Magic for Liars
#6273.61 of 673 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2019 Reading commitment Low Sarah Gailey Last reviewed 2026-09-08
Overview
Magic for Liars (2019) is a standalone contemporary fantasy novel by Sarah Gailey, following Ivy Gamble, a hard-boiled private detective with no magic of her own, hired to investigate a murder at the Osthorne Academy for Young Mages — the same magical school her estranged twin sister teaches at. It was Gailey’s debut novel and a 2020 finalist for the Best First Novel category of a major genre award.
Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Magic for Liars (2019) core · 3.61 (36,263 ratings)
Quick answers
- How many books are in Magic for Liars? Magic for Liars's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Magic for Liars finished? Complete (2019).
- How much reading does Magic for Liars take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is Magic for Liars ranked? #627 of 673 ranked universes on this site, based on 36,263 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #627?
Ranked #627 of 673 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.61 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (36,263 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.01 behind #626, Deepgate Codex.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 36k ratings · Ranks #627 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best First Novel), 2020: finalist: Magic for Liars
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.61 across 36,263 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Magic for Liars (Sarah Gailey) accepted 2026-09-08
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Sarah Gailey -- Wikipedia Tier 2
- sfadb - Locus Awards 2020 Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-09-08
Rule: Core = 1 novel (2019). Admitted as a single-work universe.