The Magic Man

by LaShane Arnett

THE MAGIC From the time he was little he knew he was different. He enjoyed pain. Inflicting it. Seeing it swim through the eyes of others. His mother suspected what he was, a sociopath, like his father. He loved hurting animals and never smiled. She did everything in her power to instill goodness in him. But, would nurturing him with goodness be enough, when at his core he was pure evil? Only time would tell. Or, would time help him see that if he gave in to his true nature, he would grow to be something more powerful than even he knew possible? THE PAIN It's been two years since Sadie found one of the Magic Man's victims, Maxine Powell. With her growing abilities and her dad's notes she believes finding the missing women is her destiny. When her health takes a dark turn, Adrian and Lupita urge her to take a step back. She reluctantly agrees. But after she starts receiving mental messages from one of the victim's six-year-old son, she questions whether her hiatus is a good idea. If she answers his call will she find one more victim, or move closer to becoming a victim herself?

342 pages, Paperback

Published March 19, 2023

About the author

LaShane Arnett is an African American poet and author living in Southern California with her husband of thirty+ years. She is the author of The Sadie Reed Series. The first book in the series, The Pain Eater, is highly recommended for anyone who loves Paranormal Thrillers.

LaShane’s work has appeared in various personal print-only journals including Jeremy R. Richey’s Soledad. She has a very “unique voice and writing style” (Judge, 29th Annual Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards), which gives her books an edge and puts them in a category all their own.

When LaShane isn’t writing she enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren, and her dogs.

Although her first published book Go Ask LaShane is a collection of short stories and poetry, she is a lover of Horror and Supernatural. Be on the lookout for The Magic Man, the second book in her Sadie Reed Series, and Go Ask LaShane Vol. 2 My Human Experience.

Reviews

[amanda_coffee_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start off by saying that I receive this ebook arc. In return for my honest thoughts and my review.
This is the second book Sadie Reed story.
Just like book one this book didn’t disappoint. Yes, this book took me longer to read. But sometimes life gets in the way of reading. But like I said I loved this book and the characters. Adrian and Sadie will always have a place in my heart as my favorite characters.
When reading the POV of the magic man is very creepy. Omg I wanted to grab him and hide from his siblings and his mother. But when reading you don’t find out his identity right away. Which I was really happy about. Kept me reading. Finding out who this you know who is. I highly recommend this book. And book one. Both will keep you turning the pages. I can’t wait to find out what happens next. If Sadie and the magic man will ever meet.
About Book:
Sadie is still learning about her gifts. Going through all her father notes to learn about the women the magic man killed. Trying to find to a missing woman. Adrain is her biggest support system. We get the POV of the Magic Man how he learned at a young age that he has his own gifts. Magic Man wanting to learn how to use or understand all the things he could do.


Thank you LaShane Arnett for allowing me the opportunity to read such amazing book.

[Vashti Quiroz-Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magic Man by Lashane Arnett is a beautifully written paranormal horror. One of the standout aspects of this novel is Arnett’s impeccable writing style. She effortlessly drew me into this world of empaths, telepaths, witches and pain eaters she created. The story was dark and entertaining, and in some instances, the imagery was eerily beautiful.

The book was written in 1st person POV, alternating between the protagonist and antagonist which was a lot of fun for me. Seeing the world through the eyes of the sadistic psychopath Eric, called the ‘Magic Man’ was both creepy and riveting.

The author has done a commendable job in developing a diverse and compelling group of characters. Sadie Reed was a strong, likable and relatable protagonist. I liked how she used her powers as a pain eater to help others even when it frightened her or meant she might get hurt. Adrian, her charming spouse was loving, caring and attentive to Sadie’s needs—the perfect partner. What Sadie and Adrian had was true love, and their relationship was powerful, sweet and sensuous. It’s rare in my opinion to find such a love in a horror story, but it doesn’t take away from the horror, it added dimension.

At times the author treated the setting as a character by revealing its personality and emotions, adding to the story’s mood and making the places linger in my mind. The author’s writing style kept me captivated and engaged from beginning to end. The narrative ended in a cliffhanger which I’m sure means there’s a book 3 coming, and I can’t wait!

The Magic Man is a chilling and deeply satisfying story that will stay with you long after the final page is turned. If you’re a fan of dark, intriguing, paranormal horror this book is for you.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this was an intense and thrilling sequel to The Pain Eater. We follow Sadie as she continues to learn about her abilities and track down the serial killer known as the Magic Man. In this book, we also get a 2nd POV of the Magic Man and follow his journey from a small child to the sociopath he becomes. He truly gave me the creeps, and it added so much to the overall story.

LaShane has created such a dark paranormal thriller with so many different intriguing facets. We continue to learn about the different paranormal powers our characters have and how everyone is interconnected in some way. This had many shocking twists and turns. I look forward to seeing where this goes from here.

[B.K. Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg this was so amazing! I love LaShane’s
writing style and even though I read
this out of order, she pulled me right into the
story amd I didnt feel like I missed much!

This was dark, suspenseful, with a
touch of horror and amazing twists and
turns. I loved all the supernatural aspects,
the magic, darkness, and the blossoming relationship
between Sadie and Adrian. The Magic Man
was the perfect sociopath and amazingly dark! (Chef’s Kiss)

[S.G. Blaise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

Sadie is running the psychic shop with Adrian. She inherited it from Angel and she is discovering more of her powers each day. Adrian is becoming more efficient with his telekinesis power as well.

The alternating POV with Magic Man is fascinating. We get to see the antagonist becoming who he is—a sociopath, just like his father.

It’s great to see the romance between Sadie and Adrian evolve—as a couple.

Sadie can’t escape being drawn into the world of Magic Man when she receives messages from one of his victim.

Author LaShane Arnett has created an amazing paranormal dark fantasy series! I devoured her first book, Pain Eater, and this sequel to it has more than suppressed my expectations. I absolutely enjoy her writing style that pulls you in and does not let you go. Highly recommend this book and series!

[Amelia Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Two skulls.
Two torsos.
Gutted and tossed.
The Magic Man drained them of all that they were. Their beauty, their light, their purpose, gone, forever."
💀💀💀💀💀
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
All the skulls and all the stars for my new favourite series! If I thought I loved first book, Pain Eater by LaShane Arnett, then I can't say the same about the Magic Man because I LOVED IT SO MUCH MORE!
It's mysterious, dark, full with light and love among the layers of evil. This book is about heartless and powerful creature taking kind and loving people from their families, just so he can have some fun and then drain them from their light and leave their lifeless bodies when he's done taking.
But this book is also about a Pain Eater, Sadie, who is the narrator and was a fresh breath from all the dark thoughts that we have to endure with the magic man. I loved Sadie and her kindness, who always helps others whenever she can, and I hated the Magic Man with his brutal and remorseless acts towards animals and humans, and still I couldn't get enough of him, he was twisted and perverted, always hurting and enjoying the pain he inflicted. I wanted to know more about him, what made him the way he was, why would he only use his powers for cruelty and never for something good. This book is way darker than Pain Eater was, and it also has more answers and while we still were in dark about most of the book, we got to find out the truth about the magic man alongside Sadie and Adrian.
I love how every power was depicted, I kept imagining the books as movies, they will make really good supernatural mysteries and I hope it happens, because I would love to see this beautiful and twisted story on the big screen.
I will be manifesting it into existence. I will also manifest the third book because I need more, I'm hungry for more Pain Eater and Magic Man!
I started bookstagram years ago because of the series with similar supernatural powers and good vs. evil, and I've been looking for more books like this and I am so grateful that I found it.

[Taylor Hathcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The invisible strings of emotions move us to do great things. Whether they are helpful or harmful depends on who's pulling them."

Holy cow. Okay so this book had all the paranormal spooky I was missing in the first one. It had the thrill and all the suspense. It was written in such a different style, that I preferred it over the first book to be honest. I really enjoyed that this time we got some insight into the Magic Man. We basically got to follow his development up until the events that sparked Sadie's journey. While I enjoyed all the work Sadie was doing as a Pain Eater my favorite element is watching her try to uncover the truth behind the missing women and the Magic Man. This book gave us a lot of connections and answers, like some really great ones. But it also left me with so many questions.
I think the author did a beautiful job with character development in this one. It is a bit darker, but I mean that is kind of expected with the sociopath getting his story told. I feel like I formed so many theories while reading this book and some of them proved right, but others I was way off base. And now I need to know what comes next for both Sadie and the Magic Man. It just feels like some big battle is being built towards and I need to know the outcome. So if you like magic and spooky things, but also tough emotional topics, you should read this series. I know I will eagerly be anticipating the release of book 3.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magic Man is the second book in LaShane Arnett’s Sadie Reed Series. The story continues Sadie’s search for the so-called Magic Man who is responsible for atrocities against many vulnerable living entities. Oh, the Magic Man just needs you to be breathing to decide you’re an acceptable target for his sadistic desires.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved Arnett’s lack of concern for the reader as she crafted a truly malevolent villain. No punches were pulled here. You like your bad guys bad? Well, meet the Magic Man. And meet him, you will. The story navigates perspective from Sadie to the Magic Man. The juxtaposition of the thoughts of the two characters really highlighted the depravity of the Magic Man and the struggle by Sadie to wrap her mind around just how destructive a force she was dealing with.

As with the first book in this series, The Pain Eater, The Magic Man is an adult paranormal story. The horrors to come were only hinted at in book one, but with the slowly unfolding story of the Magic Man’s origins, motivations, and successes, readers are treated to a grimace-inducing, unflinching display of evil. And not just body horror, either. There’s some seriously disturbing, and well-written, descriptions of emotional abuse, and even Stockholm Syndrome.

This story ends on a cliffhanger that offers compelling reasons to continue the series in search of Arnett’s conclusion.

[Escape Into Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

🛑🖐️ Imma let you finish your current read, but LaShane Arnett has one of the most UNDERRATED SERIES in the Paranormal/Dark Thriller Genre of all time! 🖐️🛑

✨ The writing in 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙈𝙖𝙣 is of another world. It literally wraps you up and carries you off to this world that only LaShane can write. It's poetic, beautiful, haunting and so so dark.

✨ So dark.

✨ Chills on every page. Highlights left and right. Book one, The Pain Eater wedged into my soul a year ago and The Magic Man, even more so.

✨ Did I mention, so dark? In a, you might have to take a little breather at times, dark. But the kind of dark that impresses you that an author can write this.

Swipe ➡️ for when the darkness first came to light for the boys parents. (You can see this on my IG @margiebythebookcase)

✨ This, just like book one is a 5⭐ read top to bottom for me. Sadie is the coolest fucking character. She literally eats the entities, the hurt and evil souls that infect others. And owns a psychic shop! Adrian is the perfect partner and I loved how his gifted magic was explored more. And the Magic Man character was written in a way that will forever affect me. You instantly hated him and felt disgusted at his actions, even as a young boy.

✨ Anyways, I don't want to spoil anything! Read The Pain Eater first and then read The Magic Man! Trust!

[Alana K. Drex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! Easily gets a spot in my top 5 of this year. Opening up to a vision of something dark, it pulls the reader in with such ferocity. I felt the strongest feeling during this--actually crying at a scene in particular.

Then there are Sadie and Adrian. One word: GOALS. Their love is perfect without being cringe. Adrian is so lovable the way he doesn't quite understand all the psychic stuff Sadie has been drawn into since book one (The Pain Eater), but he is there regardless. Love him!

The scenes of Sadie figuring out what pain was holding people back and then eating their pain were mesmerizing.

....and then you get to the looming bigger picture... who is the Magic Man? Well, let me tell you, his whole back story is amazing. Glimpses of his past were terrifying and provided clues to what was presently happening to pain eater, Sadie. It was a cool effect!
And as for Sadie, she has been told she isn't ready to take him on, so instead she focuses on the women he's killed. For instance, where is Renee, she went missing when her son Davey was 6 and now he's 13. Can she find Renee? And as she finds more of the women, is she putting herself more and more in the way of the 'Magic Man' himself?

Highly recommend!

[Eric Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

LaShane Arnett’s follow up to The Pain Eater is arguably superior to the first book in the Sadie Reed series. In this second, much darker installment, we are introduced to an evil child who is known in the magical world as a trickster (Supernatural fans will know what that means). We see his development over the years as he learns who and what he is and how easy it becomes to kill. I wasn’t a huge fan of the animal abuse (although the scenes weren’t graphic), but seeing the evolution of this evil entity was fascinating and so well written. Cut to present time with Sadie and her husband as they try to work with her powers as a pain eater. But she is aware this magic man is coming (he killed her mother after all), and Sadie knows she is going to eventually have to face this monster. This book centered on not only Sadie’s growth but her relationship with her husband and how the people around her support her finding the Magic Man before he gets to her. The story moves along at a good, steady pace, and the character growth from the first book is evident. As was the case in the first book, this one ends with a cliffhanger, so we know there will be at least one more book to the series. For anyone interested in dark paranormal tales, check out the Sadie Reed series!

[Christopher Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second Sadie Reed story, having bought book one and two at the same time I figured it best to read them back to back. LaShane once again takes us into Sadie’s world but this time adding a second POV this time a much darker one. The way the Magic Man is introduced shows his struggle as he slowly adjusts to what he is and as the story progresses, what he will become.
LaShane gives the Magic Man the same depth as Sadie though it is far darker in nature.
The way she changes from one characters POV to the other is done smoothly, never leaving you confused who you are with during that chapter. The way she writes it makes you feel for both characters despite one being evil in nature for sure. Plus throughout this story the life of Adrian and Sadie is still present which brings some light to the dark.
This is book two of a series that will hook you and pull you in for sure. It has good vs evil, romance, action and even struggles that are done in style. Plus the way it ends is done in a way that leaves us hanging on for the 3rd book to see what happens next. Will Sadie overcome the challenges that lay ahead of her or will she fall to evil…

[Lanie Mores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dark sequel to The Pain Eater delves deeper into the paranormal, exploring the contradictory abilities possessed by the two main characters, the protagonist and antagonist, as their stories are told from each of their points of view. It was especially impactful to witness the internal musings of The Magic Man, a malevolent being that thrives on inflicting pain on others, a sociopath in the making. It raises the thought-provoking debate about nature versus nurture, and the possibility of evil incarnate. All the while, the story was delivered in LaShane’s captivating and impeccable writing style. She knows how to add in backstory and character details without slowing down the pace of the story. It all comes together brilliantly, bursting with creepy vibes in the most delicious way. And although tempted to gobble up each page as fast as I could to see what would happen next, I found myself purposely slowing down to savour each bite because I simply didn’t want it to end. Hooray to the author for making a sequel even better than the first. I cannot wait for the next instalment!

[Country Mama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow , can I just say I loved this book! Definitely read the first book about Sadie before this one:) Sadie is a pain eater and she is a rare being. She has Aidan as a boyfriend and their relationship is great. I loved the relationship between the two of them along with the telepathic thing.
I also loved the cover artwork, it was perfectly fitting for the story that LaShane pitches. The Darkness is there in this one folks, as we follow The Magic Man and his journey along with Sadie's journey also! I also love the mention of witches, possession, and many other dark things in this book. It was really my kind of book series, and I am so happy I was able to read this one. I will definitely be reading any other books that the author LaShane comes out with!
As always there are no spoilers with my reviews, READ this book if you love dark books and you will be ever so glad you did!

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I *loved* The Pain Eater, so I couldn't wait to read the sequel. It was absolutely worth the wait. The Magic Man...wow. I don't remember the last time a single character made me feel simultaneously chilled to the bone and sick to my stomach. I don't know how Arnett did it, but she managed to bring a character to life that somehow seems too real while you're relieved he isn't. Sadie and Adrian are back, and are just as wonderful as ever. My heart really went out to Sadie, she's in such an impossible position, yet she remains strong through it all. The story will have your heart racing so fast, you could probably count it as cardio. A gripping, dark thriller, that fans of paranormal fiction and Criminal Minds are sure to enjoy.

[Riss 🫶🏻☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paranormal thrillers are still new to me, but the genre is slowly becoming a favorite. The Magic Man is such an interesting read and the characters are even more fascinating. Sadie is on the lookout for the Magic Man, finding each of his victims that he has tortured. A character like the Magic Man is different and a bit sinister in the way he enjoys hurting others, but I think that was what drew me into reading it. This is not something I would expect to read but I found myself enjoying every moment of this book.

[Sonja Blanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting psychological thriller!

The Magic Man is a deep dive into a dark soul - a raw look at nature vs nurture. Definitely not for the faint of heart. PERFECT for those who love psychological thrillers.

This story – this series - is ENTRANCING. The author spins a web that is at once harsh, fluid, and poetic. Absolutely haunting.

Arnett is a psychological genius.