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jkatzreads 's review for:
Magic for Liars
by Sarah Gailey
Enjoyed reading this book. The premise is original--a mystery/thriller set in a magic school. At first, it was a real page-turner, and I couldn't put it down. I really wanted to finish this whodunnit, but about a hundred or so pages from the end I knew exactly who did it and why. (No spoilers!) I found the clues to be surprisingly obvious, so much so that it seemed unbelievable that Ivy wouldn't put the pieces together sooner. I'm a bit mixed on the characters and the writing. I love a good metaphor, but boy were there a lot of metaphors...some which really took me out of the story. The one about how Tabitha's eyes were like the old mines Ivy used to smoke in as a teen. Oof!
I also want to point out, as others did in their reviews, that I do appreciate that this story explores those left behind by people with magic. It made me think of muggles and squibs in Harry Potter, and it was refreshing to see a fantasy with a new point of view. However, maybe I read too much into this, the part early on when Ivy made the light bulb "flicker" by thinking "Imagine you're a candle, and your wick is made of glass" made it seem like she did have some magic, so I thought that maybe she would discover it later on in the book, but it never got mentioned again (19-20). A bit of a red herring! Overall, I'm glad I read this book, but I would say it didn't quite live up to the expectations built in the first few chapters. Certainly original, though.
I also want to point out, as others did in their reviews, that I do appreciate that this story explores those left behind by people with magic. It made me think of muggles and squibs in Harry Potter, and it was refreshing to see a fantasy with a new point of view. However, maybe I read too much into this, the part early on when Ivy made the light bulb "flicker" by thinking "Imagine you're a candle, and your wick is made of glass" made it seem like she did have some magic, so I thought that maybe she would discover it later on in the book, but it never got mentioned again (19-20). A bit of a red herring! Overall, I'm glad I read this book, but I would say it didn't quite live up to the expectations built in the first few chapters. Certainly original, though.