*Mister Magic* is Kiersten White’s most recent offering from her adult releases. This cryptic, intriguing and surprising story had me curious from both the eerie cover and the sinister synopsis.

I’m going to be very straight to the point here, this is a book about a cult. I love reading about cults, and although I didn’t know that before I started reading this, it became very apparent to me from around the middle of the story. I suppose its because I have a lot of experience reading (and watching as well) things about cults, it is one of my favorite topics. I found it odd that so many people, on so many reviews actually said that they found this book confusing, that they didn’t even understand what the story was about until they read the author’s note at the end. Honestly, I was shocked to read that. This book had me hooked very quickly and I was so curious to know where it would lead and how it would end. If I had to use only one word to describe it it would be: ominous.

I didn’t enjoy White’s adult debut from last year, Hide. For me, that book was incredibly underwhelming on a series of factors, including both the writing, pacing, and just a sort of general apathy I felt towards the story. Nevertheless, I was curious to read her sophomore adult release, because I have followed the author’s releases for many years now and the premise of *Mister Magic* was interesting enough to make me want to pick it up. I was thoroughly surprised.

In this story the narrator, Val, is a thirty-something woman living in a ranch with her father. She has no memories of her childhood, but upon her father’s passing on the day of his funeral, two men come to meet her. They tell her that she was a part of a children’s show many years ago when she was a kid, and that they are doing a special podcast for the 30 year anniversary. Val has no memory of this, in fact, she has no memory of her childhood or the time before she came to live on the ranch. Desperate for answers, she ends up going with the strangers in an attempt to uncover her own past. I was immediately captivated, curious, and so so intrigued to figure out what the heck was going on, what was this Mister Magic thing, and what do you mean doesn’t remember anything? This seemed to tick all of the boxes for maximum creepiness with a touch of horror, and it did not disappoint.

This book is creepy. It has a very subtle yet effective type of horror. First, the whole Mister Magic construction, the mysterious tv show that ended abruptly and no one seems to know why. There are no records of Mister Magic ANYWHERE. Not on the web, not on old newspapers, or archives. It seems to live only on the memories of people who were kids at the time it was airing and they watched it, and their moms. There are several intersections on the story that feature forum chats, blog posts, comments and general online content of people discussing the show. And also discussing the fact that every post they see online about Mister Magic seem to disappear after a while because there is no information online about it, no episodes to be watched, nothing. It almost feels like something part of the Mandela effect. Did all these people just imagine they watched this show? Or was it actually real? This sections of the book made the MM show appear to be so real, same as other books that feature fake-famous personalities, it makes you want to google it just to see if something will come up.

The writing in this book is very simple. It did remind me a bit of White’s style on Hide, but I do feel like this type of writing worked a lot better for the kind of story she was trying to tell with Mister Magic. There is a certain detachment to the story, which makes sense after you read the author’s note, that worked wonderfully in setting the tone of what she was trying to say. I also feel like stories that feature children, especially in creepy scenarios in any capacity, can escalate to be super super disturbing very quickly. There is some of that here, though not in the way I first thought when I read the synopsis. It relates more to the way parents raise their children, and literally the impact that our childhoods have on our adult selves, and our whole personalities and characters for life, that when you think about it for just a second can actually become something very creepy, just because of how much power a certain period of our lives hold upon ourselves.

Some reviews I saw were more reluctant to discuss what this book is about, however from the sheer number of confused people, people who didn’t understand the book, people who only did understand it after reading the author’s note, I feel like discussing this title as a cult book, without going into deeper details, can actually help future readers to access what this book is about before reading it, and then actually decide if they do want to pick it up or not. This book is not a thriller. It is not super scary full of spine chilling sequences (although there was one particular scene where I did in fact got chills, but only one). Its much more a psychological investigation, with characters that are reckoning and coming to terms with stuff that happened during their childhoods and that has deep impact in who they are currently. Although there are some supernatural elements going on, it is also not a supernatural story per se. It’s a story dealing with heavy religious trauma, and also an analogy.

I feel like the author accomplished so much originality here, in taking a different approach to a subject that has a lot of media about. It was an approach that I very much liked, and that ended up being a five-star read, and also a favorite book. I am so happy about that! I was really upset last year for not having enjoyed Hide, and I feel like if the future books of White follow the route and tone she set here on *Mister Magic*, then I will be enjoying her books for a very long time.

Well, this is awkward. Mister Magic has an amazing premise, and since I liked Kiersten White's last horror novel, I was sure I'd love this one. I didn't.

For some reason, this book fell absolutely flat for me.
I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters, there were a couple of parts to the story that I just didn't get, and my last complaint: this wasn't scary at all. If I'm reading a horror novel, I want to be at least a bit spooked out, and that was not the case here.

So overall this was not my cup of tea.

Kiersten White has done it again! Their imagination is something truly captivating and I just love the way their brain works! Now I love watching those creepy conspiracy theory videos and there are so many about kids to shows. Now, Kiersten White has managed to drag that whole atmosphere into book format and make you second guess absolutely everything. The reason however that I rated this book 4 stars was because at the end of the novel it did become very predictable and I want a book to surprise me. However, I honestly could not put this book down and highly recommend it to anyone who loves conspiracy theories, creepy stories and twisted friendships.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:4/5
I've wanted to read Kiersten White's books for a while now, but just couldn't get around to it. But Mister Magic caught my attention with the premise and the cover, and it sounded right up my alley. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint! It HOOKED me with it's extremely creepy vibes and I devoured it. I absolutely loved the podcast element as well as the Instagram posts, Wikipedia and other such stuff scattered in the book. I liked the writing style and the setting too. Although you may skip acknowledgements at the end of a book, please do read them for this one..... it's a deeply personal story and the acknowledgments shed a whole new light on the story. The only reason I have it four stars was the last 80%, which felt quite rushed as compared to the rest of the book, which was slow-paced. Nonetheless, it won't be my last read by Kiersten White, and I'm super excited for Dracula & Lucy coming out in 2024!

Have you ever had a conversation with a friend about a TV show you watched as a kid, only to find they don’t remember it? And then, when you go to look it up online, you struggle to find it, if you can track it down at all?

This has happened to me and I’m sure it has to you, too. Mine was a 90s sci-fi series that I remember little about, other than that it featured silver mannequins (possibly robots) in a mall that came to life, and it might have been Australian (but wasn’t Round the Twist). No amount of Google searches can find it and it’s maddening.

Anyway, that’s pretty much the basis of Kiersten White’s new novel Mister Magic, which sees our heroine Val living a quiet life on a horse ranch until a visit from some old friends informs her she was once part of a hugely popular children’s TV show that she’s somehow completely blocked from her memory.

The show featured a host of kids who would play games under the supervision of a shadowy figure in a cape (Mister Magic), who would teach them lessons about life through their antics in a bid to inform youngsters watching at home.

However, something terrible happened during the final episode that didn’t just take Mister Magic off the air - it removed it from the record to such an extent that it was as though it never existed.

When Val and her fellow Circlemates are invited to reunite to record a podcast, it’s a chance for Val to recoup her lost memories and find out what really happened 30 years ago - but will the truth be more frightening than forgetting altogether?

This was a strange, mind-bending book that really sparked a lot of nostalgia for me in terms of the TV shows I grew up with. The descriptions of the show brought to mind the likes of Playschool and Playbus, while also evoking the Mandela effect thanks to half-remembered snippets of things I had seen.

Mister Magic reminded me a lot of the film Nope, as well as having similar vibes to Stephen King’s IT, particularly considering the theme of childhood friends regrouping to face up to a collective past.

The house the friends return to was deliciously creepy and sinister, and I also really enjoyed the inclusion of fictional blog posts and forum entries that are scattered throughout the book, as it helped to create the illusion of Mister Magic being real.

I did find the pacing of Mister Magic to be a little slow in the middle - although that did add to the dreamlike effect of the story - but it picked back up again at around 80 per cent and the ending was strong. In fact, I was tearing up in the final few pages and have found myself thinking about Mister Magic since I finished it, which is testament to the effect of the finale.

I do think I enjoyed White’s previous book Hide more, but that’s not to say Mister Magic isn’t worth your time if you like trippy, slightly bonkers horror stories with a heavy dose of nostalgia thrown in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review, and I’ll definitely be interested to read whatever this author publishes next.

I would give this about a 3.7, but I'm rounding up to 4*.

Everyone remembers watching the kids’ show Mister Magic, but no one can find any evidence that it ever existed. The internet is awash with rumours about the show’s mysterious ending—did something terrible really happen in the final episode thirty years ago, something bad enough that the network had to cancel the series altogether?

I loved the theme of this book. It reads like an extended creepypasta, complete with forum posts and Wikipedia articles, which is so much fun. There’s something uniquely creepy about a twisted childhood memory, and although the horror is fairly mild there were moments in Mister Magic that I found very unsettling, largely due to the sinister unseen presence of the title character.

As with her other novel, Hide, which I also enjoyed, Kiersten White brings a deeper message to her fun concept. In this case, it’s about being a child in an environment that tries to control who you are, and how that affects your future life, especially the way you bring up your own children. The author’s note at the end adds a bit of valuable context on White’s own experiences of this, making this a book that can be enjoyed on multiple levels. A highly entertaining read.

Much like with White’s previous novel, Hide, I could see what was trying to be said, but felt that the execution fell short of the premise.

This is clearly a piece for White to process her own trauma/experience within the Mormon church, so I will happily not comment on that. But as for the novel itself, it felt incredibly muddled and failed to offer any sense of coherence.

I didn’t care for the characters: our protagonist is hastily introduced and we are left to gather the crumbs we are randomly given over the course of the novel. There is no depth to the characters here and the reliance on stereotypes is distracting.

The plot itself, as mentioned earlier, is muddled and doesn’t live up to the excitement of the blurb/premise. It felt there was a great story just out of reach the entire time and I would love to see this concept executed with a stronger footing in the horror genre.

The pacing just didn’t work: the first 80% plodded along before launching at full speed for the final 20%.

I was so sold on the synopsis for this one. It sounded like some stories I've read on Creepy Pasta about children's TV shows that everyone seems to remember but there are no official records for them.

Mister Magic started strong. I flew through this book and found it strange, creepy and addictive reading. The children who once starred in the TV show Mister Magic, are getting together for a reunion. Except main character Val doesn't even remember being on the show and has no idea why her father has kept her hidden on a ranch for the last 30 years. As Val slowly tries to uncover details from her past I became more and more drawn into the mystery behind Mister Magic.

The last 20% fell a little flat for me if I'm honest. It felt like there was this long slow build up to a rushed ending that didn't match the tone of the rest of the book.

I've read the author's note and I understand what she wanted to represent with this story. It just felt a bit like we were being hammered over the head with it by the end of the book, a bit too obvious!

Another gorgeous little horror tale from Kiersten White, dealing with themes of childhood, memory, nature and nurture.

The strange power of a cancelled children's television series sets the scene as old friends come together, trying to inform their own memories of their time on the show...wherein something dark lurked and they were affected in unimaginable ways

The writing is terrific and the plot itself is darkly atmospheric. It is disturbing and hugely addictive with some memorable characters and a beautifully emotional finale.

I thought this was great.

Thirty years after the sudden ending of children's TV show Mister Magic, the child stars are reunited to unravel what really happened in their lost past

Remember the creepy pasta/TV series Candle Cove? Are you sure? Given the popularity of lost media and online un-fiction such as Welcome Home this story has an intriguing concept and might be enjoyed by fans of the above. There’s even a slight hint of Stranger Things in there. However, this was really ‘static’ for me in that it focused solely on one aspect and the pacing in terms of expanding on the mystery was excruciatingly slow, bordering on non existent. My brain was, as usual overthinking theories going down the route of the Mandela effect and tulpas but really this is a book about people arguing about not remembering.

At the end of the day this reminds me of the stories I would write as a teenager, where I would take my favourite shows, movies, books etc and mash them all together to come up with ‘original’ ideas 😉 only at times this is even less subtle than I was with things blatantly plucked and planted.

Mister Magic is a novel about a strange cult children's TV show and the child stars who were part of it, who come back together as adults to find out it wasn't all as it seemed. Val has grown up isolated from almost everything and not remembering her early childhood, but when some strangers appear claiming to have been on a kids TV show with her, she wonders if they might have answers about her life. What she is drawn into seems very strange, but also familiar, and there's nothing surviving about the TV show to help Val remember, other than her former castmates.

Having read White's Hide, I was intrigued by this one, which is pitched as a "supernatural thriller", possibly because it doesn't quite delve properly into the horror side of things. The third person plot is intercut with found media relating to the TV show, which works well to set up the mystery around it and keep you wondering what really happened for a large amount of the book. I found the plot itself to be quite frustrating as I don't really enjoy the kind of narrative where you are told or it is suggested that people are trying to manipulate the protagonist to do something, but the character themselves stays unaware, and that's how much of the book feels. That's just personal preference, but it meant that I didn't quite gel with the book as I was reading.

I like the cursed vibe of the book, with strangely eerie places and sinister, cult-like elements that are revealed in the afterword by the author to be inspired by Mormon practices. You don't quite see enough of that element, or of the reality of the TV show once you know more about it, and more of those elements might've made the book more unnerving or scary, as a lot of what you see is just the main characters interacting. Nevertheless, there's a great combination of lost media and supernatural cult elements and some creepy bits like the strangely white house that make this an interesting read.

Mister Magic was an interesting read. I liked the added element of the mixed media. Although I wish it was woven through the whole book. I enjoyed the reading experience because I kept turning the page to find out the answers to the mystery.

Well, that was scary as fuck.

I’ve only read White’s Camelot Rising trilogy prior to this, so this was an insane departure from her YA titles - but in the best way possible. How someone can craft a story as crazy, fucked up, and skin-crawling as this I don’t know. This is a story about faith, friendship, and memory that sucks you in with it’s unreliable narration and ever-present creepy vibes. You have to trust the author on this one as much of it is complex and abstract, often with a seeming lack of direction, but this is all turned on it’s head as White knows exactly what she wants from the story and where it should go. The reveals throughout make you distrusting of everyone, and sometimes even Val (the protagonist), but it concludes in such a disturbing yet perfect way. I would definitely benefit from a reread of this, which is likely to happen before release, as knowing what the story is based on only makes it scarier.

One of the best parts of this were the mixed media interstitials, they worked so well for me. They ranged from AO3 author’s notes to chat-room-style messages to letters, and added an excellent outside perspective that enhanced the ‘are we delusional? what the hell is real?’ aspect of the story. I also loved the podcast element too - this is a story entrenched in media and believing others/what is real - as it was just so creepy with the introductory monologues about each character from the interviewer. I hope these elements land well for other readers as they were the perfect craft choice.

I’d say this is a 4.5 stars rounded up. The only reason I won’t rate it five stars is because I never fully connected to White’s use of third person present tense. I think the story would’ve benefitted from first person present tense for a greater character study, and to entrench Val into the horrors much more. Despite this, Mister Magic is easily an instant favourite. I mean, look at the cover and the premise! Trust me, it’s execution only lives up to it all.

I can’t wait for you to meet Mister Magic.

I really liked it, right till the end.
It's creepy and mysterious, I was afraid of the TV being suddenly in at night, to be honest. Following Val is realistic (I thought she's not behaving like an adult at first, but then I figured she's in denial and traumatised, so it's probably fine), the eerie things going on get to you. The book has this weird quality to it, you're not sure if you're maybe in a dream or not.

It was the ending, though, I was not impressed with. It came too fast and too little was explained. It would have been important to know more about the crazy cult, eg. It seems like this book is in two parts, one, which is the great one, where we want to get to the bottom of the secrecy, and the second, where - I don't know what exactly. It just ends. And although it was obvious it's magical/supernatural, also the source of the magic show would have earned better getting to know it.

Very bizarre read. I'm still not sure if I understood everything that was going on. This reminded me of the author's last book Hide in many ways, but it was also somehow completely different.

I really liked the first half here, I loved the format and how it switched between storytelling and other media types, I liked the reddit posts and fanfiction especially that was really cool. I also really liked the creepy vibe and how the show was slowly established, it was really well done and definitely made you curious. The interview scenes were also great and super creepy.

I was ultimately a bit disappointed because I felt like the build-up never really led anywhere, I wasn't satisfied with the explanation we got at the end for everything and it just felt like a small letdown. I wished there had been a bit more horror here, there were a couple of scenes that I enjoyed but it never really reached the peak it could have. The ending was kind of weak and very confusing, and some things were never explained again.

I feel like this had a lot of potential and I absolutely loved the concept, but it could have been done better.

Such an interesting tale.

Stars of an obscure esoteric children’s show are reunited under mysterious circumstances years after the show goes off the air.

The narrative may seem simple but the core of this story is so much more. Realistically it’s a mirror reflecting the core of modern society, familial relationships and the realism of parenting both correct and not so correct. Intertwined with this is religion and the idea of conformity as a method of control and regulation, this book is set in Utah…

The bolder elements of this book actually are where it shines - company towns and insidious organisations obsessed with clinging to power is incredibly relevant and the flow of the book and particularly the end does paint a lovely picture of a world of possibilities.

So why the three stars? Firstly, this book is a little too subtle and shies away from showing the real horror of the situations at hand. Secondly, it’s just a little too close to Hide in formate and overall structure so everything does end up feeling just a bit too familiar.

Mister Magic
Horror, Scif-Fi & Fantasy
Kiersten White
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I actually really liked Hide by Kiersten White, so I was looking forward to this book.

The first 25% is very slow. The format is also quite jarring to begin with as there are sudden tweets, articles, comments from Reddit posts etc about the podcast, and the show, right after dialogue or at the end of a chapter with no context or relevance to what just happened. The plot also jumps randomly sometimes, for example, Val is finishing her lessons and talking to a parent about horses and then it jumps to the day of her dad's funeral.

There was a great build up throughout the book about what, or who, Mr Magic actually is but the reveal was quite underwhelming. I wish the supernatural/paranormal side was explored more.

That being said, I loved how creepy this book was. The atmosphere and vibes were great and I was instantly suspicious about most of the characters.

I also liked how the author addressed the "rules" made by Mr Magic and their similarities to Mormon teachings. In the acknowledgements at the end, Kiersten White is very honest about her history with being a Mormon and how she isn't any more. I have to applaud her for that because it is never easy speaking about religious trauma. I hope that this element of the book helps the people that need it.

The ending was pretty good but I'm curious about life after. I'd like to read more about what happens next.

*Thank you to @Netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

I’ve been interested in K White after hearing about Hide and then my best friend saying she wrote about Buffy. Who doesn’t love buffy?! But then Mister Magic came on my radar and the story sounded like exactly something I would enjoy, not to mention the beautiful cover. I have had so much fun with this title. I love the mandala effect, and I love the creepy vibes of the kids show. I cannot wait to read more from her. Everything I read just keeps getting better. She is becoming and auto buy author for me. Thank you NetGalley & Cornerstone for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I absolutely loved it!

Last year, I heard about Kiersten White's 'Hide' and I became obsessed with the premise. The reviews kept me away from it at the end of the day but hey, that doesn't mean her next book can't be good.

Mister Magic has an excellent premise. Mister Magic used to be a children's show with six kids playing games, exploring their imagination, and chanting rhymes. One day, something happened, and the show stopped abruptly with no explanation. No one remembers the show exactly, no one has heard of the children, and the Internet has formed this cult following trying to figure out what it was and what went wrong - but there's no data, no recordings left, only their memories. Til one day, they are found by a podcaster, and they'll talk about what happened in the last episode.

I am just in love with the premise. There's so much in there that attracts me and yet the book didn't meet any expectations I had. For starters, we mainly follow Val, one of the youngest in the group. She joined the show when she was 6 and the show ended when she was 8. She is now 38. Everyone else is older than her. This is important because 1) she has amnesia and every single other individual starts every two sentences with a "Do you remember when..." No, she does not. She's stated she does not remember since page 1, why are you still asking this on page 115. She. Does. Not. Remember. And, 2) why is everyone so sour about what she did or her personality back then? She was 6. Y'all were 8 or 10. And how are y'all suddenly besties? Why is everyone so petty and acting so irrationally?

The story was interesting, but I found there was a lot of fluff and a lot of things I didn't understand and were blatantly irrational - too many for my taste. Like sure, the horror genre is full of hysterical people acting nonsensically, but this book was just obnoxiously over the top. Every character irritated me big time. The story tried to be very complicated and it just dragged, it was like having a simple puzzle and then having many parts that you didn't care about and didn't fit anywhere (the dad, the mom, the gala, the mothers, the podcaster, the way the house appears, Val's rule, etc.)

In the end, I think what really got me was how corny it was. It's just not what I expected. I couldn't vibe with anything at all and I kept going because I really wanted to see if there'd be a recording of the show or if Mister Magic would show up... and it was just underwhelming for me.