Magic for Liars involves several side plots. I will say, though, that the ending itself does feel somewhat rushed and incomplete in that some big choices are made, especially by Ivy, and we have no idea what the consequences will be. You’ll likely be able to guess where things are heading, but as it’s both emotionally charged and makes sense within the context of the story, that’s not such a bad thing. By the time events start coming together at the end, the momentum has vastly increased and everything gets dramatic FAST. However, once we get over the mid-way hump, some of the little things Ivy picks up on earlier start to show greater relevance and the plot moves along more briskly. Aside from a couple of tense moments during character interviews, there isn’t a heap of excitement during the first half. The first part of the novel deals with Ivy taking her time to learn the lay of the land (working out who the main players are & their stories, and attempting to understand relevant magical principals). The murder mystery storyline takes a while to properly warm up. I really enjoyed this side of her, mostly because it showed just how great of an investigator she is. On the upside, the plot does give Ivy a lot of opportunities to showcase that she’s very good at working out people – when they’re lying, what they want, and how best to manipulate them for information. After a while, it does start to get repetitive and annoying, especially when it predictably blows up in her face. At first, it’s fine, as it shows just how much Ivy wishes she could be like the image she has of her sister, attractive, free and special.

However, she’s also very unsatisfied with who she is and because of this, she’s spends a lot of the novel acting out different (alternate universe) versions of herself e.g. She has her work cut out forĪs a protagonist, Ivy is basically how you’d imagine a standard noir private investigator to be – never far from a bottle, a loner, unresolved family problems, and accustomed to dealing with unsavoury types. Pick up some well needed cash, but it also means facing Tabitha and somehow gettingĪ bunch of adolescents to tell it to her straight. Teachers dies under mysterious circumstances, the headmistress hires Ivy to investigate.Ī murder case seems like the perfect opportunity for Ivy to test her skills and

Just happens to teach magic subjects alongside the regular). Teaches at a secret academy for magical teens (think American high school that Ivy herself is a regular Joe, her estranged sister Tabitha is a mage and Noir Meets MagicĪround Ivy, an alcoholic PI who has difficulty getting close to people.

Magic for Liars is a book with both a solid and fun concept – I mean, a murder mystery at a magic school? – but somehow, it never really manages to scratch either your crime or fantasy itch in quite the way you’d hoped.

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey