Magic for Liars
{{short description|2019 fantasy and mystery novel by Sarah Gailey}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{infobox book
| image = Magic for Liars (cover art).jpg
| caption = First edition
| author = Sarah Gailey
| language = English
| cover_artist = Will Staehle
| country = United States
| genre = Fantasy; Murder mystery
| publisher = Tor Books
| isbn = 978-1250-17461-1
| pub_date = June 4, 2019
}}
Magic for Liars is a 2019 murder mystery/fantasy novel, by Sarah Gailey. It was first published by Tor Books.
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".[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sarah-gailey/magic-for-liars/ Sarah Gailey: Magic for Liars], reviewed at Kirkus Reviews; posted online March 18, 2019; retrieved February 4, 2020 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".[https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-250-17461-1 Magic for Liars], reviewed at Publishers Weekly; published January 23, 2019; retrieved February 6, 2020 At BoingBoing, Cory Doctorow said it was a "first-rate whodunnit" and a "superb debut".[https://boingboing.net/2019/06/04/magic-r-us.html 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
The Verge found Ivy to be "a far more relatable character than most other magical detectives", and lauded Gailey's worldbuilding as "clearly establish(ing) a much larger world," emphasizing that Osthorne "more than nearly any other magical institution, feels like a high school."[https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/15/18679498/magic-for-liars-sarah-gailey-book-review-magical-school-murder-mystery 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
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".[https://www.npr.org/2019/06/08/730636982/magic-for-liars-asks-what-if-youre-actually-not-magic '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
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."[https://locusmag.com/2019/08/adrienne-martini-reviews-magic-for-liars-by-sarah-gailey/ Adrienne Martini Reviews Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey], in Locus; published August 30, 2019; retrieved February 6, 2020
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 faculty member 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".[https://www.avclub.com/it-s-harry-potter-meets-megan-abbott-in-fantasy-noir-ma-1835074413 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
Magic for Liars was a finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel.{{cite web|website=Tor.com |title=Announcing the 2020 Locus Awards Finalists |url=https://www.tor.com/2020/05/29/announcing-the-2020-locus-awards-finalists/#more-589134 |date=2020-05-29 |access-date=2020-05-29}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w07mVfZ7J-E Sarah Gailey discussing Magic for Liars] at Talks at Google
Category:American fantasy novels
Category:Speculative crime and thriller fiction novels