Magic for Liars

Magic for Liars is a 2019 murder mystery/fantasy novel, by Sarah Gailey. It was first published by Tor Books.

Magic for Liars
AuthorSarah Gailey
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy; Murder mystery
PublisherTor books
Publication date
June 4, 2019
ISBN978-1250-17461-1

Synopsis

When a faculty member dies under suspicious circumstances at Osthorne Academy for Young Mages, authorities rule that it was an accident. The headmaster wants a second opinion, and hires a private investigator — Ivy Gamble, the nonmagical estranged sister of Osthorne teacher Tabitha Gamble — to find out what really happened.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews considered it to be "a poignant and bittersweet family tragedy disguised as a mystery", albeit with "thin worldbuilding".[1] Publishers Weekly called it a "wonderfully quirky mystery filled with inviting characters and gripping surprise twists", but noted that Ivy was "petty, petulant (and) hard to like".[2] At BoingBoing, Cory Doctorow said it was a "first-rate whodunnit" and a "superb debut".[3]

The Verge found Ivy to be "a far more relatable character than most other magical detectives", with Osthorne "more than nearly any other magical institution, feel(ing) like a high school," and lauded Gailey's worldbuilding as "clearly establish(ing) a much larger world."[4]

National Public Radio praised Gailey's choice to "sidestep" the "fantasy author's challenge" of explaining "how magic works" by leaving the topic beyond Ivy's comprehension, but questioned whether the book "really works as a crime novel" instead of as an "emotional novel with magic", and expressed concern that the school secretary Mrs. Webb — "the only specifically African American character on the staff" is "a source of scalpel-sharp insight and unexpected power, whose portrayal skates perilously close to magical stereotype".[5]

Locus described it as "a story about the lines between truth and lies and about the legacy of bitterness", in which Ivy is a "compelling narrator" whose "voice (...) carries the action well", despite "some of the twists (being) too well telegraphed."[6]

The A.V. Club was less positive, particularly faulting the portrayals of students Dylan and Alexandria as lacking "the development needed to make them feel like anything more than moving pieces of the plot", and comparing Ivy's interactions with Rahul to a "rom-com plot" that is "almost entirely disconnected from the rest of the story", ultimately concluding that despite being a "lovely look at sibling rivalry", the book "feels so close to being magical, but never finds a way to achieve its full power".[7]

The story was listed as a finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel.[8]

References
  1. Sarah Gailey: Magic for Liars, reviewed at Kirkus Reviews; posted online March 18, 2019; retrieved February 4, 2020
  2. Magic for Liars, reviewed at Publishers Weekly; published January 23, 2019; retrieved February 6, 2020
  3. Magic for Liars: Sarah Gailey's debut is a brilliant whodunnit in the vein of The Magicians, by Cory Doctorow, at BoingBoing; published June 4, 2019; retrieved February 5, 2020
  4. Magic for Liars blends magic school with a murder mystery: Sarah Gailey’s full length debut is a unique spin on the genre, by Chaim Gartenberg, at The Verge; published June 15, 2019; retrieved February 6, 2020
  5. 'Magic For Liars' Asks, What If You're Actually Not Magic?, by Liza Graham, at National Public Radio' published June 8, 2019; retrieved February 6, 2020
  6. Adrienne Martini Reviews Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey, in Locus; published August 30, 2019; retrieved February 6, 2020
  7. It’s Harry Potter meets Megan Abbott in fantasy noir Magic For Liars, by Samantha Nelson, at The A.V. Club; published June 3, 2019; retrieved February 6, 2020
  8. "Announcing the 2020 Locus Awards Finalists". Tor.com. 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
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