Mister Magic

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.

When I got approved for the ARC of this book, I did a little happy dance. Kiersten White's YA books hold a special place in my heart and they're some of the few books I will never unhaul. I'm not surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did because simply put, Kiersten White is an incredible author. The characters felt so real despite the overarching theme of things not being real. While reading this, a part of me wished Mister Magic was real, but as the story went on and I learned more about what was actually going on, I'm glad that it's not. My biggest complaint is that I wish things were even MORE creepy, but that is definitely just a personal preference. I'm happy seeing this author lean more into horror, and I'm excited to see where her future novels go.






Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review

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.

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!

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!