E-galley Review: Mister Magic by Kiersten White

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Mister Magic by Kiersten White
Published by Del Rey on August 8, 2023
Genres: Adult Horror
Pages: 295
Source: the publisher
Format: E-galley
My Rating:
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Blurb:

Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show—and discover the secret of its enigmatic host—in this dark supernatural thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide.

Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic. 

But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who—or what—the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has. 

Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since. 

After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap? 

Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship. . . .

My Review

I’ve been a big fan of this author from one of her YA series, and have enjoyed her last adult novel and this one was pretty good too! It had a lot of different ideas in it, just like the last one did. I loved the idea of the mysterious cult like 90s children’s tv show. I also liked all the social media or people speculating about it online and how anything about it online seemed to disappear shortly after being put up. Although in my e-galley certain things in that ended up being one letter per line and I had to try to read that which was difficult, I assume it won’t be like that in the finished copies.

The whole forgetting and not having any idea exactly what she and her father were hiding from aspect of Val’s life was perfect because it meant we didn’t know either. It meant I had to keep reading and turning the pages to see just what might have actually happened. Even the other characters weren’t straight about who or what they wanted. And the little bits in between main chapters when we got letters or emails between people supposedly wanting the show back weren’t clear in what exactly they wanted about the show.

When we finally learn kind of what is going on with the characters and Mister Magic himself, who he “really” is, some of the answers are still kind of vague, and while it was a little irritating for me as someone who wants to know all of the reasons, it made sense and made the story complete the way it was.

Definitely another good read from Kiersten White and I look forward to more of her horror stories in the future!