Magic for Liars

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey.

Noir detective with magical-sister issues goes back to high school

I really enjoyed this one, even stayed up an hour past my usual bedtime to finish it off last night. Ivy is a very human protagonist who's quippy without entering Marvel territory, and the supporting cast all fill their roles well. She's a private investigator estranged from her magical sister, at least until a death at the magical high school her sister teaches at smashes them back into each other's lives.

The cast & overall story are kept tight & focused throughout; I can't think back to any moments/characters that felt wasted or empty and there was always something happening to draw me further into the mystery. Some aspects are just predictable enough to make it feel like you accomplished something by grasping them ahead of time, while others are likely to be a fairly large twist (albeit one that was definitely set up in hindsight).

This is definitely more about people than magic, which mostly serves as something for Ivy to definitely not resent not having and plot device when necessary. Despite that it's handled pretty well, since there aren't really any 'battles' with magic Sarah neatly sidesteps the need for any kind of power system to explain or maintain, letting magic just be ...magic.

If I had to complain about something it's that the ending felt a little rushed, leaving out resolutions for most of the cast, though this definitely could've been a deliberate choice. The story is told from Ivy's perspective and some things obviously matter more to her than others, plus I think noir-style stories tend to end either depressingly or in a pretty open-ended fashion.

Despite feeling a bit put-out at the ending I really enjoyed this one, a fun little read which has some interesting characters and twists. Definitely recommend giving it a read, and I'll be giving Sarah's other series 'River of Teeth' a try later.