The Shoemaker's Magician

Children of Chicago #2

by Cynthia Pelayo

A fabled lost movie. An increasing body count. How much do you risk for art?
Paloma has been watching the Grand Vespertilio Show her entire life. Grand, America’s most beloved horror host showcases classic, low-budget and cult horror movies with a flourish, wearing his black tuxedo and hat, but Paloma has noticed something strange about Grand, stranger than his dark make-up and Gothic television set.
After Paloma’s husband, a homicide detective, discovers an obscure movie poster pinned on a mutilated corpse on stage at the Chicago Theater, she knows that the only person that can help solve this mystery is Grand. When another body appears at an abandoned historic movie palace the deaths prove to be connected to a silent film, lost to the ages, but somehow at the center of countless tragedies in Chicago.
The closer Paloma gets to Grand she discovers that his reach is far greater than her first love, horror movies, and even this film. And she soon becomes trapped between protecting a silent movie that’s contributed to so much death in her city and the life of her young son.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2023

About the author

Cynthia Pelayo is a Bram Stoker Award winning and International Latino Book Award winning author and poet.

Pelayo writes fairy tales that blend genre and explore concepts of grief, mourning, and cycles of violence. She is the author of Loteria, Santa Muerte, The Missing, Poems of My Night, Into the Forest and All the Way Through, Children of Chicago, Crime Scene, The Shoemaker’s Magician, as well as dozens of standalone short stories and poems.

Loteria, which was her MFA in Writing thesis at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, was re-released to praise with Esquire calling it one of the ‘Best Horror Books of 2023.’ Santa Muerte and The Missing, her young adult horror novels were each nominated for International Latino Book Awards. Poems of My Night was nominated for an Elgin Award. Into the Forest and All the Way Through was nominated for an Elgin Award and was also nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection. Children of Chicago was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in Superior Achievement in a Novel and won an International Latino Book Award for Best Mystery. Crime Scene won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection. The Shoemaker’s Magician has been released to praise with Library Journal awarding it a starred review.

Her forthcoming novel, The Forgotten Sisters, will be released by Thomas and Mercer in 2024 and is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.”

Her works have been reviewed in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, LA Review of Books, and more.

Reviews

[Sadie Hartmann]

The Shoemaker’s Magician by Cynthia Pelayo
Other Books by This Author I Read/Enjoyed: The Children of Chicago, Into the Forest and All the Way Through, Crime Scene
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978195795...
Release Date: March 21st, 2023
General Genre: Thrillers - Supernatural, Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural, Hispanic & Latino, Horror - General
Subgenre/Themes: Historical Fiction, City Life, Crime Noir, Human Monsters, Mystery, Reads Like A Thriller, Strong Women, Horror Cinema, Slashers & Serial Killers, Chicago, Fables & Fairytales, Parenting, Neurodivergent children, Mythology, Magik



Writing Style: Character-driven, intricately plotted, leisurely paced, large sections of exposition/narrative and inner monologuing, multiple POV

What You Need to Know: This is Book 2 in the Chicago Saga, the first book is The Children of Chicago. They are standalone novels, you don’t have to read Book 1 in order to enjoy Book 2 but it does help. Some things from Book 1 are referenced in Book 2.
I think it’s important to know going into this book that the storytelling is both linear and fragmented at the same time. It took me some time to adjust. Things are happening in real-time while the character enjoys long inner monologues reflecting on everything from parenting her neurodivergent child, the history of Chicago, horror cinema, and other things like thoughts on social media and being a public-facing figure.

My Reading Experience: I absolutely love Book 1 in the Chicago Saga, The Children of Chicago. It has a gritty, dark, crime noir vibe that I was fully immersed in. Plus, I loved the way Pelayo centers the city of Chicago, I found it fascinating. I’m also a sucker for horror books that read like thrillers and I enjoy the details of a police investigation as they look into a grisly murder or serial murders. That book checked a lot of those boxes.
Book 2 introduces a new protagonist, Paloma Ramos. You will learn what happened to Lauren Medina, the protagonist in book 2, but she does not make an appearance in this story and it is not a continuation of that tale at all.
Paloma Ramos is a YouTube star. She hosts her own show about classic horror cinema and she has an obsession with silent films. Paloma’s husband is a homicide detective and they have a child named Bela, a son named after Bela Lugosi. He is neurodivergent.
Lauren Medina (from Book 1) was laser-focused on her job and investigative work, maybe even to a fault–not taking the time to really check in with herself and her emotions. Paloma Ramos is very introspective and reflective so this story has a totally different vibe. Both books dive into the history of Chicago (the author has expressed that she is passionate about her city) book 1 peels back the facade to reveal the dark side while Paloma dives into the culture and arts scene.
Horror cinephiles will appreciate the history and evolution of scary movies. Social media influencers will relate to Paloma’s thoughts on her work/life balance and parents of neurodivergent children will be able to strongly relate to Paloma & Bass’ struggles and joys.
There is a mystery to solve here, just like in book one, but there were times when I felt like there were long monologues separating the reader from the urgency and investigative sections of that storyline. I admit, I grew impatient with that a little. There are multiple POVs and short chapters, I enjoyed that aspect of the storytelling, especially Bela’s chapters. It’s clear that the author wanted to give an authentic representation of a neurodivergent child from their own perspective, as a parent of a child much like Bela, I truly appreciated the inclusion.

Final Recommendation: If you love Murder mystery investigations, classic and modern horror cinema, if you’re a history buff, if you’re a parent of neurodivergent children, and if you love magik—pick this up!
Comps: The Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo, Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, Night Film by Marisha Pessel

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up because I feel kind

This is an accurate depiction of me after pressing play on this book:



I tried my very hardest to remember the first book, but I had flushed it completely from my memory.
My own review of the book didn't help at all either. So I stumbled on, pretty much in blindness, just knowing that I didn't particularly like the first book - but found a lot of potential in it.

This book isn't directly linked with the first. The main characters are different - and that made it possible for me to keep up with it pretty well, in spite of total memory loss concerning the first book.

Old horror movies are straight up my alley. I've thought about the themes touched upon in this book soooo many times.

Lost movies. Cursed movies. Horror movie history. All that jazz.

It really was (and is) my cup of tea - and that's why I could stick with it the whole way through.

The research and almost essay-like parts of the novel, that delved deep into stories from the murky past of horror movies, kept me captivated. I already knew almost all of it. There was only one (!!!) fact I had never heard of or read a lot about before - and that was both satisfying ... and a little like repeating an university course I'd already taken.
Weird feeling. 😆

The one (serious) weakness with this book, for me, was the characters.
The main characters failed to move me at all. They left me utterly cold for the most part.
But then Paloma's selfish need to get a child made me mostly mad, to be honest.
I already disliked her before that, but towards the ending, I felt nothing but distaste for her - and an icy sense of her getting exactly what she deserved.

I was not enthralled or mystified by the whole "Grand" thing. Not one bit. But then, I've never fangirled over anyone. Ever.

The Prometheus twist was both, sort of, clever and nice - but also quite contrived.
In combination with Paloma's kid feeling like a rip-off straight out of The Babadook (in spite of the Autism angle) I was just so very bored with the whole character gallery, I can't exactly express how much it didn't interest me.

The police investigation felt like it ended just as weirdly as it began.
And the supernatural side of things just ... well, they went up in smoke. No real clarity or anything on why or how. It just was.
And I wasn't even upset about not getting what all the fuss was about, because I didn't care all that much.

Will I return for book 3, if one shows up?
Ehh. Probably not.

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only 1/4 of the way through, and there are so many spelling errors, and they're very obvious. Example: pg 83 in the chapter title afternoong? I had to force autocorrect on my phone to allow this spelling. Very poor editing.

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a very interesting concept—horror movies, Chicago, and murder—but it didn’t work for me in its execution of POVs and focal points. Review to come!

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. This book me hooked me immediately and I followed Pelayo wherever she planned to lead me. A mash up of crime and horror and mythology and Chicago and film history; I was here for it all. It grabbed my horror heart and my mom heart and I loved every second of it.

[Brennan LaFaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pelayo's Children of Chicago is magnificent. The Magician's Shoemaker is better. Functioning both as a compelling detective story and a love letter to horror (both in terms of movies and history), Pelayo lives and breathes the city, includes incredibly and heartfelt autistic representation, and tells a story equal parts horrifying and heartbreaking. This is Pelayo's best book, and that's no small competition.

[Michael Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent horror-crime mashup and a welcome return to Cynthia Pelayo's Brothers Grimm-esque take on the Windy City following Children of Chicago. Like the previous book, The Shoemaker's Magician takes what we know about children's stories -- Aesop's fables, this time around -- and puts a modern spin around them. While fables play a key role here, the real meat on this story's bones revolves around the search for a cursed horror film. And not just a cursed horror film, but the first-ever horror film committed to celluloid by Georges Méliès and secreted to Chicago by Charlie Chaplin.

As with Children of Chicago, Pelayo stuffs the narrative with loads of Chicago and film history, all of which is just as interesting as the central narrative and gore-soaked crime scenes. My only complaint is that the climax feels a bit rushed after all the build-up to get there, and the background regarding one important secondary character requires a little bit more suspension of disbelief than I was personally capable of.

[Samantha Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up because the blurb on the back was right up my alley, cursed films? Local access horror show host? Murders in theaters? Sign me up. But the back of the book failed to tell me this was the second in a series and I was already too far in to stop. There were things I didn’t fully grasp due to that but could infer a lot.

Beyond that, I couldn’t fully commit to liking this novel. There were two many povs and plots lines that made this book feel like a long ride up a roller coaster hill only to have a small falling action. It didn’t really make me care for the characters despite me wanting to. When we got more into grand or talked about these films I was ready and excited so I was sad this fell flat. Might consider reading the first book though to give context but I’m not sure it’s going to affect my rating much.

[Marguerite Turley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got another 5 ⭐️for @cinapelayoauthor !! It pulled me in with another great cast of characters. I loved the way it harkened back to Children of Chicago, but introduced me to a whole new set of characters. Again she drew us into a world of fables against the history of cinema in Chicago, so fascinating!!! The reveal at the end floored me. Check this out! Super scary and suspenseful too!!

[Richard K. Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of old black and white horror movies, or horror movies in general; read this book! Pelayo did her research! Loved it!

When Peloma's husband Bass is on a case in Chicago, and he finds a very disturbing crime in an old movie palace, of which a victim has been murdered very gruesomely then a very rare movie's poster has been pinned to the corpse, she is immediately drawn into who did it and why.

Peloma is a very successful social media creator of all things Classic Horror, and when this opportunity comes up, she is bound to get huge ratings on her channel. She is about to search, find and interview one of television's most famous Creepy Late Night Horror Hosts; and his name is Grand and he is hard to contact. As the two story lines cross over this is when this book gets incredibly creepy and very well written. Pelayo writes about classic, vintage and rare, and even new horror film so well, that you would think she really has gone to college to study HORROR. The main character and her husband have a young boy by the name of Bela....yes, named after Bela Lagosi and he is 'on the spectrum' and his mother is his best friend, and favorite fan to watch scary movies with. When Bela starts revealing things to his mother, she knows that there is more truth behind this gruesome crime than just a murder. Highly recommended and though it is the 2nd book in the Children of Chicago series, you really did not have to read the first one to enjoy this. I didn't.
I cannot wait to now read the first one. Pick it up, you will not regret it. Though there are its small flaws this was the reason I did not give it a full 5 screams review.

4 stars

[Susan]

After watching an interview on WTTW with Phil Ponce and the author, I was inspired to read the book. That the setting was in Chicago, also made it intriguing. However, I have never been into magic and dark fiction. While I finished the book, I don’t feel that I can give it a fair rating.

[Aidee Villeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you love chicago and horror films, read this!

[Daphne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. So many problems with this book. SO MANY ERRORS. Like, flat out typos and dumb punctuation errors. Was this thing self-published? Why does this happen? But beyond the errors, it just didn’t make sense. The plot was flimsy and wandering. The ending was rushed and totally confusing. There was too much exposition throughout the whole thing… paragraphs of indulgent over-explanation of movies and histories. Weird plot twists that made no sense and didn’t add to the story. The writing was clunky and awkward. Bad sentences on every page. How is this a Bram Stoker award-winner? It was a decent idea but badly, amateurly executed. I give it two stars only for the interesting horror film history (indulgent though it was) and amusing “magick” (“…with a k…” as the main character says) details. But good lord, someone conjure this author an editor, please.

[Azzurra Nox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pre-ordered the novel months ago and perhaps out of the sheer will of manifestation (or is it magick) it somehow appeared in my Kindle library two weeks before the actual release date. Obviously, I was overjoyed.

Where do I even begin? I read Pelayo’s first book Children of Chicago and absolutely loved it (and will forever feel lucky that she sent me a promo book box for it and you should absolutely read the interview she did for the blog here). This book, like the previous one, is standalone, however, it does reference some characters from the previous book (and I’m a sucker for writers keeping their stories in the same “world” so to speak). I’m a lover of fairytales, fables, horror show hosts (Elvira was the reason why I got into horror movies at the tender age of two), cursed films, occult, Greek myths, and murders. This is to say, that this book had SO MUCH that I love – and I was so happy that it delivered tenfold.

First of all, I loved the protagonist Paloma – a woman who not only overcame a terribly abusive childhood but that was a loving mother to her son Bela (hands down the coolest kid in a horror book, ever) and a badass horror influencer. I’m a huge fan of old horror movies and silent movies in general, so obviously I was geeking out at all the movies mentioned that I’ve seen a million times. I loved how she and Bela would chill out at Logan’s Theatre and watch horror movies as though it were a second home cause it reminds me of my own local theatre that a friend of mine owns, where going there 2-3 times a week is like visiting family – cause for those of yes who love movies, you’ll understand the potency and magick of the moving picture.

Pelayo is a very talented writer, however, I do want to acknowledge that this second novel showed so much growth as a storyteller – with the richness of the details, research, and basically soul of the book. Yes, the book is about trying to track down a serial killer, but it’s also so much more. It’s about the importance of art, love, and magick, and how all those things are intermingled.

I don’t want to share too much about the plot because I think you need to slowly discover this tale, that’s filled with mystery, darkness, history, and monsters. It’s incredibly gripping, each page dripping with the emotion of someone who has not only suffered but that also loves in tremendous amounts. In fact, if there’s a lesson to take from this extended fable is that anything you do out of love will always be worth it.

If you’re a fan of horror, cinema, Chicago history, and detective stories, then this is for you.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 reels of silver nitrate film out of 5.

The atmosphere of The Shoemaker's Magician really enveloped me. I didn't know at first that it was a sort-of sequel to another book that I haven't read, but other than some references in the B-plot that were talked about a few times, I never felt like I couldn't understand everything happening in the A-plot, which is what matters most. Maybe it's more of a spin-off than a direct sequel.

I enjoyed the main character Paloma. Throughout the book, her job as a YouTube content creator that focuses on old horror movies allowed the author to regularly inject film history that added to the story in a fun way. The film history was varied to include Chicago's place in the early film industry, a lot about horror classics like the Universal monster films, and even much earlier silent-film era trivia. How does Charlie Chaplin tie into early horror film-making? You'll learn a lot from this book, assuming all that trivia is based in fact.

What was most striking to me as I read this book was in the first act of the story, Paloma deals with the intricacies of her son's special needs as a child on the spectrum. I very much appreciated with this and identified with what Paloma was going through as a fellow parent of a child on the spectrum.

By complete chance as I did not read the synopsis of this book when I chose to borrow the audiobook from Hoopla, I listened to this over the same period of two weeks that I also read Silvia Moreno-Garcia's new novel Silver Nitrate. While Moreno-Garcia is normally my favorite modern writer and an auto-buy for me, Silver Nitrate was the first novel of hers I didn't love or even really like much at all. I don't bring this up to knock SMG, but because these two books have extremely similar elements that I do not want to discuss to avoid spoilers. Let's just say elements of classic horror cinema meet witchcraft or occultism, even talking about the fire dangers of old silver nitrate film. Very similar, yet their approaches are quite different, especially with a good chunk of The Shoemaker's Magician being more of a crime story in its B-plot. Of the two books, I much preferred The Shoemaker's Magician, and I can't wait to read more from Cynthia Pelayo.

For those listening to the audiobook, the narrator Sophia Willingham was fantastic. I did laugh a little at the exaggerated Chicago accents of a couple characters, but otherwise I have no complaints whatsoever. Her style really served the story well.

[Becky Spratford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Review in the January 2023 issue of Library Journal: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2023/01...

Issue also includes and interview I did with Pelayo: https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/...

Three Words That Describe This Book: gripping, love letter to Horror, haunting

Draft Review:

Bass, a homicide detective in Chicago, is called to a brutal murder on the stage of the Chicago Theater. The body was laid out with a poster for a famous occult film, one of the first horror movies ever made, a film with a dangerous mythology. Bass’ wife Polly, a horror film expert, is writing her dissertation on Chicago’s most elusive and famous horror host, Grand. Polly, the child of immigrants and a survivor of child abuse, has always found comfort in horror movies and magick and she has passed he love on to her autistic son Bela. But someone else is sharing dark stories with Bela, ominous fables that seem to connect the murder to his family, the history of horror films, and Chicago’s deteriorating movies palaces. The second in her planned series of connected novels, Pelayo employs the same enchanting mix of Chicago history, folklore, and haunting atmosphere, anchored by a strong female protagonist, as she takes readers by the hand, crafting a tale that fascinates and frightens, as awe and wonder battle darkness and evil, with an outcome foretold but still unexpected.

Verdict: A gripping story filled with ghosts, mystery, and history that is a celebration of Horror itself, this novel has many excellent entry points of a wide range of readers, but especially those who enjoy creepy retellings of western folklore as written by authors like Helen Oyoyemi and books about occult movies such as Experimental Film by Files.

[Jessica Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't believe how much the plot of this book is identical to Silver Nitrate. Polly is supposed to be the good guy, but she killed everyone around her. Her parents, her brother, her husband. She summoned a demon to kill her parents and she knew that Bass was going to die, but did nothing to prevent it. She knew that not closing the spell that allowed her to get pregnant was unleashing death on those around her, but she seemed reluctant to try to stop it until Bela is kidnapped. Pelayo tries to imply that Polly and the magick she uses isn't evil, but the massive body count looks pretty evil to me. Why did Luis cut off contact with Polly when they were teens if he knew she was powerful enough to kill her parents? I chose to read this book first because of the movie theater angle, but now I know how Children Of Chicago ends before I even read it (if I read it). Bummer. There's too much unnecessary exposition about horror movies and police investigative procedures, but not enough about the magick and spells Polly uses. Why does the cursed film work? How did Melies capture the demons on/within the film (Silver Nitrate went into a lot more detail about the cursed film itself)? Why did Luis spend millions(?) buying the other theaters and killing and torturing the other victims when he knew that Polly was the one who could conjure the film at theater #5 at Logan Theater? Why didn't Bass ask his wife more questions about the case other than to identify the movie poster? How was a relative novice like Polly able to harness such powerful deadly magick immediately? Great concept for a horror novel, but the characters are so uniformly stupid, it got on my nerves.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pelayo’s follow up to Children of Chicago is a true stunner. Although it’s not so much a sequel in plot you’ll find all the delicious things included in the first book here like detailed Chicago history, fables (a close cousin to fairytales) and a police investigation. I loved the way fables were woven into the fabric of this book!

The police investigations from each novel linked up and references to the first incident provided a good backdrop for the action. Added to the mix this time around was a concentration on the history of movies in Chicago (I did not know Chicago was like a pre-Hollywood) and a deep dive into the horror movie genre. I also very much enjoyed the exploration of the horror movie host persona and the portrayal of a fictional host.

There were some truly beautiful moments between Paloma, the main protagonist, and her son Bela, a Childe on the Autism spectrum, that I will not soon forget. But possibly my favorite part of the book was the magician aspect. The lore and mystery Pelayo created was just enough to draw me in but not so much as to turn the arcane into something mundane. It had a unique texture and quality to magic I’ve previously encountered in books and I appreciated the cursed movie aspect. To me the heartbreaking loneliness of the magician felt very realistic.

This book is a fantastic adventure you can escape into while still gaining some real life knowledge and cultural appreciation, a highly recommended read!

[Bloomingdale Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michaela says: Paloma’s life is steeped in horror. Her popular YouTube channel covers all things horror movies, often in the form of educational lectures about the history or the genre. So, when her husband Bass begins an investigation on a killer who seems to have a high knowledge of horror, he begins to suspect Paloma may be in danger. Paloma is sure he is wrong and continues to research, trying to interview a classic horror television host named Grand. But, when Bela, her son, begins to give her ominous messages, she fears maybe there is danger lurking. The story moves through historic Chicago movie theaters and burrs its way into the world Paloma has always loved.

I picked up this novel because the author is a local Chicago writer. It was so fun to read about places that I recognized, even if it was in a grisly setting. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. Throughout the book, the perspective changes between several characters. I did think that all of the characters had a similar voice, so creating different voices for each may have added to the characterization and made it easier to identify whose story I was . But overall, it was an engaging horror mystery.

This book would be good for readers who enjoy lyrical writing and intricate storytelling. Readers from Chicago may enjoy the strong Chicago setting.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, largely because it involves some of my special interests (horror movies, autism, occultist crimes.)

If it didn’t contain these topics, I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed it. My rating definitely reflects more of my personal enjoyment of the book rather than my assessment of it on a technical level.

There’s a lot of exposition, which I didn’t mind as I found the factoids interesting. However, the information could have been incorporated with a bit more finesse instead of the mini lectures that we got. It can be daunting for a reader who does not care for the topics at hand and not all of the information served the story well enough to be included.

I also feel like not everything coalesced as well as it could have in the end. There were some occurrences that I thought weren’t given the proper time to steep, so they weren’t as impactful as they could have been. Again, lots of exposition at the end but there still seemed to be some areas that didn’t get their due justice and development at the end of it all.

The author is also a poet and that shows. There is some pretty prose in here. I would wager that she’s more comfortable with poetry than with fiction based on how the novel was constructed. However, despite its flaws, I was invested in the book and had a good time reading it.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can movies truly be cursed? What does horror truly mean? What truly makes a monster?

Paloma Ramos is an internet horror host obsessed with all things horror. Growing out of a house of horrors of her own, Paloma found respite in movies and her neighborhood's local theater. Now she is working on her dissertation on the horror host and wants to interview famed local horror host Grand Vespertilio. But the history of the horror host isn't what Paloma truly wants to talk to Grand about. When she was still a teenager, Paloma experienced two life-changing things. Paloma and her brother performed a ritual and Paloma watched a cursed film that seemed to come alive. Paloma knows in her gut that Grand can tell her not only if that movie is real, but if magick is real.

Paloma's inquiries take on an urgency when her husband, Sebastian, is put on the murder case of a woman who was mutilated and left with a poster for the cursed film on the stage of the Chicago Theater. Bit by bit this case becomes more intertwined with Paloma and Sebastian's lives and the life of their young son.

Author Cynthia Pelayo's love and deep knowledge of Chicago and the horror genre shines through her writing. While at times confusing, The Shoemaker's Magician will richly reward readers with a twisted tale.

[Bret Praxmarer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book. It is everything that a good story should be and more. This is a love letter to the horror genre, specifically to classic horror movies and beautiful movie palaces. Everything about this book is amazing.

The reasons that I love horror is explained so perfectly throughout the novel - it felt like it was written for me.

The reference to Sesame Street and how it has comforted children for generations with monsters really made stop and think. Those monsters were some of the most comforting aspects of my childhood and played an important role in the lives of my own kids. This was such a brilliant observation.

The character of Bela was amazing and anyone that has dealt with neurodivergent children will love him. Plus what a great name for a little boy.

Grand reminded me of Svengoolie and another fond memory of my childhood - watching those old horror movies on Saturday afternoons.

This is a great and beautiful horror story and has a special place in my heart.

I also loved that it is set in Chicago.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cynthia Pelayo returns with another supernatural mystery which delves into the darkness of the city of Chicago.

Paloma is a horror movie lover, podcaster, and mother. She, her detective husband, and their son Bela are pulled into a web of serial murder which may or may not be attached to the first horror movie to have ever been filmed. Paloma is determined to interview Grand Vespertilio, one of the oldest TV horror hosts, someone who may be connected to series of mutilated victims being left in the classic movie houses of the area.

As the plot progresses we dive deep into the world of arcane knowledge and learn the lengths which Paloma had gone to escape her abusive parents and to give birth to Bela. Readers will be astonished and glued to the edge of their seats for the duration of this wild ride.

This novel is a love letter to Chicago, historic movie theaters, and classic horror movies which does not shy away from the grimness and griminess of each. Readers will love this tale of murder, mystery, and magic.

[Elisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some books sound like your cup of tea based on the synopsis but when you read them, they just don’t work for you. This was the case with this novel. The author is a gifted writer and she makes the setting real. You can almost feel the brutal Chicago cold and some of the scenes are very creepy. That said, the one part that caught my interest (the police investigation) was not too prominent. I didn’t connect with the characters, so it was hard to root for anyone. And the plot? Half of it was inner dialogue and the other was exposition. When the info-dump was about the history of film and Georges Méliès I found it interesting (I can’t say readers who don’t care about moviemaking will be as fascinated). The history of Chicago was not too riveting, and all the details about magic spells just bored me. It pains me to give this a bad review, but this just wasn’t for me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Union Square & Co.

[Horror DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot on the heels of her landmark breakout Children of Chicago , Cina Pelayo cements her name as a horror legend with The Shoemaker’s Magician, a paean to film, magic, Chicago and horror. Pelayo leads the reader through the winding streets of Chicago, where the supernatural is very real, where monsters and magicians flourish.

You can read Zachary Rosenberg's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[David Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this follow on to Children of Chicago, Pelayo weaves an intricate tale of fables, myth, and Chicago history. You can feel the decaying majesty of the old Palace theatres, and meticulous research brings a wealth of information about the city, early horror films, and magick. And that magick is as studied and accurate as the film lore, threading through the books of The Golden Dawn, the keys of Solomon and so much more.

It is rare that a book can draw you into the mind of a character who accepts the supernatural and have it feel so real you aceept it yourself. This is that book. You will fall in love with Paloma, and her son Bela. You will be dragged into the murders and the mysteries.

But all throughout you will be hooked by the underlying secret.

I listened to the audiobook performeed by Laura Lockwood.

This book is very highly recommended and one of the best I've read this year.

[Summer Dawn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Children of Chicago, so was excited when this was released. I love the way it's a quasi-sequel, instead of just a straight up one, since I find it harder to stay engaged in many series.

I really love the film, and specifically horror film, history this brought up. I've been a fan of horror since I was a toddler, so I always love reading about and learning the history of it. The theater and architecture history was wonderful as well.

As much as I enjoyed the story, I do feel that the ending was very rushed and really wish the author had taken more time with the climax. Everything wrapped up so neatly and quickly, it almost felt like many of the earlier events weren't as important.

Overall though, it was a very enjoyable book and I definitely want to read more of this saga. I would especially like to know more about what happened to Grand and the other main characters after the events of the book.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like Chicago history and tales set in the storied city? Are you a fan of horror movies, tales of cursed objects, Greek myths or murder mysteries? Are you interested in, or entertained by magick and the occult? Cynthia Pelayo's second installment in the Chicago Saga series has all that and more wrapped in a delectable 300 or so pages. Once again, I wasn't aware that there was a first installment until a colleague informed me. While The shoemaker's magician can be read as a standalone, I will be checking out the first installment, Children of Chicago, very soon. I realized after reading reviews that the Medina character mentioned was from the first book.
Other Good Reads reviews take issue with the amount and detail of exposition Pelayo devotes to film history, High Magick and manifestation, and autism. I couldn't disagree more. I enjoyed the amount of research the author put into this novel. I can't wait to read more from Cynthia Pelayo.

[Ethan Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty outlandish and gory horror novel, with magic and demons and ritual murders, etc. But what I found most interesting were its forays into the early history of horror films -- for example, Georges Melies's short film "The House of the Devil" from 1896, the first vampire movie in history (it's sometimes referred to as the first horror movie, but it's really more of a comedy or vaudeville act). I learned a lot of interesting tidbits, like the fact that Dracula (1931) has a "lost" epilogue, or that early talkies didn't get dubbed into foreign languages but actually hired separate casts who spoke other languages to shoot the same scenes after the English-speaking actors. The novel takes place in Chicago, with many scenes set in an old movie palace -- and the history of Chicago as an early powerhouse in the film industry before Hollywood had risen to the top is also interesting and little known.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Didn't much jive with me at all. A lot of the book felt like Wikipedia entries on the history of old horror movies, the history of Chicago and its theatres, and if that weren't enough, the history of old horror movies in Chicago. Throw in some occult, some demon summoning, magick (yes, with a "ck") and a police procedural and you're left with a big heaping bowl of meh.

I'll throw in a few positives. Pelayo's writing style is quite good and the time invested in researching source material is quite impressive. It's just too bad she couldn't collate it into something a bit more refined and interesting. What was interesting however, were the sections involving a serial killer in search of a lost haunted film. Some of the scenes were well described reminiscent of those from Silence of the Lambs and Se7en.

Everything just seemed pasted on for me. As a result, the only magic, er, magick is the vanishing of this book from my library.