Kiersten White
Author of Paranormalcy
About the Author
Kiersten White is an author of fantasy books including And I Darken, Now I Rise, the Paranormalcy trilogy, Mind Games, Perfect Lies, The Chaos of Stars, and Illusions of Fate. She also co-wrote In the Shadows with Jim Di Bartolo. (Bowker Author Biography)
Series
Works by Kiersten White
Eyes of the Empire 1 copy
Klam lady Ginevry 1 copy
Welcome to Christmas, CA [short work] — Author — 1 copy
Associated Works
From a Certain Point of View: 40 Stories Celebrating 40 Years of The Empire Strikes Back (2020) — Contributor — 515 copies, 8 reviews
That Way Madness Lies: 15 of Shakespeare's Most Notable Works Reimagined (2021) — Contributor — 157 copies, 5 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- c. 1984
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Brigham Young University (BA|English)
- Organizations
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (formerly)
- Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- San Diego, California, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- California, USA
Members
Reviews
Kiersten White has a devious mind, and I love her for it. More importantly, I love the books she writes with that mind. They are always disturbing, always full of twists, and always unexpected. Mister Magic has all of that, but there is pain and trauma written between each sentence that sets it apart from Ms. White's previous novels.
At its core, Mister Magic is the exposure of cult indoctrination in the guise of religious tenets. More specifically, it addresses the specific rules for being show more "good" children versus "bad" children. Good children become productive members of their close-knit society; bad children either leave or live on the outskirts of that society, shunned and alone.
How this society teaches its value system and indoctrinates new members is chilling and otherworldly. Ms. White masterfully evokes the nostalgia of remembering a beloved television show from childhood. At the same time, she makes you question the messages you learned from that show. Suddenly, shows like 3-2-1 Contact, Electric Company, and even Sesame Street and Mister Roger's Neighborhood become more sinister in their methodology and lessons.
Ms. White does not hesitate to tell anyone that Mister Magic is very personal. For her, it represents her experiences, subsequent issues with, and struggles to break from the Mormon church - albeit without an evil entity. The trauma Ms. White endured at the hands of the church of her childhood infiltrates the story. Not overt, you sense it rather than experience it through the characters, and it embues each scene with a heaviness that adds to the tension.
Mister Magic is psychological horror at its finest. Ms. White captures her complicated history with the Mormon church while telling a horror story about children's programming. It is a story only someone as talented as Ms. White could tell. Somehow, the fact that the story is personal makes it even scarier. While it isn't quite spooky season yet, Mister Magic will tide you over until it is. show less
At its core, Mister Magic is the exposure of cult indoctrination in the guise of religious tenets. More specifically, it addresses the specific rules for being show more "good" children versus "bad" children. Good children become productive members of their close-knit society; bad children either leave or live on the outskirts of that society, shunned and alone.
How this society teaches its value system and indoctrinates new members is chilling and otherworldly. Ms. White masterfully evokes the nostalgia of remembering a beloved television show from childhood. At the same time, she makes you question the messages you learned from that show. Suddenly, shows like 3-2-1 Contact, Electric Company, and even Sesame Street and Mister Roger's Neighborhood become more sinister in their methodology and lessons.
Ms. White does not hesitate to tell anyone that Mister Magic is very personal. For her, it represents her experiences, subsequent issues with, and struggles to break from the Mormon church - albeit without an evil entity. The trauma Ms. White endured at the hands of the church of her childhood infiltrates the story. Not overt, you sense it rather than experience it through the characters, and it embues each scene with a heaviness that adds to the tension.
Mister Magic is psychological horror at its finest. Ms. White captures her complicated history with the Mormon church while telling a horror story about children's programming. It is a story only someone as talented as Ms. White could tell. Somehow, the fact that the story is personal makes it even scarier. While it isn't quite spooky season yet, Mister Magic will tide you over until it is. show less
{First of 3; Camelot Rising trilogy. Fantasy, YA} (2019)
I got hit by a book bullet for this book and I am not happy.
Sixteen year old Guinevere is on her way to Camelot to marry the eighteen year old king Arthur - but she is actually a changeling witch put in place by Merlin to protect Arthur against the danger that is coming. Unfortunately Merlin, who lives across all times, has not been specific about what type of danger it is or when it will arrive and so the girl - who deliberately loses show more her name to magic so as to be more convincing in her role - does not know what to protect against or for how long she will be required to play her part. Merlin helped Arthur defeat the Dark Queen - the embodiment of chaos - but Merlin and all other practitioners of magic have since been banished from Arthur's lands so that, should she return, she should not find a foothold within Camelot. So the girl will have to practise her tricks, which she feels have nothing like Merlin's power, in secret so that she neither undermines Arthur's position nor has to leave Camelot and be unable to protect him.
And so the new Guinevere, who has grown up in the forest, must navigate the city and make new allies while not giving away her true nature and trying to discover what dangers she has to protect Arthur against. Meanwhile, as she wields her magics, she discovers gaps in her memories - maybe Merlin did not tell her the whole truth?
I really enjoyed reading this book. Guinevere is a very capable young lady but she has to discover the ways of her new world as much as we, the reader, do as well as uncover what may be missing in her own past. And she has to work out what her place is at Arthur's side as his queen. Arthur is charismatic and tries to be all things to all people so it’s no wonder that they all love him. His knights have come to Camelot because they share his vision of what it can be, a beacon for justice.
She and Arthur both come across as very human, facing the uncertainties that come with their huge responsibilities while having to present a strong facade to those around them despite their young ages. I appreciated seeing them able to be themselves with each other. The people around them have lives and personalities too, such as her lady's maid Brangien and Arthur's nephew Mordred.
I must confess that the romantic in me is hoping that the cautious attraction between Arthur and Guinevere develops into something a lot stronger. I devoured so many versions of the story in my youth (partly because I wanted to be a knight) in the hopes that the shining dream that was Camelot would not be destroyed until I finally gave up in despair and refused to read any more of them. However, reading this book, I am hopeful again.
At the end of the book, although Guinevere is starting to find her place in her new life, the mysteries of the past are still mysteries. I can't wait to find out what happens next - but the second book in this trilogy isn't due to be published until the end of this year. Thank you so much whoever it was that shot that book bullet in my direction.
5 stars show less
I got hit by a book bullet for this book and I am not happy.
Sixteen year old Guinevere is on her way to Camelot to marry the eighteen year old king Arthur - but she is actually a changeling witch put in place by Merlin to protect Arthur against the danger that is coming. Unfortunately Merlin, who lives across all times, has not been specific about what type of danger it is or when it will arrive and so the girl - who deliberately loses show more her name to magic so as to be more convincing in her role - does not know what to protect against or for how long she will be required to play her part. Merlin helped Arthur defeat the Dark Queen - the embodiment of chaos - but Merlin and all other practitioners of magic have since been banished from Arthur's lands so that, should she return, she should not find a foothold within Camelot. So the girl will have to practise her tricks, which she feels have nothing like Merlin's power, in secret so that she neither undermines Arthur's position nor has to leave Camelot and be unable to protect him.
And so the new Guinevere, who has grown up in the forest, must navigate the city and make new allies while not giving away her true nature and trying to discover what dangers she has to protect Arthur against. Meanwhile, as she wields her magics, she discovers gaps in her memories - maybe Merlin did not tell her the whole truth?
“Did Merlin teach you this?” Arthur asked, curious.
“No, he—yes.” Guinevere paused, trying to remember. Merlin would never stoop to knot magic, even to demonstrate it. It was far too human. Frail and temporary. She tried to conjure a memory of Merlin explaining it to her, teaching her. It would have been at their sturdy table. Or in the forest? She remembered her neat bedroll, the cottage she kept tidy. The trees and the sun and the birds. Staring at her own hands in wonder. Night and day, sleeping and waking, hunger and food and everything swirling and obscured as though she were searching through fog…
Merlin, frowning, pushing his fingers against her forehead. “This should be enough,” he had said. “Do not look for more.”
She rubbed at the spot on her forehead. He had pushed the knowledge into her brain. Willed it to be there, rather than teaching her himself. He could be very lazy.
“Yes, he taught me, in his own way.” She finished the knot.
Satisfied, she turned and almost ran into Arthur. He had come up behind her to watch her work.
“Sorry!” Her hands were on his chest. She pulled them back quickly. “I am sorry. I should go. I am tired.”
He walked her to the tapestry, pulling it aside again and holding it for her. “Thank you. I am glad you are here, Guinevere.”
“Me, too,” she whispered, surprised to find how much she meant it. And surprised by how much she wished she had told him her name after all.
As the door closed behind her, leaving her holding a candle in the dark passageway, she closed her eyes and leaned close to the flickering light. She whispered her name directly into the flame.
And then she blew it out.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Guinevere is a very capable young lady but she has to discover the ways of her new world as much as we, the reader, do as well as uncover what may be missing in her own past. And she has to work out what her place is at Arthur's side as his queen. Arthur is charismatic and tries to be all things to all people so it’s no wonder that they all love him. His knights have come to Camelot because they share his vision of what it can be, a beacon for justice.
She and Arthur both come across as very human, facing the uncertainties that come with their huge responsibilities while having to present a strong facade to those around them despite their young ages. I appreciated seeing them able to be themselves with each other. The people around them have lives and personalities too, such as her lady's maid Brangien and Arthur's nephew Mordred.
I must confess that the romantic in me is hoping that the cautious attraction between Arthur and Guinevere develops into something a lot stronger. I devoured so many versions of the story in my youth (partly because I wanted to be a knight) in the hopes that the shining dream that was Camelot would not be destroyed until I finally gave up in despair and refused to read any more of them. However, reading this book, I am hopeful again.
At the end of the book, although Guinevere is starting to find her place in her new life, the mysteries of the past are still mysteries. I can't wait to find out what happens next - but the second book in this trilogy isn't due to be published until the end of this year. Thank you so much whoever it was that shot that book bullet in my direction.
5 stars show less
Starts slow but Lucy Undying has a strong finish. Lucy's voice is perfect, and the story meshes exactly with Stoker's. I was also re-reading Dracula at the same time as this, and it proved difficult to separate the two. Ms. White allows Lucy to take back her story as a victim and allows her to become the hero. The truly scary part is that I find Lucy Undying an entirely plausible story that delves deeper into Bram Stoker's masterpiece without either unraveling.
Anneke Van Helsing has been obsessed with finding the mysterious woman who murdered her father, Abraham Van Helsing years ago. Since the murder, Anneke has devoted her time to solving other crimes. When a series of strange murders begins to crop up, Anneke connects the dots. The killer is recording the murders and somehow forcing the victims to hurt themselves. Anneke begins to see and dream about the woman. As she closes in, Anneke receives letters from the woman, Diavola. Anneke spends show more years investigating the crimes around Europe and finds that the devil she thought she was chasing is much more dangerous than she could ever imagine; her father's ramblings near his death might be true.
The Fox and the Devil is a story of obsession, mystery, and the supernatural. I was hooked from the moment I met Anneke's fierce, determined and analytical character. The mystery of the unique circumstances of the killer's victims, combined with Diavola's supernatural character and her relationship with Anneke created a suspenseful and fast paced read. I enjoyed reading Diavola's letters to Anneke, which showed Diavola's humanity as well as her long time observing humans and their behaviors. As Anneke gets closer to the killer, she learns of Diavola's origins and the world that her father was hiding. I was intrigued by the folklore of the region Leda was from and how the town dealt with the supernatural events that happened near them. The suspense ratchets up near the end as Anneke and her team learn what they are dealing with and the dangers they face. A riveting conclusion with a good resolution for both Anneke and Diavola. show less
The Fox and the Devil is a story of obsession, mystery, and the supernatural. I was hooked from the moment I met Anneke's fierce, determined and analytical character. The mystery of the unique circumstances of the killer's victims, combined with Diavola's supernatural character and her relationship with Anneke created a suspenseful and fast paced read. I enjoyed reading Diavola's letters to Anneke, which showed Diavola's humanity as well as her long time observing humans and their behaviors. As Anneke gets closer to the killer, she learns of Diavola's origins and the world that her father was hiding. I was intrigued by the folklore of the region Leda was from and how the town dealt with the supernatural events that happened near them. The suspense ratchets up near the end as Anneke and her team learn what they are dealing with and the dangers they face. A riveting conclusion with a good resolution for both Anneke and Diavola. show less
Lists
Gateway Horror (5)
Absolute Power (1)
READ IN 2022 (1)
Kindle books (1)
I Love Horror (1)
April 28, 2026 (1)
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Statistics
- Works
- 43
- Also by
- 6
- Members
- 16,325
- Popularity
- #1,390
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 803
- ISBNs
- 363
- Languages
- 14
- Favorited
- 9
