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claire_luna's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
So, this was not what I was expecting. I came across this book in some list and added it to my library audio holds and then went in pretty blind. For some reason I thought it was YA but it definitely isn't. Sure, it's set at a magic school and there's a prophecy about a Chosen One but that's where the typical YA fantasy genre tropes stop. It's a detective novel, tinged with magic and drama, full of queer characters (but coming out isn't a theme). There were continuous twists and it was a few chapters from the end before I was further ahead than our plucky, somewhat damaged detective. I was also thoroughly impressed with the narration, this was one of my longer audiobooks and I was so into it that at one point I just started into space sitting on my couch. There was so much packed into this book (do see the content warnings) and it delivered with a punch. What more can I say? I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Death of parent, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
northernbookfox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, and Terminal illness
Minor: Blood and Drug use
sunnyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed Magic For Liars. My first time reading Sarah Gailey, which I picked up this one because it was a Kindle deal and the podcast What Should I Read Next put the author on my radar. I love murder mysteries, and I was so intrigued about one happening at a magic school! The ending is wrapped up very tightly with a bow, with Ivy having learned her lesson, but it just felt like Sarah Gailey had tied the story up with a bow without Ivy having actually learned her lesson. Despite that, I did enjoy the story, and I really liked that it was about a non-magic person peeking into a magic school.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, and Terminal illness
stormwise's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book had lots of things I loved - complicated sibling relationships, casually queer characters and fascinating worldbuilding. I love the idea of a magic school where the teachers use whiteboards, there's graffiti on the lockers and teenagers are obsessed with their phones!
The main character, Ivy Gamble (PI), doesn't have magic, but she does know how to lie. As the POV character, the reader can see every choice she grapples with as she carefully manipulates the other characters, who all have their own agendas and give the impression of each thinking they are in a different kind of story. In her own way, Ivy reminded me of a stage magician using sleight of hand and misdirection to keep everything in the air - but of course, it doesn't take much before it all comes crashing down.
Halfway through this novel, I thought I would give it a 5 star rating, but the ending felt a bit too abrupt and there were a few characters whose plotlines I would have liked to have seen wrapped up. I can forgive that last complaint somewhat as the story is told through first person narrative but then again, it's established early on that Ivy is narrating from after the events of the book...yeah. Despite these minor grievances, I really enjoyed this book! I found the scenes between Ivy and her twin sister particularly powerful - Gailey does an incredible job depicting their fraught relationship.
The main character, Ivy Gamble (PI), doesn't have magic, but she does know how to lie. As the POV character, the reader can see every choice she grapples with as she carefully manipulates the other characters, who all have their own agendas and give the impression of each thinking they are in a different kind of story. In her own way, Ivy reminded me of a stage magician using sleight of hand and misdirection to keep everything in the air - but of course, it doesn't take much before it all comes crashing down.
Halfway through this novel, I thought I would give it a 5 star rating, but the ending felt a bit too abrupt and there were a few characters whose plotlines I would have liked to have seen wrapped up. I can forgive that last complaint somewhat as the story is told through first person narrative but then again, it's established early on that Ivy is narrating from after the events of the book...yeah. Despite these minor grievances, I really enjoyed this book! I found the scenes between Ivy and her twin sister particularly powerful - Gailey does an incredible job depicting their fraught relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Grief, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Eating disorder
very_mellifluous's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Terminal illness, Cancer, and Miscarriage
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