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  • Magic for Liars

  • Written by: Sarah Gailey
  • Narrated by: Xe Sands
  • Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (29 ratings)

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Magic for Liars

Written by: Sarah Gailey
Narrated by: Xe Sands
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Publisher's Summary

A Locus Awards Nominee for 2020
One of Hudson Booksellers' Best of the Year for 2019

Sharp, mainstream fantasy meets compelling thrills of investigative noir in Magic for Liars, a fantasy debut by rising star Sarah Gailey. 

Ivy Gamble was born without magic and never wanted it. Ivy Gamble is perfectly happy with her life - or at least, she’s perfectly fine. She doesn't in any way wish she was like Tabitha, her estranged, gifted twin sister. 

Ivy Gamble is a liar. 

When a gruesome murder is discovered at the Osthorne Academy of Young Mages, where her estranged twin sister teaches theoretical magic, reluctant detective Ivy Gamble is pulled into the world of untold power and dangerous secrets. She will have to find a murderer and reclaim her sister - without losing herself.   

“An unmissable debut.” (Adrienne Celt, author of Invitation to a Bonfire)

©2019 Sarah Gailey (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about Magic for Liars

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • ace
  • 2023-04-25

I just wanted more

More worldbuilding, more red herrings, more twists and turns and build-up. The tone was great, the pacing felt really good the whole way. But it wrapped up like a first act in a bigger story. I thought there was a lot of (potential) setup for twists that didn't come into play. Definitely a fun, quick read, but it could have pulled me deeper and kept me longer.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

the fantasy PI noir you've been looking for.

I tried it in an attempt to find something different, and it's not just unique and different it's also worth recommending in my opinion.
The mashup of magic school and private investigator story tropes actually works.
It has my vote for being excellently written. There are a few very poignant turns of phrase that stayed with me. The main character has a great arc and lots of development in a way that is meaningful but not too depressing or heavy. Her struggle against personal demons felt genuine.
The themes of power dynamics, family, and tragedy felt woven into the character stuff in a way that was very absorbing and made me think without it feeling like a cliched moral lesson.
I will definitely read more Sarah Gailey based on having experienced "Magic for Liars".

Xe Sands became a big part of enjoying this book. She has a very different voice and it was initially hard to appreciate. I would describe it as more mature sounding, and like her voice has a unique character compared to other voices. It was worth giving the time to though. I am thoroughly won over by the way she embodied different characters and infused just the right amount of tension and emotion into the right moments. It drew me into things in a way I don't think I necessarily would have been just from visual reading alone.
Her doing narration for a book is now a strong positive influence on considering whether to get it or not.

I think there is a bit of an urban fantasy quality to this story, so if you enjoy that you might enjoy this.

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