Reviews with content warning for Gore - Magic for Liars

What i enjoyed: The author had a beautiful way with words, and it hooked me instantly. The story was very interesting and the twists and turns were quite enjoyable to discover along with the main character. I loved that it didnt have a stereotypical happy ever after and it was very realistic, but it wasnt entirely tragic either. It was so well done and has become one of my favorite books.

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jazhandz's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I think this is my favorite Sarah Gailey book I’ve read yet. I had expected it to be a little more twee and Harry Potter-referential (that’s always how it was pitched to me) but instead it was a straight-up noir, and a good one at that. Twisty mystery, complicated hero, sympathy for all parties. Really enjoyed it.

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booksandteatime's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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k_readingmorenow's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The dry, first person narrative is definitely amplified by the narrator in the audiobook version. But while the voice acting is wonderful, it does tend to be a bit breathy which can make it difficult to understand if you have any background noise. A good book if you're looking for a mystery without any heroes or villians. Everyone is complicated. A magic world that feels very real.

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gabyspinktasticlibrary's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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jasperw's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I have to give it such a high rating for the ending of the acknowledgments alone:

"To those versions of me, who were growing and searching and scared and brave: Thank you."

This line really sums up what I love about this book, and what (now in reflection) I can appreciate as having been there from the beginning: Ivy is a troubled person, just like we all are. She is trying her best to navigate the world around her, while she has deep scars that she carries. She has issues and she's trying to protect herself in a destructive way. She's a relatable main character, and she tells you these issues from the get go. Her character and the development is one of the big reasons I love this book. Maybe it's the timing, what's going on in my own life, but I truly think so many people can relate to Ivy.

The magic system and the mystery element were interesting. I did find that the investigating part dragged a little in the middle, and there were a couple elements not fully explored

the whole Prophecy element was explained some, but mostly left as "this thing is here", especially in the end.

but I was really okay with that! I think people should just know going into it that if you're there for the mystery and magic exclusively, you may not be satisfied. The characters and the growth is a big element of the story.

I LOVED the ending. It's what really sold me on rating this book so highly. It was perfect.

I loved how it was ambiguous and it showed that we can continue to make different decisions. We can continue change how we interact with the world. We can always make the change to start letting people in.

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petrimagyk's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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fraeyalise's review

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I didn't like this book.

It is well written, and the characters feel like real people. The world feels like it's real. The mystery is compelling.

However, it felt me feeling very gross at the end, like I need to take a shower.

I'm glad Ivy realized literally in the last few pages that she didn't want anything to do with her evil sister and realized she's the problem, and I'm glad she went back to Rahul to try and give herself another chance to be vulnerable. But I hated the plot of the teen pregnancy, and what her sister did was vile, and not something I was ready to read about after having a baby myself. If I knew there was an explicit abortion scene (even if it was "magical") and further trauma for the teen who had one without any anesthesia I would have taken this off my to-read list.

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