I was looking forward to reading this book and was a little disappointed as I felt it was a bit of a challenge to enjoy. I found the story a bit stilted and long. I appreciated that the premise itself was very unique and there are dome really important undertones like control and cult like behaviours, but, on a whole, this didn't live up to the hype for me.

My second Kiersten White book has completely cemented my love for this author. The level of uneasiness she can make a reader feel is off the charts. If you loved Hide then there is no doubt you will enjoy this one (but side note if you didn't enjoy Hide then you might not like this one either - White's writing and characterisation can feel YA at times which I really love and enjoy but I know some people aren't fond of).

Mister Magic really plays with your ideas of reality. It was so much fun to read and really makes you question what the hell is going on!!! At it's core, it's a supernatural thriller revolving around religious trauma, cults and childhood memory. Just like Hide, I could not put this one down. Also, if your an elder millennial, this one is totally for you, the nostalgia will hit you good 👌

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book as it had such mixed reviews, but I'm happy to say that I thoroughly wnjoyed it. I loved the characters and the storyline itself. Would recommend.

I think I must be one of those rare readers who doesn't think Kiersten White's books are not that bad!
I enjoyed Hide and I enjoyed this.
However, there's always something I can nitpick and this time it was the length of the story. Just before the end I kind of felt it flag a little, lost its footing as it tries to keep up with the tremendous run it had had up til the last 2 chapters. I loved the story and it's premise and the uncovering of the sinister town of Bliss and the TV show Mister Magic. The terrifying undertones of the rhymes and games they played bit most of all I liked the conspiracy theories the child viewers as now adults had about the show too. Let's face it, all kids shows have that sinister feeling when we rewatch them as adults and Kiersten's own explanation for the book in the authors notes at the end were eye opening.

I really loved the concept behind this, and the cover was wonderful. I had previously read Hide by the same author and found it a great idea that could have been executed a little better. I was hoping another book by the author would improve my feelings.

Unfortunately, again I feel like a fantastic idea fell a little flat. I feel like Mr Magic could have been explained a little better, and I kept feeling like I was missing something all through, but I’m wondering if I just didn’t get it.

Ultimately I enjoyed some parts of the book, but didn’t get others.

✩✩✩

Thank you to @netgalley and Cornerstone for the eArc.

This turned out to be a solid fantasy horror story which had me intrigued from the very start. Kiersten White managed to create an off the wall theme which was well developed and essentially had its feet planted firmly within the real world with themes many will be able to relate to or recognise.
We all have our own memories of kids tv from our youth, some which we look back on with fondness and some not so much, but what if those memories were tainted or distorted by a rose tinted lens?
If you want to read a unique and at times mind bending tale, then this might be the one for you.

I just love Kiersten White's mind, I often think the level of creativity and ideas that spring from there is just something else!

This book was so eccentric! The way I perceived the story the whole way through was not how it played out and I have to give White props for that as I just didn't expect it all to wrap up how it did. I felt quite on edge reading this and I empathised with each of the characters in different ways.

I felt like this book was a well encased onion - it had so many layers and I really appreciated that!

Really thought I was going to enjoy this one, the idea of it sounded great and really intriguing but it just didn’t happen for me.
It was really slow paced and I started feeling bored of it part way thru. Great idea just not great execution for me.little disappointed as I did like hide

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 3*
Characters: 4*
Cover: 4*
Strangeness: 3*

Having just read the authors note at the end, I feel I could have got on board the underlying message that this book was trying to portray, but alas I was confused for 2/3rds of this story because I just didn’t see it.
Once the fantastical and twisted reality kicked in, I tuned out a bit as I couldn’t get my pea brain around what was happening.
That being said the premise of the story was great, and the characters themselves excellent.
I think readers who have a broader mind than me will get on board with this, but for me, there were more questions than answers.

This was a very weird and ultimately, very enjoyable read. I thought the friendships between the kids/adults in the circle were really sweet and the angst and friction read authentically. The plot was a bit meandering in places, but it came together well and there were definitely some creepy moments that I appreciated. The concept itself as it unfolded is particularly unsettling and I thought the author's note gave some fascinating context into the whole project. Overall, I definitely enjoyed my time with this one and will continue to pick up Kiersten White's adult horror offerings.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved Hide so much, but Moster Magic didn't do it for me. This was so boring I couldn't make it past 20%.

I chose to read a free eARC of Mister Magic but that has in no way influenced my review.

I read Hide by Kiersten White earlier this year when I realised, having seen the book on multiple other blogs and their rave reviews of it (special mention to Jo's Book Blog), that it really was a book I shouldn't let pass me by. So I ordered a copy in from my local library and got stuck in as soon as it arrived (three weeks isn't a very long time after all and I'm a slow reader at the best of times!). I thoroughly enjoyed Hide and I was hungry for more from the author. Luckily White's latest release was just around the corner so I grabbed hold of a copy of Mister Magic as soon as humanly possible. And what a ride it was!

A group of five thirty-somethings who were once the child stars of a mysterious yet hugely popular TV series, featuring a cloaked character called Mister Magic, reunite for the first time since the show tragically ended thirty years ago. Their aim is to discover what caused the show they loved so dearly to end so abruptly, to try and recreate the happiness they felt as part of the 'Circle of Friends' and to discover why there are no records of the show ever existing. Spurred on by the cultish appreciation of those who witnessed the show first hand, the friends reunite on the set and start to relive their time together, those happy days. However, memories are blurred, perspectives are acutely different. And everything is not as it first appeared...

Mister Magic is a bit bonkers but in the best way possible! It's eerie and full of suspense with an overarching darkness to proceedings that the reader just can't escape. The omnipotent Mister Magic lends a sense of dread to the story but the characters initially talk about him with nothing but love and warmth. It's a strange mix but it was very captivating. The characters all play their part well. Out of the five starlets, Val is the main protagonist. Whereas the others have happy, blissful memories of their time on the show, Val can't remember a thing. But she goes along for the ride, stepping out of her comfort zone and taking a risk, deep in grief after the loss of her father. All of the ex-child star characters were interesting, having taken different paths and ended up living very different lives.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. If you're looking for something that's a bit different from your normal read then I would heartily recommend Mister Magic to you. It's a slow burn tale where character and plot are at the forefront of things. I couldn't help but draw similarities between Hide and Mister Magic. I can't quite put my finger on what it was but there was something there. I'll keep pondering on that but it's very clear both books were written by the same author. I have to mention the cover which is glorious! It's a perfect fit for the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this dark supernatural tale and the journey the characters went on to reclaim the feelings they experienced as a child. Not everything you remember from the past is as rosy as you recall it to be at the time, that's for sure. The finale of the story was very emotional and absolutely perfect. Although for readers who like everything tied up in a nice neat bow you may be a little disappointed. All in all, I enjoyed the darkness of Mister Magic and very much look forward to seeing what the author delivers next. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Mister Magic. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Review will go live on damppebbles.com on Monday 16th October 2023.

I would probably consider this the weakest Kiersten White novel I've read but i don't think it was bad by any means. I liked the premise and set up for this as it felt new but somewhat relatable. The discussions around lost media and creepy pastas was also interesting and i think it explored things in a good and interesting depth. I thought the cast of characters were interesting and i feel like they all really grew into themselves as the novel progressed. I liked how creepy this was in places but feel like it should've gone further in moments. A solid read but i think some of her earlier work is better.

Mister Magic can only be described as a bit of a trip, its weird and unique but also a little confusing at times. Its all about childhood nostalgia and overcoming those drilled in lessons that were designed to keep children from questioning too much and behaving how the adults want them to rather than be themselves.

Its a book about a childrens TV show that abruptly ended in the 90's and has faded into obscurity, there is no evidence it ever existed but it lives on in the minds of many. The story follow the last cast of the show who were all children when it ended but they reunite to film a podcast. Val our main character does not remember any of this and has lived isolated with her dad on a ranch since then. Its been thirty years when he dies and 3 strangers she feels like she knows turn up at his funeral. She goes with them when she discovers her mother is still alive and to learn more about what happened that caused her dad to take her away.

It is a pretty mysterious story and we don't really know whats going on but something is definitely wrong. I did like the addition at the end of chapters of other characters podcast interviews and stuff being discussed online about Mister Magic. The plot was engaging even though it could be hard to follow especially towards the end. I did like the characters, they stood out and we got to see all their flaws and like them more for them!

Overall this was a creepy and well written book with some really good characters and I'd reccommend reading if you like weird thrillers.

***3.5***

Mister Magic, a children's program, after 30 years off air. The five surviving cast members back together to make a podcast. The show has no surviving episodes, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who the host actually was, and the memories of the cast are all very vague. The five friends soon begin to wonder what is going on and is there more to the show and the mysterious Mister Magic than any of them can remember

I have to say this book was strange but then I guess that's the point 😂 This book was creepy and weird and I had a good time reading it. I did get a bit bored in the middle, but it wasn't for long. The ending also felt quite rushed. The middle dragged, and then it was just a bit hit at the end, but still a solid gold and fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK, and Kiersten White for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 upped to 4
I'm a bit on the fence. It starts with a very creepy and eery chapter that is the introduction. It kept me on the edge till the funeral and then it was a sort of very interesting/weird/suspension of belief parts
I had fun, was expecting something more "horror" and I think that this author can write horror as I could see from the first chapter.
It's one of those novel you file under "It should be read again to check".
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Our main character Val has lived in a secluded ranch for 30 years, hiding herself away from an unknown enemy. Three men show up at her dad’s funeral and while she has no memory of them, she hops in their car and heads off to an undisclosed location. Of course, she tells nobody of this. They then end up in a weird looking house in the middle of the desert in Utah…no spidey sense for our main character.
The plot sounded really cool but fell flat for me. The twist enraged me and I felt tricked into reading a book
This wasn’t the horror I was expecting
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

First of all I would like to say thank you to Net-galley and the author for giving me a e-copy of this book for review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hmmmm… where to start. To be honest I really don’t know what I have just read, for starters this book shouldn't be marketed as Horror as there is literally nothing scary about this book, there is little to no tension or thrilling aspects to it.

Also, although this book is only 290ish pages it felt like such a slog to get through. I think personally for me I need to give up on trying to like Kiersten's writing as this is the 3rd book of hers I have tried and ultimately ended up DNF'ing (this time I made it to 62% before skimming the end to see if it got better). The concepts sound so intriguing yet never executed well enough to keep my attention.

Even though the book is short I don’t know if it had maybe been longer If it would have allowed time for the development to be added to explore more about the characters and what had happened to them in the past and then build on it for the reader to actually be able to make a connection and care what happens to them. But at the same time I don’t think Kiersten's writing is for me so that may have made me give up earlier.

This book is a lot of telling not showing the reader and because of this it just got tedious to read about. I didn’t have any connection to the characters as we were told about their past traumas, there wasn’t really much of a plot to keep this story moving and the mystery wasn’t enough to capture my attention as we were being told about all the discoveries the characters were making.

Personally if I had no recollection about my past life I don’t think I would have got in the car with I think it is 6 people I don’t know willingly. We have no idea why Val does this, most sane people wouldn't - does stranger danger not exist? I'm almost 27 and I still clearly think stranger danger so your telling me an almost 30 year old woman wouldn't? Also to then suddenly fall in love with one of them, when she doesn’t remember them so quickly just felt laughable and really took me out of the story which is when I knew it was time to give up.

This book is mostly about religious trauma and to me it just didn’t have that big of an impact, as the reader never gets to experience what happened to the characters there is no flashback to however many years ago when they are in the depths of it we are just once again told there was some kind of trauma that happened and the show they were a part of was made by a religion to brainwash its children to essentially stay. It took reading the authors acknowledgements for me to even pick up what was trying to be achieved so either it was too cryptic to be understood or was pretty much non-existent.

To be honest I would like to say this book is like marmite, you either love it or you hate it, but for me, I am glad this book is finished and I never have to read it again.

I loved the premise of this book, but it fell a little flat for me. I did really enjoy the nostalgic element, and the depiction of twisted small town America.

The constant repetition of Val's memory loss got a little grating. I also felt like large parts of it were overwritten and overexplained, as well as being hard to follow.

It wasn't the best read for me but I would try more books by the author as I really liked the idea.

Fuck.

This book was mysterious, and I spent a lot of it not trusting anybody. It was also healing. Like therapy (and gentle parenting tiktok), it leads you down a path of what you lost and what you never had, the memories twisted with age, distorted from what was fact, and then it lets you go. Lets you grow. Lets you feel everything there is to feel, infinitely, like a rainbow.

My health prevented me from devouring this as I would've liked to (the netgalley app/kindle version didn't help either). This book comes to me at a very specific time in my life - one where I'm dealing with many different kinds of loss, reckoning with those twisted up memories and feelings, but trying to do right by little me and a little-bit-bigger me. Val, you are incredible. Kiersten, thank you.

Slightly less poignantly, an audiobook version of this would be great too. I highly recommend you read this. Whilst yes, I was looking forward to it anyway after Hide, I had no idea what I was in for. There is mystery and terror and longing and hope and healing. The epilogue is my cause of death. Just, fuck.