Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Random House Publishing, via #netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis:
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:
We've all been there- where we realize things didn't ACTUALLY happen the way we thought they did when we were young children, because we didn't have the same adult perspective (outside vs inside concentration), and then it causes you to rethink everything else in your life. But what if you were to find out your entire LIFE has been smoke and mirrors, and only partially true? For Val that is what happens when her father dies. This all makes sense. After that is where the book diverts and you love or hate it.
It's like watching a horror story and yelling at the characters do not go in the dark room without a weapon of some kind- it's obvious Val needs NOT to take a lot of the steps she's taking to find the truth, and that everyone is manipulating the other, in their search for their version of the truth. The book gets pretty existential at times (no other phrasing for it), as the author ACTUALLY based the book on her experience with the LDS church. If you read that BEFORE reading the book, it helps to clarify some of the 'what the heck?' areas. It's still an oddity, and I'm sure it got fast tracked because of the patriarchal social media subplot in the book. If you decide to read it, just be warned it will take you longer as you may find yourself putting it down a lot and shaking your head at the characters obvious lack of social awareness (even though they have found fame or fortune and should have a good amount).
About the Author:
Kiersten White is the #1 New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of many books, including the And I Darken series, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, Star Wars: Padawan, the Sinister Summer series, and HIDE. She lives with her family near the ocean in San Diego, where they obsessively care for their deeply ambivalent tortoise. Visit Kiersten online at KierstenWhite.com and follow @KierstenWhite on Twitter.
Comments
Post a Comment