2.5

I was intrigued by the premise of this story.....a reunion of former child actors from a children's tv show that ended mysteriously and seemingly disappeared from anywhere except memories. It had a trope I don't love *lost/blocked memories* but I liked the idea of where the story could go. It was weird, but I knew going in that it would be since I read Hide by Kiersten White last year and it was also weird. The plot didn't really come together for me the way I had hoped. The explanations at the end for what is going on were very tell instead of show and the writing just wasn't for me.

Reading the acknowledgements at the end, I can see how this was an important story for the author to write and I can appreciate what she was trying to say with it. I didn't love it but I think maybe readers who are new to the horror genre might like it. The setting is creepy and there's basically no gore, so it could be a good one to dip your toe into light, creepy, out-there-plot horror.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Mister Magic.

I was super excited for the opportunity to read this early. I was a fan of the author's first book, Hide, so I was thrilled to read what she had written next.

Mister Magic is hard to describe, but ultimately I wasn't drawn into it like I had been with Hide.

It's confusing, strange, and the narrative is muddled, as if the author isn't sure what she's trying to say.

Her acknowledgements does clarify what she was trying to say in Mister Magic. Her troubled relationship and eventual break from Mormonism led her to create Mister Magic, an allegory for the cultish practices and rules she once had to endure.

I get that and I respect her need to write about it.

But, I'm still not sure what the story is about.

I didn't really like the characters nor dislike them. I'm still not sure what happened.

I saw the ending coming, and I'm not surprised, though some readers expressed disappointment with it.

The writing is good, but the narrative and pacing was slow, disjointed, and though there was a general sense of unease about the plot, there was a lack of suspense and understanding.

It read like the author was trying to purge herself of her troubled feelings about Mormonism, which might explain why Mister Magic was confusing to understand.

I still look forward to the author's next book!

This book caught my attention immediately, and I remained interested until the last page. I’m giving it 4 stars because I got somewhat confused toward the end. Overall, very enjoyable!

Honestly was a bit confused by this one. The plot was a bit all over the place and the ending was predictable.

I found this book to be a little existential, abstract, complex, eccentric, and somewhat strange! I have to admit, I reread some parts to understand things, but I felt lost in some chapters, feeling numb and confused.

"Mister Magic" is a presumed title for a children's show, but its title could also be "Magic Show" or "Magic Time." Interestingly, nobody has a clear idea about the concept, title, or image of Mister Magic. The only concrete thing about the show is that six children stand in a circle in a featureless black room, saying magic words, throwing an ephemeral cape up into the air, and waiting for Mister Magic's appearance. The suspense is the key factor why everyone cannot take their eyes off the screen.

What does Mister Magic really look like? He is tall, enormous, all arms and legs, either a person or a puppet. Everyone agrees that they have never seen his face.

Even the theme song of the show is enough to make people's hair stand up. It's creepy, eerie, and irritating!

A tragic accident occurs with the shutdown of the show without any surviving video. There is no evidence of who the director, producer, or host was. Only five children survived, moving on with their lives with different memories they harbored.

Now, those children who became adults are ready to reunite for the 30th Anniversary! They find themselves in a remote desert filming compound, trying to fill the blank spaces of their deteriorating memories and confronting the secrets to find the identity of Mr. Magic!

I honestly had a hard time connecting the dots, not moving in the dark, and understanding what was going on in this book. But the unreliable perspectives of the characters, wobbling pacing, more creepy and mind-bending scenes made me even more confused. The bizarre ending didn't help me form a concrete opinion about things. You get stuck in a gray line throughout your reading. Everything is blurry. You keep walking in the dark till you see the end of the tunnel, but when you think you are finally going to see the light for seeing things from a clear perspective, you find yourself bumping into the walls of another dark tunnel!

Thankfully, the author's note was explanatory enough to understand what the hell was happening in this book!

Overall, it was an intelligent, bizarre but also exhausting, existential, weird experience! I cannot say I enjoyed it. It was something different! Not my favorite work of the author, but it was still unique, unconventional, and something original.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Del Rey for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

“Mr. Magic” is a fantastic, thought provoking read, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Kiersten White delivers a mystery/thriller with a powerful moral, which I believe will leave a lasting impression on others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing me the opportunity to review “Mr. Magic” prior to publication. I am appreciative and leave my sincerity review voluntarily.

I am so sad to leave this review as Kiersten White is the author of one of my top 10 books of all time (And I Darken). That book is absolutely incredible and Lada is my favorite female character of all time. I saw and heard that her other most recent work, "Hide" was not good, and because I didn't want my opinion to change about her, I decided to pass on that book. However when I saw "Mister Magic", I fell in love with the cover, title and premise and thought this would be another 5 star like "And I Darken." Unfortunately this was not the case.

I was actually super pumped after i read the first 10 pages because those pages were sooooo engaging and soooo promising. I literally squealed "YES!" relieved that I had in fact picked up another 5 star book by Kiersten, but then I quickly found out that I got my hopes up way too soon.

This book was extremely confusing to me and seemed to be very stream-of-consciousness and I had no idea what was going on. If I didn't know any better I would bet my life that this had been written by someone else because this book just does not compare in any way to the magic (no pun intended) of her "And I Darken" book.

I've seen a common complaint and one that I sadly agree with now, that Kiersten has difficulty writing adult figures. They come off waaaaay too juvenile and it is really jarring and takes me out of the book. This was not a problem in "And I Darken" as the main characters were young children. I literally have no complaints about that book but I am honestly struggling to find something good to say about "Mister Magic."

Obviously at the end the author's note adds some much needed context to the story and this seems like a book that she *needed* to write for herself, but I am not sure how well it will received by others. Perhaps if I had the same personal experience as her I might have enjoyed or "got" this story more, but I was just left feeling very underwhelmed, confused and sad..

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this arc and I am sorry that I am not able to give this more than a 2.5/5 stars. Kiersten is an absolutely talented writer, but I think she should go back to writing younger characters or work on making adult characters feel like they're actual adults.

I was so stinkin jazzed for this one! The synopsis hooked me from first read. So creative and right up my alley. I read Hide by this author (another concept that snagged me immediately) and I didn’t love it but wanted to give this one a try.

I enjoyed this one much more! There was great tension that made you want to keep reading to find out what the heck was actually happening. There were deff some parts that were confusing but overall I really enjoyed this story and recommend it. It was entertaining if nothing else!

This book takes a beloved children’s show and shows you what things were really like. I liked the mixed media add ins from people commenting on the show. Mister Magic is mysterious and creepy. You’re not really sure until the very end who or what Mister Magic is. It definitely gave It vibes in the best way.

Former child stars reunite to figure out the tragedy that ended the show and the secrets of its mysterious host Mister Magic.

Mister Magic is available August 8, 2023

Thank you netgalley and random house publishing for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Cover Art- 5 ❤'s
The Table of Contents- 5 🖤''s
The Story- 4 ⭐'s

For fans of Creepypasta (the Mister Magic show embodies Creepypasta).
For anyone trying to make peace with that sense of lost or stolen childhood, adulthood even.
For the 90's kids and the shows that "raised" us.
An interesting and tender, creeping of a tale; more so once the Author's note is taken into account,

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

This started off strong, it was weird, unique, and atmospheric. The plotline of this cultist program that everyone seems to remember with no evidence was so eerie. However, there wasn't enough detail about the cult itself, nothing was super fleshed out, and the end was just confusing. The story was 2 stars but I'm giving it 3 for the creativity.

I started out with this book enjoying the story. It seemed weird and fun. By the end of the book, I was just honestly confused. I like that it had an ending, but it felt rushed towards the end with no real explanation. Overall, it was a good read, and I enjoyed it up until the end.

I read Hide by this author a few months ago and was excited to see what she had next. This book felt atmospheric in nature. The entire time you knew exactly where you were, even if you weren’t sure what was happening. I would’ve liked to have spent more time with details of the cult, but the fact that it was left somewhat vague isn’t a bad thing. Overall, I think the message about letting children be themselves instead of forcing them to be something they’re not was strong.

Who is Mister Magic and why does everyone remember him and his circle of friends, despite the lack of any recordings or evidence of existence? The origins of Mister Magic, a caped, mysterious man leading a long-running children’s programming show, were still confusing, even after the reveal. It seemed like there were no rules to the terrifying element of this book, and it was very confusing. After reading the author’s note and realizing that she is using Mister Magic as a metaphor for the programming done to members of the Mormon church, this book makes a tiny bit more sense to me. The main message is that you need to be free from the pressure to be perfect and just be you, escape the darkness of the church and open all the doors.
Despite the allegory (which I am very much not the target audience for), this book needed clearer rules for its fantastical elements and feels disjointed without them. I also really liked disliked the ending. Two stars because the book pulled me in but had me scratching my head.

*thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy

This was a unique story and I don’t quite know how I feel about it. However, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished it.

Such a nostalgia read! It was incredible. I highly enjoyed this book. I really couldn't put it down and it was so nerve-wracking! I just wanted to read what was going to happen next!

This book starts out as a fun horror/mystery, but as the story developes the author delves in to repression, societal pressures, and religious trauma. An excellent read that hits on multiple levels.

you know, this was surprisingly okay. it reads much like a creepypasta, which is a guilty pleasure genre of mine. the plot: a children’s show that people cannot fully remember turns out to be much more sinister than anticipated.

it’s a quick, easy read. not too scary or gorey, though i would have liked more horror. this would be great for a kid who loves horror. my only issue with it is that the ending gets so existential and abstract that it’s hard to understand. a more simple approach would have been better. also that author’s note about mormonism was really out of place; why did that need to be there?

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

The premise of this book was so original and engaging. Unfortunately, for me, the execution did not live up to it. The author did a great job fleshing out how each of the main characters fit into the archetypes they fall into on the show but unfortunately they don't become more much than that, except for our main character Val. The author did a great job keeping the reader inside her head, even as Val's memories are hazy, and her physical descriptions of what is an unusual setting really make you feel like you're there. Without spoiling anything, this book ultimately leans more on themes than actually developing the plot in a way that fully makes sense and by the end it just seemed sort of heavy-handed. I finished this book in less than 24 hours because I had to know how it ended and it was very gripping, the pay off just wasn't there for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC! I really enjoyed Mister Magic and learning the lore of this tv show. It all felt so real and I liked the mixed media with emails, Reddit threads, etc. I’m an 90 kids through and through so this hit right where my nostalgia is. This was a fast paced and super creepy story, loved it!