When I first picked up Mister Magic, I assumed I'd get a good scary story. Yeah, I'm a bit biased when it comes to this author. I've loved all the other stuff I've read by Kiersten White so I was hyped.
That being said, I didn't expect it to make me feel so... nostalgic and bitter and sad all at once. There's more to this story than meets the eye. It explores what it's like growing up with unresolved childhood trauma that's been left to settle in your mind. It examines how some groups of people put unrealistic expectations on children with no real concern for what is actually good for the child.
As someone who has had to deal with a lot of childhood trauma, this story really clicked into place for me. Even if you don't have that background, though, I think the book would still be enjoyable. It's got a lot of unsettling moments that build up paranoia throughout the whole thing.
Lastly, the acknowledgments at the end of the book explain the inspiration of the story. I suggest reading it once you're done with the book because it's pretty interesting!

Mister Magic was so much better for me than Hide was. I think there is a lot to be gained from the messaging of this story. I will say that the end was a little convoluted but I really enjoyed the mystery element of it all. The characters are all strong and stand for themselves.

I was immediately drawn to Kiersten White's sophomore novel Mister Magic after having an incredible experience with her first novel, Hide. It's nostalgic, thought-provoking, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I found myself having to reread parts to keep myself on top of the story but the effort is well rewarded!

**4.5-stars**

Mister Magic is the sophomore-Adult release novel from beloved author, Kiersten White. With a cover that could hang in an art gallery, this one caught my eye right away. After my experience with Hide last year though, I was slightly concerned about picking it up. I'm happy to report that this is incredibly compelling and kept me glued to the pages, wanting to know more, the entire way through.

In my friend, Debra's, review she mentioned that she wished she had read the Author's Note first. I felt that exact same way about Hide and thanks to her jogging my memory, I decided to do that here. So, before I even started the first chapter, I flipped right to the back and read the entire Author's Note.

Honestly, I do feel like doing that had a positive impact on my experience. Frankly, I'm glad I did it that way. Just being able to keep in mind the author's inspirations and motivations, which I wouldn't have known had I not read that first, while reading helped to provide a bit of context for a lot of the more emotional bits of the story.

In this one, we're following a group of adults, who once starred together on a hit-Children's television series, Mister Magic. The show stopped airing 30-years ago, after a supposed accident on set. Over the years, Mister Magic has become more of an urban legend than a show. You can't watch it any where, no tapes exist and no one can seem to really remember anything specific about it, including the actors themselves.

At the start of the story, the group of actors, once known as the Circle of Friends, is reunited under the guise of filming a documentary of the show. Together they return to the actual property where the show was once recorded. The property itself is disturbing from the beginning. It's remote, set in a desert landscape and the house has some odd architectural choices. It got my hackles up right away.

The group of old friends are going to be staying in the main house during the course of the documentary, shooting confessional/interview-type footage in the basement. It's through their time at the house, their interactions and their interviews that the full picture of Mister Magic begins to fill in. The revelations are shocking to say the least.

I found this to be an incredibly interesting story. The premise was like nothing I have ever read. It was so mysterious from the start and I loved White's creative use of mixed media to make the phenomenon of Mister Magic feel more real for the Reader.

There was just something about the idea of this program that was creepy to me. How many people could talk about it, remembered it being a part of their lives, but couldn't list a single real fact about it. It reminded me of like Captain Kangeroo from my own childhood. The vibes felt sort of similar. I loved that show as a kid. I remember being mesmerized by it, but I can't recall a single tangible thing about it. It's so weird.

It had such a dark and ominous feel, even before I had any clue where it was going, I sort of felt afraid. Particularly because of one of the main characters, Val's, reaction to the house and the idea of the show. I also feel like it stayed intriguing throughout. White just kept building and building on the idea the show, and its history, right up to the shocking conclusion.

Admittedly, the end slipped a bit, IMO. It got a little too heavy-handed in the messaging and seemed to go off the rails as far as delivering easily understood action. Overall though, a hugely successful comeback. Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm so glad I gave this one a shot!!

Candle Cove, anyone? A creepypasta story from many years ago that is really good and just a little bit creepy! As soon as I started this book, Candle Cove came to mind. And there are similarities, maybe it's the inspiration for the book, but White certainly makes this story her own! I enjoyed the twists and turns and creep factor of this. Thought it was better than Hide! But also has a similar theme to Hide, FYI. Couple of unexplained things that kept this from 5 stars but overall, very enjoyable, if lagging a little bit in the middle!

This entire book was the uncanny valley... I was lowkey terrified the whole time I was reading it. It reminded me of the world created in House of Leaves, a book I have read many times, and also Poltergeist but if it was told from Carol Ann's point of view.

Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show—and discover the secret of its enigmatic host—in this “skin-crawling story of pop culture fandom and ‘90s nostalgia”

I'm not ashamed to admit this book had me lost most of the time. Is it a cult or some sort of alien technology? As I finished the book I'm still not sure I understood everything. However, with that said, the book was interesting enough to keep me invested to the end. All of the cast members were unique in their own ways. I loved how they come into their own as adults. It just shows you're never to old to learn and grow.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for allowing me to review this book.

I could not get enough of this book. I felt so much nostalgia for childhood while reading it. It was super suspenseful and I had no idea what was going on. I read Hide by the same author and also enjoyed that one. This is becoming an auto read author for me.

This story is largely contemplative. Many of the important action, conflicts, and revelations in the book take place in dreams, memories, character thoughts, and interviews. I wanted a little more to happen in the grounded(ish) present--maybe a little more about the town and the menace happening among the entirely mundane, human antagonists. Extricate that bit as a separate storyline from the main supernatural one. There's so much bouncing around through time and reality--time feels slippery. The story takes place over only a few days, which pass paranoidly slow, only to rush through the end.

The bad guys here are incredibly sinister and insidious, but the resolution undermines the creep factor and makes it feel like there weren't really high stakes all along. There was this big buildup, but the solution was just that Val had the strength (the power of friendship) inside her the whole time.

Definitely read the acknowledgements, also.

I wasn't expecting a book about ex-Mormon religious trauma. The blurb didn't give obvious clues, though it did use the phrases "cultishly devoted" and "remote desert filming compound." The characters mention they're headed to southern Utah for their reunion, and I got a pretty good idea where this was going. That area is where a lot of the actual cults/fundamentalists exist.

Living in Utah for the past several years, I recognize a lot of people I've met and befriended in these characters. I wasn't prepared for something hitting this close to home (figuratively and literally), so that may have colored my reading experience. But the allegory is great, well executed, and perfectly depressing.

I gave this one 3.5 stars.

This book tells the story of five former childhood stars who were once part of the "circle of friends" as they reunite 30 years after the show suddenly ended. The show was called Mister Magic and as the reader, it's not entirely clear what the show was. Each now adult, friend from the circle, seems to have had their own unique experience of the show. What's even stranger is that there is seemingly no record of the show such as who filmed it or old clips, yet there are passionate fans who remember and want the show to come back.

I found the characters to be interesting and I enjoyed the twists and turns of not knowing what might happen next, but I found myself getting lost in the story line and putting it down because of all the abstract ideas that were going on. That said, I found myself pulled back to the story again and again.

Having finished, I have mixed feelings about it. I'm glad I read it and I am still processing it which I guess says something about it being memorable.

Prior to reading, I had heard the suggestion to go into the story without looking at summaries, etc, but I wish I had read the author's note prior to reading. I think it would have helped me to engage with the story better and better understand the author's creative purpose in the way the story unfolds. I usually don't reread books, but this is one I may return to and read again after some time passes to see if I experience it differently having read the author's note.

I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for this privilege.

I love how seamlessly Kiersten White moves between genres. I came into her books through And I Darken and continued through The Guinevere Deception and I love how those series differ from each other and Mister Magic. (I do enjoy how the one thread throughout remains White's utter fear of horses.) Mister Magic appears to be a creepy page turner on the outside with a mystery surrounding a kid's show and its enigmatic host. However, the more you read, the deeper the story goes. And it keeps you guessing until the very end. There was a part of me that wanted more of an explicit explanation for things, that wanted to dive into more of the why and how. But part of the magic of this book is understanding the meaning for yourself, analyzing the story and the hidden meanings. It was one of those books that made me think long after putting it down, especially after reading White's acknowledgments.
The less you know going into this book, the better. Just know once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down.

Well, this was something.

I really loved the premise and I'm absolutely here for that cover. I think I would have loved this book if I wouldn't have read the reviews or the author's note before reading the story.

Knowing what I knew before going in had me looking for a deeper meaning and deciphering instead of letting things unfold as they did. The tension is minimal, the fuckery is bountiful, and the ending is bonkers (and also the best part of the story.)

Overall, my best advice is to just jump in.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

This book was amazing!

I didn't necessarily have the best experience with her other novel, Hide, but was drawn to the cover and synopsis of this story.

I was SO happy I ended up giving it a shot!

I grew up in the age of CreepyPasta's, and that's exactly what reading this book felt like. Seeing the friends reunite and slowly unravel the story of what happened to them was nothing short of entertaining.

The ending caught me slightly off guard, but in no way detracted from the rest of the book. Overall, I very much enjoyed it and would recommend!

I enjoyed this book, it was a slow burn for me and took me a while to get through it. However, once the momentum picked up, I flew through the last half of the book. It was different than anything I have read before and I really liked that!

Definitely a cool read. Makes you think back on all the shows we watched as kids. This author has knocked 2 books out of the park.

We all remember that show from our childhood. The one that you cannot recall specific episodes of, but someone on the internet posts the theme songs and you are magically transported back in time. All of the sudden memories come rushing back that you didn't even know you held inside of you. With it comes the nostalgia of being young, of being carefree, of being a kid. A simpler time in life.

The Mister Magic tv show was that nostalgia for so many kids. But no one can find the episdoes on the internet. The production company appears to be non-existent. And what happened to the cast members? As time goes by the Mister Magic tv show becomes an urban legend. Everyone knows they saw it, but where is the proof? What about the rumors....did someone really die on the show? Surely not.

Now it is 30 years after the tv show ended. 5 surviving cast members are trying to move on. But how do you move on when Mister Magic holds the keys to the happiest and possibly worst time of your life? Do you go back and face what happened? Or is the past better left in the past?

Mister Magic is all of the things you want from Kierstin White. It is dark and twisty, but also has so much heart. You root for the characters of the show. For a good 50% I was invested but had no idea where the book was leading. The end had a surprising twist that I did not see coming (which is how I like it). While there were elements that were out-of-this world, the heart of this story really touched me. What is good look like? What roles do we fill in society? Who are the real bad guys? Timely message wrapped up in Mister Magic.

Book Review:
Mister Magic
Written by Kiersten White
Read by Rebecca Lowman
Book 173/200
Genre: Thriller / Horror
Format: Audio
Pages/Time: 293/10hr 31min
Published: 2023
Rating: 6/10

"Children accept absurdity because everything is absurd, everything made up of complex rules and systems that they don’t understand."

Mister Magic is an intriguing discussion of childhood trauma and the disillusion that comes with adulthood. I very much enjoyed the premise of this book; a kid's show that no one can seem to exactly remember and no one can seem to find is pretty neat. In an age where we can find almost anything with a few minutes of searching, the idea that a piece of media has disappeared seems nearly unfathomable.

Where I found this book to be lacking was in its execution. I thought the setup was pretty solid, but unfortunately I just couldn't get invested in the characters, making the end a little stale for me.

This was such a weird book and plot line and I absolutely loved it. When childhood castmates if a beloved kids show (somewhat Barney-esque) reunite as adults for a podcast things get really strange! I did not at all see where this story was going but I loved the ride and the final destination! I’ve never once read a book where the “Acknowledgement/Author’s note” gave me such an “Aha” moment. It made mr like the book even more after reading White’s personal words.

I was so excited about going into this one, and it did not disappoint. It was a bit of a slow burn, and incidentally a slow read for me. That's definitely not a bad thing, I felt that it needed to be a slower read so I could capture what was going on and take my time savoring this book. This book deserves to be savored, and if you like trippy fiction with a side of crazy cults? I'd recommend this one to you in a heartbeat. The characters, god, I cannot even begin to state how much I rooted for the characters and wanted them to overcome their various challenges. They were all so wonderfully crafted, and well rounded. Kiersten is definitely becoming an insta-buy author for me, and I can't wait to see what else she comes up with. Big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy to review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked the overall feel of this book. There were many questions I had after reading that I felt should have been answered, but I sometimes feel like that is part of reading a horror novel. There are always little questions that are meant to keep you up at night. I liked White's first adult horror novel - Hide - and I continued to be enthralled with this book as well. The characters are well developed. The story is creepy. The whole thing lives on the edge of your mind - the Mandela Effect in book form. I liked it.