The first Kiersten White book I read was "The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein" which everyone/their mother/my mother has heard me rave about. That may have set an unfair precedent because nothing else has gripped me in quite the same way. I think part of my problem is that while that (as a Frankenstein retelling) had an inherent fantastical aspect to it, I went into her other work assuming they were real-world-rules-abiding horrors, which are my preference, but if you enjoy supernatural/fantasy twists in your horror you might love this!

"Mister Magic" follows Val, who has lived an isolated life on a ranch with her father. Once he dies, her suspicions that they were in hiding are proven true & Val realizes she had a whole other life as a child that she's repressed memories of. She was one of the infamous cast members of the cult classic kids' show, Mister Magic. The internet is rife with rumors & theories of what happened to cause the show to end abruptly & Val to disappear, but besides those, no proof of the show even exists. But now, 30 years later, Val has been reunited with the other members of the "circle of friends", who are doing a podcast interview to reminiscence ahead of a rumored reboot. Despite her lack of memories, Val can tell that their time on the show deeply impacted each cast member in different ways, & is determined to find the truth. 

This book has fun nostalgic vibes, & I loved the insertion of Reddit threads between chapters to demonstrate the fan culture behind the show. Humor is interspersed well with horror, & there were lines that made me laugh out loud. The creepiest element was the chilling religious trauma--absolute heebie-jeebies. However, I didn't feel particularly connected to any of the characters, which at first I put down to Val's lack of memories since this is 1st person POV. But that didn't change for me throughout the book, & it made it hard to be invested in them or the outcome. I'm not letting this stop me from working my way through her other books, though!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.