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!

3.5 stars rounded down.

First of all—this cover art is brilliant. It drew me in like a moth to a flame. The story’s premise did the same. Now adults, the stars of “Mister Magic” have come together for a reunion podcast. But something is off. One member has no memories of anything that happened and the others have memories that aren’t quite complete. So—what really happened and how did the show end again? And what happened to the missing member of the circle?

This book was good but also very tough to follow. Seeing that no one had clear memories, it was tough to know what was reliable. Perhaps that was intentional. I often found myself re-reading passages trying to make it make sense and sometimes it just DIDN’T make sense to me. I was confused at times.

However—the author’s note at the end gave me some clarity so I absolutely think you should read that to have a better understanding of her inspiration for the story. A lot more made sense after I read her acknowledgments.

I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Wow, I could not put this book down! It’s going to stick with me for a very long time. I loved the concept for this book because it was so unique, and I really enjoyed the snippets from social media and interviews between chapters. I was so confused at parts, and I still am, which is why I loved this book so much. It’s more convoluted than straight forward, and I love the writing style. I had so many different feelings reading this book and now again thinking about it, so it had to be five stars!

I actually really liked this book. It is so unique to other thrillers I hav read. It caters to the obsession society has with nostalgia right now. There are I my things I enjoyed bout this book. The inclusion of real things and people in media was especially a nice touch because it made me feel like maybe I had also forgotten the show as well, and it really was real. I made the book immersive. The only thing I didn't like were the ages of the characters. I understand why the characters need to be older, but to me they read a lot younger, and every time their ages were brought up I felt disjointed from how I was reading it until later in the book, then their ages felt more natural. Throughout the book I was engaged and unsettled but completely confused. But towards the end when everything came together in the last few chapter I really started to put together the purpose of the book. And that is when I really started to like it. So I was engaged and intrigued the whole book but I didn't know that I really liked it until the very ending. I wouldn’t call this a heavy thriller but it definitely has its moments. I will be recommending this to people who want to be unsettled but not scared an ho want a meaningful and time relevant ending.

I saw someone start a review of a different book by saying that they find it difficult to review books they really loved or really hated, and that's what's going on here. Mister Magic has so many layers of horror, some that aren't even revealed until the final author's note, that it's hard to 1)not spoil anything or 2)focus on one aspect to make a readable and helpful review. I'm also still learning how to hold back plot revelations so I don't have to put spoiler tags on my damn write-ups.

At first glance, Mister Magic seems to be a different take on a popular creepypasta, but as the novel opens up, it becomes much more than that. For instance, I think this book will hit differently for people who have more of a personal connection to what is ultimately the cornerstone of the plot. It wasn't a perfect read, but I could feel how much White needed to write this novel which made it more effective for me.

Put all your expectations away for this one, and enjoy the ride.

I was not sure what to expect from this book, but the plot definitely had my interests piqued. Mister Magic, a long-running children's show, ended suddenly and tragically. Years later, the stars of the show gather together for a reunion gala and an opportunity to be interviewed for a podcast that hopes to reignite interest in a possible reboot. The strange thing is, there is no evidence of the show ever existing. No scripts, no video archives, no televised re-runs. The only proof the show ever existed lies in the memories of the children who watched at home, and the ones who starred in the show, now grown adults. The only exception is the protagonist, Val, who disappeared shortly after the last episode of the show was aired and who does not remember anything about the show and only has a vague feeling of familiarity when her former friends and co-stars seek her out to join them in this reunion. Val, desperate to escape from her problems at home and to possibly recover the memory of her lost childhood, joins the rest of the cast in Bliss, where something sinister lies in wait. I found this to be a fast read, yet a slow burn if that makes sense. I loved the character and scene building, which made this play out like a creepy movie in my head. The build-up of dread and eeriness made me feel like someone was watching me from the shadows and kept me up late at night. It's deliciously creepy, and I absolutely love that! Thanks to Del Rey Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was an eccentric horror story about a "magical" children's show. The now adult cast is brought together as they try to discern what really happened when they were on the show.

There is an underlying subtext about the the trauma experienced by children twisted to conform to the rigid expectations of zealots.

It captivated me immediately and kept me involved for most of the book. About 3/4 of the way through, the plot began to drag on to an unfulfilling conclusion,

Overall, the author is adept at creating a quirky world peopled with interesting characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for allowing me to read this ARC This is my honest review.