Wow. I surprisingly really loved this. I’m not sure why, but I had low expectations going in and this surpassed all of them. This book was creepy, weird, entertaining, and eccentric for sure, but what I thought was going to be a casual spooky story about a kid’s television show turned out to be so much more than that. It was so well done and much more complex and existential than I anticipated.

At its heart, this book was an examination of the intersection between childhood, trauma, memory, and identity. More specifically, it explores the idea of dismantling toxic beliefs that are seeded in us from childhood. And yes, it does all that while being about a weird, abstract and mysterious children’s tv show. While it has unexpectedly deep moments, it never loses its pace or entertainment value in trying to drive home a lesson. And it doesn’t forget to be creepy either!

Another interesting thing here is that, when you cut away all the fat and look closer, this book is essentially about escaping a cult. The author is an ex-Mormon and talks in no uncertain terms about her family’s choice to leave the abuses of the Mormon community (and more broadly, leaving any religion that suppresses individualism while spreading bigotry), and how her experience deeply shaped this book. If you chose to read this, make sure you stick around for the acknowledgements. They’re enlightening, and add an extra layer to the experience of this book.

The premise for the book sounded promising and I was interested in seeing where the story went. I found the "pocket universe" building to be confusing and did not understand how the other world worked and after a while, did not care. This is light on horror and light on suspense.

3.5 ⭐️

Are you a millennial? Are you now or have you ever been a fan of creepypasta? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then you will probably like this book.

My answer to both of the questions is yes, so as the formula goes, I enjoyed the book. It wasn’t out of the park great, but it was an interesting concept.

A big detractor for me was completely unexpected. The Author’s Note forced me to look back at certain aspects of the story and reevaluate. The thing is, when I reevaluated, I didn’t get the reaction I think the author was going for. Instead of “preach girl, preach” I got more of a “did she have to bring that into this?” and “this was the best you could come up with?” and my opinion of the book was knocked down. This is entirely my weird brain and most people probably won't have the same reaction.

My recommendation: Read the book and skip the Author’s Note.

**Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.**

If you liked Hide by this author you’ll love this one. While Hide was a 3 star read for me Mister magic is a solid 4. Love the paranormal aspects

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced copy for review. I also purchased a copy for my home library. Recommended for people that like horror that explores cults and healing from the toxic messages aimed at children.

Really enjoyed this and had an even greater appreciation for it after reading the Author's Note. Very atmospheric slow burn horror that gives you all the eerie unsettling vibes. Interesting existential commentary on parenting and childhood trauma. On a personal level this book validated my fears of having children lol. The characters probably should have been better fleshed out and had had more personality beyond the generic stereotypes they were. But this was definitely a read that will keep you guessing while also forcing you to suspend your imagination. Gave it 4 stars. Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this e-arc

I ended up listening to the audiobook of this one, and I feel like that may have made it more enjoyable than actually reading it. It definitely kept my interest and I thought the premise was extremely intriguing. However, I was left feeling confused, which I don’t typically enjoy. After hearing the author’s note, things became a little clearer, and I kind of wish it would have been there prior to reading!

As much as I enjoyed Hide, Mister Magic really was something else. I was intrigued by the premise but found the novel surpassed my expectations. I hardly ever read fantasy novels, but I found the supernatural elements of the story didn’t turn me off to it. I was amazed at the level of detail and development that went into the characters and the whole universe the book created. Kiersten White did a fantastic job with this one.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book! Kiersten White has really done it again with an enticing premise for a thrilling mystery! It really seems like our culture loves stories of old Hollywood, actors, drama of the silver screen, and stories surrounding those legendary larger-than-life characters as we come to the hundredth anniversary of a lot of these movie studios. Entertainment industry and show business are just brimming with excitement and mystery, the characters were very well-rounded with complete characters and personalities, and I loved every minute of this book!

I LOVED this story idea. It was amazing to read. I love the nostalgic feelings it gave me and it really had me thinking about my own childhood shows and how they could have gone really dark really fast. I honestly thought a lot about Barney and his terrifying song that we used to sing on playgrounds. You know the one I'm talking about. There were times that I felt it was a little too extreme in the sense that it was very purple-y, in terms of prose. It was a little bit difficult of a read but I enjoyed it nonetheless

This BOOK!!!! I swear the whole time I was reading this; I was totally creeped out and thinking WTF!!! I loved this book so much and I also loved the author's note and how she integrated her real like experience of leaving the Mormon religion and how it affected her life. SOOOO SOOOO GOOD !!!

This is one of those books where knowing where the author is coming from increases the enjoyment so much! I loved how weird this one was and how the author processed her cult trauma with it! I liked this one so much that I ended up purchasing a copy to keep.

I'm sure this will be a fine book, but I definitely will not have time to get to the story before the archive date happens, in which case I will not be able to give my feedback. That would negatively impact my response ratio, which is not good, as I already missed out on giving feedback on so many books because this year has been so absolutely busy and stressful that I have not had the time nor mental capacity to get to many of these books before they are gone forever! It is as upsetting for both sides. I apologize, but I will do better for the future! I am appreciative that I have been giving access to so many great new releases.

I surprisingly really loved this. After reading her previous novel, Hide, where I LOVED the premise but was underwhelmed with where White took the story I went into this book with lower expectations and this really surpassed all of them. This book was weird, creepy, & extremely entertaining but what I thought was going to be a fun spooky story about a group of adults coming back together for a reunion for the children's TV show they were all on - turned out to be so much more than that. It was so well done and had so many more layers than I had anticipated.

I had the great pleasure of recently attending a book festival where Kiersten White was on a panel of thriller writers. From a question I asked, White shared that with her YA books - it's all about the characters actions being about their hope for their future. And with her adult books, it's all about what happened in the character's childhood shaping who they are and what that means for their story as adults. That couldn't be more true than in this novel!

At its heart, this book is a look at childhood, trauma, identity, memory (loved the Mandela effect themes - what do we actually remember about our favorite shows?) and it really explores the beliefs and ideas that are given to children by their parents and media. And it deals with all of these issues while also being incredibly entertaining and making me think about all the children's shows that I watched when I was a kid and wondering what happened those actors and what do I actually remember from these beloved shows!

Absolutely read - or listen as I did - to the author acknowledgements at the end (in the author's actual voice on audio) to hear where these ideas came from - the themes of this book are very much coming from HER personal childhood and the beliefs and ideas given to her as a child.

This novel really makes me excited to see what Kiersten White will do next - and also makes me want to check out some of her YA as well.

I have never read anything like this! What a wild ride. It fully drew me in because I remember we would get things in the mail to join the Barney show as a cast member when I was a kid--such a weird memory, but that really connected me to this story! It was interesting and I kept reading because I felt like I had no idea what was coming.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Kiersten White for the ARC for #MisterMagic !

This book was great! The creepy history of a children's show that people remember differently and how there is no record of the show. The guilt and fear and confusion that our main character deals with were real, I felt for her. And the not completely sure what's happening or going to happen next constantly kept me on the edge of my seat. Even if you didn't love Hide, read this one!

I really wanted to like this novel. I hung on until the end. There were several plot holes I felt weren’t addressed adequately. The book was strange too. I can usually get behind strange but there was a sci-fi type thriller aspect to it that I wasn’t a huge fan of. I enjoyed the pacing of the novel. There was also a podcast interview sections, I enjoy the novels with these aspects. I really liked her novel, Hide!

This book is delightfully bizarre and I loved it. The children’s program Mister Magic came to a tragic ending. It’s been 30 years since the show came to a dramatic ending and the surviving cast members reunite on a podcast.
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This cult tv show brought these circle of friends together and as they reunite once more they try to figure out what really happened. There is no footage of the show, no virtual footprint but there is a massive millennial following for this pop culture phenomenon. The audio of this is phenomenal especially with the podcast elements.
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This one comes out on Tuesday! Thank you #DelRay #prhaudio and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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I wanted to love this book because the premise was so interesting; a TV show that was canceled but then something brings the cast back together? The summary sounded better than what the book actually turned out to be, but I don't think it was a total waste of a read.

The first half of the book was incredibly compelling and thrilling; you were trying to figure out what actually happened back on the set of Mister Magic, and what was being hidden from Val or rather, what she couldn't remember.

The fact that there was no footage or record of the show was so creepy, and it made me believe more sinister things were happening on set than what actually was real. There were lots of twists and turns in the book, and I honestly never trusted anyone completely. The way the characters, the other Circle of Friends members, acted was so odd and creepy. They were completely stunted in their growth into adulthood which makes sense, once you figure out what happened on the 'set', but it was still very unsettling.

I didn't like reading this book at night, and read most of it in broad daylight while at jury duty; it was that creepy and disturbing, mostly because you don't know what's going to pop up next.

The writing was superb, you were drawn into the world of Mister Magic and constantly on edge of what was going to be revealed next. Reading through the eyes of Val, someone who doesn't remember her time on set, gave you that sense of urgency and dispare. If she didn't know, you didn't either. Nothing was as it seemed and it really added to the thrilling nature of the book.

I felt like the last quarter of the book kind of jumped the shark in my opinion; it became way too ethereal and didn't feel like something tangible that you could actually understand. It became something other than what you thought was going to happen and was so outside the realm of possibility that it took me out of the book. I'd say that it's the main reason I ended up not loving this book as much as I thought I would...it was just so different from what was originally set up for you.

I will say that if you pick up Mister Magic I recommend reading the author's note at the back of the book first because it will tee up the point of the story for you, without giving away too much of a spoiler. I think the author's note, and White's experience in why she wrote the book the way she did, is essential part of the reading. I wish the publisher would've put the note at the front of the book so you were in the right frame of mind to receive the plot the way it's intended.

Ultimately, I didn't love or hate this book, it just wasn't what I set it up to me in my mind but I still think it's a solid read and incredibly interesting, especially when you see where the author was coming from.

I loved every second of this book! So unique and truly one of a kind! A thrilling read! This is a suspenseful thriller and horror inspired novel that brings the beautiful nostalgia you are longing for as well.