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Gray Stone Witches #1
Spark of Magic
I can’t go back to the non-magical world. Magic is in my blood even if I’m terrible at it.
Most college students went to parties on a Friday night. I went to the library. But my quiet night gets interrupted when I stumble across a coven of witches. They weren’t expecting me, but my presence can only mean one thing. I’m a witch.
Not only do I have magic, but a few weeks ago I took an entrance exam at a secret magic university where witches become powerfully trained magicians. Since I failed the exam because of my poor magical talent, the university erased my memory. If it weren’t for the coven, I’d never know any of this.
I’m not strong enough to become a magician, but anyone can be a witch—as long as they have a coven to back them. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough spots, and I’ll have to fight my way in. Even worse, I’m up against handsome jerk Zane Casimir who comes from a family of powerful magicians. If I lose my spot, my memory will be erased.
Magic is vicious, cruel, and wonderful. Death and chaos follow all who practice it. I should walk away, especially after a grinning demon starts haunting my dreams, but I can’t. I need magic—even if it breaks me.
Spark of Magic is the first book in the Gray Stone Witches series. It features witches, magicians, fae, and demons. This thrilling urban fantasy has angsty emotion, adventure, and a slow burn romance.
Most college students went to parties on a Friday night. I went to the library. But my quiet night gets interrupted when I stumble across a coven of witches. They weren’t expecting me, but my presence can only mean one thing. I’m a witch.
Not only do I have magic, but a few weeks ago I took an entrance exam at a secret magic university where witches become powerfully trained magicians. Since I failed the exam because of my poor magical talent, the university erased my memory. If it weren’t for the coven, I’d never know any of this.
I’m not strong enough to become a magician, but anyone can be a witch—as long as they have a coven to back them. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough spots, and I’ll have to fight my way in. Even worse, I’m up against handsome jerk Zane Casimir who comes from a family of powerful magicians. If I lose my spot, my memory will be erased.
Magic is vicious, cruel, and wonderful. Death and chaos follow all who practice it. I should walk away, especially after a grinning demon starts haunting my dreams, but I can’t. I need magic—even if it breaks me.
Spark of Magic is the first book in the Gray Stone Witches series. It features witches, magicians, fae, and demons. This thrilling urban fantasy has angsty emotion, adventure, and a slow burn romance.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2023
99 people are currently reading
389 people want to read
About the author
Hailey Gonzales
25 books69 followersHailey Gonzales lives in a small town in California. She adores her dog, Miley, who is the cutest animal in the multiverse. Hailey enjoys writing Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, and occasionally, Contemporary. But most of all, she loves to write about found family.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
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October 5, 2025
I finished this in a few hours, and it wasn’t bad. It’s not like most of the witch books I read but thought this was the perfect season for this. It was kind of weird since they’re supposed to be witches but they all Libro of suck at it? That definitely threw me off - I wasn’t expecting that at all. The story flows just fine. It was just hard to feel like any relationships were established to be sad when something g happened to a character. Like this was a decent book… it was just kind of hollow in details for me
May 16, 2024
I would probably give this a 4.5 but rounded up. Many of the things I didn't enjoy are subjective, but the plot, characters, writing, and tension are great. It is a well crafted story.
In this world magic is dangerous and must remain hidden from mundanes, even learning magic outside of the magician universities could have you wiped out by the council. There are plenty of magical races to meet here and in book 1 we just get a taste of the larger world with brownies, unicorns, demons, and fae (the wicked kind)
This series sets up a slow burn romance subplot, has the starting of a strong found family, morally grey characters, lots of angst, and plenty of action and danger.
This story was well crafted and super easy to read, I really enjoyed the authors take on urban fantasy as well as the pretty nasty magical side of the world. All of the characters in the coven are pretty broken people, trying to find their place in the world that rejected them. As I said in the trope list this story is pretty angsty, which isn’t my thing (though I still enjoyed the book) so if you like high school vibes and outcasts you will probably enjoy it. While Gwen makes some poor choices (in my mind) we do get a bit of an idea of why she is like this and her sucky home life (I hope that book 2 dives more into this as I wanted to see more of this and see grow)
Personal tastes: These are things that I personally don’t like but are obviously subjective to each reader. Angst is obviously the first one - this is the reason I tend to avoid YA these days. I am never a fan of stories were it feels like the MC is a “loser” (her own words) but then every male character seems to have a thing for her. The MC can feel a tad whiney and makes everything about herself (again I think this is just me and YA themes not meshing) The characters make some pretty selfish (I guess morally grey) choices which made them less likeable/relatable in my eyes.
Having said all those things I did enjoy the book and I think that if these are the kinds of things you look for in a story then you will probably enjoy this book too. The plot kept things interesting and there were always new obstacles to tackle and mysteries to uncover, the characters were all unique and interesting, the stakes were clear and the world building was done well to unfold with the story.
In this world magic is dangerous and must remain hidden from mundanes, even learning magic outside of the magician universities could have you wiped out by the council. There are plenty of magical races to meet here and in book 1 we just get a taste of the larger world with brownies, unicorns, demons, and fae (the wicked kind)
This series sets up a slow burn romance subplot, has the starting of a strong found family, morally grey characters, lots of angst, and plenty of action and danger.
This story was well crafted and super easy to read, I really enjoyed the authors take on urban fantasy as well as the pretty nasty magical side of the world. All of the characters in the coven are pretty broken people, trying to find their place in the world that rejected them. As I said in the trope list this story is pretty angsty, which isn’t my thing (though I still enjoyed the book) so if you like high school vibes and outcasts you will probably enjoy it. While Gwen makes some poor choices (in my mind) we do get a bit of an idea of why she is like this and her sucky home life (I hope that book 2 dives more into this as I wanted to see more of this and see grow)
Personal tastes: These are things that I personally don’t like but are obviously subjective to each reader. Angst is obviously the first one - this is the reason I tend to avoid YA these days. I am never a fan of stories were it feels like the MC is a “loser” (her own words) but then every male character seems to have a thing for her. The MC can feel a tad whiney and makes everything about herself (again I think this is just me and YA themes not meshing) The characters make some pretty selfish (I guess morally grey) choices which made them less likeable/relatable in my eyes.
Having said all those things I did enjoy the book and I think that if these are the kinds of things you look for in a story then you will probably enjoy this book too. The plot kept things interesting and there were always new obstacles to tackle and mysteries to uncover, the characters were all unique and interesting, the stakes were clear and the world building was done well to unfold with the story.
September 10, 2023
Magical World with lots of character!
At first I wasn't sure if this was the book for me, as it started with a college student sitting in her dorm while her roommate and friends are getting ready to party. But then a few more pages, and wham! Magic! Mistery! Clashing personalities becoming unlikely allies! It turned into quite a ride with characters like a fairy queen and a demon lord, and everyone has an agenda! That's for sure one of the strengths of this book. Every character feels like they have a fully fleshed out life that they are living. The action was great, the magic system well thought out, and the antagonists were so mean. And i love that there's not just one antagonist. Fun 5 star read!
At first I wasn't sure if this was the book for me, as it started with a college student sitting in her dorm while her roommate and friends are getting ready to party. But then a few more pages, and wham! Magic! Mistery! Clashing personalities becoming unlikely allies! It turned into quite a ride with characters like a fairy queen and a demon lord, and everyone has an agenda! That's for sure one of the strengths of this book. Every character feels like they have a fully fleshed out life that they are living. The action was great, the magic system well thought out, and the antagonists were so mean. And i love that there's not just one antagonist. Fun 5 star read!
August 4, 2024
I really don't know what to say about this one. It was compelling enough to keep me reading, but the entire world and setting was basically a rip off of The Magicians.
You have Magicians who learn magic in their own universities away from humans (and if you take the entrance test and don't get in they take your memories of it away), witches who aren't as strong and just get by with scraps of magic and can become addicted (like the hedge witches in The Magicians), powerful and important Librarians (who are really only mentioned and you don't see in this book), and a ruthless governing council.
There is also a mention of Our Lady Magic (shades of Our Lady Underground right here), and if you use more magic than you can handle you become a Hollow (oh, hey, these sound just like Niffins).
It's just so disappointing to me, because it feels so unoriginal. There's a difference between drawing on commonly used lore and tropes and just blatantly ripping off another fictional world.
You have Magicians who learn magic in their own universities away from humans (and if you take the entrance test and don't get in they take your memories of it away), witches who aren't as strong and just get by with scraps of magic and can become addicted (like the hedge witches in The Magicians), powerful and important Librarians (who are really only mentioned and you don't see in this book), and a ruthless governing council.
There is also a mention of Our Lady Magic (shades of Our Lady Underground right here), and if you use more magic than you can handle you become a Hollow (oh, hey, these sound just like Niffins).
It's just so disappointing to me, because it feels so unoriginal. There's a difference between drawing on commonly used lore and tropes and just blatantly ripping off another fictional world.
October 2, 2025
Great read!
This was a fantastic book filled with characters full of depth. I have really enjoyed the storyline and getting to know the characters better. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
This was a fantastic book filled with characters full of depth. I have really enjoyed the storyline and getting to know the characters better. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
September 8, 2023
📖 ARC Review
Book: Spark of Magic
Author: Hailey Gonzales
Read if you enjoy:
✨️ Single POV
✨️ Found Family
✨️ Witches & Magic
This was a really fun read. The story follows Gwen, who is a bit of an outcast, not really sure where she fits in, and would rather spend her time reading her favourite stories filled with magic. She is a freshman at Merrick University and while at the library one night, finds herself drawn to a door she can’t remember ever having seen before. She meets a group of witches that she shouldn’t have been able to find, which means she herself is a witch as well. The story from here is full of adventure, suspense, and magic. This group that Gwen has stumbled upon seems to have very little in common but come together to overcome challenges with a very found family feel. There is a bit of slow burn romance to top it all off, and I am excited how the story continues in the next book.
Thank you, Hailey, for providing me with an ARC copy of Spark of Magic in exchange for an honest review.
Book: Spark of Magic
Author: Hailey Gonzales
Read if you enjoy:
✨️ Single POV
✨️ Found Family
✨️ Witches & Magic
This was a really fun read. The story follows Gwen, who is a bit of an outcast, not really sure where she fits in, and would rather spend her time reading her favourite stories filled with magic. She is a freshman at Merrick University and while at the library one night, finds herself drawn to a door she can’t remember ever having seen before. She meets a group of witches that she shouldn’t have been able to find, which means she herself is a witch as well. The story from here is full of adventure, suspense, and magic. This group that Gwen has stumbled upon seems to have very little in common but come together to overcome challenges with a very found family feel. There is a bit of slow burn romance to top it all off, and I am excited how the story continues in the next book.
Thank you, Hailey, for providing me with an ARC copy of Spark of Magic in exchange for an honest review.
September 11, 2023
Awesome book! It took me a little while to get into it, but now I'm completely hooked ❤️
Morally grey characters, evil antagonists, magical beings are real, a frightening and delightfully ruthless magic world 🥰🥰✨ but also found family, slow burn romance, fae, unicorns, angst (so much angst, but I totally loved it 🫣).
Main character has weak magic and struggle in this whole new world, but I got to admire her tenacity (or desperation) to pretty much do anything to not have her memories erased and her magic forever undiscovered 💪🏻✨
A got and ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Morally grey characters, evil antagonists, magical beings are real, a frightening and delightfully ruthless magic world 🥰🥰✨ but also found family, slow burn romance, fae, unicorns, angst (so much angst, but I totally loved it 🫣).
Main character has weak magic and struggle in this whole new world, but I got to admire her tenacity (or desperation) to pretty much do anything to not have her memories erased and her magic forever undiscovered 💪🏻✨
A got and ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 10, 2023
This was so good! Gwen is a freshman but feels like an outcast as the rest of her ‘friends’ are out partying and Gwen finds herself at the library where her adventure really begins. It’s a fantastic, magical fantasy read as Gwen discovers a coven of witches and then finds out that she is also a witch. Action, adventure, mystery and suspense this exciting and thrilling read draws you in and makes you want more!
September 20, 2023
DNF, gave good try but it was too YA for for those who are suppose to be in college. Felt more like high school with relaxed rules of having to go to school. The overall story premise is great, but I get characters were under developed, Rachel and Zane are the assholes, Sam is the one who has a crush on Gwen, and Maddie was the most decent one of the bunch…felt like a paranormal breakfast club. With elements of divergent.
January 6, 2024
A fairly decent book
Some annoying grammatical errors and misspellings (like “you’re mother “) but otherwise ease to read. Quite interesting plot and of course the cliffhanger at the end.
Some annoying grammatical errors and misspellings (like “you’re mother “) but otherwise ease to read. Quite interesting plot and of course the cliffhanger at the end.
September 19, 2023
Such a fun engaging book! Super invested in all the characters and their arcs. Can’t wait to read the next one!
August 7, 2024
Got me really invested! Excited to read the next book!
April 26, 2025
Decent story but the characters didn’t grow as much as i would have liked
June 29, 2025
It took a while for me to get into this book. Will be interesting to see where it goes?
September 9, 2025
leave you hanging
It was an interesting story, but I hate when a book stops right in the middle of the action. I probably won’t go to book 2 because of that.
It was an interesting story, but I hate when a book stops right in the middle of the action. I probably won’t go to book 2 because of that.
September 9, 2023
I really enjoyed this story. The characters have a lot of emotions and adventures. There was a lot of talk about paranormals in this story and I can’t wait to see where they all play out on this series. So far demons, fairies and witches are part of this story. Even though every member of the Heretics is different I like how they have each other’s backs. There was a cliffhanger at the end, so I’m curious how the next book with start and finish.
September 4, 2023
I loved the fresh perspective and intriguing storyline. It kept me wondering the whole time. I enjoyed watching the characters grow and work together. I'm glad I was lucky enough to have received an advance copy.
May 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews