A review by jasperw
Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

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

4.5

I have to give it such a high rating for the ending of the acknowledgments alone:

"To those versions of me, who were growing and searching and scared and brave: Thank you."

This line really sums up what I love about this book, and what (now in reflection) I can appreciate as having been there from the beginning: Ivy is a troubled person, just like we all are. She is trying her best to navigate the world around her, while she has deep scars that she carries. She has issues and she's trying to protect herself in a destructive way. She's a relatable main character, and she tells you these issues from the get go. Her character and the development is one of the big reasons I love this book. Maybe it's the timing, what's going on in my own life, but I truly think so many people can relate to Ivy.

The magic system and the mystery element were interesting. I did find that the investigating part dragged a little in the middle, and there were a couple elements not fully explored
the whole Prophecy element was explained some, but mostly left as "this thing is here", especially in the end.
but I was really okay with that! I think people should just know going into it that if you're there for the mystery and magic exclusively, you may not be satisfied. The characters and the growth is a big element of the story. 

I LOVED the ending. It's what really sold me on rating this book so highly. It was perfect.
I loved how it was ambiguous and it showed that we can continue to make different decisions. We can continue change how we interact with the world. We can always make the change to start letting people in.
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