreliable narrators of our own stories.

“It might take a little while to get there, but I’ll tell you everything and I’ll tell you the truth.” Ivy Gamble, in Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

My writer/reader friend and I discussed it enthusiastically here: (Magic for Liars discussion starts around the 37 minute mark) https://thebookevangelists.com/2019/06/01/episode-4-magic-for-liars-by-sarah-gailey-show-notes/

I grabbed this ARC because I enjoyed River of Teeth, which this is not similar to at all. The writing is good but genre-wise this was not a good fit for me (sort of a noir murder mystery set in a Harry Potter-esque world, heavy on the noir tropes) and it really rubbed me the wrong way that <spoiler>Ivy never turns Tabitha in</spoiler>. So if you're looking for a fun caper, this is definitely not that, but if you're in the mood for a dark magic murder mystery with kind of a downer ending, this might be up your alley! If you're wondering what the LGBTQ+ rep looks like in this book, the main character seems to be heterosexual, her love interest is bi, her sister is lesbian and two very minor characters are in a lesbian relationship.

Sisters Ivy and Tabitha live very different lives. Tabitha is a highly respected teacher at an exclusive high school. Ivy is a private investigator who is barely managing to stay financially solvent and drinks a bit too much. They have one other major difference Tabitha was born with magic, while Ivy was not. Ivy grew up watching her sister get to go off to magic school and do all sorts of amazing things while she stayed at he with their parents and lived a normal life, always on the outside of the magical world. That is, until as estranged adults Ivy is called to work a murder investigation at the magic high school were Tabitha works. This book looks at the unique perspective of being the nonmagical person in a world of magic. As an adult Ivy is finally given the chance to get a glimpse of the world that she missed out in and work through and let go of her lingering resentment of being the normal sister. It's a fun murder mystery, magic school story and a bit of a romance all rolled into one fun story.

This one’s been on my radar for a while with its funky cover and Lily Potter vs Petunia-Dursley-as-a-PI premise, which turns out to be a thing I desperately wanted. I was hooked immediately—Magic for Liars started off strong and the pace never faltered. Though I grew increasingly frustrated and the ending left me a little cold, I thought I liked this book overall… until I started writing this review. My “dislikes” list vastly outnumbered my “likes” list and even then, when I began to flesh out what I did enjoy about the story, each bullet point turned negative. Classic me.

The magic in Gailey’s world is cool. She has a unique vision for how magic can interact with modern technology and science but she doesn’t overdo it. (Maybe I wish she overdid it? I needed more!) The magic at the core here is healing magic, which isn’t super original, but Gailey has a fresh spin for showing it in a new (and gory) light. Except, for all this realistic and practical magic, no one in the non-magical world knows that magic exists? It’s not that magic users hide their magic or their schools, but people outside of the community don’t believe that magic is real. How is that a thing? Why is that a thing?

The idea that kids would go to a regular high school to learn English and algebra alongside magical theory is fun, but this story focuses pretty heavily on the teenage characters and their teenage problems. Which is fine, if you care about teenagers and their teenage problems. I don’t. So I hated it.

Speaking of teenagers, our main adult character, Ivy, is pretty obsessed with her own devastating teenage years and spends a lot of time imagining what her formative years in this school would have been like. She’s bitter that the students “waste” their magic on pranks or bullying and that’s such a genuine emotion from her character that I adored until she brought it up four more times and it, dare I say, lost its magic. I don’t read a lot of detective novels (okay, I don’t read any) but Ivy’s alcoholism seemed like a generic route to go. Because her drinking problem was never a problem for her—it didn’t affect her jobs or her relationships. It was just tiring to read about her never having time to shower because she was late due to her constant hangovers. I’m unsure if Ivy had any truly meaningful character development by the end, and if she did, I’m really unsure that the development was positive. I just couldn’t get behind Ivy as a character, with her persistent anger and resentment and lack of a moral spine. Her sleuthing success was mostly luck. She’s hard to root for, if I’m honest.


And finally, just a quick jiggle of the salt shaker over the open wound: the writing was repetitive, the twists unsurprising, the romance sub-plot was so predictable, and the “chosen one” storyline was almost amazing but it wasn’t significant enough to the plot to have any authentic impact and I wish it hadn’t even been included because it was just a glimpse at something raw and important and it was a disservice to the story to not nurture it and shape it into something meaningful. (Yeah, I’m mad about it.)

Despite my criticisms (and I genuinely think I’m being dramatic about the book’s flaws, but I can’t help myself, I was born to whine—I guess Ivy and I have that in common!), Magic for Liars will have a great general appeal to readers and will become an instant favorite for many.

A really good mystery in a fantastic new magical world. Also, wow, what an incredible narrative voice! Striking and stylized without reading false.