A strange, unique and very good plot. The mystery was intriguing and kept me guessing.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

my rating is more like a 2.5 star?? this book was so much more bizarre than i was expecting. i don’t think i even processed what happened lol. i have weird feelings on this book because i don’t necessarily even dislike it, it just didn’t really meet my expectations. much more slow, existential, and strange than i was expecting. the concept of this book (and cover) are really what intrigued me: the mysterious kid’s show Mister Magic that no one seems to have concrete evidence of existing. there are no recordings of it that can be accessed, and there’s weird lore surrounding it. i liked that premise, and i also liked the “web pages” that looked like online forums and Wikipedia pages. there wasn’t too much plot—you’re just following Val, the main character, who was a child star on that show. she doesn’t remember anything about it, and 30 years later, is trying to get answers from her cast mates about why the show abruptly ended and the mysterious accident that supposedly happened on set. what kept me reading was the allure of finding out who Mister Magic was. i wasn’t in it for the characters or plot necessarily. even though i’m giving this 2.5 stars, i didn’t even dislike reading this book until the last 15% or so. i was admittedly skimming at that point because it was just way too out there for my liking. the ending was extremely bizarre. i also didn’t feel any palpable horror or tension in the story, except near the end a bit (even if it was chaotic and strange, the pace was noticeably faster towards the end).

i also thought the main characters spoke way too much like teenagers when they were supposed to be in their late 30s-40s. they would say things that they thought were profound, but weren’t really. i guess one can argue that they were emotionally stunted because of their traumas from the show, but their patterns of speech just read very young. apparently this was also a criticism in the author’s last book, hide, which i have not read. the characters also seemed so two-dimensional. i’m wondering if that was intentional on the author’s part for *reasons* but even so, it’s just my personal preference to have complex characters that feel like real people. the side-characters/“bad guys” were so cartoonishly evil, too. i personally like more nuance with my characters. i didn’t believe in the main characters’ relationships, really, and there was a hint of romance thrown in there (which i don’t really care for in a horror or thriller book).

i do want to mention that this is a book about dealing with religious trauma, and that was not included in the premise/marketing AT ALL, so it really threw me for a loop. here i was, wanting a story about a potentially cursed kid’s TV show, but getting that as a metaphor for deconstructing your belief system. i think that you can’t understand the book without knowing that (and i’m not even sure i fully *got* the book lol). i appreciate the author’s note at the end since this story is obviously very personal to her. it’s a bummer that i didn’t really care for this book because it’s the first one that i’ve read from her.

i would recommend this if you like…
🔮abstract/weird horror
😇discussions of morality and reality
📺children’s tv show nostalgia
🚸discussions of raising children
⛪️religious undertones

Mister Magic comes out August 8. thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

White never disappoints. She articulates the most nuanced difficulties and gives them a language of their own. The first half of the book will have you grasping at something just out of reach, and the ending. Well, it's not quite what you expect. A gripping page turner I devoured in days. Highly recommend.

I absolutely adored Mister Magic.

It is mostly the story of Val, a woman who lives a restricted existence on a horse ranch with her father. When her father passes away unexpectedly and she receives three unexpected visitors following his funeral, she is given a massive shock. Not only do the three men who came to find her know her well, but she had also starred with them on a once-popular television show that no one can find documented evidence of.

Val’s dealings with the men-Isaac, Marcus and Javi-and her eventual reunion with fellow cast-member Jenny are interspersed with snippets from obsessed Mister Magic fans collected from various type of forums, commentaries and fanfiction websites that help to foster that comfortable nostalgia that idealized memories of childhood can create. As Val tries to unravel the mysteries surrounding a past she can’t recall, she and the rest of her Circle of Friends remain isolated in an unusual house for the purpose of recording a podcast relating to Mister Magic.

But the more Val digs, the more she comes to realize that Mister Magic is more than a mere television show and that there are those who would do anything to have Mister Magic make his
triumphant return to educate…and mold a new generation of children.

All for the benefit of the children, of course

Of course.

What could have been a simple story of an unusual television show and its five former stars trying to unravel its mystery became a study how the supposed “best” intentions of adults and parents could lead to trauma in their children. That an emphasis on what is considered “good,” could be irrevocably damaging when forcing children into roles that subsume their true selves for the sake of simplicity and conformity.

I’d rather not spoil too much, but Mister Magic was an engrossing and layered story that was very relatable and slightly bittersweet in its ending. It was not what I was initially expecting when I started reading it, but I am grateful that I was able to do so.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I will be posting my review on my linked Goodreads and on Instagram accounts on July 23,2023.

I like the idea behind this book, but the writing style and opening of the book just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t interested in the characters or the story unfortunately.

I was trying to explain this book to a friend of mine after I'd finished in a way that doesn't spoil anything or give away the underlying themes and it came out somewhat like this: ok so there's this cult TV show that was on for ages called Mister Magic and the cast is getting together to do a podcast reunion thing in this creepy house but the main character Val doesn't remember a thing. Cue unreliable narrator and eerie suspense plus intergenerational trauma and dysfunctional families/friendships, and a reality that does or does not exist.

Absolutely could not put it down. Kiersten White has cemented her place as an autobuy horror author for me.

A childhood full of magic, love, and confusing memories. That’s more or less what the last child actors from Mister Magic got. Memories that felt warm, full of happiness, but end in confusion and a touch of terror.

This is cosmic horror done so well that you’ll never see it stepping through the dark to pull you in. It speaks of sacrifice and love, the things we do for our children, what we’re willing to let go.

I fell in love with these characters, had some of my views on certain things solidified(especially after reading the afterword), and would read this one again and again. I’m hoping Isaac and Val have a reunion upcoming in some future story. Five stars!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy. I didn’t love White’s first adult horror, Hide. But I love many of her other books so I had to see if this one would be more for me. It absolutely was. I could not put this book down. I absolutely devoured it. The suspense and weirdness really had me anxious and I couldn’t guess what happened at all.

Mister Magic is a book about many things, including the seeming magic of childhood and nostalgia. It’s about collective memory (or mis-memory, think the Mandela Effect), the gift of forgetting, the pain and scars of religious trauma, and the perpetuation and breaking of intergenerational trauma.

30 years ago, a children’s show with a mysterious, magical host abruptly went off the air after an unspeakable accident. There is no surviving footage or scripts and no leads on the production company, director, crew, etc. Just 5 adults, all that remains of the last “circle of friends”. Interspersed with Wikipedia pages and discussion-forum comment sections, the book follows the friends as they journey back to the remote desert area where the show was originally filmed to record a reunion podcast. For Val, who has no memories of her time on the show, the trip comes with startling realizations and the uncovering of long-buried memories as she struggles to understand who to trust as the very fabric of reality starts to disintegrate.

I thought this book explored childhood nostalgia and religious trauma really well and resonated with me on many levels. If you were raised evangelical and no longer identify that way, were permanently scarred by the toxicity of “purity culture,” or otherwise have been negatively affected by religion’s good (arguable) intentions, particularly at a young age (hi, it’s me), I think this book will be very cathartic for you. Make sure to stick around for the author’s note.

Pub Date: 8/8/23
Review Date: 7/22/23
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting read. I was hooked immediately but never really knew what was going on, I just knew there was something sinister in the background. It was very fast paced, very suspenseful, and overall, just creepy. After reading the authors acknowledgements, I definitely understood where the story and theme came from. Her religious influence is felt throughout the entire book; make yourself small, never have too big of an imagination, obedience is mandatory, "difficult" children are sent to be "fixed", and so many more are being weaved within the story. I did think it would have been a bit scarier, it felt more ominous and in the background, then the straight up horror I was expecting. Reading the acknowledgements is VERY important to understanding the story more, so don't forget to read it at the end. It helps with any confusion you're left with in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Because it’s an ARC, there were some minor formatting issues with the message board sections. Other than that, no notes. The story was tight and fast paced. There is a consistent, sinister undercurrent of dread. White does a fantastic job of creating unease in the reader. The horror isn’t gory or violent; it’s unsettling and uncomfortable.

In the acknowledgements, White openly explains this story stems from her trauma from her upbringing and leaving the Mormon faith. Something you see in faith and patriarchy is the need to make yourself small to fit into the tiny box of what’s acceptable. Don’t challenge authority, don’t be different, don’t be too grand. This theme pops up multiple times across the story.

Full review and recipes that matches the book: https://bakingthroughbookclub.com/2023/07/22/the-unmusical-world-of-childrens-entertainment/

When my daughter was little, we went on vacation and turned on PBS, hoping to find Curious George or Sesame Street for her to watch while we were getting ready.
Instead, Barney and Friends was on. One episode and she was hooked. As I read Kiersten White’s new book, Mister Magic, scenes from Barney played on a loop in my head.

Mister Magic centers around a group of adults who used to be on a children’s television show together. One of the women, Val, had locked away all memories of the show until her co-stars, known as “The Circle of Friends,” found her (at her father’s funeral, no less. Who does that?).

Val inexplicably leaves her father’s funeral and jumps in a car with these complete strangers so that she can travel to the middle of the desert, all without telling anyone where she was going. The co-stars explain that she was on a TV show called Mister Magic, and they are traveling to Utah in order to tape a reunion podcast. Val initially has no recollection of being on the show, but slowly vague memories start invading her psyche. She remember songs that they used to sing—songs that taught rules and “clean” ways to live. She also remembers the touch and feel of her friend, Isaac, who was always the one to look out for her. These memories along with the promise of meeting her biological mom are enough to make Val throw caution to the wind and make the trip to Utah.

Once the friends get to their destination, things immediately turn weird. The house, which is out in the middle of nowhere, is an architectural oddity. TVs come on by themselves in the middle of the night and cannot be shut off. The town surrounding the studio is perfect in the most creepy of ways. And, the person interviewing the friends for the podcast is somehow friendly, dark, and all-knowing all at the same time.
Val is soon confronted by the truth of her dark upbringing in the town of Bliss, taping Mister Magic with her circle of friends. The more she learns, the more questions she has. Why did her dad kidnap her and take her away from her mom? Why could she not remember that she had a sister? What happened to her sister? Why does she have vague memories of a fire? Val begins to notice the shape of the darkness as she unravels the truth of her past. Is it all a little too late?

When I read the premise of this book, I was excited to dig in to it. A book in the horror genre that plays off the subtle creepiness of Barney? Sign me up, please!

The further I got into the book, however, the more I grew to dislike it. The real story behind Mister Magic and the town of Bliss was odd and confusing. The reader is left having to twist the events around in their mind just to make sense of it all, and even then it’s not quite enough. I can’t even decide how to describe it…. philosophy meets theoretical physics meets supernatural horror? But not horror at the same time?

As I finished the last page, I felt a wave of disappointment that Mister Magic was not the horror I thought it was going to be. I also had a sneaking suspicion that I knew what was driving the allegory. One flip back to the author’s note confirmed my suspicions. The author ruthlessly attacked religion as “petty” and “bigoted” and discussed her experiences that led her to write this book. Now, the author has every right to feel the way she feels and write the book she wants to write. I am not a member of the Mormon Church, so I do not have insight into that denomination. I will say that I have several Mormon neighbors, and they are incredibly sweet people. As somebody who is religious, however, I also have the right to disagree and not like the message that the author is conveying. The author has life experiences, and so do I. And in my world, my teenage daughter went through an entire school year where she got ruthlessly bullied by a group of kids in her school simply because they found out she was Christian. The school did nothing about it, and my daughter developed severe panic attacks. I don’t fault the author for sharing her view on life, but I am exhausted as a parent after the past year. Thus, attacks on religion are a trigger warning for me.

I am really tired of the overwhelming negative depictions of religion in the publishing industry writ large. My problem isn’t with the authors—it’s with the publishers. Could we have just one contemporary fiction where religion is portrayed in a neutral or a positive light? Does every single mention of religion in contemporary fiction have to be a negative portrayal? Publishers, I’m tired. A lot of us are tired.

Rating: ⭐️

This book made 100% sense once I read the back and read the authors note about deconstructing.
This is creepy, fun, fast paced and curious- I adored it, even if I sometimes imagined Barney in a cape …. But! The book is well written, fun, and I’d be interested in a sequel!

Thank you NetGalley
Thank you author
Thank you publisher

This was a fantastic read. There are so many themes interlaced with the mysterious plot of who, or what, Mister Magic is. Or was. And what exactly happened to Val so very long ago. Part love-letter to millennial nostalgia, and part commentary on the ideals of yesteryear. This story begs you to dive deep, and open the doors.

Val has lived on an isolated ranch with her dad and the owner since she can remember. So when her dad passes away and a boy shows up who she instantly feels a kin ship with she is baffled and when he he starts to cry she knows she should know him from somewhere but he’s not alone. Marcus and Javi also showed up at her dad‘s funeral. Once they explain they were all on the children’s show together and someone is doing a podcast and wants the cast members to all go back to the compound where they lived while doing the show Val is reluctant until Isaac tells her that her mom isn’t dead contrary to what Val‘s dad said and that he knows where she lives this is when Val without telling Gloria or anyone else on the farm gets her bag and leaves with the guys. Val‘s dad didn’t trust anyone and so Val is trying to determine whether she should trust them and even though she felt an instant connection with all of them she isn’t sure if they’re really on her side. As time goes by and Val learned some mind blowing things her ambivalence about trusting the group process especially when she gets a cryptic clue from one of her fellow PS cast members in a desperate phone call from someone who truly cares about Val I read the original creepy pasta on Reddit that this story either coincidently sounds just like or was inspired by an in the beginning I think the author did a great job but towards the end I got so confused and baffled because the genres say thriller/horror and it seems they may have been just a tiny bit of sci-fi in there but that’s neither here nor there I think the book was pretty good but I do think she should rewrite the ending that was so confusing I don’t know… What I don’t know and I can’t say here because it would ruin the plot. what I can say is I really liked valves naïveté and at the same time she was a girl with the back phone. I loved her and Isaacs bond totally didn’t pick up on the Marcus and Havi thing at all if you want to read a horror story that makes you think that you should read Mister Magic by Kiersten White I loved the book Hide and and still would not pass up one written by the author I just found the end of this one was confusing although the rest was pretty awesome. I want to think random house and net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind a dictate my review.

Mister Magic is a highly personal allegory by Kiersten White. I’m not familiar with her work, but I like her writing style and was entranced by this book. The book revolves around a children’s show from the early 90s that ended abruptly and has no info about it online aside from people’s conflicting memories. The internet interludes were very needed and really explore the Mandela Effect. It’s a very creepy story about the former child stars and even more so after reading White’s note to the readers at the end. I’m glad I was mildly spoiled for what the real overlying theme was because it helped me wrap my brain around the surreal nature of everything that was happening both in present days and everyone’s memories. I got strong vibes of the book IT in regards to the adults having a hard time recapturing or remembering the creative and imaginary aspects of childhood. I’ll be thinking about this book for awhile. It’s so much more than a nostalgic thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Mister Magic is a very…..unique story. I was confused nearly the entire time. It wasn’t until I looked up other reviews that I understood why. Because of the confusion I found it hard to pick back up and read. I think the story would flow better if the reader knew at the beginning what the underlying topic was. This is hard to rate because of how personal this story is to the author. As a fictional story I didn’t feel it made any sense and there was no flow to the storyline.

Every child of the TV generation grew up with a children's show that they loved and taught them how to interact with the world. In MISTER MAGIC, by Kiersten White, the mysterious and cherished Mister Magic was one of those shows. The problem is that there is no official record of the show, no videos, no news clippings, and anything that seems to popup about the show seems to quickly be wiped away and yet so many people remember it existing. When the child stars from all those years ago come together for a podcast to remember the show that abruptly stopped airing thirty years ago, it becomes clear that they have trouble remembering what happened on the show too. Most of the them remember the warm blanket that wrapped around their soul when they were on the show, but as they start to commiserate with each other and each begins to be interviewed, the truth begins to reveal itself and the question becomes: Do they want to remember everything?
The book immediately leans on what everyone wishes they still had: childhood innocence. That yearning to never grow up, never have responsibilities, and enjoy your imagination. The author White has created a set of main characters that are equal parts individuals and intergral parts of a group and the dynamics between them are fascinating to read. There is a certain dark mystery that seems to be lurking in the background from the very beginning of the book and as the story progresses, the reality of the show, the group and the truth all become this sinister mix of delicious unknowns that the reader is compelled to explore and figure out. The ending exciting, surprising and rewarding.
An original and unusual novel, MISTER MAGIC is an excellent read and will leave the reader wondering if their own beloved children's show is really as innocent as it appears.

Although this wasn't as scary as I was hoping, I enjoyed the story, characters, and multimedia inserts throughout the book. I wish it had leaned more into the horror side, but I found the author's acknowledgements page to make a lot of sense and to be quite moving. Thank you for the review copy.