Really enjoyed this novel. Story was very interesting and engaging. Looking forward to reading more by this author. Highly recommend!

Is there anything weirder and eerier than a childhood mystery, recalled through an adult lens? Something you may have done or experienced or been a part of, that in retrospect, as an older, just seems so surreal and farfetched and bonkers, that there's no way that could have happened, you must have dreamed it or imagined it? That's how a swath of internet users of a certain age feel about an eccentric show called Mister Magic that mysteriously disappeared from the airwaves many years ago, and which, strangely, one can now find no evidence of having existed. There are no producers, transcripts, camera people, or records of the show online--the blog posts and message boards even speculating about it seem to vanish without a trace. But the child stars who were at the heart of the show are quite real and are being gathered together for a podcast interview, which may, in fact, be heralding a reboot of the show. Once reunited, the characters start to feel pieces of themselves clicking back into place, it feels like being home--but at the same time, something strange is happening, and the reconnecting that's happening is more than just lonely adults reunited with old friends. Wounds are being reopened, traumas are surfacing. There is so much from their past with this tv program that has been repressed or that they never realized the truth of, to begin with, and there is more at stake with the reboot than they could possibly know. The author seems to be exorcizing some intensely personal demons with the book--which once you think about the locale and start putting pieces together, you guess it before the story gets there. But whether you relate to or have experiences with that kind of trauma or not, this was a great read, and I tore through it in less than a day.

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

When Val was a child, her father took her to a ranch where they lived off the grid from that point until the time that her father died. Her father had many rules she had to follow, like no watching television and no going to school. When her father dies, a few people show up to his funeral and greet her as an old friend, only she doesn’t know who these people are, however they do seem slightly familiar. They tell her that they all used to be on a children’s show called Mister Magic, but she has no memory of the show. Why doesn’t she remember anything prior to coming to the ranch? And why did her father bring her to the ranch in the first place?

While reading, I found myself wanting to know the answers to all of the mysteries about the children’s show and Val’s past. And with answers comes more questions. It seems like nothing is as it appears. It gets a bit trippy near the end. This book kept my attention, and I did enjoy it. I think that some of the characters could’ve been fleshed out a little more, but otherwise, most of them were at least likable.

I had fun reading Hide so I knew I had to get my hands on this book!

I loved Mister Magic! It's a story of friendship and love and finding yourself. It was wonderful. I can't wait to see what else this author writes.

This novel plays into childhood fears of creepy television programs and half remembered plot lines that seemed too old for their years (hello, Courage the Cowardly Dog). Unfortunately, the characters and writing did not support the cleverness of the plot. I became very irritated early on with how all the characters acted so familiar despite not seeing each other for over thirty years. With the exception of Val, they all seemed to have clear memories of their past and how each other would act. I'm only 15 years out from age 8, and could barley tell you what I was doing during that time let alone what I thought of other people. Furthermore, characters acted and sounded juvenile - I almost feel like this would have worked better as a YA novel rather than an adult novel.

“Mister Magic” by Kiersten White is reminiscent of the first season of the show “Channel Zero”. Cast members of a 90s show are still struggling to move on after an accident causes the show to end. The “Circle of Friends” is once again reunited to film a podcast and they start to wonder about their collective past. Who was Mister Magic? With no surviving footage to remember, it seems the former cast are the only ones who know the truth.

This book was a mix of amazing things. Cultish, complex, and even a bit weird. Most of the narrators were unreliable, but I didn’t have too much of a hard time following the plot. This is definitely worth a read if you want to get out of a slump or just try something new / a bit different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House / Del Rey for the ARC of this novel. “Mister Magic” will be published on 8/8/2023.

Mister Magic is the newest book from Kierstan White, who wrote the book Hide. Like Hide, Mister Magic is a supernatural thriller. If you are a fan of It by Stephen King, this Mister Magic is right down your alley. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

i didn't realize this was a supernatural thriller when i originally picked it up, which i usually don't enjoy. This surprised me though and ended up speeding through it. I think it would be.a great beach read this summer

Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to put that past behind them. The show however, has haunted them. It is not merely that it has an enormous cult-following--demonstrated through various seemingly random but ultimately pointed social media generated discussions peppering the text--it is the idyllic myth of their childhood and the comfort they felt as a community or Circle of Friends that has never been matched. It is also that there is no actual surviving footage of the show--which is seemingly impossible. It is a show that actually only exists in the memory of the cast and viewers.

Who is Mr. Magic? Even the children do not know. The novel's central character, Val, discovers that she was kidnapped as a child by her father. She had always believed him to be evading authorities for some terrible crime--something to do with her. She discovers that she was a child star on the show Mr. Magic. Her fellow cast members are able to locate her because of the obituary. This is all at the time of the show's planned reunion. The main character is an unreliable narrator, true, but everything is a little foggy to all the former child stars. The only thing that they hold in common is the feeling that their lives were never as fulfilled as they felt in participating in the creation of the show.

It is also eventually revealed to Val by her Circle of Friends that she lost a little sister during the show and that her father kidnapped her as a result. This and other bizarre experiences lead them to question the shows production and attempt to understand how the lack of actual technical details in their memories can be reconciled with what they know as adults to be necessary to the actual production of a televised show. These mysteries extend to the strange reunion podcast and town in which the original production took place.

While the cast attempts to reconcile these strange inconsistencies, their actual skepticism is blunted by the emotional traumas that they seem to all have experienced during the show and since the abrupt halting of its production.

Mr. Magic was more interesting in the suspense leading up to the reveal of the horrible thing than the horror itself. Do not get me wrong--this is a clever and well-written. At the same time I expected the same level of horror in some of her more gothic novels and felt it fell a little short of those expectations.

You've heard of the Mandala effect right? You know the eerie phenomenon where people collectively misremember events, historical facts and other famous pop culture moments? Well what if you remember there being a television show from the 90's where a group of six kids would form a circle and summon a man named Mister Magic? You never saw his face... or did you? You scour the internet but there are no videos you can find to rewatch the show.

Did it really exist?

Mister Magic by Kiersten White read just like a creepy pasta in some parts.

The book centers around Val aka Valentine. She's been living on a ranch for the past few decades with her father. She has no memory of her childhood before the ranch. But when her father dies, a door into her past is opened. Two of her former friends from the television show invite Val to a Mister Magic reunion. Val decides to tag along in hopes to find out more about her past. Her past, however, hides some dark secrets.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a nostalgic trip back to some of my childhood shows. I loved how in-between some chapters we got insights into some online forums on thoughts on the show. We see people discuss theories and what they remember from their own experiences watching the show.

I read most of this book in one sitting. Its quick and addictive. I did find myself getting confused from time to time though. I wound up rereading a page or two just to make sure I read it right.

There were some genuine freaky moments. There's one scene where Val is looking in a dark hallway and sees a man with a cape inviting her in for a hug. When she looks back at him he disappears. That scene game me goosebumps.

While I truly loved this book, I felt there was something missing from it. I think Val's investigation pulled me away from the story a bit. I expected the group to be at the reunion the whole time and weird stuff happening as memories came back, instead there were many scenes of Val trying to find out what happened to her family that night.

I do recommend this book to anyone who wants some nostalgic television horror.

I've read everything from this author and this is the my favorite so far. The story grabbed me from the begining and I ended up reading the whole thing in one day. It was both beautiful and sinister. I would 100% recommend this book and this author to anyone.

I understand this is an important book for Keirsten White to write. As someone who has also experienced religious abuse/trauma, I empathize with her and hope writing this story was a means for her to heal.

However, I do have to be honest with my review. I didn't like this book. Based on the synopsis, I was expecting a weird fever dream-esque story in the vein of Mona Awad. This story wasn't that. Nor was it very thrilling. The writing felt YA and amateurish. The plot was too bogged down with meaningless details/scenes, and the characters were lifeless and one dimensional. I was particularly unimpressed with the MC, Val. She's passive, spineless, and naive and shows no character growth until 80% in, and by then, I just didn't care anymore.

I'm sure there's an audience for this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The stars of the enigmatic children's show Mister Magic have been contacted by a podcast to do a reunion in the desert several years later. One of the stars Val, doesn't remember being on the show, or her childhood at all. She decides to go to the reunion and see what she can remember, but she's met with more mystery. What happened? Why did the show abruptly end?

I liked the idea of the story. It had great creepypasta vibes and I really connected to the author's note at the end about how she was writing about her growing up in the Mormon faith. I wish I would've known that at the beginning of the story. I think my reading would have been different.

Mister Magic’s premise will be familiar to anyone who has spent anytime reading creepypasta or other Internet rumors: a TV show for kids that has no trace in the real world, but that everyone remembers. The novel follows the original cast of the show, a group of former children, as they reunite and try to remember what exactly happened all those years ago. White cleverly layers Reddit posts, emails, Wikipedia entries, and articles between chapters, adding a spooky and realistic texture.

I can’t talk too much about the book without spoilers, so I’ll just say that you should absolutely read it. It’s eerie and satisfying. I loved the origin of the TV show, the addition of real history, and White’s meditation on the intersection between fundamentalist religion and control. Her author’s note adds a person layer to the story, but even without it the message was powerful. I loved this book and highly recommend it, especially to anyone deconstructing, leaving, or grappling with fundamentalism.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

Mister Magic was a 90s TV show that everyone remembers, but strangely there's no footage from it anywhere. It was shut down after an onset tragedy and became the stuff of Reddit conspiracy obsessions. The four stars of the show, now grown up, are brought together for a podcast, but they learn that the past isn't really past...and Mister Magic is still very interested in them.

If Mr. Rogers ' neighborhood was located in the town of Derry, Maine (the fictional location for many of Stephen King's works), you'd have Mister Magic. It's a creepy book sure to make you think and shiver.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.

Do you ever have a moment when you are suddenly hit with a vague memory of a childhood television show that you watched as a kid but you can’t quite place where it is from or if it was, in fact a real show? Kiersten White’s newest novel, Mister Magic, tackles that very concept and it is a top notch thrill ride.

It may seem odd that you can find a story that is both frightening and heartwarming but White’s novel definitely fits into that category.

When Val is reunited with the cast of a popular show that she was a part of, but has no recollection of, during her youth, she is drawn into a world of intrigue, mystery and horror. As the pieces start to come together and her memories start to return, Val must find the courage to confront the ghosts of her past, and try to hold onto her sanity through it all.

Mister Magic is definitely a story that is best enjoyed when the reader goes in blind. Kiersten White has done a magnificent job in her world building and character development, that it almost read like an unauthorized and declassified biography of the five adults who have been brought back together under mysterious circumstances, rather than a piece of fiction.

Take a breath, dive in and prepare to be whisked on a break-neck-speed thrill ride because once it begins, it is sure to reel you in, until the final page.

This was a really good bok. It made me laugh, it made me cry, I really did feel like the circle of friends belonged to me. I will officially read anything White writes.

Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.

The best way I can think of to describe Mister Magic is religious horror. Kiersten did an excellent job building a very creepy & suspenseful plot. Her incorporation of the Mandela Effect & the use of multiple forms of media to tell the story was great. The author's note added even more depth to the story. While suspension of belief was required, overall this was a sufficiently creepy read that did make me think further about religion's use of media to influence the general public. 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for the ARC.

Mister Magic tells the story of the cast of a '90s children's show reuniting after 30 years. Although they might all be grown up with their own lives, they still feel deeply connected with each other. However, that connection brings them to face the truth of what really happened that abruptly ended the show.

Mister Magic was a truly imaginative book that left me questioning the characters after every word, and craving the truth with every page. It taught me that magic is much more complex than what it's introduced to us as kids- it's haunting, beautiful, traumatic, horrifying, and confusing. It's wholesome and full of paranoia at the same time, evil stalking you around every corner but just wanting to give you a hug in the end. Mister Magic encaptures what it's like to be blinded by expectations as a kid, and learning to break free from the set rules as an adult. If you were always told to dim yourself, this book will allow you to feel everything you need in order to be free.

The premise here is pretty irresistible in an information-saturated age: a TV show a whole generation remembers but that has no online presence — no clips, no explainers, no interviews, no oral histories or retrospectives. Anything posted about it online eventually disappears. A whole generation of kids remembers seeing something horrible happen in the last episode, but they can't agree on what it was, or find any evidence for why the show was cancelled. And then there's the protagonist, Val, who can't remember anything about her childhood before her father whisked her away into a lifetime of hiding, off the grid and far away from televisions in particular.

It'd be a shame to spoil any of what happens from there, but it's enough to say that this is one of those horror-fantasies where the audience is likely to put together a lot of what's going on before the characters do, and that just heightens the horror as those characters keep making questionable choices and getting pulled in questionable directions. The experience of "mystery to unravel" books like this pretty much lands on whether the eventual reveals are as surprising and intriguing as the mystery, and for me, at least they were — this book goes in directions I definitely wasn't expecting, and it kept me hooked throughout the slow drip-drip reveal of the story behind the initial story.

It certainly gives the whole thing some depth to know that this is also a personal novel about escaping the Mormon Church, and particularly about being a girl growing up in that church and being trained to be a certain kind of obedient, quiet, undemanding daughter. By the end, those mandates extend in all different directions, particularly to the church's stance on LBGTQ folks, but the most pointed and pernicious messaging is about what it takes to be deemed a Good Girl in an oppressive and misogynistic religious society (something I remember equally from my Southern Baptist days), and what it takes to escape.

After Hide and this book, I'm definitely putting Kiersten White on my Authors To Explore Further list — I'm finding her surprising and sharp, and I'm looking forward to digging into her back catalog.