A review by manikahemmerixh
Mister Magic by Kiersten White

5.0

I'm sure some people really did not like the way this book ended, and therefore found the book as a whole ruined for them, and I can understand that. Mister Magic was a lot deeper than I expected it to be, but I went into it not knowing anything except that it was a horror about an old children's show. It's more than that, and I don't want to expand too much here ("spoiler" below) so I'll just say that the author wrote it for a purpose, and I believe she meant for it to be cathartic for herself and others. Mostly this book kept me on edge though, and there was such a sense of mystery about the show and people's memories of it. It's not like other horror/thrillers I've read before. 

At the beginning of the Author's note at the end, Kiersten White shares that she was raised Mormon and has left the church. There's a clear sense of the author trying to make a message about pressing certain standards on children, but having that context shed a whole new light on the contents of Mister Magic. I did not grow up in organized religion, but I do still carry my own scars from the way that my childhood played out, and that's what MM is about at it's core. The uncertainty of childhood, how moldable and vulnerable we are in those years, and how that doesn't always mean that we're treated with our best interests in mind - but get taken advantage of by others who can't see that they may be doing more harm than good.