read if you like: theoretical magic?, noir/ detective stories, self-sabotaging protagonists who are smart and learn the source of shoulder chips, stories set in schools, cool if not derivative (lets be honest what isn't) cover art
this book has a lot of things I like: magic, school, strong female characters and a lust scene or two, and making me feel smarter than I am. when reading books or watching tv shows or movies, I often know the twist or the killer before its revealed, this book was the same, but it was still fun getting there.
short summary - the protagonist is Ivy Gamble, a nonmagical, but talented PI with emotional baggage is hired to work what may be a murder at a high school for magical teenagers where her estranged and magical sister works. working the case, ivy is able to confront her sister and her past, as well as solve the case.
I'm not a fan of stories that end happily in a neat bow, rather I am more satisfied with an ending that puts us firmly in the gray area, a more real life conclusion and one that doesn't insult readers. This book delivers on my ending criteria, the story we see is concluded, but we know more is to come, and we get to guess at what that is.
Speaking of bows, however, the mystery gets solved pretty neatly and the characters are predictable. this review on NPR explains further and has a good take on being the nonmagical (read ordinary) person in the room.
a tangent, if you will. I was listening an episode of the hidden brain podcast on being kind to yourself and at one point, the guest asks the host, how would you feel if I told you your podcast was good, it was ordinary, not great. The host responds that he would be crushed. a very relatable answer. but the point the host is trying to make is that good and ordinary are great things! Not everything we do needs to be extraordinary and most of us aren't. leading a small life doesn't make you a small person.
back to the review of magic for liars, I would recommend it as an easy read - a simple story great for escapism with a little grit.
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