A mystery in a secretive academy dedicated to magically gifted students… Sound familiar? The magic school genre has been inundated with entries since the booming success of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. However, Magic for Liars deviates from its fantasy predecessors by injecting much-needed realism into the story—Osthorne Academy for Young Mages actually functions as a school and teenagers behave, surprisingly, like 14 - 18 year olds. To quote one of the teachers, “…at the end of the day, we’re just a high school… that means gum, graffiti, cell phones, sex-ed, stupid pranks, students smoking weed behind the bleachers.”
Magic in Gailey’s world isn’t portrayed as innocent or wondrous. Instead, it can be tolling, sexy, grimy, and disturbing. It’s no wonder that Ivy Gamble, our protagonist, wants nothing to do with it: “I never wanted to be magic.” Despite her misgivings, Ivy is dragged into this world when she is hired to investigate a suspected murder at Osthorne Academy.
The central whodunit mystery is perhaps the weakest part of the story. Since we are not introduced to many characters or suspects, the culprit becomes rather easy to deduce early in the book. However, the few characters that we do meet are quite compelling. Gailey has created a fascinating, multifaceted protagonist in Ivy. Smart yet flawed, romantic yet pragmatic, confident yet troubled, Ivy is a walking contradiction and an enigma all on her own. It's easy to root for her as she tries to uncover the truth while also navigating her personal life.
Overall, I enjoyed Magic for Liars and found it to be a refreshing take on a tired genre. Thank you to Bookish and Tor for sending me an ARC of Magic for Liars.
Magic in Gailey’s world isn’t portrayed as innocent or wondrous. Instead, it can be tolling, sexy, grimy, and disturbing. It’s no wonder that Ivy Gamble, our protagonist, wants nothing to do with it: “I never wanted to be magic.” Despite her misgivings, Ivy is dragged into this world when she is hired to investigate a suspected murder at Osthorne Academy.
The central whodunit mystery is perhaps the weakest part of the story. Since we are not introduced to many characters or suspects, the culprit becomes rather easy to deduce early in the book. However, the few characters that we do meet are quite compelling. Gailey has created a fascinating, multifaceted protagonist in Ivy. Smart yet flawed, romantic yet pragmatic, confident yet troubled, Ivy is a walking contradiction and an enigma all on her own. It's easy to root for her as she tries to uncover the truth while also navigating her personal life.
Overall, I enjoyed Magic for Liars and found it to be a refreshing take on a tired genre. Thank you to Bookish and Tor for sending me an ARC of Magic for Liars.