I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey Published by Tor Books on June 4 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Full of strange magic, secrets and lies, a compelling mystery and some emotional soul searching, Magic For Liars was a surprise in more ways than one.
Magic For Liars was not the book I was expecting it to be, and I finished reading it with the feeling that it was exactly the book it should have been, if that makes any sense. This is one of those cases where a publisher’s or a reviewer’s blurb is not only wrong, but actually does the story a disservice. “Harry Potter for Grown Ups” is one description I read somewhere, and while I understand the basic sentiment, this book is so much more. The story takes place in a school for kids who are magic, but the focus is on a non-magical adult who is forced to confront her past in an emotional journey of self discovery.
Ivy Gamble is a private investigator, estranged from her sister Tabitha. Tabitha proved to be “magic” as a child, while Ivy turned out to have no magical abilities whatsoever. This caused a rift between the sisters, as Tabitha went off to magic school while Ivy had to attend a school for regular kids, much to her chagrin. One day Ivy is approached by the headmaster of the Osthorne Academy for Young Mages, where a teacher was found dead. The coroner’s office ruled it a magical mishap, but the headmaster isn’t convinced. She thinks the teacher, Sylvia Capley, was murdered, and she wants Ivy’s help to find the killer.
Ivy is reluctant to visit the school where Tabitha now teaches, but the lure of a hefty retainer convinces her to leave her humdrum PI job and tackle murder for the first time in her career. When she arrives at Osthorne, she finds a place full of secrets, hormonal teenagers and mean girls, and most of all, strange magic everywhere she turns. As Ivy delves into the lives of the students and teachers, she begins to uncover the truth, which is more horrifying than she could ever imagine. And in the midst of discovering what really happened to Sylvia, Ivy comes face to face with feelings for her sister and the resentment that’s been festering for years.
There is plenty of magic here, but surprisingly, it’s not the focus of the story and is more of a background device than anything else. Magic For Liars is a damn fine mystery, as Ivy uses her PI skills to trick the students and teachers into telling the truth. We’re presented with a gruesome murder in the beginning chapter, and it isn’t until the last pages that all the pieces finally come together, so in true mystery fashion, the pacing worked perfectly for me. Gailey’s story has a sinister tone to it that I wasn’t expecting and made me uneasy in more ways that one, not only because of the murder, but because one student in particular has the ability to use “magical manipulation” to get whatever she wants.
The magic within these pages is odd and strange and disturbing. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read, in fact. These aren’t wand-waving teens performing levitation spells. These mages use chemistry and math to figure out magic, like changing pool water into sparks, for example, and magical theory is just as important as performing actual magic. I wish I could go into more detail about the magic that killed poor Sylvia, but revealing those details could be considered a spoiler, so I won’t tell you here. Let’s just say that it was a bit shocking and graphic, but makes perfect sense when you think about it.
I was surprised how emotional Magic For Liars turned out to be. Gailey’s story is so well rounded, and I loved Ivy’s emotional growth as she confronts her feelings for Tabitha and tries to work past years of resentment. If you love stories about the bonds between sisters, especially bonds that are strained by jealousy and estrangement, then you won’t be disappointed. Ivy tells us she’s a liar in the very beginning, and we find out as the story progresses that she’s lying to herself as well as to others. She’s trying to convince the reader that she isn’t bothered by her lack of magic, but we can read between the lines, and it’s quite clear that she is bothered and is simply trying to convince herself otherwise. Her constant protesting is a little too much at times, but I thought it was honest. If you’ve ever wanted something desperately that you know you’ll never have, you’ll probably relate to Ivy and her state of mind.
And I’m so glad I’m reviewing this book in June, because it’s a perfect read for Pride Month, if you’re looking for more queer reading. There are several F/F relationships, one between two students and the other between two teachers. Ivy herself is hetero, and she has a relationship with one of the male teachers at Osthorne, so there’s quite a mix of all types of love in Magic For Liars, and isn’t that what we want to see in stories these days?
The ending comes with a rush of revelations about Sylvia’s murder and some surprises as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this book on so many levels, and I’m excited to read whatever Sarah Gailey writes next.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
So, I was interested in reading this because of the Harry Potter for grown-ups thing, but now I’m way more intrigued! This sounds far more interesting and intense than I was expecting, which is all to the good. Great review! 😀
And you add ANOTHER book to my TBR pile. I truly enjoyed Sarah Gailey’s RIVER OF TEETH; but I hesitated on this one because I was worried about the world-weary, heavy-drinking PI trope. Now I’m intrigued again — a definite purchase.
Ha ha #sorrynotsorry Ivy definitely has that PI trope going for her, but I found her to be a pretty interesting character anyway. Plus the story is just UNUSUAL, in a good way!
Terrific review! I loved this book. The “Harry Potter for grown-ups” label bothers me — seems like people tend to stick it on anything about magical schools that involves darker subject matter. (They described The Magicians this way too when it first came out).
Sometimes labels can be a good thing, but often they miss the mark, and this is one of those times
I was so curious about this one Tammy! I’ve seen it around some! I would have expected it to be mostly about magic but I do love a good mystery too ! And…you said emotional…? THEN YES! No wonder you enjoyed it so much! I think I’d like it too!
Daniela Ark recently posted…A girl in red, seven gates of the underworld, the Mayan god of death, eternal life… June 2019 New Arrivals!
Oh it had tons of emotion! I think that’s what surprised me the most
This is another I saw my library had ordered so I’m already on the wait list. Sounds like I’m in for a treat!
Oh cool, hope you enjoy it!
Blurbs that compare a book to another, more famous one, show a definite lack of imagination (not to say laziness) from the people who write them, and every time I see one such comparison I tend to discard it. That said, I’m glad you found this story to be much more than it promised to be, and I thank you for showcasing what looks to be a very, very intriguing story 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…Review: THE UNBOUND EMPIRE (Swords and Fire #3), by Melissa Caruso
I have to admit I’ve done the same thing in reviews at times, compared a book to another, sometimes it does make sense
Ugh, why do they have to do that with the blurbs? I hate that but this sounds so good! I’ll have to catch it at my library.
I know, sometimes the blurbs really simplify things, but they don’t always work.
This is on my TBR. Glad to see it didn’t disappoint. I haven’t read the “Harry Potter for Grown Ups” description, but I would have been sold by that as well. It sounds really interesting though and really different both from the author’s other work (also on my TBR) and what I expected.
Hope you get the chance to read it!
I’ve had mixed feelings about this but your review has turned me around. I like the sound of it, particularly being a mystery.
Lynn 😀
It was really worth it, and it is a murder mystery at heart
It’s wonderful when a book takes you completely by surprise and for the better of course.
http://www.henatayeb.blogspot.com
I agree! Surprises are the best
It definitely sounds like it has a lot more going for it than just Harry Potter for grownups. You have me especially curious about the strange magic in the story. Excellent review!
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Review: THE GIRL IN RED by Christina Henry
The magic is intense! I wanted to mention it in my review but it’s sort of a spoiler (IMO) so curious readers will have to try it themselves, lol.
I really enjoyed her River Of Teeth book and would like to try this one. Loved your review, Tammy! You have me so curious.
Laura Thomas recently posted…Review and Giveaway ~ An Eye For A Lie by Cy Wyss
I enjoyed this more than River of Teeth, hope you get to read it:-)
I’m so glad I just got an audiobook review copy of this, sounds fun!
I’ll be very curious about the audio, also about your opinion since I haven’t read that many blogger reviews yet:-)
You have so upped my anticipation for this book!
Oh good, if you read it, let me know!
Great review! This definitely sounds interesting. I actually haven’t read anything by Sarah Gailey yet.
This is her first full length novel, and I enjoyed it more than her novellas.
I have to say, I really didn’t have that much interest in this book, but your description makes it way more appealing than I originally thought! Thanks for the review!
I was worried about some of the reviews I read, but it was so unusual that I ended up loving it.
Yeah, I love that it has all the forms of love here, Tammy. We definitely need more and more books like this, and it sounds like this one kept you guessing with the lies. Wonderful review!
Thanks Jennifer, it definitely did not go where I thought it would!
Wow, I would have never guessed what this one was about. Sounds so much for fun than the blurb suggests! Great review, Tammy! 😀
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It’s one of the things I loved most, that it wasn’t predictable at all:-)
Aww yay, glad you loved it more than I did. 😀 The magical theory stuff WAS pretty interesting!
I can see why readers are divided over this book, it was definitely different!
Glad you liked this one, I’ve heard so many mixed things and I think it comes down to what you said — it wasn’t what you expected. Sometimes that works out great for a reader and sometimes it really has a negative impact. Glad it was the former! This one is still on my list to get to at some point. 🙂
WOW, great review! I was already really excited about this book based on reading the synopsis on the publisher’s catalog ages ago, but your review makes it seem like it is even more for me! It’s always a bummer when advertising does a disservice to the book, but I am glad that this felt right. Looking forward to reading this book
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I loved this book so much. Like you, I expected something a little different, but what I got ended up being way better. I especially loved how Gailey kept me guessing. I had a billion theories about who the murderer was and what their motive might have been. All of them wrong. Which is the mark of a truly good mystery in my opionion. 🙂
I do feel like tearing my hair out sometimes when a book is publicised as one thing and turns out to be something quite different. This one sounds really intriguing – I have to say I was underwhelmed by the hippo stories, which was such a cool premise and never quite reached their potential as far as I was concerned. This one sounds quite different:). Thank you for a great review.
That sounds fascinating. Thanks for the review.
The magic as science aspect sounds like it would make the story that much more convincing!