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Stones of Power #1
The Butterfly Stone
"DON'T LET THE SHADOW TOUCH YOU."
Beware! Something is after Tracey Masters, a Mage-kind teen in a mostly non-magical world--a world where people like Tracey are often feared, and oppressed. Add to this stress a crazy family life, the schizo pressures of school, friends, and bullies, and working a boring job as an assistant at her uncle's detective agency for magical types, and life is not just hard, it's chaos! That is, until a mysterious woman walks through the door with a case about a missing necklace known as the Butterfly Stone.
The case seems to be the big break Tracey is looking for to prove herself, and her abilities as Mage-kind. But she unexpectedly finds herself dangerously connected to it when the evidence takes a turn that reveals secrets from Tracey's past, and places her friends and family in mortal danger.
She also discovers that she's being hunted by a shadow that senses her magic is the key to unlocking the power it's after.
The magic within the Butterfly Stone is too powerful to be contained, but if Tracey doesn't learn how to control it, and escape the threat of the shadow that surrounds it, she could lose everything and everyone she cares about ... beginning with her younger sister, Sarah.
Laurie Bell's first young adult novel is fresh, fast-paced, and fun. It's filled with what makes life interesting, hard, and yet, worth living. You'll believe in magic again, but you'll also remember that the magic of family and friendship is where life is best lived.
"Tracey Masters is the next teen protagonist to get behind! Her adventure is a suspenseful look at growing up and excelling in a world where people like her are feared, controlled, and sometimes hated because they are Mage-kind."
Lauren Lynne, author of The Recalcitrant Project
"Charming, snappy, and addictive. There's a lot of heart here. You'll immediately be asking for the next book!"
D.C. McGannon, best-selling author of the Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters series
Beware! Something is after Tracey Masters, a Mage-kind teen in a mostly non-magical world--a world where people like Tracey are often feared, and oppressed. Add to this stress a crazy family life, the schizo pressures of school, friends, and bullies, and working a boring job as an assistant at her uncle's detective agency for magical types, and life is not just hard, it's chaos! That is, until a mysterious woman walks through the door with a case about a missing necklace known as the Butterfly Stone.
The case seems to be the big break Tracey is looking for to prove herself, and her abilities as Mage-kind. But she unexpectedly finds herself dangerously connected to it when the evidence takes a turn that reveals secrets from Tracey's past, and places her friends and family in mortal danger.
She also discovers that she's being hunted by a shadow that senses her magic is the key to unlocking the power it's after.
The magic within the Butterfly Stone is too powerful to be contained, but if Tracey doesn't learn how to control it, and escape the threat of the shadow that surrounds it, she could lose everything and everyone she cares about ... beginning with her younger sister, Sarah.
Laurie Bell's first young adult novel is fresh, fast-paced, and fun. It's filled with what makes life interesting, hard, and yet, worth living. You'll believe in magic again, but you'll also remember that the magic of family and friendship is where life is best lived.
"Tracey Masters is the next teen protagonist to get behind! Her adventure is a suspenseful look at growing up and excelling in a world where people like her are feared, controlled, and sometimes hated because they are Mage-kind."
Lauren Lynne, author of The Recalcitrant Project
"Charming, snappy, and addictive. There's a lot of heart here. You'll immediately be asking for the next book!"
D.C. McGannon, best-selling author of the Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters series
408 pages, Paperback
Published April 17, 2018
3 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Bell
8 books29 followersLaurie Bell is the author of The Stones of Power series, White Fire, Boss from Hell, Blood Fever and a unique anthology The Good, the Bad and the Undecided.
She is a lover of fantasy and science fiction of all kinds and is often found in coffee shops or on trains writing madly in one of many notebooks.
Oh and she loves chocolate and coffee!
Laurie maintains an active blog of science fiction, fantasy, and flash fiction pieces. at www.solothefirst.wordpress.com
She is a lover of fantasy and science fiction of all kinds and is often found in coffee shops or on trains writing madly in one of many notebooks.
Oh and she loves chocolate and coffee!
Laurie maintains an active blog of science fiction, fantasy, and flash fiction pieces. at www.solothefirst.wordpress.com
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 26, 2018
The Butterfly Stone – Laurie Bell
Tracey Master is like any other 15-year-old, she worries about her school work, has teenage crushes on boys and a supporting group of friends. She works part-time in the office of her Uncle Donald (Donny), a Private Investigator. The administration is boring, and she craves the excitement of being involved in a real live detective case. The opportunity arises when Miss Tearning hires the services of Uncle Donny to trace a piece of missing jewellery. The recovery of the necklace, the Butterfly Stone pendant seemed an easy task and Miss Tearning’s ex-lover is tricked into handing over the necklace. However, Miss Tearning goes missing and Tracey is left with the item, which attracts an unsavoury group of thieves; the Shadowman and a Red Masked magician.
This all seems like a straight forward criminal investigation, however Tracey and her family, including Uncle Donny, are not Normal – they have magical powers (Mage). They battle with their adversaries who have magical powers and are on an evil quest to own the Stone.
Tracey, her friends and Uncle Donny are drawn deeper into the mystery of the stone and each step towards understanding its powers becomes fraught with dangerous consequences. The seriousness of the situation involves the police and Agents from the M-Force to unravel the case and to stop the Shadowman from his plans.
The search to understand the significance of the necklace leads to Tracey’s ancestral history and links her directly with the power of the stone, the power the Shadowman wants to own. This puts Tracey in mortal danger and her craving for excitement becomes overwhelming full of conflict and unsurmountable challenges.
I found this a fast-paced novel, almost a race to uncover the mystery that incrementally adds more intrigue as well as danger for the Mage. The need of having to attend school in between the investigations, I thought added the right mixture of teenage secrecy verses adult concern and control. Later, as the whole complexity of the situation emerges the adults do become threatened by the consequences of Tracey’s actions.
I enjoyed this YA novel and its style of internal quips from Tracey and text messaging between her friends as it captures the inflated confidence of many young teenagers.
For those who enjoy YA novels with a teenage girl as the heroine, I would recommend this as an enjoyable and exciting read.
April 22, 2018
A fantasy and a detective novel rolled in to one. An easy and addictive read. Love the flow and build up. You are slowly sucked in so that by the end you really want more. Can’t wait for the second novel!
December 12, 2020
This is the first book I've read by Laurie Bell and it won't be the last. She's built such a wonderful world in this series and it was so fun to visit it. Tracey Masters is a mage who works after school for her uncle in his detective agency. She wants nothing more than to join him on a case, but when Tracey gets her wish, it turns her world upside and puts herself and everyone she loves in danger. This book is set in modern times, which I really loved as it adds an interesting layer of magic and technology, and there's also the underlying tension of people with magic versus the "norms" who treat them differently. Magic is controlled in this world, with children trained and monitored when they come into their power. Tracey isn't the only mage, with members of her family and one of her friends at school also magical. Tracey and her friends are a highlight of the book as they band together to help her when she finds The Butterfly Stone working her uncle's case and is put in the sights of a mysterious masked man who will stop at nothing to get it. There's an action-packed climax, reveals galore, and plenty of questions leading into the next book and the rest of the series. Definitely recommended for fans of fantasy.
September 26, 2018
Laurie Bell’s The Butterfly Stone hits all the right notes and is a stellar read. From beginning to end Bell creates an intricate plot intertwined with magic, deadly missions, teenagers, family and friends. The main character Tracey is a regular teenage girl with the added benefit and sometimes curse of being magic. While navigating the daily battle of High School bullies, misunderstandings and crushes, Tracey works as an assistant Private Investor to her Uncle. During the course of her part time job, Tracey comes in contact with a necklace which may contain a fabled Butterfly Stone. From the moment she touches it, her world is forever altered. A dark presences returns from the past and it’s after Tracey. The grave and powerful presence forces Tracey to look deep within herself to save all she loves.
The Butterfly Stone is fast paced, easy reading and hard to put down. Bell’s debut novel is gripping from beginning to end and is an excellent way to begin a compelling series. I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment.
The Butterfly Stone is fast paced, easy reading and hard to put down. Bell’s debut novel is gripping from beginning to end and is an excellent way to begin a compelling series. I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment.
May 5, 2018
I have to admit young adult isn’t my typical type of book. But something about “The Butterfly Stone” by Laurie Bell, caught my eye and I’m so glad it did. What an exciting book! After just a couple pages I decided I had to but down my non-fiction book that I was reading and finish this one first. The characters are interesting and the story line well written. You immediately get sucked into Tracey’s world. A place where some people are born magical and the history of Mag-kind is almost forgotten except in the dreams of Tracey's ancestors. Within Tracey’s group of friends, Norms and Mage-kind learn to trust in each other and the save world in the process. Laurie’s ability to weave all the characters throughout that story is amazing. You never really know who is working for whom and why! I couldn’t put the book down and now I can’t wait for the next 2 books Laurie has coming out! What a talented author. I’m going to keep and eye on her. I think she has many more GREAT stories to tell!
April 22, 2018
To possess magical powers and not be able to use it can feel like imprisonment for Mage-kind, Tracey Masters. In the Butterfly Stone, author Laurie Bell, does a wonderful job illustrating the chaotic life of a teenager and the desire to want more despite the restrictions placed upon the gifted by the un-gifted. The story shows how Tracey finds the courage to protect the Butterfly Stone as it’s connected to her. Not only that, she discovers that a shadow senses her powers and threatens her life and those around her. Sometimes, the most powerful magic is the one found inside all of us: the heart. This story is filled with so much heart, and I highly recommend it. A must read!
July 29, 2018
It’s rare to find a book that appeals equally to younger and older readers! The Butterfly Stone is engaging, thrilling and has enough quips to endear you to its heroine, Tracey Masters. Laurie Bell’s debut novel sits comfortably between Harry Potter and Skulduggery Pleasant. It left me and all those I’ve recommended it to waiting impatiently for the next novel!
January 5, 2019
What a great read! Lots of fun. Great messages. Was recommended this book by friends and it did not disappoint. And now have passed on the recommendation to others. Plenty of great action, suspense and mystery. A book for the whole family. Cant wait for Book 2!
April 18, 2018
Quite enjoyed it! Can't wsit for t he next installment!!!
April 24, 2018
A fun and addictive Young Adult novel that follows the aspiring detective, Mage-kind Tracey Masters. I can’t wait for the next instalment.
April 11, 2025
YA mystery and magical realism at its best. With great world building and compelling action, Bell throws her characters into a complex and layered plot which has you turning pages as rapidly as you can read.
Plus the story is peppered with threads of teenage angst, school bullying, family tensions and the control of the magical minority. All of these challenging concepts delivered via the interactions of the young protagonist Tracey Masters and her friends. This is clever writing as it never loses the tone of an entertaining and exciting YA mystery with twists, turns, reveals and villains galore.
Love the magic system and the struggles and successes of Tracey and her friends finding their way through.
A great read. Now on to Book 2!
Plus the story is peppered with threads of teenage angst, school bullying, family tensions and the control of the magical minority. All of these challenging concepts delivered via the interactions of the young protagonist Tracey Masters and her friends. This is clever writing as it never loses the tone of an entertaining and exciting YA mystery with twists, turns, reveals and villains galore.
Love the magic system and the struggles and successes of Tracey and her friends finding their way through.
A great read. Now on to Book 2!
September 5, 2021
My 9 year old daughter absolutely loved this book. She couldn't put it down, highly recommend!
June 23, 2020
Very well written and very immersive. I liked the realism of the characters as well as the strong storyline.
July 10, 2018
How frustrating it must be to live in a world of magic as a Mage-kind and not be able to use your gift. In The Butterfly Stone, Laurie Bell shows us what it’s like to be a teen, figuring out who you are, wanting to be normal, and knowing you’re more. Tracey Masters wants adventure, but when it comes knocking will she have the courage to follow it? Her once cushy summer job working at her uncle’s detective agency takes an unexpected turn and now Tracey must figure out how to use her gift without being discovered by the local authorities. Things get scary when she discovers a strange shadow is after her. Is it drawn to The Butterfly Stone that Tracey is trying to keep hidden or to Tracey herself? I, for one, am very much looking forward to book two!
Currently reading
July 23, 2018Tracey Masters seems like an ordinary teenage girl. Her days are spent in typical high school fashion, with tiresome teachers, quibbling siblings, and cliquish classmates. But. Tracey can perform magic. She lives in a world divided into regular people—Norms—and magic people—Mage-kind. Norms predominate and magic is strictly controlled, so Tracey can’t always use her innate abilities, even when they might be advantageous.
After school, Tracey works for her bumbling Uncle Donny, a private detective, making sure he takes out the trash and opens the windows, but also giving him subtle bumps of magic to augment his own. Then one case, which seems to be a simple problem of a missing necklace, escalates into an epic battle that involves the normal police, the magic enforcers, a prince who is also a movie star, a soul-chilling villain, and Tracey and her friends.
Laurie Bell has created a convincing magical world with its own rules and logic, its own history and symbolism. Her debut novel is a suspenseful page-turner, but, at heart, it’s a story about friends and family, about the bonds between Tracey and those who care about her—bonds that can slacken but never break.
After school, Tracey works for her bumbling Uncle Donny, a private detective, making sure he takes out the trash and opens the windows, but also giving him subtle bumps of magic to augment his own. Then one case, which seems to be a simple problem of a missing necklace, escalates into an epic battle that involves the normal police, the magic enforcers, a prince who is also a movie star, a soul-chilling villain, and Tracey and her friends.
Laurie Bell has created a convincing magical world with its own rules and logic, its own history and symbolism. Her debut novel is a suspenseful page-turner, but, at heart, it’s a story about friends and family, about the bonds between Tracey and those who care about her—bonds that can slacken but never break.
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September 17, 2018This book is an entry in the 2018 Aurealis Awards, for which I am a judge. Any review will be withheld until the results of the awards are announced.
August 9, 2022
In this book there was a lot of mystery and I absolutely loved it. The magic, adventure and mystery was spectacular.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews