Mister Magic by Kiersten White
Publication Date: August 8, 2023
Summary from NetGalley:
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. . . .
ARC provided by Random House via Netgalley for an honest review.
Confession:
This book was wonderfully weird and creepy but in a good way. I spent the first half wondering what the hell was really going on and feeling compelled to keep reading until I did. This book is full of grief, love, childhood trauma, enduring friendships and nostalgia.
The book is mostly told through Val’s point of view, with small sections of the other’s interviews. There is also smatterings of social media posts of people who had watched the show as kids and their feelings and remembrances of the show. It was a really interesting way to tell the story and it really seemed to work.
I found all of the characters interesting and their backstories were at times heartbreaking. Marcus and Javi’s especially. Val could be a bit annoying, but I still felt sorry for her as she tried to regain her memories of the show and what went wrong at the end. Isaac was such a sweet soul, but he also had issues in his life that he felt guilty about. Jenny was the hardest to like, as she was a bitch for most of the book, with good reason, but she does redeem herself in the end.
It is very hard to talk about the plot without giving anything away. I did spend much of the first half of the story wondering about a lot of things, like what was really going on with this “kid’s show”, and why did it sound so creepy and scary. The writing was so well done, especially when it came to the overall creepy atmosphere of the house and the nearby town. It isn’t until about halfway through the story that you really begin to understand what was going on and then it all begins to make sense. The ending was a little bit trippy and probably the weirdest part of the story, but it totally made sense within the context of the whole book.
This is being tagged as a horror book, but except for the pervasive creepiness of the house and one scene that gets a bit icky, I wouldn’t call it horror. This is more of a psychological thriller with a bit of science fiction thrown in at the end. It is also a very personal story for the author, as you will see if you read the acknowledgments at the end. Parts of the more confusing aspects of the story will make more sense if you read that afterwards.
If you like books with a creepy weird atmosphere, a story that will keep you wondering what is really going on, and have a bit of nostalgia for old children’s TV shows, this is a book you may want to pick up.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 
This sounds like a fun read. Thank for sharing
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Not sure I would use the word fun… but it was an interesting one. Hope you enjoy it.
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