Where to begin here. I was really excited to read this one - lost media! Creepypasta-like online following! lost memories! - but it fell flat on its face for me. The actual interesting parts of the plot - the mysterious mister magic figure, the lost show, the childhood trauma - was barely featured in any meaningful way. Instead, we focus on trope-y characters that do not develop, and heavy-handed "secrets" that try to push the plot forward. No go for me.

When someone is looking for that fun, summer blockbuster type of read I always recommend Hide by Kiersten White so when I had the opportunity to read Mister Magic, I jumped!

"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."

Mister Magic mixes that feeling of nostalgia we all get when thinking of our favorite kid's show, from a time when tv was just different, and the uncertainty and insanity we feel when experiencing a Mandela Effect. Giving us little sprinkles of emails, blog posts, and message board chats, Kiersten White weaves together a fun thriller that will keep you wanting for more and never quite certain how it's all going to end.

I’m not usually drawn to horror novels, but the premise that maybe a Bozo Clown type show was just a collective hallucination and Bozo is evil (well, after Stephen King’s “It” Bozo did become the instigation for a lot of coulrophobia) were why I was game to read “Mister Magic.” Also, Kiersten White is a local Utah author (and our book club is always searching out selections by Utahns or graduates of BYU or the U of U). However, I do wish I didn’t read the reviews that told me I needed to read the author's acknowledgments first to understand how personal this novel was. I should have just blindly read this as the twisted horror story it is.

This is a well-written horror story and Ms. White’s previous books have been well-received by the more-obsessed fans of the genre. She has also won the Utah Book Award for “Paranormalcy.” But knowing the personal side of the story threw me off. I’m a non-Mormon living in Utah. I know that outside the state people believe the LDS religion is a cult (and some temple rituals seem like that to me, too), but there’s nothing cult-like about the intelligent, professional, kind, generous, well-read women who comprise a majority of my book club (we divide ourselves into just cocktails and mocktails). After 25 years here, I also know people who left the religion. Some felt like Ms. White as if it was a major escape from brainwashing; others just tired of the ingrained misogyny (shared with so many other religions) or inability to tithe and not feel pressured.

Anyway, 4 stars for the story, 3 stars for the uneasiness I felt about reading another criticism of the religion of my neighbors. I know I shouldn’t get personal, but I just couldn’t separate the two. A catharsis for the author; a strange burdensome feeling for me.

Thank you to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Blue eyes only.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Just the magician’s standard prop of a flower bouquet (but obviously not fresh as the book states, except in the kids’ imagination).

This ARC was selected for this reviewer's media outlet. This reviewer is in contact with the publicists attached to this release. Please contact this reviewer directly if you have any questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC copy of Mister Magic by Kiersten White.

It has really been a while since I've completed a novel in one day. I was instantly hooked as the beginning really gave me vibes of the start of the movie NOPE and the destruction that happened with Gordy and there were only two survivors. It is unique in a way that you don't really know what is going to come next or what is going to happen, especially who can you trust while reading as bits and pieces of information come up to piece together. It really reels you in the beginning, however, for me the ending fell flat. All this build up and tension, just for it to be a meh ending. It would have also helped if the author had put her note at the beginning of the novel as it would help with clarity of what the story line is really about.

Mister Magic by Kiersten White is a superb read with a superb plot and characters Well worth the time and recommended!

Thank you so much Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for this gifted e-read, in exchange for an honest review! Mister Magic comes out August 8, 2023.

I read Hide as an arc and thought it was very unique. I knew that this one had to be a strange one as well and the synopsis was giving me It vibes, so I had to give it a try. Mister Magic was a 4/5 ⭐️ for me! This one reminded me a lot of It when the children grew up and tried to defeat Pennywise a second time. This one did started off slow and it pretty much kept that pace throughout the whole book. It got a little too weird for me at the end and it was a bit confusing. And I’m not quite sure how I felt about the ending. I liked it, but I didn’t if that makes sense. 😄 I wasn’t a fan of her bashing people’s religion at the end either. 🙃 Overall a very strange, but creepy and unique read!

Wow this was a really interesting book. This was a first read for me by Kiersten White. I was excited to have a chance to read this book after so many people raved about HIDE. I was pleasantly surprised how good this was. It was definitely different from most books that I read but I found it fast paced and wanting to figure out what was going on. I will be reading HIDE now that I have this one done. I can't wait to read more of her books. I would highly recommend people to give this book a try.


Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing me to read this ARC in advanced for my honest opinion.

Mister Magic was a beloved children's show that ran for several years and lives on in the memories of its fans, but no footage or official history exists. 30 years after the show abruptly ended, the last cast members assemble for a podcast reunion. What really happened to end the show, and is this show as benevolent as its fans remember?
I LOVED this book! Mister Magic is a creepy fever dream that pulls you in immediately. The story is told from the viewpoint of Val, one of the surviving cast members, with social media fan posts in between chapters. The plot moves quickly. The premise of a creepy children's show is unique in the genre. The reader is taken into a world where friendships are easily but deeply formed, and nothing is as it seems (much like childhood itself). There is some powerful commentary about the expectations that society and adults place on children. Mister Magic was great and will likely be one of the most popular horror books of 2023. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I’m not sure this book knew what is was trying to be. The concept was excellent, it reminds me of a creepypasta I read a long time ago about a children’s show Mandela effect, it had the right eerie vibe, but the descriptions muddles everything up, and I ended up confused. 10 for concept 5 for execution,

I really liked the description of the story, but could not get into the story. I wasn't even sure how I felt about the characters as I did not like some and was on the fence about others. I attempted to read it several times and was almost a hundred pages in when I stopped reading. The story just wasn't coming together for me enough to hold my interest. That being said, someone else may pick this book up and feel differently then me, so I would not want to discourage another from reading it..

This is the second book that I’ve by Kiersten White. Last summer, my friend and I buddy read her novel “Hide” and loved it! So when i heard about her next novel, “Mister Magic,” I quickly requested to get an ARC via NetGalley.

“Mister Magic” centers around our main character, Val, who has a childhood she cannot, and truly doesn’t want to, remember. She has spent the last 30 years working on a ranch with her Dad as they stay off the grid. Val has no idea why they have been hiding for so long and after years of never asking questions, she realizes she wants to know what stuck them in this isolated life.

The death of her father begins her journey to finding her past and her friends. Val finds out she was a childhood star of a hit TV show, named “Mister Magic,” that mysterious stopped 30 years prior. She meets her costars of the show and begin unraveling the childhood they experienced together.

Kiersten White does a great job of writing a compelling and creepy story. Similar to “Hide” you immediately know that something is wrong, but you can’t pin point what it is. The nostalgia that seeps in this pages in thick for childhood TV shows that shaped our youth.

Make sure the read the acknowledgement, the personal connection that Kiersten writes about really adds to the meaning of the story about how our childhood can shape us and how we can grow from it when we leave behind trauma that can be pushed upon children.

Between most chapters, there are segments of online chatter about the show “Mister Magic” which I particularly enjoyed as it is incredibly realistic of how the internet would handle the disappearance of a beloved show.

I didn’t give 5 stars as I actually feel like this book could be longer and the character development could be deeper for the other 5 members of the circle of friends. It seemed like ending was abrupt after a long arc of personal growth from Val.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the early copy! This review will be posted on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon.

I never thought I'd consider a book eccentric until I read this one! WOW! Great read- very different from anything I've read before. Not only is it creepy but it had my head spinning the entire time. I really enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to reading more books by the author.

"Mister Magic" is an example of an ambitious book that tries to do too much - mixing supernatural mysteries with an examination of fundamentalism is a fantastic concept, and indeed most of "Mister Magic" is wonderfully realized; it's just the execution that's holding it back.

First of all: the good. The basic plot is solid, reminiscent of creepy pasta and filled with some genuine chills. As the whole thing unraveled, it grew harder and harder to discern what was going on, but as I love trippy horror, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. "Mister Magic" is more interested in vibes than in answers, which will likely annoy some readers. I didn't mind that some threads remained loose.

Unfortunately, the characters in this novel didn't feel their age. I understand that White has written some YA books, and that doesn't really surprise me - most of the characters spoke and acted like YA characters. It was difficult to believe them to be in their 30s with some of the decisions they made - I wasn't certain if their hand was being forced due to plot contrivances or if they were traumatized and thus illogical, but it's definitely one of those books where you spend a lot of time yelling at the main characters to PLEASE choose to do something ELSE can't you see that's DUMB?, etc.

The author's note cleared some thematic elements up. I understand that the subject matter was near and dear to White's heart; I just wish that the story/characters had been a bit tider, less underbaked. I did enjoy last year's "Hide", but this one suffered for being needlessly confusing.

Oooof this was not the book for me. I almost DNFd it at the 30% mark but was intrigued enough to know how it ended to keep going...and after finishing, I do wish I had abandoned it.

I do feel bad rating this so low after reading the author's note at the end - which was a 10/10 author's note. But that did save me for how little I enjoyed the story.

That cover though? STUNNING.

I wanted to love this book because I loved Hide. The premise is very unique and intriguing. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but unfortunately I ended up being confused. By the end I finally understood what was happening, but I'm not sure if it was worth getting through the beginning of the book to get there.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

If there’s a genre called “fever dream horror”, this book would fit in quite perfectly. From haunted houses to haunted pasts, this book delivers all the suspense built on the premise of lost childhoods and false memories, showing how unstable our own narratives of the same story are. Even with videos, we all remember the past differently; this tale shows that what we recall can be shaky at best even after we have such vivid visions of our former years. This book was eerie, and the ending was bittersweet; I can’t wait to read more of Kiersten White’s works!

I thought this book was just fine. I kind of was confused during the book a few times and had to go back and reread a few things. This book was definitely unique in its own way, but i’m not sure I understand what was exactly going on here.

Unfortunately this book didn’t turn out like I expected. I was hoping for a mystery/thriller adventure but it ended up falling flat for me with the paranormal aspects mixed in. It became confusing at certain points and I found myself having to reread parts to try to understand what was going on. I was still able to finish the book so it was an okay read.

After Val’s father passes, her thirty years of seclusion on the ranch come to an end. When a group of people claiming to have been on the children’s series Mister Magic with Val invite her to the show’s reunion, she has no idea what they’re talking about, nor does she remember the tragic accident that ended the filming of Mister Magic for good. Wracked with grief during her father’s funeral, she spontaneously agrees to travel with the group to unravel details about the TV show whose theme song she still gets stuck in her head. As the crew reconnects during a stay in the house where they all lived during filming, Val begins to piece her childhood back together, experiencing paranormal happenings tied to the show’s elusive and faceless Mister Magic. While the show claimed to instill values into children that would make them “good,” it might just be molding kids to act a certain way, removing any chance of a childhood full of growth and nurture.
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So, I appreciated this book A LOT more after I read the author’s note. Having that background would’ve helped me as I read through it. Overall, I thought it was really slow, confusing, and a bit too ambiguous at times. Don’t get me wrong, I love an ambiguous, strange atmosphere, but it got a bit confusing. The character development was great (love that there were LGBTQ+ characters that actually got a happy ending! <3) and the premise had a lot of promise. I read HIDE last year and I LOVED it, but this one in comparison was a bit too slow and the ending was not satisfying. The whole storyline was not concrete enough for me, leaving out some character motivations and explanations for plot points like the town of Bliss. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book!
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I posted this review on my Goodreads account at this link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5296594198