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The Magician
Derrick will never be valedictorian or captain of the football team, but he does have a knack for magic. When he's invited to an exclusive, new magic shop, Derrick meets Apollyon, the mysterious owner, who strikes a deal with him.
Suddenly, Derrick can do tricks he never imagined. These tricks awe his peers and, more importantly, draw the attention of his crush and best friend, May. But when his magic starts to go wrong, and May disappears, Derrick faces a terrifying choice.
Can he find out how to reverse the trick and get May back? Or will his loved ones pay the ultimate price for his ambition?
Suddenly, Derrick can do tricks he never imagined. These tricks awe his peers and, more importantly, draw the attention of his crush and best friend, May. But when his magic starts to go wrong, and May disappears, Derrick faces a terrifying choice.
Can he find out how to reverse the trick and get May back? Or will his loved ones pay the ultimate price for his ambition?
194 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published September 8, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 8, 2026
Deeper and more captivating than a mere card trick!
I like how this story involves both supernatural magic and “real world” magic tricks. The supernatural angle makes this story different than most other “Rewind” stories that have come before it.
I appreciate Derrick’s journey in this story. He has pretty low self-esteem/confidence, and it’s great to see him stand up not only for himself—but also for his family and friends—by story’s end. Along the way, he does the very teenagerly thing of trying to escape responsibility/culpability for his actions, but I like him eventually doing the right thing and coming clean when it's most important to do so.
I love how this narrative involves Derrick’s family. Derrick and his brother, Trent, eventually work together to combat the story's evil… Both Mom and Dad have moments where they help their son in their own way. In other words, Derrick’s family members aren’t just mentioned here and there in the story; they are part of the plot themselves.
Also, the prologue is pretty gripping. The final battle, as a whole, is quite fun!
Read THE MAGICIAN, and *poof!* your boredom will disappear!
I like how this story involves both supernatural magic and “real world” magic tricks. The supernatural angle makes this story different than most other “Rewind” stories that have come before it.
I appreciate Derrick’s journey in this story. He has pretty low self-esteem/confidence, and it’s great to see him stand up not only for himself—but also for his family and friends—by story’s end. Along the way, he does the very teenagerly thing of trying to escape responsibility/culpability for his actions, but I like him eventually doing the right thing and coming clean when it's most important to do so.
I love how this narrative involves Derrick’s family. Derrick and his brother, Trent, eventually work together to combat the story's evil… Both Mom and Dad have moments where they help their son in their own way. In other words, Derrick’s family members aren’t just mentioned here and there in the story; they are part of the plot themselves.
Also, the prologue is pretty gripping. The final battle, as a whole, is quite fun!
Read THE MAGICIAN, and *poof!* your boredom will disappear!
September 16, 2026
I absolutely love how vastly different all the Terrorcore Rewind books have been so far, and yet they still feel like they belong under the same umbrella.
The Magician by Vanessa Leonardo, is the fifth book in this anthology series that is a direct homage to the days of Point Horror, Fear Street, and Christopher Pike and from my memory, I can't recall any of those books involving magic or an aspiring magician.
Leonardo grabs us right out of the gate with a jaw dropping prologue that hooks the reader and demands answers. Those answers are slowly revealed as we follow Derrick, an outcast highschooler with an interest in magic and a girl named May... who also happens to be dating his older brother. One day Derrick receives an invite to a new magic shop in town, a shop filled with tricks that don't cost any money whatsoever. Derrick can't believe it, but he soon finds out the true price of "borrowing" tricks and illusions from Apollyon, the mysterious shop owner that seems to get progressively younger with each visit.
What I enjoyed most was this book doesn't follow many of the conventional tropes of the 90s horror books this series is trying to emulate. There is no mysterious stalker hunting down our MC. It isn't bogged down with jealous lovers. It's a relatable story about trying to find yourself and the risks you're willing to take to achieve your ultimate dreams.
The Magician by Vanessa Leonardo, is the fifth book in this anthology series that is a direct homage to the days of Point Horror, Fear Street, and Christopher Pike and from my memory, I can't recall any of those books involving magic or an aspiring magician.
Leonardo grabs us right out of the gate with a jaw dropping prologue that hooks the reader and demands answers. Those answers are slowly revealed as we follow Derrick, an outcast highschooler with an interest in magic and a girl named May... who also happens to be dating his older brother. One day Derrick receives an invite to a new magic shop in town, a shop filled with tricks that don't cost any money whatsoever. Derrick can't believe it, but he soon finds out the true price of "borrowing" tricks and illusions from Apollyon, the mysterious shop owner that seems to get progressively younger with each visit.
What I enjoyed most was this book doesn't follow many of the conventional tropes of the 90s horror books this series is trying to emulate. There is no mysterious stalker hunting down our MC. It isn't bogged down with jealous lovers. It's a relatable story about trying to find yourself and the risks you're willing to take to achieve your ultimate dreams.
September 28, 2026
It’s the fifth book out of the magic hat for Terrorcore's Rewind series, and The Magician did not disappoint!
Derrick is having a tough time at school. He’ll never be football captain, his crush May is dating his brother, and his favourite hobby, magic, keeps going wrong. But when Derrick receives a shiny invitation in his locker to a new magic shop in town, things start looking up. And better still – everything is free. Well, free for now. The mysterious owner, Apollo mutters about making ‘sacrifices’ for art but Derrick is too distracted by the shop’s amazing offerings to pay much attention.
Much to Derrick's delight, his magic tricks are suddenly impressive. He dazzles at cards, he wows with the old bunny-in-the-hat trick. And so, Derrick decides to move on to bigger, fancier tricks, where his downfall begins…
I loved this so much I gobbled it up in one sitting. Derrick is a likeable and relatable character, and I loved how his real world and the supernatural one started bleeding into each other. The Magician is fast-paced, suitably spooky and has a heart-warming story at its centre, which I always love in a horror novel.
A fun mix of mystery, magic and horror, with another stunning Rewind cover design. I'm loving collecting these books so much and can't wait for the next one!
Derrick is having a tough time at school. He’ll never be football captain, his crush May is dating his brother, and his favourite hobby, magic, keeps going wrong. But when Derrick receives a shiny invitation in his locker to a new magic shop in town, things start looking up. And better still – everything is free. Well, free for now. The mysterious owner, Apollo mutters about making ‘sacrifices’ for art but Derrick is too distracted by the shop’s amazing offerings to pay much attention.
Much to Derrick's delight, his magic tricks are suddenly impressive. He dazzles at cards, he wows with the old bunny-in-the-hat trick. And so, Derrick decides to move on to bigger, fancier tricks, where his downfall begins…
I loved this so much I gobbled it up in one sitting. Derrick is a likeable and relatable character, and I loved how his real world and the supernatural one started bleeding into each other. The Magician is fast-paced, suitably spooky and has a heart-warming story at its centre, which I always love in a horror novel.
A fun mix of mystery, magic and horror, with another stunning Rewind cover design. I'm loving collecting these books so much and can't wait for the next one!
October 6, 2026
Duran Duran, an old Mustang, and the Satanic Panic. Nothing screams 80's more than these and The Magician by Vanessa Leonardo takes us on a magical and suspenseful tale set in the decade. Derrick is a high schooler everyman that is just, well... painfully normal, that is, aside from his interest in magic. When a new magic shop appears in town just as he might give up the hobby, Derrick is reeled back in with an enticing offer: Free magic supplies in exchange for just a sacrifice here and there.
I haven't read YA Horror in so so long, but this immediately brought back amazing nostalgia vibes from middle school, checking out Goosebumps books from my school library. Derrick's story has a great pace, and the snowball of catastrophe builds into an amazing climax which I won't spoil but ties in what is such an amazing prologue. And even though this is aimed at younger readers, I was surprised with the way artistry and sacrifice is explored here. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for Leonardo's next project!
I haven't read YA Horror in so so long, but this immediately brought back amazing nostalgia vibes from middle school, checking out Goosebumps books from my school library. Derrick's story has a great pace, and the snowball of catastrophe builds into an amazing climax which I won't spoil but ties in what is such an amazing prologue. And even though this is aimed at younger readers, I was surprised with the way artistry and sacrifice is explored here. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for Leonardo's next project!
Review of advance copy
I really enjoyed this one .
It had really dark elements .
The start really drew me in .
Parts were slow and near the end I didn't expect a part that happened.
It was like bad hare day for an older audience.
It had really dark elements .
The start really drew me in .
Parts were slow and near the end I didn't expect a part that happened.
It was like bad hare day for an older audience.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews