Mister Magic was a long-running TV show with a strong fan base. Even after the show is mysteriously canceled after an accident, fans can’t seem to forget the lessons they learned. No one can find copies of the videos or knows who the host was. There were five cast members who were known as the Circle of Friends who didn’t stay in touch but felt something was missing. It has been thirty years and the Circle of Friends are getting together for a podcast about the show. What secrets will they discover about the show? What is waiting for them at the remote desert compound where the show was filmed?

Mister Magic is a standalone thriller that was a little confusing as the characters were introduced but smoothed out as the story progressed. There is a lot to take in and digest about the topics presented. This is defiantly not a light read. I found myself rereading some pages at the end to make sure I understood what was going on. Fans of thrillers will enjoy this book but don’t rush it to the top of your TBR pile.

Trigger warning for religious trauma - which was the reason behind this book being written - White writes this to look at the trauma that comes with belonging to strict religious societies (not always but a lot of the time)

This book stuck to me a lot more than I expected - I could not put this down and read through it as fast as I could.

This book follows Val and her childhood friends as they reconnect following the death of her father. Val finds out that her father kidnapped her away from a child TV show that only those that watched it could remember. There were no recording or information about the show and almost felt like every one was imagining something that did not exist. Val must figure out what happened in the past and why her father took her, as well as why she doesn't remember any of the show or those that she was in the show with.

This book was a religious horror, but more in the vein of Shirley Jackson novels, where the horror exists in the treatment of people and not in actually experiencing things that were typically scary. I appreciate horror that can cause the reader to be uncomfortable but does not have to show actual horror elements like dead bodies or blood and gore. White did an amazing job getting across her ideas about religion and creating an enjoyable story to read.

I recommend this book for people who enjoy gothic horror type novel and cult/religious horror elements.

earth was going on, which I feel like I *mostly* understand now. The author mentions that the plot has connections to her growing up in the Mormon faith, but while there are references to being in Utah and one quick one to Brigham Young, as a kid who grew up Catholic, the actual horror aspect of it didn’t read religious to me in the same way, say, The Exorcist, would. Culty, yes, but even that aspect of it is not so much explored - it would have been interesting to dig in a bit more on past generations that had gone through the show as well as understanding the mechanism of how it all worked a little more, but I suppose that was the fun of it. However - it was a fun and creepy read, especially for millennials like myself who grew up with these types of children’s programming and who were haunted by the staticky TV screen on The Ring! I relayed a lot to Val, personally, and really enjoyed how the story was gradually revealed through the course of the book. I also really appreciated that the book didn’t end in a super dark or spooky or scary way, it made it a lot nicer to finish late at night and not so terrifying as maybe it could have been. I’m sure that will read as a negative for some, but for me it was a plus! I read this book via an advance digital release copy through NetGalley, and really enjoyed it. I will be recommending it to friends who enjoy creepy reads when it comes out!

Mister Magic did something that I don’t get out of a lot of books. When I fully connected the dots about what exactly the author was talking about my mind was blown. It was delightfully unsettling and weirdly emotional and I really enjoyed the whole ride. Make sure you read the acknowledgments at the end, they’ll give you a whole new appreciation for the book.

Mister Magic is the second book I have read from Kiersten White; the first being Hide, which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, this book was a total let down. The plot centered around several formal child television stars and the reunion that was planned at the old set of the show. As this was labeled horror, I was expecting scares but I didn't receive any. The book was all talk and no action. I cannot recommend this book as it was one of the worst books I have read in 2023.

This rather surreal novel about people on a children's TV show that's been written out of history makes much more sense after you read the author's postscript/endnote about leaving the LDS church and how the whole book is basically a metaphor for that. It's a fine read if you don't know, a decent kind of para-supernatural mystery of the type where the narrator has none of the knowledge everyone else has, and especially knowledge about her.

This book was wonderfully weird and creepy but in a good way. I spent the first half wondering what the hell was really going on and feeling compelled to keep reading until I did. This book is full of grief, love, childhood trauma, enduring friendships and nostalgia.

The book is mostly told through Val’s point of view, with small sections of the other’s interviews. There is also smatterings of social media posts of people who had watched the show as kids and their feelings and remembrances of the show. It was a really interesting way to tell the story and it really seemed to work.

I found all of the characters interesting and their backstories were at times heartbreaking. Marcus and Javi’s especially. Val could be a bit annoying, but I still felt sorry for her as she tried to regain her memories of the show and what went wrong at the end. Isaac was such a sweet soul, but he also had issues in his life that he felt guilty about. Jenny was the hardest to like, as she was a bitch for most of the book, with good reason, but she does redeem herself in the end.

It is very hard to talk about the plot without giving anything away. I did spend much of the first half of the story wondering about a lot of things, like what was really going on with this “kid’s show”, and why did it sound so creepy and scary. The writing was so well done, especially when it came to the overall creepy atmosphere of the house and the nearby town. It isn’t until about halfway through the story that you really begin to understand what was going on and then it all begins to make sense. The ending was a little bit trippy and probably the weirdest part of the story, but it totally made sense within the context of the whole book.

This is being tagged as a horror book, but except for the pervasive creepiness of the house and one scene that gets a bit icky, I wouldn’t call it horror. This is more of a psychological thriller with a bit of science fiction thrown in at the end. It is also a very personal story for the author, as you will see if you read the acknowledgments at the end. Parts of the more confusing aspects of the story will make more sense if you read that afterwards.

If you like books with a creepy weird atmosphere, a story that will keep you wondering what is really going on, and have a bit of nostalgia for old children’s TV shows, this is a book you may want to pick up.

Channel Zero: Candle Cove meets Barney in this unsettling yet nostalgic novel about a mysterious children's television show called Mister Magic. I enjoyed the playfulness of the narrative structure which combines traditional chapters with excerpts from reddit-like threads and other internet correspondence. Overflowing with terrifying twists and turns, this is one book you won't be able to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House, for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn't stop. Couldn't put this down. Finished in one setting.

Mister Magic builds off the current trend (ala FNAF, Wally Darling, Poppy's playtime) of subverting the memory of children's programming into something darker, more unsettling.

If you're interested in a strong atmospheric sense of dread, Mister Magic delivers.

As the main character travels with her former co-stars to a reunion and podcast recording, we get snippets of the online community discussing the show and its disappearance from the cultural landscape. Through both perspectives, we slowly piece together that not everything was as it seems with the show that provided so many happy memories to their young audience. You get just enough of the mystery to keep you guessing as each little thread is tugged and they get closer to unraveling all of it.

The ending took my breath away, and I can't wait for others to read this and experience the world of Mister Magic as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read and review! The glowing opinions are 100% my own, as is the excited screeching I hope you imagined as the background track.

I really enjoyed this book. It was eerie, unsettling and weird; an excellent combination that makes a good book. Reading the novel to try to figure out what exactly is going on with Mister Magic and learning what really was going on with the TV program was incredibly fascinating.
Part way through the novel as some dots were connected, you could start to make guess about what was going on/the authors inspiration for writing this novel. It was a really interesting way to look at religion/cults, and the trauma associated with that. Coming at that topic from the aspect of an unsettling children's show was really interesting. It really made me think about how religious organizations mistreat children and try to mold them.
I really enjoyed this book and what the author was trying to do.

I really loved the premise of this book. I love television and I find lost media fascinating, so a story about a cast reunion for a show that no one can prove even existed sounded perfect. I also liked how the author included emails, wikipedia articles, forum posts, etc. throughout the text to illustrate the fandom culture surrounding the main characters.

While I did enjoy this book, I think I would have liked it a little better if the mystery was rooted more in reality than the paranormal, but that's just my personal preference. Also I was disappointed that things were never very clearly resolved between Val and Gloria, and I think the epilogue could have done a better job of explaining that. But overall a very interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the ARC!

I get that this book will not be an ideal fit for every reader, but its eerie weirdness was absolutely perfect for me. This is the story of a group of adults reuniting thirty years after the children's show they starred on left the air. The show has a cult following but zero internet presence - no videos, scripts, or proof that it ever existed can be found. As the adults come back to the site where the show was filmed, the mystery and creepiness build until things get truly insane and horrific. White's Author's Note is a key part of the book to help contextualize what the reader has just read, but do wait until the end to read it. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine / Del Rey for a digital review copy.

Who is Mr. Magic? We spend the entire book trying to figure out if this TV show actually happened or if it is a figment of our imaginations. I think that Kiersten White can write a great horror book. They are tons of underlying themes and if you pay attention, you can figure out what she is really trying to say. I devoured this book in one sitting because I could not stop turning the pages. Is it a new all time favorite? No, but the message that was received will sit with me for a while. The authors note leaves with you no questions asked at the end of the book. I believe that this is a book you should go pretty blind into and just enjoy the ride.

4 stars.

Enchanting, really compulsively readable, and not just a tiny bit creepy. It definitely sticks in your head!

This book made me feel nostalgic for a childhood I didn’t even live! Kiersten did such a good job of putting you in the book that you felt like the characters were your friends! I loved the mystery, the anticipation! I loved this book!

Wow. Somehow I feel overwhelmed, underwhelmed, confused, satisfied, and content all at the same time. This is the first time I’ve read from this author and she certainly left an impression.

Mister Magic is hard to explain. This novel explores the lives of a group of childhood friends who were apart of the TV experience Mister Magic. After tragedy they separate and the show comes to an immediate end. BUT, 30 years later there are no clips and no full memories of their time with Mister Magic…. The only thing left are questions and a lot of them. After a podcast brings them together, all bets are off and this book goes totally off the rails.

Mister Magic is a crazy, wild, confusing, outlandish story that drones on a little too long in my opinion. I spent the first 45% of this book expecting to not finish it, the following 25% starting to enjoy it, and then the last 30% with my head-spinning trying to understand what in the heck was happening. It was a chore to read this because I had to pay intense attention to every word and had to re-read a few passages that confused me.

The epilogue is what saves this book for me. The lesson is there and I think it’s a good one, it just didn’t translate as well in the book because the story was too…. abstract (for my taste).

It’s clear that the author is talented and creative so I will definitely try more of her work, but this one was a little too much for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Wow, loved it! I’m kind of in amazement about how blithely I stumbled across this really phenomenal horror novel. Legit scary, fast-moving plot, fantastic protagonist and great cast of characters… and that ending!! I really didn’t think the book was going to go there! Like, damn!

For me, the thematic elements were really perfectly balanced. I wasn’t surprised at all to read in the Acknowledgements that the author is an ex-Mormon, but the way those themes were integrated in the story were at just the right level of abstractness so that they resonated without distracting.

Yeah, in general I’ll say this book was tonally very strong - just the right level of detail and dimension.

I went into this book hoping for basically the feeling that crazy monkey seen from Nope gave, however that’s not what I got.

Think the biggest issue with Mister Magic is it felt jerky. Often times hard to keep track of. This can cause the issue of having to re-read certain areas over again. Which didn’t work for me.

The plus side of Mister Magic was it does keep you guessing till the end.

I think this book will work for fans of White. Sadly it didn’t fully work for me.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Mister Magic by Kiersten White. It was creepy and mysterious. You never really know what is going on and what will happen. Even at the end, I'm not sure what the reality was. It leaves you with a sense of unease. I also liked that there is a lot of symbolism and deeper meanings of the way that children are raised with obedience and fear. After 30 years, the child stars of the show Mister Magic are brought together for a reunion. There is mystery behind why the show ended and what happened to the actors. As they piece together what happened, they uncover parts of themselves and their childhood.

Firstly, thank you to Random House, NetGalley and Kiersten White for the opportunity to read this ahead of its pub date. I was so excited to get approved for this ARC, and I was NOT disappointed for even a moment reading its pages. Following the cast of a children's show that reunites after years of being off air. Creepy, twisty, and completely consuming. The story grabbed my attention from the first lines and never let go! Successfully reaching a level of King vibes without encroaching on his story and made it her own!

White has become an author that I monitor for new releases, read immediately and I recommend you do so too!

Mark your calendars, Mister Magic is available on 08 August 2023.