First of all, I'd like to thank Tor Books for both the e-galley as well as a physical arc copy of this book, Magic For Liars. Both were sent to me in exchange for an honest review, but my thoughts are always my own and never bought!
Synopsis:
Ivy Gamble has never wanted to be magic. She is perfectly happy with her life—she has an almost-sustainable career as a private investigator, and an empty apartment, and a slight drinking problem. It's a great life and she doesn't wish she was like her estranged sister, the magically gifted professor Tabitha.
But when Ivy is hired to investigate the gruesome murder of a faculty member at Tabitha’s private academy, the stalwart detective starts to lose herself in the case, the life she could have had, and the answer to the mystery that seems just out of her reach.
Review:
First of all, just check out the brilliant colors in this cover! I was immediately drawn to this book because of the strong, bold font and images. It is marketed as being The Magicians (in that it's set mostly at a school for mages) and Tana French ( an author whose books I've never read), but I can tell you that it started and ended strong. It strayed just a tad in the middle, and was a bit slow--also in the middle-- but ultimately an entirely satisfying stand-alone magical novel.
Relationship:
The estranged twins, one who has magic and one who does not, and their struggle to see eye-to-eye was a brilliant part of this story, and hits the visceral fear we all have of being the one left behind, the one not quite good enough. I loved Ivy and Tabitha's messy-real relationship.
The Rest:
Magical schools always draw me in, and though Hogwarts was not part of my childhood, it has played a big part of my adult life so far and I love it. There's just something wonderful about a magical school. Osbourne was no different. The magic in this world, too, is very cool, though almost entirely unexplained, and leaves the reader feeling almost exactly like Ivy: confused and hopelessly lost.
Teenage angst (though perhaps unavoidable) gets in the way of the brutal, brilliant storytelling a little too often.
The climax, when it came, surprised me.
I give this book a solid 4 stars.
Synopsis:
Ivy Gamble has never wanted to be magic. She is perfectly happy with her life—she has an almost-sustainable career as a private investigator, and an empty apartment, and a slight drinking problem. It's a great life and she doesn't wish she was like her estranged sister, the magically gifted professor Tabitha.
But when Ivy is hired to investigate the gruesome murder of a faculty member at Tabitha’s private academy, the stalwart detective starts to lose herself in the case, the life she could have had, and the answer to the mystery that seems just out of her reach.
Review:
First of all, just check out the brilliant colors in this cover! I was immediately drawn to this book because of the strong, bold font and images. It is marketed as being The Magicians (in that it's set mostly at a school for mages) and Tana French ( an author whose books I've never read), but I can tell you that it started and ended strong. It strayed just a tad in the middle, and was a bit slow--also in the middle-- but ultimately an entirely satisfying stand-alone magical novel.
Relationship:
The estranged twins, one who has magic and one who does not, and their struggle to see eye-to-eye was a brilliant part of this story, and hits the visceral fear we all have of being the one left behind, the one not quite good enough. I loved Ivy and Tabitha's messy-real relationship.
The Rest:
Magical schools always draw me in, and though Hogwarts was not part of my childhood, it has played a big part of my adult life so far and I love it. There's just something wonderful about a magical school. Osbourne was no different. The magic in this world, too, is very cool, though almost entirely unexplained, and leaves the reader feeling almost exactly like Ivy: confused and hopelessly lost.
Teenage angst (though perhaps unavoidable) gets in the way of the brutal, brilliant storytelling a little too often.
The climax, when it came, surprised me.
I give this book a solid 4 stars.