Magic for Liars takes a sharp swing at a prevailing attitude among fantasy worlds - that magic automatically makes things better just by virtue of its existence. In this world, magic exists in secret, with special boarding schools for teens gifted with it. But if you're expecting a Harry Potter-esque wonderland, stop right there. Author Sarah Gailey takes the much more believable angle that teens with magic...are still just teens. The (and the staff as Osthorne) might use it for good, but they might just as easily use it for ill, or even simply mundane purposes. Passing notes. Locker graffiti. Keeping students away from the staff coffeemaker. To non-magical Ivy Gamble, it seems an affront - that they fail to appreciate their gifting and its enormous potential. But I think that's where Magic for Liars shines. In the midst of a gruesome murder investigation, Gailey's magical characters are accorded a higher moral standard because of their power. Magic is just another tool, a skill available to them, and whether it's used for betterment or harm depends entirely upon the person wielding it.