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Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

77 reviews

taryn_evelyn's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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horrorandscience's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ivy Gamble is a private detective, following cheating spouses and people who owe money. When a mage shows up asking for her help with a murder, she has to delve into a new world—the world her sister was born into. The world she’s resented her sister over.

Sarah Gailey has a certain way of writing that just *gets* me. The way they write just sucks me in from page one, on all three of their books I’ve read so far. If anyone knows how to write a good opener, it’s Sarah Gailey.

Magic for Liars seems, on the outside, a murder mystery. But it is so much more than that. It deals with grief, trauma, relationships, love. Tough decisions for both teenagers and adults. It was really nice to see a world in which adults don’t treat the kids as useless, and the adults themselves are not useless. 

The .5 reduction is because I wasn’t a big fan of the relationship with Rahul. The story would have flowed well without it. Otherwise, I really loved it.
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burnt_milk's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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wholesomeandqueer's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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jodean's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

captivating read, well weaved. tore it up in a day.

I wish the ending had been tied up a bit more, tho.
I wanted one more conversation with Rahul.
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lily1304's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I got so invested in this story so fast! Ivy is a funny and sympathetic narrator, and the mystery was juuuuust the right level of difficulty. I couldn't figure it all out on my own, but I might have if I had taken notes. But it's not just a mystery, it also gave me feelings??

Yeah, it takes place at a boarding school for magical teens, but it's definitely not Harry Potter.

I would have rated it higher, except I feel like it has low reread-value - but the first read was SO fun!!
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whatcassiedid's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A really solid take on a murder mystery, loved the magical element
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yungdaikon's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
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katymat18's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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ehmannky's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really liked this book. It's a solid murder-mystery that takes a lot of fantasy tropes (specifically those surrounding magic schools) to their conclusion if they were played out in reality. Specifically, what does this magic do to the people who were, in essence, left behind by their magic relatives? What does it do to someone to be told they are a Chosen One with a Great Destiny when they're a teenager having their first love? It's interesting, if a bit depressing. 
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