Reviews with content warning for Grief - Mister Magic

I picked up this book expecting an entertaining creepypasta-flavored romp through cosmic horror. Instead, I cried my eyes out and felt like some wounded piece of myself got picked out of the darkness and bandaged. (And I lack the Mormon religious trauma this author is digging into!) I am tempted to push this into the hands of every millennial I know.

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seawarrior's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious tense

4.0

Mister Magic pleasantly surprised me with its themes about the exploitative and punishing manner in which many children are taught about religion. I assumed that the book would be a straightforward horror story, but welcomed White's implicit themes on the perils of escaping a cult that has seared its way into your childhood, no matter how little you remember the details. On its own, the horror element of the story is riveting and unique. I never wanted to put the book down, and adored its descriptions of the eerie, magical world the Circle of Friends inhibited as children. This is a novel both terrifying and uplifting, and I look forward to reading White's future works.

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rachelunabridged's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

[ Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC! ]

I had a really great time with this read despite the fact that it assaulted me directly in my childhood trauma. I suspected going into it that it would have some kind of social commentary since I've read this author before, but the themes explored in this read hit very close to home for me. I really enjoyed all of the allegory and felt that the build-up to the climax was so well done. I love a book where I can go back to the earlier chapters and peel back more layers of the story once the context has shifted.

I also feel like White really outdid herself with these characters! I loved the circle of friends and really felt myself grow attached to all of them throughout the course of the story. They were all really nuanced and relatable, and I definitely found myself hoping for the best for them, yet fearing the worst.

Lastly, and most importantly, this book gave me feels. I might've sweated a little from my eyeballs at times, and that's a huge indicator that this story was able to engage me and get me invested enough to feel something, which is honestly more than I usually ask for in a book.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this read, with the caveat that it isn't exactly your usual horror story. Most of the horror if of the human variety, though there is a lil bit of spice mixed in there. Additionally, it's heavily steeped in allegory and social commentary, but I don't think that detracts from the storytelling at all. If you enjoyed Hide (same author), I think you'll also find this one to be a winner.

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thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Review:

I’m a sucker for an interesting premise, which is why I eagerly picked up Mister Magic by Kiersten White despite having a mixed track record when it comes to horror/thriller books. The concept of this book is delightfully original, and White uses it to its fullest extent to explore interesting themes of childhood, indoctrination, nostalgia, and more. I especially enjoyed the use of “mixed media” such as Reddit, Wikipedia, etc. to underscore the weirdness and fascination with the Mister Magic TV show. The characters, while not the most well-developed, are interesting and engaging enough to pull the story along, especially as we learn more about their relationships with each other.

My hangup with horror novels and thrillers is usually the endings, and I was both pleasantly surprised and disappointed with how this book ends. I think White does an excellent job crafting an ending that does justice to the plot, the characters, and the themes. She doesn’t spend a whole lot of time discussing the logistics of everything that goes down, instead focusing more on the story as a vehicle for thematic discussion. For more literal-minded and detail-oriented readers, this might be frustrating, but I prefer horror books that lean more into the metaphor rather than precise explanations. Despite everything that I liked about the ending, White’s admittedly heavy-handedness in regard to the book’s themes turns into a sledgehammer at the book’s climax. I was able to put up with some preachiness in the earlier parts of the book because the metaphor could work in so many ways, but by the time I finished the book I was exhausted by the repetitive, insistent way White underscores her message. I felt slightly disrespected as a reader, like she didn’t think I was smart enough to grasp the metaphor. I’m also not sure of the extent to which I agree with her book’s central thesis (or perhaps I have more of an issue with the confidence with which White offers it as an original and near-perfect solution). I wish she let the reader make connections and draw conclusions for themselves.

Side Note: If I had a nickel for every horror book that involves mentions of a particular place/show being deleted from the Internet . . . don’t authors realize how difficult it is for someone to monitor the ENTIRE internet and social media for something, and how difficult it would be to delete things they have no control or ownership of? Both Dead Eleven and Mister Magic have something like this going on, and it has left me scratching my head both times. I get that it adds a cool level of spookiness and mysteriousness to the story, but it’s also not believable at all!

The Run-Down:

You will probably like Mister Magic if . . .

· You’re a millennial who needs to go to therapy but reads books instead

· You like themes of nostalgia, childhood, escapism, indoctrination, and generational power/trauma

· You want a fun, entertaining read with strong thematic elements

You might not like Mister Magic if . . .

· You’re looking for a scary book

· You hate it when characters make stupid decisions in horror books (our main girl Val is smart and strong in her own way, but makes some seriously questionable choices)

· You have a low tolerance for preachiness in books

· You dislike paranormal elements

A Similar Book: The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelai Saveryn. Similarities include . . .

· A plot centered around a tantalizing and dangerous supernatural escape from childhood trauma

· Long-lost siblings

· A main character who forgets key aspects of their childhood

· Exploration of trauma, grief, escape, and childhood

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