A review by km_allan
The Butterfly Stone by Laurie Bell

5.0

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.