Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

105 reviews

bzliz's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

I’ve not read anything by this author before but I would read more of their work in the future. I really enjoyed the narration here- it felt like a 30’s noir detective movie starring a jaded, world-weary woman who can’t turn down the paycheck. I also liked the ambiguity around the magic system. Ivy doesn’t understand it so why should readers?

It seems like Ivy was a divisive character for a lot of people but I don’t mind her characterization. She doesn’t come off as whiny to me; she’s just a person who’s holding on to a grudge that developed in her formative years and was then left behind in a traumatic situation. It would be weird for that to not leave some psychological scars. Anyone who doesn’t understand that should count their blessings. On the flip side- damn, I know she’s a PI not a trained cop but she misses so many little slips as people are talking and it was a little frustrating. There were times I wanted to shake her and tell her to put down the drink and listen!

I’m split 50/50 on the ambiguous ending. On one hand, I’m fine with her choice to let the responsible party own up to their misdeeds. On the other, I would’ve liked a little more hope for her person life, such as Rahul opening the door or meeting her on the steps leaving more room for a potential reconciliation. 

Also, if there’s a teacher who’s been the subject of many rumors of involvement with students and he’s a douche to everyone, just get rid of him. He shouldn’t be around children. And why is it always English teachers?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Body horror, Grief, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Self harm

kassidyreads's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, Abortion, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Bullying

Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship

tess_gee's review

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

I was a bit caught off guard by how abrupt the ending felt. I still feel like I have a few unanswered questions about the magic systems. Technical questions on my part, sure, but I for one found it a tiny bit distracting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Body horror, Cancer, Gaslighting, Abortion, and Death of parent

Moderate: Medical trauma, Gore, Violence, Alcoholism, Death, Toxic friendship, Grief, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Medical content, and Sexual content

Minor: Violence, Abandonment, and Miscarriage

mheffner3031's review

dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Minor: Death and Abortion

defunctfridge's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

incredibly written and highly addictive. my biggest belief on mysteries and plot twist is: if your audience cant go back and find the clues you wrote a bad twist. and this book is littered with bread crumbs that you can put together with ivy. if you pay attention you can solve it, which is such a good feeling as a reader to put the pieces together be wrong and rearrange them. the characters are also so well written with such care and depth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, Body horror, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Gore, Death, Cancer, Abortion, and Blood

Minor: Self harm and Eating disorder

xosirenox's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Body horror, Abortion, Murder, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Cancer, Death, Alcohol, Gore, Blood, and Grief

librarymouse's review

emotional funny mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This was a rapidly consumable book. Some of the twists and turns were expected, others less so, and Ivy is a fun and engaging narrator. The magic system isn't very clearly defined, but that makes sense, given our narrator is not very familiar with it. I appreciated the way the book ends, in both how the main plot is resolved and how the romance plot is left open - and I like that the cat is named Alphabet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Alcohol, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, and Mental illness

Moderate: Pregnancy and Bullying

nicoleisalwaysreading's review

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

I was hooked! Ivy was a captivating and well-written character and I was obsessed with how well she perceived others but not herself. The way it just ended has me hoping for a sequel…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

scripturient's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Murder, Abortion, Alcoholism, and Body horror

Moderate: Death of parent and Terminal illness

mycatnorbert's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Alcoholism, Cancer, Abortion, Alcohol, and Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Adult/minor relationship, and Blood