Excellent book, and I liked how it subverted typical fantasy tropes to become something different and unique. I also love a good magic school; never going to complain about that!

I read the first few chapters of this book and put it aside for several weeks. When I finally brought myself back to reading it I thought it would be a slog, but it was actually a page turner. I do not know what caused this reaction from me. I think I may have been put off by the effort made to be “gritty” magic separate from something like Harry Potter but it initially seemed like it was trying too hard. Taking the book as a whole though, this was an excellent choice and revisiting the beginning of the book, I can at least appreciate it.

This book did a great job blending the fantasy and mystery elements. The rules of magic were established and applied in a consistent way. Furthermore, the book did my favorite thing mysteries do which is have a complex mystery with enough breadcrumbs to figure out the solution before the reveal without making the resolution obvious. Like I said, it became a page turner as I wanted to confirm I was right or find out I was wrong about my predictions and ended satisfyingly.

My enjoyment of this book was suffering from the fact that I am a mood reader and I have not been in the mood to pick this up in the last few year. I know that once I am in the mood for it that I will devour it and love it. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened yet. When it does, I'll come back and update this review.

Ivy Gamble is a private investigator. She is good at it but it's not anything she thought she would do with her life. But her life hasn't turned out to be anything from a fairy tale. She was separated from her twin sister when the realization hit that Tabitha had magic and Ivy did not. Tabitha was sent off to a special magic school and never lived at home again. Ivy's mother died early of an aggressive cancer and Tabitha wasn't around for it, which Ivy resented. These days the two are totally alienated and haven't really spoken in years.
Ivy is excited when she gets a visitor. The woman was impressive and was a headmaster, and most thrillingly, wants to hire Ivy to solve a murder. Ivy only hesitates a minute when she realizes the woman is headmaster of the magic school where Tabitha is now teaching. She has been anxious to do more with her career and a successful murder case will do wonders for it.

Ivy goes to the school where she is expected to reside until she is through with her investigation. The murdered woman was Sylvia whose mutilated body had been found in the library. Of course, being a magic school, the books in the section where the body was found spend their time whispering clues just out of range to be understood. Ivy starts interviewing school faculty and staff as well as the students. She uncovers a 'mean girl' clique headed by school queen Alexandria as well as a teenage boy who is convinced he is destined to be a once in a lifetime mage to outperform all mages. On the staff side, there are rivalries and love affairs and Ivy develops an interest in one of the male teachers. More importantly, she and Tabitha slowly start to rebuild their relationship. Will Ivy be able to solve the case?

This was an interesting cross-genre novel. The juxtaposition of science fiction and mystery intersect well and provide more depth. The author has managed to avoid the twin sister cliché of good twin, evil twin and several of the characters are gay or bisexual. The ending is surprising and the reader will have fun following the twists and turns. This book is recommended for fantasy and mystery readers.

Magic for Liars has a very cool cover, but I think it led me astray. I was expecting something a bit more dynamic based on that design and the book’s excellent title, but the resulting story was only competent and a bit unexciting. I did like the book well enough, and would definitely be game for reading work by Sarah Gailey – I’ve seen raves for just about everything they’ve ever written – but maybe I’d prefer the ones about carnivorous hippos?

Ivy Gamble is a private detective who drinks too much and has no magical abilities. That last part is a problem because her estranged sister, Tabitha, is such a magical savant that she is a beloved teacher at Osthorne, a local academy for thaumaturgically gifted youths. Osthorne is sort of like an American Hogwarts with far less world-building and shittier teenagers.

When a suspicious death happens on school grounds, Ivy is hired to investigate what many believe to be a murder even though the gruesome crime was ruled an accident or possibly suicide. Ivy gets the gig both because she brings an outsider perspective and because her sister recommends her for the job.

The thing about Ivy is that she is filled with self-loathing and jealousy at her lot in life, so when people at the academy assume that she is magical like her sister, she doesn’t correct them. She can’t help slipping into an alternate, imagined version of her life where she grew up with abilities just like her sister, pretending to be some other, better version of herself.

At its heart, this book is about lies and secrets, but it’s not really about magic. I feel like you could tell almost the same story at a regular private school and all you would miss is a bit of weird flavor here and there. I think that’s why it didn’t quite land for me.

I’m sure it didn’t help that I probably came in expecting magic systems based on lying or characters who are pathological rather than a main character who really just skates along on a white lie. Also, the crime wasn’t exciting or surprising enough to elevate the book above its otherwise standard ingredients.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Xe Sands, who has the perfect dry, world-weary tone for a sad-sack gumshoe like Ivy Gamble. I’ve previously enjoyed her narration on books like Acceptance by Jeff Vandermeer and Wanders by Chuck Wendig, and I would say that she’s definitely one of the better narrators out there. I think much of my enjoyment of the book stemmed from her performance of the character.

At first glance Magic for Liars may seem like a Harry Potter inspired magic school book except with a murder mystery. In reality it is a character study of Ivy Gable, Private Investigator. Ivy’s sister has magic and teaches in the school so when the school’s headmaster wanted an outsider to investigate the mysterious death of a teacher, after the magic cops called it an accidental death due to magical experimentation, she turns to Ivy as an investigator who already knows about magic. But Ivy barely graduated high school and mostly investigates cheating spouses. She lives up to the worst stereotypes of hard-boiled, hard drinking P.I.s (think Jessica Jones
without the superpowers.) And she has not seen her sister in years.

But in the process of investigating this case, she winds up living at the school (in the dead teacher’s apartment) and pretending to be part of the magic world, even dating another teacher, while getting to know her sister. She deals with the anger and jealousy she still feels towards her sister and gets a taste of what her life could have been if she had had magic like her sister does.

Of course, this is also a high school story and the author has the headmaster makes the point that even though this is a school of magic “at the end of the day, we’re just a high school.” of Gailey creates believable pictures of the students and the teachers. One boy is convinced that family prophecy makes him the Chosen One who will save the world of magic. A girl uses her powers to influence teachers and create a clique of ‘friends’ who obey
her out of fear of the rumors she can start. And there’s the ‘cool’ teacher and the teacher who is full of himself.
At the same time, this is a murder mystery and Ivy does investigate by talking to students and faculty. Gradually, Ivy learns that her sister had been in a relationship with the dead teacher and may have lied about her whereabouts at the time of the death.

Both mystery fans and readers of magic school books will enjoy Magic for Liars as long as they recognize that this is a character-driven novel rather than a novel of plot.

Ivy Gamble has never wanted to be magical. She is perfectly happy with her life. She has an almost-sustainable career as a private investigator, and an empty apartment, and a slight drinking problem. It's a great life and she doesn't wish she was like her estranged sister, the magically gifted professor Tabitha.

I really loved this book! I loved the authors writing style! Really fun read, would totally recommend!

Sadly underwhelming. Interesting premise, half-baked execution. There’s a definite lack of tension while uncovering the mystery and Ivy is always juuuust on the verge of understanding but can never make the (glaringly obvious) connection

Link to review: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/magic-for-liars-sarah-gailey-review/

This is exactly what I want in a fantasy novel. Mostly grounded in reality but with a touch of magic and a PI thrown in for good measure. I feel like this could be the first book in an ongoing series.

An interesting new novel. A nice mix of magic and crime/mystery. Imaginative, very well-written, with engaging characters. Recommended.

Magic for Liars was such a disappointing read for me. The premise for this book sounds so amazing and intriguing, yet the execution left me disheartened. I just expected a lot more from this book, especially since Magic for Liars started out strong.

For one I expected a lot more magic than what was actually in the book. There was more talk about magic theory than actual magic, which was disappointing. I guess this is on me, since it’s explicitly stated that the main character doesn’t have magic. Another thing that disappointed me was the mystery. I just found it not that well done, which I can’t explain more because of spoilers. Also, Ivy wasn’t that great of a detective. She stumbled upon clues more often than actually deducing anything.

My biggest problem with the book was actually the main character, Ivy. Aside from her not being that great of a detective, I just didn’t like her or care for her. I can understand how bitter she must have been for not having magic and being on the sidelines, but I really didn’t need to be reminded of it every chance the author got. It got honestly so annoying! Ivy was so too whiny and I found it bothersome pretty fast. The sister relationship between Ivy and Tabitha was probably my favourite aspect of the book. They have a complex relationship and it was interesting to read about.

Sarah Gailey has rapidly shot to the top of my favorite writers list, and this book shows why. Her worlds are rich and fascinating and extremely queer. I loved all the characters and stressed about their lives as I read the story. The mystery kept me guessing and the ending wrenched my heart out. I recommend it strongly.

Enjoyed this immensely; FINALLY, someone's writing urban fantasy with a complex, interesting female lead! Loved the setting, loved the characters, loved the mystery. Couldn't put it down.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC. I enjoyed this book and would definitely read more if the author decided to continue in this world. The premise of twins, one being magic and the other not, made for an interesting dynamic. The magic was interesting and different, the school for magic was definitely not Hogwarts, and it seemed believable that it could co-exist with our reality. I appreciated the explored relationship with the twins and the blend of mystery and fantasy.

Would you enjoy Magic for Liars if you’re not a fan of murder mysteries or Harry Potter? If you like honest, witty narrators who overcome their own struggles with self-doubt and the bottle, then perhaps you will.

I’d heard good things about Sarah Gailey’s River of Teeth series so I requested her new book from NetGalley. (The publisher provided a free review copy in exchange for this review. Thanks Tor Books!) I certainly don’t have anything against mystery novels or the Harry Potter series, but neither is my favorite genre. Despite that Magic for Liars hooked me right away and wouldn’t let go.

In part, I enjoyed it because the book captures the spirit of the classic noir novels and films of the mid-20th century. If you enjoy Humphrey Bogart solving crimes in between drinking whiskey and trading barbs with a femme fatale but wish the gender roles weren't so narrow, Magic for Liars could be just what you're looking for. Gailey updates the classic formula by showing that a female private investigator can struggle with the same demons (booze, ethics, sibling rivalry) in an equally engaging way. PI Ivy Gamble makes her living catching liars and cheats, but it’s not a very good living, nor is she content with her life. She’s estranged from her sister, Tabitha, a mage (they don’t like to be called wizards) who teaches at Osthorne Academy of Young Mages, a high school for magical teens. Ivy, however, doesn’t have magical powers, so she is surprised when Osthorne’s headmaster appears in her office, asking Ivy to solve the murder of a teacher in the school library.

Ivy takes the case and finds herself in a familiar place (high school) with a magical twist. To solve the crime she must confront issues she'd ignored for too long, particularly her relationship with Tabitha and her own tendency to run away from close connections with others. Gailey moves through these classic tropes ably, keeping the reader wondering what choices Ivy will make. I found Ivy's narration honest and engaging, even if I was occasionally frustrated at her slowness in picking up obvious clues. Overall, it's a fun twist on a classic tale.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of the book.

The concept for the book was really quite intriguing: a set of twins who are separated by magic, one has the magic and one does not. Then, they are brought back together in order to solve the murder of a colleague at the magic school, where Tabitha works. Ivy learns that she just wants to fit in with her sister's life while also trys to solve a mystery that is a bit out of her league. Oh, and there's also a romance that is based on lies and private school kids who are smarter than anyone knows.

Honestly, this book fell quite flat for me. I was underwhelmed and found myself constantly annoyed with the whole story. I disliked the romance from the start and I think that Ivy had no idea what she actually wanted, and I wish that the murder was more at the forefront of the story rather than the romance. Or maybe it's more that I felt the romance was completely unnecessary, being friends would have been just as beneficial and the ending would have been more satisfying.

Overall, this book was fine. It was a solid story and the ending did solve the mystery in a way that I had not expected. 2.5 out of 5 from me.

First of all, LOVE the cover - super eye-catching and memorable. I went into this book with a lot of excitement and no expectations, as I'd never read any of Gailey's work before and has no real idea what to expect. The first maybe hundred pages had me worried, as Ivy's voice can be a little wallow-y (so much sad introspection - good stuff! just a lot of it), and there's a scene in which she unloads on a bartender early on that felt like some forced exposition. But once we were at the school, and Ivy was in action interviewing students and teachers, flirting with the physical magic instructor, navigating a complicated relationship with sister (and herself) I was hooked. The mystery is so well-constructed, the characters and their relationships are vivid and three-dimensional, the writing is funny and clear and poignant.

4.75 stars rounded up to 5 ;) Will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Magic for Liars follows Ivy Gamble, a private investigator who’s just scraping by. Ivy reminds me of the Netflix version of Jessica Jones, especially in the way the book opens on her thoughts about her job: being a PI isn’t all she thought it would be, and she’s feeling dejected about her choices. That’s when a case comes calling that is nothing like her usual work of catching cheating spouses. Instead, Ivy is part of an investigation at a magic school, a place that causes her deep-seated discomfort that unfolds over the course of the book.

Right out of the gate, I must mention that yes, there is a magic school in this book like in the ever-ubiquitous HARRY POTTER series – it feels impossible not to mention similarities whenever a book with a school for magic comes along, but I’m not going to contrast Magic for Liars with HARRY POTTER. What I will say is that in this post-HARRY POTTER world, where magic schools can feel like over-trod territory, Magic for Liars proved to me that there still are fresh and interesting stories to be told about magic schools.

I would count myself as a fan of Gailey’s work: I adored the AMERICAN HIPPO series (which Jana reviewed) and I have been enthralled by many of their short fiction pieces, so I was very excited about this book when it was announced. And I enjoyed Magic for Liars, but I didn’t love it. Kelly talked in her review about how the murder mystery aspect of the story didn’t work for her, and while I was more surprised by how it all played out, I am also less versed in the mystery genre, so I would highly recommend reading Kelly’s review.

Something I’ve said in almost all my reviews that remains true is that I come to books for the characters. I found the cast of Magic for Liars both sympathetic and interesting for the most part. Gailey’s subversion of a few ingrained tropes made for some delightful moments that I think widely-read readers will appreciate quite a bit. By subverting and twisting tropes, Gailey puts the characters in situations that lend themselves to new and interesting actions and conversations that I enjoyed reading. However, I also felt that some characterizations were thinner than others, which made some of the motivations a bit murky for me up until the very end of the mystery.

I found the book’s twists to be satisfying enough, and the setting was a fresh and interesting take on a well-explored fantasy setting. I thought many of the characters were extremely interesting, and I liked how they worked through the complex situations around them. Ultimately, I liked this book and I continue to look forward to more work by Gailey, even if this isn’t my favourite piece of their work.

This book was psychologically deeper than I was anticipating. I expected it to be a more grown up version of Harry Potter. I should know better then to make comparisons to things just because they have a passing similiarity like magic and a school because this book has almost no similarities to Harry Potter and for good reasons. Gailey takes those tropes usually in magic school books and turns them on their head in such a beautifully simplistic and bittersweet way.