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Synopsis:

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. . . .

Review:

Kiersten White’s last novel, Hide, is a great story with poor execution. White’s follow-up, Mister Magic, is another novel that has a great premise but even poorer execution. The story starts with a tragedy that stopped a popular children’s show, Mister Magic. Thirty years later, the final kids on the show reunite as adults to be interviewed for a podcast. There is a great deal of mystery behind the end of the show, and Val, who was kidnapped by her father, holds the key. 

Like Hide, Mister Magic is written with paper thin characters which mostly rely on cliches. Most of the focus is on Val, the one who was leader on the show, and the one who has forgotten absolutely everything about her life on Mister Magic. It is hard to believe that Val has so much trauma amnesia surrounding an event that she did not see. By the time the traumatic event happened that ended the show, she was already gone. So why does she have so many memories that are blocked out? It does not make sense, and it is frustrating for Val to be the main narrator when most of the first half of the novel is her saying she does not remember any of it. Val is one of the most bland and uninteresting main characters I have read in a long time. She is so boring that I do not care what happens to her or anyone else in this book. The truth is that all of these characters are so vanilla, so boring, that the only thing that could possibly save them is a great story. 

But the story turns out to be very safe. There is no threat of danger, no real fear except for them confronting their past. I did not get a sense at any point that these people were in any sort of severe peril. Even when they venture into the small town of Bliss, they are not welcomed, but this is done in a pleasant way. I do not feel like anyone in charge of the bad things that are happening is willing to take any steps to put these character in physical harm. 

I get the point of Mister Magic. I get that this is about changing kids that the cultish society finds undesirable by using conversion therapy. I get that Mister Magic is about getting kids to behave the way that the adults want them to behave. I just do not like the story or the execution or the boring characters that are brought back to face this childhood trauma. Kiersten White has pulled me in twice with great story ideas and frustrated me twice with how horrible the book turns out to be. I cannot be fooled again.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.