I feel like this book is going to be pretty divisive. Not because it's bad--I quite enjoyed it--but because the central theme of this book is escaping a toxic religion. It deals with how religions like Mormonism or Fundamentalist Christianity can warp your perceptions as a kid, which follows you into adulthood. How it's so difficult to break free of those chains that hold you down, especially when you can't see them as chains. As someone who has had bad experiences with religion (not necessarily the cult-like aspect, but definitely in the aspect that it scarred me as a kid and adult me has had a lot of unlearning to do), a lot of it resonated with me. I feel like explaining it any more will take away from some of harder hitting moments of the book, so I'll just say that as much as this is a mystery/thriller with horror elements, it's also partially Kiersten White's memoir; she says so herself in the author's note. I mean, if you have had any experience with religion or cults (or cult-like religions) you'll definitely see the parallels, but if that's not your thing, maybe give this a skip.

While this book does have some genuinely creepy elements and there is a mystery to unravel, I feel like it could have done a bit more to instill that unease in a deeper more unnerving way. For example, there is a portion of the book surrounding Val's relationship with Isaac (one of the other Circle of Friends members) but because the characters don't get as much fleshing out as they should, it fell a bit flat for me. Like, she feels an instant connection with him when they meet again after 30 years, which sort of plays into the fantastical element of the Circle of Friends, but it also reads way more insta-lovey (which I'm not a huge fan of). I feel like if the book were longer and paid a bit more attention to Val and her relationship with each of the friends, it would've worked a bit better for me.

Overall, though, I think it was fun, even if it won't satisfy people looking for pure horror. The ending will also be divisive due to the surrealist nature of it, but I quite enjoyed it.

I struggled with this one. I had been anticipating this book for a while. However, the hype and summary are very misleading. I only continued reading because I thought it had to get better and everything would finally be explained and would make sense. That never happened. Another reader and rater couldn’t have put my thoughts any better so I’ll quote them here (Matt):
“I usually like trippy horror like this but it had me completely confused and I’m still not sure exactly what was going on, lots of things didn’t make any sense at all, and certain things were completely skipped over, and the characters were written very YA even though they were pushing 40.”
These were my exact thoughts as I neared the end. As I said, I only finished it because I anticipated a surprise reveal, but that didn’t happen. I’m still confused thinking about the whole thing. I did get a Spy Kids vibe with it though, the part in the movie with Fegan Floop’s weird trippy alternative reality tv show. I gave 2 stars instead of 1 because of that. As an adult watching those parts of the Spy Kids franchise, it was pretty trippy and freaky to me. So I was anticipating something more like that in the end. Sadly disappointed because I really wanted to like this one.

#MisterMagic #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc copy of this novel. A dark and slow-paced novel. A must read.

I thought I couldn't love Kiertsen White more after reading Hide last year, but Mister Magic was even better. I loved this searing, imaginative look at childhood. White's ability to examine the cult of purity and innocence within religion without ever referencing religion was powerful. I will read anything adult that she writes.

I was entranced the first third of this book. And then I put it down for a few minutes and realized that, at almost 40% of the way through, I had no idea what was happening or when I would get any resolution.

I was hoping for a more concrete explanation to all of the mystery. Despite being super suspenseful, it almost didn't feel like a thriller because of the long stretch of confusion with no answers. All of that said, the author's note at the end gave a lot of context to what I read. You can tell this book is deeply personal to her, and I think she did a great job given her intention. That said — I was hoping for a more mainstream thriller, so this wasn't a fit for me.

Growing up a kid in the 70's I watched all of the children's shows because they were wholesome and taught us valuable and important "life lessons". My favorites were Captain Kangaroo, The Electric Company, The Magic Garden, Zoom and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. This book takes those shows and comes at them from a darker and creepier perspective.

Mister Magic was a children's show that suddenly ended, under mysterious circumstances, in the early 1990's. Thirty years later, the last cast is brought together under the guise of a "reunion podcast" to possibly restart the show. One of the 6 members has no memory of her time on the show, but has a feeling she was somehow to blame for the show ending. She agrees to go to the reunion to attempt to get the answers (and hopefully the truth) that have alluded her over the past 30 years. What she finds is lost friends, hope and love, but also something sinister lurking in the shadows.

Totally loved this book. Can't recommend it enough. Also highly recommend the author's previous book, "Hide".

Mister Magic was unsettling, made me paranoid of everything happening, and had me gripped from page 1.

There is cult-like behavior, gaslighting, trauma, horror, secrets, and the reader is being pulled on different directions the whole time.

It did not go the way I thought it might go upon starting the book, but I’m happy with where it landed.

Thanks NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

This was a really slow burn creepy read. The pacing and the format of the story was really interesting. The author made it feel immersive with the inclusion of “research” and online discussions and articles about the show Mister Magic. I also appreciated the mystery aspects of the story and how we as readers learned more at the same time the main character started discovering about her mysterious past. This wasn’t just a spooky thriller the story also addresses toxic relationships with parents, within communities, and with religion. I think the author did a great job balancing these heavy topics within a magical but realistic setting. I think this would be great read if you’re a fan of creepy stories or enjoyed Kiersten White’s other book Hide. I also highly recommend reading the acknowledgments at the end it really brought the whole story into a new perspective.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Mister Magic! I loved Hide so when I saw the new one I knew I needed this one! Kiersten White is now an auto-buy author! I loved Mister Magic while reading it, but I loved it even more after reading the acknowledgments and realizing how personal this story is to her. I devoured this book and was sad when I had to take breaks in order to do adult responsibilities. Mister Magic was such a page turner with this underlying horror effect that was perfectly creepy where you wanted to know what happens next but also you were kind of afraid to find out. The religious undertone was very well done where it wasn’t the main focus or even a big focus for the reader unless you really thought deeper about the words in which you were reading. My favorite part of the book was reading about the childhood imagination and how fun and creative kids can be and remembering what that was like. I’m a parent now and it was a lovely reminder to let kids be kids and experience life and to never try and dull their shine. Also to never force them to be something that they’re not or try and make them be ‘easier’ kids aka not be a kid at all. The kids, the magic, the cult, all of it was wonderfully written. Thank you so much for the copy of Mister Magic! All the stars! Highly recommend!

What if Pennywise was the embodiment of organized religion?

I didn't think I could love a book more than White's HIDE, but MISTER MAGIC is just absolutely incredible. Beautifully constructed, masterfully plotted, creepy as hell, but with *things to say*. This is what horror is supposed to be. A way to look sideways at the things that hurt too much to look at directly. MISTER MAGIC is Stephen King's IT, creepypastas about shows that never existed, and religious trauma is an absolutely sparkle-flavored package. Plus the "monster" is a cape with hands! A CAPE WITH HANDS. Why isn't that the cover?

10/10 a perfect read

Mister Magic was once a super popular children’s show, but no one can remember many specifics about it. Lots of people remember watching it, lots of people swear it started as a radio broadcast, and lots of people claim something tragic happened to bring it all to an end…and maybe that tragedy occurred on the air. But no recordings exist, and there’s hardly any information online about it (outside of Reddit forums), so plenty of people feel like maybe it was just this mass hallucination.

Now 30 years have passed since the final episode, and someone is gathering the cast for a reunion podcast, because of course. Val has spent the last 30 years living on a ranch with her father, and she actually has no memory of being on the show. She knows she and her father were on the run from something (or someone?), but she’s spent literally her entire life on this ranch. When some of the cast show up to her father’s funeral to bring her to the reunion, she’s confused, but jumps at the chance to figure out what happened to her as a child - her memories begin at age 8. The boys - Marcus, Javi, and Isaac, take her out to the Utah desert, just outside an eerily perfect town called Bliss, to a super creepy 6-story house, where their parents allegedly lived while the show was filming. The podcast is being recorded there (in the basement, with a mysterious host who just always seems to be around). The house itself seems sentient, and it gives everyone the collective creeps. For her part, Val is less interested in the actual reunion and more in connecting with her roots in town, but it soon becomes clear that there’s something strange going on. And in fact there was *always* something strange about the whole experience.

One of the issues I had was that even though these characters are all pushing 40, they read as MUCH younger. I guess there's an argument for stunted maturity and childhood trauma, but I kept being surprised when I remembered everyone’s ages. The other thing that bugged me is that it took 30 years for them to start questioning the whole experience? I suppose the allegory is that sometimes we look back on these experiences with adult eyes and see them for what they truly are…but it just seems to have taken a LONG time to come about. Most of the characters besides Val have children - I feel like that would have unlocked something.

It mostly held my interest, and I did want to see how it would all wrap up, but it was definitely a miss for me.

I really enjoyed Hide so was happy to get a NetGalley of White's latest book.
This story left me feeling paranoid and weirded out! Good job!!
Read if you a fan of hidden secrets, mystery, friendships.

I just reviewed Mister Magic by Kiersten White. #MisterMagic #NetGalley

This was an unexpected favorite for me. I always enjoy the plot line of youthful secrets coming out at a reunion, but what happened in the Circle of Friends was beyond my imagination. Kiersten White's timing is perfect, blending suspense and background at a solid pace moving towards the unpredictable end.

This was a DNF for me. It was confusing. The characters were supposed to be adults but felt very childish. While I did skim and read the note by the author at the end, I still have so many questions that I feel wouldn’t have been answered if I did finish.

I’m still thinking about the ending of this book and probably will be for a while. In the best way.
It’s not the kind of book you spoil, so I’ll try my best to review it without giving anything away.
This is the second book I’ve read by Kiersten White, with Hide being one of my top 5 books of 2022 (in fact, if you felt similarly about Hide then you don’t need to keep reading, you’ll like this book). Mister Magic is most likely going to be a top book of 2023 for me and now I’ve found myself going through her previous works to add some to my list. White writes main characters in such a compelling way so that even when I can’t relate to them, I’m rooting for them and feel like I’m with them every step of the way.

We all have memories of our favorite TV show growing up. I still sing the words to the cleanup song from Barney. But what if your favorite show seemed to disappear? People remember Mister Magic, they know the songs and the plot lines. But why can’t they find old episodes or even photos from the show? Who was Mister Magic and why did the show suddenly end? And why do a few people remember it ending horribly, as if on live tv - when it wasn’t live?

I flew through this one and was not disappointed. Every time I thought I had it figured out, White threw in another twist. I’ll be thinking about this book whenever I recall the shows I grew up with, or sing songs from those shows, and I look forward to White’s next book.

This was outright freaky. Like hair on the back of your neck standing up freaky. I’ve seen comparisons to old school horror movies like IT, and after just finishing that recently, I can say yes, absolutely yes. This was good.

I am not really a big horror fan, but I absolutely loved this novel and I think my students (who are horror fans) would love it as well. The set up of the novel is very useful to talk about the importance of memory and family and friendship. There are wonderful themes for discussion, but there is also so much to be said the how creepy the setting becomes and the slowly building sense of dread and tension.
While I enjoyed Kiersten White's first adult horror novel, I find this novel even better and can't wait to recommend it to all the horror fans - adults and students - that I know!

<I>First, a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</I>

Let me start by saying I am a HUGE Kiersten White fan. I absolutely adored The Conqueror Saga and gobbled that up. I also really loved <I>Hide</I> and enjoyed my first time reading her foray into a “modern” setting.

I feel like <I>Mister Magic</I> had so much potential, but really just fell flat after reading the aforementioned books White has also written. I understand some of the themes/topics of this book were very personally near and dear to White’s heart, but to me that almost lead to a lackluster story getting pushed through to make a statement.

There were moments that really sparkled in this book for me - I am definitely a sucker for creepy atmospheric horror. But I feel like it just couldn’t come to together at the end.

I will continue to read White’s books and eagerly await new releases; I wouldn’t say this book was bad or that k regret reading it, but it was definitely my least favorite of her works that I have read so far.

I wanted to love this one but it was just a bit slow for my taste and I was losing interest in it. Sadly this is a DNF for me.

The concept of the book had so much potential, and the cover and title were intriguing, but unfortunately, it just didn't quite hit the mark for me. The cosmic horror mystery didn't work for me. The constant cliffhangers in every chapter left me feeling more annoyed than intrigued, and the characters lacked development and felt like they blended into one. The book did pick up towards the end, but by then, I had already lost interest.

Similarly, while I usually enjoy trippy horror, this one left me feeling confused and unsure of what was going on. The characters felt absurd and like caricatures, which made it difficult for me to connect with the story. Overall, while I can appreciate the unique style and vision of the author, this book just wasn't my cup of tea.