Mister Magic

To be frank, this book probably isn't for everyone. But as an ex-Mormon myself who has had to work hard to escape my childhood “religious trauma”, I found the message of this book extraordinarily relatable, and even heart-warming. I agree with some of other reviews expressing the challenge of following some of the abstract ideas and scenes portrayed in the story, but couldn't help but relate to the feelings that they brought. So if you do read this book, ex-Mormon or not, keep an open mind and understand that the author has done an excellent job of putting some of her innermost feelings into this story. There is a lot to be gained here.

I felt this story was very disjointed in parts. I didn't have a strong connection to the characters. The story lead with good suspense and mystery but I felt like it didn't all connect in a satisfying way. I would not look to this for good horror. Overall I would not recommend this book.

3.5 rounded up. I did read spoilers of the authors acknowledgment so I think that probably made it make more sense than it would have but honestly i really enjoyed this

This was a TRIPPY read. I would say it delivered on exactly what the synopsis promised, and that's pretty much all I can say without delving into spoiler territory. It did a fantastic job of building up dread and tension; a few parts near the end had me genuinely freaked out and having to text some friends to give me the courage to keep reading, but I'm glad I did. Overall I'm not totally sure how I feel about the ending, but I can definitely say that it wasn't bad. It wasn't what I was expecting but it definitely wasn't bad.

All in all this was a very engaging book, and it makes me want to check out more of the author's works!

a candle cove type story with a very on the nose message and you'd be forgiven for thinking these characters are young adults and not nearing 40 but its true, mormons are really scary. 

This elicited such intense feelings of anxiety and confusion in me that it could've gotten a higher ranking but that ending pissed me off.

Weird and wild. Oftentimes confusing. My favorite part was the quick appearance of Mack and Ava, but I enjoyed the weird and the author's personal reasons for writing this book.

There was so much I loved about this book: its surface-level similarities to IT (childhood friends reuniting decades later to face the literal demons from their youth and also maybe some of them will kiss??) by way of creepypasta (I was particularly reminded of Candle Cove), the constant online speculation of the show via reddit threads, blogs, and even fanfic, i.e. all stuff that appeals to me specifically!

However, I thought the last maybe 20% got a little muddled and a teeny bit repetitive. It was also unsubtle at times but hey, some anvils need to be dropped. Overall, I really liked it! 4 tasty colors out of 5.

TW: religious trauma (author is former Mormon who admits this is a deeply personal book)

Definitely not the “former 90s child stars have trouble coping with post-fame adulthood” book I was expecting; Mister Magic is far more creepy, menacing and inscrutable. 5 stars for the character development, 3 stars for the poorly explained denouement and bittersweet ending.

Rating: 3 leaves out of 5-Characters: 3/5 -Cover: 4/5-Story: 2.5/5-Writing: 4/5Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Horror, Thriller-Contemporary: 3/5-Horror: 1.5/5-Thriller: 1/5-Mystery: 2/5Type: EbookWorth?: EhHated Disliked Meh It Was Okay Liked LovedThe concept was good but it got lost in the story telling. It took over 20 chapters to get past Val is to blame and get a LITTLE BIT of answers. That was the most annoying part of this whole book.

When I first picked up Mister Magic, I assumed I'd get a good scary story. Yeah, I'm a bit biased when it comes to this author. I've loved all the other stuff I've read by Kiersten White so I was hyped.
That being said, I didn't expect it to make me feel so... nostalgic and bitter and sad all at once. There's more to this story than meets the eye. It explores what it's like growing up with unresolved childhood trauma that's been left to settle in your mind. It examines how some groups of people put unrealistic expectations on children with no real concern for what is actually good for the child.
As someone who has had to deal with a lot of childhood trauma, this story really clicked into place for me. Even if you don't have that background, though, I think the book would still be enjoyable. It's got a lot of unsettling moments that build up paranoia throughout the whole thing.
Lastly, the acknowledgments at the end of the book explain the inspiration of the story. I suggest reading it once you're done with the book because it's pretty interesting!

I liked the feeling that the author evokes with the setting and the mystery, but the pacing feels slow. So I alternately felt excited to read it and get back to that world, then bored because it was moving slowly. There were also parts that were a little too one the nose about the ‘inspiration' for the TV show. The end was fairly satisfying, but some of the larger concepts around the ending were a little too nebulous.
If you like vibes and nebulous danger, you would really like this one.

I really loved the premise of this book. I love television and I find lost media fascinating, so a story about a cast reunion for a show that no one can prove even existed sounded perfect. I also liked how the author included emails, wikipedia articles, forum posts, etc. throughout the text to illustrate the fandom culture surrounding the main characters.

While I did enjoy this book, I think I would have liked it a little better if the mystery was rooted more in reality than the paranormal, but that's just my personal preference. Also I was disappointed that things were never very clearly resolved between Val and Gloria, and I think the epilogue could have done a better job of explaining that. But overall a very interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the ARC!