National Public Radio praised Gailey's choice to 'sidestep' the 'fantasy author's challenge' of explaining 'how magic works' by leaving the topic beyond Ivy's comprehension, but questioned whether the book 'really works as a crime novel' instead of as an 'emotional novel with magic', and expressed concern that the school secretary Mrs. The Verge found Ivy to be 'a far more relatable character than most other magical detectives', with Osthorne 'more than nearly any other magical institution, feel(ing) like a high school,' and lauded Gailey's worldbuilding as 'clearly establish(ing) a much larger world.' At BoingBoing, Cory Doctorow said it was a 'first-rate whodunnit' and a 'superb debut'.

Publishers Weekly called it a 'wonderfully quirky mystery filled with inviting characters and gripping surprise twists', but noted that Ivy was 'petty, petulant (and) hard to like'. Kirkus Reviews considered it to be 'a poignant and bittersweet family tragedy disguised as a mystery', albeit with 'thin worldbuilding'. The headmaster wants a second opinion, and hires a private investigator - Ivy Gamble, the nonmagical estranged sister of Osthorne teacher Tabitha Gamble - to find out what really happened.

When a faculty member dies under suspicious circumstances at Osthorne Academy for Young Mages, authorities rule that it was an accident. Magic for Liars is a 2019 murder mystery/ fantasy novel, by Sarah Gailey.

Sarah gailey magic for liars