This book has such a unique plot line and it was an enjoyable book. I did have some trouble getting through it, at times only being able to read a couple of pages before I lost interest.

The ending was good. Not really my cup of tea, but good nonetheless. I would recommend it to friends/family.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy for my honest opinion.

I loved this book on so many levels. This is the kind of horror fiction that will grab you and not let go until the very end.
Mister Magic was a beloved children's show that hasn't been aired in 30 years. There is a deep mystery about it as you cannot find any information online, nor episodes to air on YouTube. No IMDB page regarding production. No proof that it ever existed except for people's memories. And of course, the Circle of Friends that appeared on the show.
Val cannot remember the Friends, nor being on the show. She and her father have lived on a ranch in the middle of nowhere until he passes away and some of the Friends find Val. She goes with them for the "reunion" podcast. Maybe some of her memories of that time will surface. Maybe it's her worst nightmare. Maybe she forgot more than just the show...

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this e-arc.*

I read a lot of horror novels, but this one felt very fresh and unlike anything else I've read recently. I'm so familiar with the tropes of the genre that I usually have a general sense of where a story is headed, but this book kept me guessing at every turn. It's been so long since I read a story where I legitimately had no idea where it was going, this was such a fun ride. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys Black Mirror or spending hours reading creepypasta and Mandela effect subreddits. The ending fell a little flat for me, but still a solid 4.5 stars out of 5.

Everyone has that one show that they remember from their childhood. You know the one. Mine was Zoobilee Zoo. I used to scramble to sit right in front of the tv and absorb it. Now, looking at those costumes.. it’s kind of creepy. I’m not sure what I was thinking. Lol. In Mister Magic, Kiersten White has captured that childhood joy, and exposed all of its dark spaces.
You will never look at Barney, Blues Clues, or even Sesame Street, the same after reading this book. Part truth, part supernatural, this book shows the cultish side of children’s programming. The need for acceptance,to be a part of that circle with the kids who are rewarded with amazing imaginative play. They would follow that purple dinosaur into the unknown. In this case, Mister Magic doesn’t have a real identity, but you know you want his approval and need his acceptance. Cult leader? Um yeah. Lol
I loved all the characters in this book. From their childhood roles within the circle, to who they become as adults, each character is important and special. They really have no idea what they have gotten into, going to this reunion.
I totally recommend this book if you want a strange, suspenseful story with cultish vibes. The book with have you question whether or not you should let your child watch that super hyped, moral pushing, hypotonic cartoon like character. They may have a hidden agenda…

Mister Magic is an eerie, uncanny experience, but it’s also a book with a whole lot of heart. This book has everything: the magic of friendship, religious trauma, horror, memory loss/repression, what more could you want?

I’m all seriousness though, I think this book is a really imaginative and entertaining look at what happens when children are raised in highly isolated settings with high expectations for beliefs and behaviors, and how they might ultimately heal that inner child and break free of those beliefs. Mister Magic is wildly entertaining, deeply weird, and definitely worth the read.

Mister Magic, the latest novel from Kiersten White, is a contemporary horror story focused on the lives of five adults who were once child stars in the television program, Mister Magic. The show ended under mysterious circumstances years ago and now the five former cast members are brought back together for a reunion. It doesn’t take long for things to take a turn for the spooky as the five come to terms with their past.

White does an excellent job at creating atmosphere and mystery surrounding the mysterious Mister Magic. The novel also offers excellent examinations of the impact of nostalgia and coming to terms with trauma born from purity culture (which White has stated comes from her own experiences with faith in her own life).

While all of this makes for a compelling plot line, my main gripe comes from the characters. They often felt like afterthoughts in an otherwise gripping story. They made many of the same horror mistakes typical to the genre (going into an obviously haunted building, wandering alone, going into the creepy basement) and these poor decisions were often the result of some “feeling” that they couldn’t overcome.

Overall, Mister Magic was a fun page turner that horror fans should certainly look into. White infuses it with just enough substance to make up for some of the character failings.

Holy supernatural thriller/cult horror! I had no idea what I was getting myself into it when I requested this but what a ride (that I’m still slightly confused about).
After a children’s show is ended following a tragic accident, its former child stars reunite 30 years later for a reunion podcast at the remote filming location of their childhood. I’m leaving this review a bit vague at risk of spoilers because this is best going into it blindly, letting the story warp and twist you at its whim.
I constantly didn’t know where the story was going but could never shake the eerie, hair-raising feeling I got while reading it. Thank you to Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This comes out 8/8!

Mister Magic is a thriller about five children who grew up acting on a TV show called Mister Magic. After many years without contact with one another they reunite. They soon realize that they each remember the show very differently and attempt to find what really caused the infamous show to come to an abrupt end. Mister Magic is an eerie book that makes you question each character and how they remember the show. I enjoyed the inserts of forums and reddit entries that were included in between chapters. Though I was confused through several parts of the book where the story was going and significance of it, it was fairly entertaining. After finishing the book, the author's note helped connect the story to understand the meaning behind it. If you loved Hide, this novel is very similar and reminds me of different Mandela Effects and CreepyPasta entries.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Del Rey for sharing this digital ARC with me!

We've all been there- where we realize things didn't ACTUALLY happen the way we thought they did when we were young children, because we didn't have the same adult perspective (outside vs inside concentration), and then it causes you to rethink everything else in your life. But what if you were to find out your entire LIFE has been smoke and mirrors, and only partially true? For Val that is what happens when her father dies. This all makes sense. After that is where the book diverts and you love or hate it.

It's like watching a horror story and yelling at the characters do not go in the dark room without a weapon of some kind- it's obvious Val needs NOT to take a lot of the steps she's taking to find the truth, and that everyone is manipulating the other, in their search for their version of the truth. The book gets pretty existential at times (no other phrasing for it), as the author ACTUALLY based the book on her experience with the LDS church. If you read that BEFORE reading the book, it helps to clarify some of the 'what the heck?' areas. It's still an oddity, and I'm sure it got fast tracked because of the patriarchal social media subplot in the book. If you decide to read it, just be warned it will take you longer as you may find yourself putting it down a lot and shaking your head at the characters obvious lack of social awareness (even though they have found fame or fortune and should have a good amount).

Oh, I loved this book! I read a review of it in the Books of Horror Facebook page and I immediately sought it out. I feel like the less you know about the book, the bigger the payoff will be. It's somewhat of a slow burn. I found it absolutely riveting, though. If I didn't have other ARCs due soon, I would have put down everything else I'm reading to finish it.

Kiersten White has a devious mind, and I love her for it. More importantly, I love the books she writes with that mind. They are always disturbing, always full of twists, and always unexpected. Mister Magic has all of that, but there is pain and trauma written between each sentence that sets it apart from Ms. White's previous novels.

At its core, Mister Magic is the exposure of cult indoctrination in the guise of religious tenets. More specifically, it addresses the specific rules for being "good" children versus "bad" children. Good children become productive members of their close-knit society; bad children either leave or live on the outskirts of that society, shunned and alone.

How this society teaches its value system and indoctrinates new members is chilling and otherworldly. Ms. White masterfully evokes the nostalgia of remembering a beloved television show from childhood. At the same time, she makes you question the messages you learned from that show. Suddenly, shows like 3-2-1 Contact, Electric Company, and even Sesame Street and Mister Roger's Neighborhood become more sinister in their methodology and lessons.

Ms. White does not hesitate to tell anyone that Mister Magic is very personal. For her, it represents her experiences, subsequent issues with, and struggles to break from the Mormon church - albeit without an evil entity. The trauma Ms. White endured at the hands of the church during her childhood infiltrates the story. Not overt, you sense it rather than experience it through the characters, and it imbues each scene with a heaviness that adds to the tension.

Mister Magic is psychological horror at its finest. Ms. White captures her complicated history with the Mormon church while telling a horror story about children's programming. It is a story only someone as talented as Ms. White could tell. Somehow, the fact that the story is personal makes it even scarier. While it isn't quite spooky season yet, Mister Magic will tide you over until it is.

Mister Magic by Kiersten White is creepy and powerful, a story that slowly unveils to show the creeping darkness and cycle of abuse as well as what it means to attempt to escape that cycle for the sake of your own children. One of the reasons it is so powerful are the highly emotional themes of abuse and cultism that the author weaves into the story, the pacing and tiny details that unveil the horror. It is paced exquisitely well and eerily reminiscent of Stephen Kings’ IT or at least the characters remind me of the novel but because of how powerful the characters are written. 

The side notes about the tv show and the podcast highlight the horror and add to the details that enhance the story. Val is the emotional heart of the novel and of the friends, her anxiety and threads of fear despite her lack of memories build tension and keep the reader connected to the emotions of the story. From the beginning that hooks you immediately introducing Val to the beautiful and heartbreaking resolution, the story tackles toxic cycles and beliefs that can saturate society. It is a creepy and powerful novel. 

If you like horror novels that will remind you of the best Stephen King books, this story is for you. It is a novel that will resonate with readers and the powerful characters will keep you engaged. If you love horror, this is one to check out. I love the characters, the profound themes and the dark horror with the hopeful ending.

Buy for the cover, stay for trauma!

“Maybe you cling to the rules as a way to keep yourself safe. And it works, until it doesn’t.”

Kiersten White is an auto-buy author for me, and I was thrilled to get an ARC for her latest adult horror, Mister Magic. I expected unique horror and an intriguing premise. I did not expect to be so emotionally invested, to be so profoundly impacted by the book and to be awake at 11:30 at night wondering how I would process all of it and ever get to sleep.

White combines the nostalgia of children’s TV shows, the mystery of a forgotten past, and the unease of creeping darkness into a deeply personal and spot on examination of childhood trauma and cultish community. The themes of the book become very clear as the story moves along, but I think it’s such important commentary that it didn’t feel overdone to me.

What starts as an intriguing story of friends finding their way back to each other under mysterious and traumatic circumstances becomes a story of the power of your true self. Maybe the rules didn’t keep you safe, maybe they keep the monsters in charge. Maybe the magic is you.

Thank you to Netgalley, Del Rey books and Kiersten White for the opportunity to read this ARC. I’ve already ordered two physical copies!
I think it will be a personal experience for a lot of people. For me it’s my book of the year.

Firstly, I love the vibes from the cover and description. Secondly, the story was so good. It made me want to see what was going to happen next. I loved the overarching lesson at the end of the book.

YOU ARE ENOUGH!

**Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC through NetGalley**

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this!

I’ve really enjoyed Kiersten White’s other books, so I was very excited for this one. It definitely lived up to the creepiness that it promised. It was fast paced and an interesting mix of scenes with characters and things like interviews, internet posts, etc.

This was not at all what I thought it would turn out to be... especially the ending.

I enjoyed the adventure of the book, the relationships, and the creepy parts. But when the ending arrived, it became a bit confusing, disappointing, and filled with metaphors for dealing with real-life pain and controlling people in your life. It felt like a children's book ending where we all learn the life lesson but in a trippy, slightly confusing and disappointing way. It's hard to describe with no spoilers.

After the ending, there was an author's note that did explain where this story was trying to go and what influenced her writing. Apparently, the author grew up Mormon, and this was her way of working through the pain and confusion of trying to separate herself from controlling people and religious routines.

I will not pretend to know what this author has gone through. However, I feel like there could be elements of that struggle in this book, but it shouldn't have completely taken over with that ending. If you want to write a book dealing with separation from a religion, I feel it would've been better to deal with the subject directly and not weaving into a somewhat suspenseful/horror story and then finish it with lessons you've learned. I would've liked to have seen her stay in the story and complete a solid ending.

I enjoyed her writing even though it did take me a while to get through. I think this book had massive potential, but in the end, it just wasn't for me. I will definitely check out more of her work but will rely a bit more on reviews to avoid unsatisfying endings.

As always, I am extremely grateful to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book.

she kind of lost me in the second half ngl like after a while i was like ok ... lets move on dot com

interesting allegory/metaphor/parallel between childhood media and religious upbringing as nostalgic comforts but ultimately the character's didn't feel consistent enough for me to like ... really get what's going on. like miss thing (protag i forget her name) flip flops her feelings like 3 chapters in a row and i know its CONFLICTING information being presented to her but its still like girl ... are you a libra because how indecisive can you get?

i also felt that the time jump was perhaps a touch too long? thirty years and to still be wrapped up in a kid's show just feels silly and unrealistic to me but i guess that IS how millennials are so there is SOME truth to it i just can't relate to it myself. if it had been 10-20 years, it would have made more sense to me personally - especially because your late 20s brings up enough existential crises that i feel like a child's program deity can easily worm his way back in your brain

a little creepy pasta meets IT but i think the reason why the children's show creepy pasta was so effective (and why creepy pastas generally are so effective) is because they're short, mysterious, sweet and there's a lot left unattended so that you can fill in the horrifying gaps. by creating so much lore (like thousand year lore) it just felt like ... too much. sometimes the more you explain and the more answers you try and provide the sillier your book is and the less i can take it seriously

Are you looking for a nostalgic, medium-paced read to leave you with a feeling of slight unease the whole time? If so, this is the book you should pick up. I love when books make me feel a sense of unease, especially when paired with something deeper such as a sense of nostalgia and a camaraderie that may not be all it's cracked up to be. I especially liked Kiersten White's style of writing. This is the first book that I read of hers, and I really enjoyed how she included the characters' thoughts, feelings, and hesitations throughout the conversations. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC to review!

The premise of this novel grabbed me right in my millennial heart— a tale about a children’s show with a dark secret pumped with 90s nostalgia? Oh baby, I’m in. However, I had a really tough time getting past the characters and their terrible decisions.

For someone who’s been cooped up for thirty years, Val has no trepidation about just getting into a car with three random men she has no memory of to see a “dead” mother who, according to the three men, is alive. There was a line “Besides, her wariness doesn’t make any sense” — YES I THINK IT DOES.

And upon hearing her mother is alive and not dead, she’s pretty chill about it— she’s making jokes in the car, etc.

The characters are suppose to be late 30-early 40 but I, as a 31yr old, found them to be very irresponsible and immature — they read MUCH younger like teens or college kids.

The plot and premise were interesting, but I just had a very hard time immersing myself because of the characters and just unbelievable decisions made.

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for the eARC

This book deserves a standing ovation. At first it's "just" mildly creepy and keeps asking questions you're dying for answers to and that's very good but I don't even remember what part of the book I was basically slapped in the face with what it was really about in the deftest way imaginable.

It's mind-bogglingly clever because what greater horror is the betrayal of a parent for a facsimile of a child? What is more awful than a parent rejecting their own child for something more palatable to the masses?

There were times I was legit sobbing while reading this book.

Thank you.

I see you, too.