was very slow paced for me and i didn’t find it to be much of a horror novel to be honest. the premise sounded good but i’m left a little disappointed

Although this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, I was pleasantly surprised by this read. I loved Kirsten White’s writing style and loved the overall plot.

Mister Magic is a dark, suspenseful horror story about a children's program that disappeared 30 years ago, there is no footage or proof that it even happened. Now the Circle of Friends cast is coming back together to where it all happened, As they unravel their memories and the mysteries of the show, will they be able to reclaim the magic and friendship they once shared or be trapped?

This book is weird, too weird for my tastes. There were a lot of dark twists and odd mysteries that I think psychological thriller lovers may enjoy, but for me it had moments that were promising but the ending was unsatisfactory and not worth the wait. There was so much potential with this story and I spent the first 20% invested in the story, but then it started to get too absurd. It was not cohesive at all, even at the end.

If you are looking for a book that is way out there and different than any other thriller you have ever read, then this book just might be for you. The premise is really intriguing and there is a lot of action contained within these pages. It was creepy, rather than horrific, so would be a good read for someone that likes a thriller with less gore and murder.

Normally I am a huge fan of Kiersten White, but this one just did not work for me. It was almost how I imagine a bad trip on LSD would be. I will still be reading books by this author, due to her other books though, and think that this a completely different read than anything else you will probably ever read.

I was initially drawn to read this book by the cover. There's something about it that just speaks to my childhood (as a millennial). And upon reading it, I found myself relating to it a bit as well in that phenomenon where everyone collectively remembers something that supposedly didn't happen. The book did a great job of building the tension and creating a creepy atmosphere. I found it slow moving at parts, but I was very invested. Everything was great until the end. I did not love the way this book wrapped up.

What happens when child stars reconnect? Sure, it sounds fun. But the circumstances are not great. There is a death. Can they trust each other? Who has secrets to hide?

Thank you NetGalley for sharing this book with me early to read and review. This book wasn’t my favorite but I do love bits of it and know others will too!

Haunting and weird in a way only Kiersten White can pull off - while being personal and raw at the same time. I loved how eerie this book was and how much it made you wonder about all those random things you remember only vaguely from childhood.

This is definitely one of those books I wish were longer! I was interested in the lore and all of the relationships going on, and the ending made me a little misty eyed. I don't want to spoil anything, but I liked how the author incorporated a certain religion into the plot. I didn't have an expectation for this book, but I definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Tell me that cover doesn’t immediately pique your interest, because it sure did for me! I loved the concept of this story based on a kids tv show series as the cast reunites again. There are so many secrets that are revealed, and many questions that come to the surface.

It had me guessing, and I thought the pacing was done well.

*many thanks to Randomhouse and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

3.5 stars
I enjoyed this books concept and most of the execution of the book. I liked the characters but wish they were fleshed out a little more. I also think that the reveals came a bit too early and could have been only hinted at so that the reader was left guessing a little more. I really enjoyed the inclusion of the message boards and other outside sources as it really helped set the scene and provide the differing perspectives. I also liked the play with nostalgia and the Mandela effect.

What an odd story but I found it super engaging and mesmerizing. This was unlike anything that I think I have ever picked up! Based on a kids tv series that has disappeared the cast reunites and searches to find out what really happened to end the show. Secrets are revealed and questions of who to trust come up! This one will have you reading on to figure out what happens. I thought parts of it were rather weird but that overall the book was good and suspenseful!

Giving it 4 stars but wish I could give it 3.5.

Mister Magic is a horror novel about a children's TV show that a lot of people remember but no one can find any evidence that it existed. Our main charter Val was an actor on this show but she has no memory of being on the show. We follow her as she joins a cast reunion and tries to figure out what secrets her forgotten memories hold.

I was super hooked from the first first page. That prologue gave me chills. The first half of this book was a great. I didn't wanna put it down and I loved the emails and forum posts at the end of some chapters. However I wasn't a huge fan of the ending of the book. I felt like this was a great concept but I just didn't get what I wanted out of the ending. I am so happy for the author and what she accomplished and what this book meant for her though. This book had a lot of social issues brought up just like in her other book Hide. Like religion and how the older generations want to mold children to be obedient and quiet and good.

If you liked Hide also by Kiersten White I think you'll also enjoy this one.



Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I don't mind stories being a slow burn but unfortunately this one was way too slow for me. I was really intrigued by the concept at the beginning and honestly slightly creeped out. There's something extremely off-putting about the idea of a cast of children being on a mysterious television show in a creepy secluded house. I tried a few different times to go back to this book but I just couldn't do it. Rating for the first 37% of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the opportunity to give my honest thoughts in exchange for a review copy.

I'm not typically a horror reader, but a great recommendation got me to read Hide by Kiersten White. Based on my enjoyment of that novel, I was so excited to pick up Mister Magic. It seems to have generated very mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it. I was hooked from the start.

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.

There was definitely an uneasy feeling to the book, but it wasn't terrifying for me. I did not read the author's note ahead of time, but I could see the direction it was headed. Without giving too much away, I'll say that it's harder for me to wrap my head around the "unnatural" elements of a book, especially when it's set in a mostly "normal" world. So I may not have missed some elements of the story. Still, it was an overall good read for me. If you're looking for something that skews toward horror but isn't gory or overly scary, this may be for you.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallentine for a free copy of #MisterMagic by Kiersten White. All opinions are my own.

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7 days ago
Mister Magic by Kiersten White
Mister Magic
by Kiersten White (Goodreads Author)
netgalley-tbr-2023
TW: Language, death of parent, grieving, alcoholism, drug abuse, toxic parent relationship, gaslighting, misogynistic

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: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.

But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who—or what—the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has.

Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since.

After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?
Release Date: August 8th, 2023
Genre: Horror
Pages: 295
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Love the cover
2. The writing was good
3. I was sucked into this story

What I Didn't Like:
1. Predictable
2. Lot of plot holes
3. 100000 times being reminded that the episodes can't be found
4. Over the media/forums in books

Overall Thoughts:
For the most part I really enjoyed this book. The tone of the writing and the plot were on point though there a lot of plot holes. I like that it played into the whole belief of a show that was like Shazam (with Sinbad) and the Mandela effect to adults today in our current world. I thought that was a clever twist on the whole thing.

I love that Jenny is mad at Vale and even says that she owes them because she left. Dude, she was eight years old. It's not like she jumped in a car and ditched you all. Like seriously.

How huge is this building? There are six floors. That's insanely big.

Lot of things are weird. Vale talks about Isaac being hers like it used to be and this is such a weird way of thinking because she was eight at the time. And who thinks back like that when they're eight. I just thought that was like really weird. She gets in the bed with him because she can't sleep and she says this is how she's always felt relaxed being around him and she's his again. It felt kind of gross that eight years would think this romantically about each other.

Why why why would they suddenly want to restart the show and and pin a death on someone when they have zero proof that someone was killed. That's a dumb theory dude.

Ahhhhhh Vale being stupid that Issac has been ignoring all the calls she was getting.

Vale leaving the tape just sitting there

I just wanted to slap Vale because she says that she'll forgive Isaac because he never really prevented her from leaving, that's not even true he blocked her from getting the phone call she was getting. He always had a way for her to come back. He always suggested going back to the house. It's stupid because then they all admit that they tricked her into coming for the podcast so they could get things from Mister Magic.

Final Thoughts:
I am shocked that this is the same author that gave us Hide. Hide was boring and very off screen horror. I finished this book in a day because I could not stop reading . The author did a great job at keeping me hooked out what was going to happen. It had a tone of creepy elements too. Like wth with the string in her hand and she pulls out a magicians cape. Weird but what.

Ending just reminded me too much of Stephen King's It. They all group up and use their power of being together to battle this force. Plus it all just seemed over so quickly.

First off, I love the cover of this book. I would of bought it solely on that alone. Its so pretty! Buuuut, it's a great premise to a story, it just didn't capture the way I wanted it to. I was bored a lot of the time with it.

I'm a big fan of Kiersten, but this one just was not my cup of tea.
The story and intrigue started out strong, but once the fantastical elements came into play, the whole story just didn't seem to fit together anymore.
Once it clicked that this was about religion and trauma, I found myself having trouble staying engaged.
I respect the immense amount of work put in to tell this type of story, and the author's note gave a better lens.

Kiersten White is an automatic read for me at this point, and this one did not disappoint. Very much in the same vein of horror as "Nope." Overall a great read for the season.

The premise of this books sounded SO interesting. I was really intrigued with the mysterious past that our main character Val couldn’t remember a thing about and I wanted so badly to push through this book to find out what happened. Sadly I DNF’d 70 pages in.

The writing was very clunky. Scenes that should have been quick went on for pages and a lot of the dialogue made me cringe. The characters all felt the same; same mannerisms, sarcastic tones, etc. By 70 pages in I felt like I was wasting my time so ultimately closed the book.

This book was WEIRD and not in the creepy way that I was expecting, but in a confusing and poorly paced way. The narration was written in the present tense, which doesn’t normally bother me, but in this case made the book difficult to read. Another problem I had with the narration was that the book only ever presented factual information about the worldbuilding when the narration was outside of any character’s point of view. When the narration was through Val’s point of view, nothing was ever learned about the worlds which made reading from Val’s perspective feel boring and kind of pointless. The worldbuilding made no sense, so it was frusterating when the characters acted like the worldbuilding made sense. I always felt like I was missing information.

The only aspect of this book that I enjoyed or found interesting was the fact that it was an extended metaphor for growing up in a religious cult.