I tried incredibly hard to attach to this book, but unfortunately it ended up not being for me. I’m grateful for the opportunity and hope it continues to find the right readers!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This one wasn’t for me! I thought it was really slow and boring.

Mandala effect or just plain brainwashing? And the author's note...(not to reader, DO NOT READ THAT UNTIL THE END).
This is a reunion to end all reunions. Getting back together after 30 years can be daunting to people who remembered what was going on, but if you don't? Well, you be the judge.
Good story, Some spooky stuff going on in that house for sure! Do you actually remember the lyrics to the shows you loved as a child or maybe you just reimagined them in your own head?

I have read Kiersten White's other book Hide, which was a great book, so I was excited to read Mister Magic. The premise is a group of adults were on a TV show as kids and the main character doesn't remember being on it, but then she and the others are brought back to be interviewed about their experience. What follows is crazy and sad and the ending is definitely worth it. This wasn't horror, but it did have a creepy feel to it all throughout.

This book was really good in the beginning, but over time just fell and I found myself zoning out.

I thought the idea was amazing and intriguing! A weird show having been lost to the internet, but the public has it still planted in their brains?! Crazy!
I spent a good amount of the book begging for it to get more creepy and spooky and nothing happened.
Not awful just fine.

𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗖 | 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ✨
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Thank you @netgalley and @delreybooks for the advanced copy! Officially out now 🎉📺
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Everyone has a favorite childhood show. You have all the nostalgia but can’t remember anything about the show. When you search it, nothing comes up. It’s been 30 yrs since the show shut down. Was it just an urban legend? Until all the former cast is brought together in a weird twist of events..
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I FLEW through the first half of the book in one sitting. I loved our female MC, Val. White did an amazing job surrounding the story around her. I enjoyed the secondary characters just as much! I would’ve loved to read more about them.
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𝘜𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, the second half of the book didn’t have that spooky drive White is known for. I’d label this more of a paranormal thriller more than horror. I was expecting to be scared, creeped out, and/or uncomfortable. But it didn’t live up to the horror potential for me.
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Overall, it was an okay read! I enjoyed the interviews and forum reads in between. It definitely helped with the eeriness oh the TV show. If you read the author’s acknowledgement in the end it’ll explain the direction of the ending. Definitely add this author to your horror TBR pile 👏🏽 𝗛𝗜𝗗𝗘 is one of my all time favorites!

This is a story about the childhood show you loved, but can’t quite remember.

This book was WILD. I had no idea what to expect & I had so many incorrect theories- the actual twist was significantly crazier than I anticipated. I didn’t feel any real connection to the protagonist, but the narrative was interesting enough that it didn’t really matter.

Thanks to @prhaudio & @delreybooks for the e and audio copies!

"𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕕𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕪 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕝𝕖𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞."

This book felt like it was 'It' coded and 'Nope' coded. I could not stop making comparisons between this book and 'Nope' especially. I enjoyed my time reading this book, but over time I feel like it'll be fairly forgettable. The plot was quite weird and trippy, which I love. However, the happenings felt a bit wonky and overall it just wasn't anything that knocked my socks off. Great commentary on family and the importance of childhood. I did decide to raise my initial rating after reading the author's note at the end. The overall meaning behind the book made much more sense after that and I felt like it was an important story to tell that could hit home for so many people.

I really enjoyed this book! I read it in a day. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this!

This book was really difficult to get into. Most of the time I could not keep up with what was going on with the characters or the storyline, perhaps it was me. Lacking. A group of kids that used to be on a popular kids television show reunite for a podcast reviewing the show. Except. No one really remembers the show. Or can find a physical copy of any recording. And the house of the podcast filming is a little - sketchy. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This one is a DNF for me. I wouldn’t say it was bad, I guess it just wasn’t for me. The cover and synopsis made me so excited to read it but I tried and tried to get through it but it just felt like a chore and I couldn’t get into it.

This copy was kindly given to me by Netgalley and the publisher for review.

This one was just...weird? It wasn't spooky or scary in anyway, besides the hidden parallels that the book embodies. I was just hoping for so much more based on how much I LOVED her previous novel Hide which also was a paranormal thriller spooky with a much deeper meaning beside scaring us for a moment.

Do I think you should give this book a shot if you are interest in premise? Hell ya. White's books are fast and enjoyable, this one just didn't hit the mark for me compared to the one before that I devoured but I still enjoyed it

Solid 3.75

Mister Magic is an interesting and creepy outing in Kiersten White's writing, one that I honestly wasn't expecting. From the moment this book opens with the dedication to the very last page, including the acknowledgements you can feel the cathartic nature of the authors writing. What happens when you have a creepy children's show that no one can quite put their finger on in their memories and a group of child stars turned adults coming together for a reunion of said show? A whole slew of odd, creepy, tightly written and interesting storytelling. I really enjoyed this book, the tense nature of the story, the mystery of who these people are and what they survived. . .it wraps you up in a darkly compelling narrative. The ending was bittersweet and kind of perfect and that cover wholly embraces the story in all its creepy glory.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was filled with moments where I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on but it was done in such a way that made me eager to read more.

There was also so much of this book that I connected with but could not put a finger on why until I read the authors note at the end.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone with religious trauma and love weird stuff like Welcome to Nightvale.

"If you can't beat a small and petty god, become one."

Oooh maaaaan! This one had all the feels for me! You can really tell that Kiersten White put a lot of her self into this one and I can only hope that writing this book has helped her to heal and grow.

MISTER MAGIC was a long-running kids show that abruptly stopped 30 years before the story's present day due to a tragic accident. Now the last cast of the show, adults and estranged from each other, are going to a reunion of sorts but everything from their past seems a bit hazy. Can they solve the mystery of why the show was cancelled and who was responsible??

Ok - that is a very watered down version of the synopsis but I only have so much room here! This book was full of heart. It explores how we become who we are, how important it is you be our true authentic selves, and how to fight back when your identity and autonomy are threatened.

I know White was a former member of the Mormon church and this book was inspired by her journey from church congregant to ex-member. I could not stop making comparisons to the KEEP SWEET documentary while reading!

But the focus of the book is not on bashing Mormonism itself - it is about how we are told how to be and how to act from a very young age and when you are involved in a religious organization as a child, the "rules" about how to be can make kids feel badly about themselves if they don't fit the cookie cutter mold.

I loved this story that was full of found family vibes, lots of magic, finding yourself, exploring your personality and that it is perfectly ok to be different or quirky.

Some rules are oppressive and crush individuality not to mention that no one can be at their best at all times and questioning authority is not a bad thing- this is a book that captures the human spirit fighting for its ability to thrive! ALL THE STARS!

Thank you to the author, @netgalley, and the publisher @tornightfire for the e-ARC.

I was already on the KW train but this book has solidified her as an auto-read author for me! Do you have any auto-read/buy authors?

💚SMASHBOT💚

#bibliophile #bookish #booknerd #booksta #bookstagram #instabooks #booklover #reader #bookreview

🛁 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 🛁
Mister Magic by Kiersten White
“It’s a children’s show. And what’s crueler than children?”

Thank you to NetGalley and Kiersten White for an advance copy of one of my most anticipated thrillers of the year, MISTER MAGIC.

Mister Magic follows Val, a woman who’s mysterious life is blown wide open when her father passed away and she is found by her childhood friends, whom she was on a children’s TV show with until she was eight years old. Val doesn’t remember anything before her father secluded her on a ranch as a child, and is whisked away by her old friends to do a podcast about the elusive TV show they were all on but can’t be found anywhere recorded in history.

Mister Magic touches on the themes of youth, obedience, and the Mandela effect. Only certain people remember mister magic, and those who do, all remember it slightly differently. I loved this take on the phenomenon in the book. All of the now grown children remember their experiences differently as well, but they all remember one thing: the show ending suddenly and a lot of them blame it for the things that have gone wrong in their lives. I loved uncovering the archetypes of the children: the troublemaker, the dreamer, the leader, and exploring how those things translate into their adulthoods.

Misted Magic is a psychological romp ala- the creepypasta “Candle Cove” that will have you thinking differently about your childhood and its lasting effects on us as adults. Don’t miss out on this creepy popcorn thriller this summer!🛁📚✨📺

Really interesting and abstract, it felt like a Stephen King novel. I don't thin k it's for everyone but I enjoyed it.

kiersten white take all my money.

the books ive read from this author have been such a perfect mix of whimsy and horror and i’m so glad that’s continued in MM. def recommend!

3.5

very cool concept. i appreciated the afterward where the author explains that she [ left Mormonism, and writing this was her way of dealing with the trauma of leaving as well as growing up in that particular faith. though i was raised Southern Baptist, i could relate to the experience of struggling with a faith that seeks to smooth down your so-called "edges" at the expense of who you are as a person. (hide spoiler)]

i think this is going to be one of those books that i will think about a lot and grow to appreciate more over time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! The premise of this sounded so good, I was excited for a different kind of thriller than I typically read. I found the book to be interesting, albeit confusing. I had to pause and think or reread several parts - it was very abstract in some places. While this was intriguing and I enjoyed reading it overall I don’t think it will be for the average thriller reader.