Mister Magic by Kiersten White

 

Mister Magic by Kiersten White, 295 pages, ⭐⭐⭐

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?

Read for book club. Realistically this is like a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I read Hide by Kiersten White, and she has a way of writing 80% of a good horror book but then ending it with this crazy off the walls concept at the end and giving me whiplash. Reading her acknowledgements at the end of this helped understand her writing and I liked the store a bit more because of that, but I just don't think her works are for me.

Hide by Kiersten White

Hide by Kiersten White, 240 pages

One week of hide-and-seek in an abandoned amusement park and $50,000 is the prize: fourteen strangers, each desperate in their own way, are pitted against each other for a reality TV show. Mackenzie has been alone and hiding all her life, so why not take a shot at that amount of life-changing money? But as the competition creeps on, the players realize there is something very, very wrong.

I read this book within a six hour window; it started and just didn't stop. The build was paced perfectly, building up to a frenetic and satisfying conclusion. I've never read any of White's other material, but that will change. 

Hide by Kiersten White

 

     

           Hide by Kiersten White - 240 pages 

The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught.

The prize: enough money to change everything.

Even though everyone is desperate to win--to seize their dream futures or escape their haunting pasts--Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she's an expert at that.

It's the reason she's alive, and her family isn't.

But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more sinister than even she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.

Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide, but nowhere to run.

          

          While the idea of this book was promising I found the middle to be a bit boring and hard to get                through, however, it came together in the end.  

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White  278 pages

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets the gorgeous, enigmatic Finn, who introduces her to the secret world of Albion's nobility. It's a world that has everything Jessamin doesn't - power, money, status . . . and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, and the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess them. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits, can stop him.

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White, 232 pages
Book 2 in "Mind Games" series

The Keane Foundation had used and abused Fia and Annie's abilities for their own evil purposes for years. Fia has perfect instincts and Annie can see the future. To save her sister, Fia faked Annie's murder and returned to James Keane's arms to help bring down his father's wicked foundation from the inside. Meanwhile Annie is with a new organization also intent on freeing the trapped girls and destroying the Keane Foundation. Strangely enough, the sisters are finding their powers aren't as strong or reliable when they are apart. They will do whatever it takes to reunite and put the past firmly behind them. This book, like the first in the series, jumps around in time and from different perspectives. You feel almost as if you have a split personality. The chaos of the chapters adds to the intrigue of the story.

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Supernaturally by Kiersten White, 342 pages

The second in the series by Kiersten White, "Supernaturally" finds Evie leading the "normal" teenage life as a student in high school. She has trouble connecting with friends on the outside of the agency. She and Lend continue dating as Lend attends college. When Raquel shows up at Evie's school, Evie finds she misses her job with the agency and quickly jumps right back in much to the dismay of her new family.
While the book cover describes a fairy war taking place over Evie, you are never witness to it. In fact, the book mainly describes messed up assignments that all seem to have one goal in mind - to force Evie to use her "skills" to drain the life from supernaturals she has sworn to protect. The ending is a bit weak which leads me to  believe there is more to the story. Definitely a good and very quick read.

"Paranormalcy" Kiersten White

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, 352 pages


Evie is a 16yr old girl who was saved as a young child from a vampire. The fact that she could see through the glamour of the vampire meant she was a very special young girl. The International Paranormal Containment Agency sees the potential in her and takes her under their protection. Growing up within an agency that "bags & tags" paranormals for their safety and the safety of society, Evie has never experienced life outside of her "job". That all changes when she meets Lend, a teenage shape-shifter, who shows her there is more to life than the agency.