Flecks of Gold

by Alicia Buck

Mary Margaret is not the type of girl to fall in love—especially after seeing what a string of bad relationships has done to her mother. That's why it's so weird when Mary finds herself strangely attracted to Kelson, a guy at her new school. It's almost . . . unnatural. What she doesn't know is that she's been put under a spell. And when Kelson kidnaps Mary's mother and takes her to his home world, Mary will have to rescue her by relying on something she never knew existed—magic.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Magic, Adventure, Supernatural, Paranormal Romance

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2010

About the author

I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on a cold November day and have hated the cold ever since. Luckily, I live in St. George now with my husband, Jason, and my three children, Connor, Riley and Elizabeth. I wanted to be a writer ever since fourth grade. At that time, I felt sure my stories were creative masterpieces. When I was older, I reread my flashes of brilliance only to realize that they were nothing of the sort, but that didn't smash my desire to keep writing. I received my bachelors degree from BYU in English and had to constantly defend my major when I had absolutely no desire to teach. Who said English majors all had to be teachers?

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really fun going into another world with Mary. I loved the brain lacing / altering reality idea. I have thought about that a lot since reading the book. It would be awesome if such a thing could be learned. I enjoyed the adventures she had with Breeohan. He was such a nice guy, so sweet. I was as intrigued as Mary was in her desire to find out about her genealogy - the link to this other world. The writing was good. I kind of wished the story wouldn't have ended. There weren't any scenes or swear words that a mature 8-10 yr. old couldn't read, even though I think it was written for 14 and up.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty great. I didn't have high expectations so I was very happily surprised at how much I liked it. Sure, it was in need of another go around with an editor (at least the copy I have...)but those parts were easy to overlook because the story was incredibly engaging.

I loved the characters, the plot, the magic, and how clean it was (no swear words or sexuality whatsoever).

I won this book from Goodread (from free!) and have to say it is my favorite first-reads book so far. It'll be a hard one to top.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hated the writting style of this book. It was poorly written, needed to be redone, or more thought through. But the idea was amazing. The story line was the only thing that kept me going, once i could get passed the writting. Once the story line had me I was a goner, had to stay up till 1:30 in the morining to finish it. Then ending had me sitting on the edge of my chair, and when it ended it left me wanting more. I just wish that it had been written better.

[Molly Gould · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. At the beginning of the story, I was relieved that the main character, Mary, was not cookie-cutter perfect. I liked that she said dumb things and made dumb mistakes.

However, Mary became infuriating to me. Her sarcasm was so thick to the point of rudeness, she lacked any and all communication skills, she whined constantly, and she never ceased to do dumb things. Furthermore, I can't stand heroines who have the attitude of "I don't need any help, I can handle it myself" (so many conflicts would have been avoided if she had ditched this kind of attitude). And I am sick of heroines in novels always "saving the day" and the men in their lives bowing down to them while they reign superior in the end, as was the case in this book.

As far as the plot goes, it was just ok. There was nothing very interesting or exciting about this book that sets it apart from others. The execution was very poor. And I'm not a big fan of the idea that any conflict or problem can be solved with the use of magic.

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book mostly because it was written by an old friend from high school, and I was happy for her to have published a novel, and curious what it contained. It's a fantasy novel and I would classify it as clean teen lit. I liked how magic works in her world, with magic being formed out of patterns of light that are innate in all things and magicians learn through careful study how to tweak these patterns to create their desired effects. Mary, our heroine, is a nice, seemingly normal Earth girl who is suddenly thrust into this world and forced to make her way in it against the machinations of an evil sorcerer, a politically treacherous royal court, lack of modern technology and dealing with boys.

I liked this book. I thought Mary was smart and believable, and the supporting characters were well written as well. The story drew me in and I heartily rooted for the good guys to win by the end. A fun, light read.

[Danica is Booked · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a boy named Kelson kidnpas Mary's mom, Mary attempts to follow after and is transported into a magical world vastly different from anything she's ever known.

Surrounded by plots to sieze the throne and attempts on her life, Mary must defy her better judgements and trust Breeohan and the Kingto find her mother.

But as the truth leaks out, Mary may be in greater danger than she realizes.

Alicia Buck's idea of everything having a pattern that can be manipulated through magic was an intriguing idea. Flecks of Gold is a cute read and I look forward to readingmore by this author.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The story line was intriguing and hard to predict. I LOVE the concept of the magic of the lacings of the "flecks of Gold". It is very creative, and it made total sense at the same time. The character development and resolution was satisfying. It is open-ended for a possible sequel. And, of course, I always love a good romance. :) Well done, Alicia!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved every minute of this book! I have read a lot and no book lately I have read I could 100% recommend for various reasons, but this one I can and will!

Unique and intriguing story line, loved the characters and imagination, she could make a sequel and I really truly hope she does! :)

Thanks Alicia, keep them coming!

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super darling fantasy/adventure/romance. Exciting characters in a new and fabulous world. I loved all of the relationships throughout and thought the colored flecks were fascinating. Cute romance and I am keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel!

[McKenzie Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it it was the best but on the title it says a novel and there is only one book is Alicia buck righting a new one?? And I was surprised about rafan but it was a little obvious. I livid the brains lacing and it was confusing on who was her father at the end.

[Shara Ogilvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so great! The plot is unpredictable, the character were interesting. I loved it! Well written. I recommend it to young adult readers and adults alike.

[Teri Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow i just got sucked in to this book and i loved mary she was my favorite character out of the whole book.

[Tom Ricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Flecks of Gold! The plot was original and reading it was as vivid as if I were watching a movie. I am ready for the sequel!

[Mbilmey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I actually enjoyed this, we're starting with the bad: The beginning is just like ?????? It starts out with her mom in an abusive relationship, which is just a really random plot device not well addressed, which I feel like people do a lot in books and...I guess it just strikes me weird, idk. It's made worse by the MC almost following her mom's footsteps. So basically, the beginning is really weird an incongruent with the rest of the story.

Then, you get into the magic world of the book, and I was surprised. I started liking the character more, and the idea of lacing as magic actually really intrigued me. The world building is lively and interesting. I thought it was a well-crafted concept, and the pacing of the book is pretty good as the character learns to fit into a new world (though she's maybe a bit of a Mary Sue). The love interest is also adorable, and I liked the final face-down scene with the villain.

So, I mean, it's cheesy, it's awkward, uses a ton of tropes, and a little convenient or obvious. It also definitely could have benefited from more professional editors (content and copy...so many typos, bless their souls.) But I had some fun reading it and would recommend to anyone who wants a slightly different fantasy/romance reminiscent of The Blue Sword or Crown Duel and doesn't worry too much about writing quality. Just...skip the beginning or something.

[Stephanie Bogard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed magical world; full of mystery.

The beginning of this book is a little jarring because Mary is under an enchantment. But, once she comes to her senses she’s a force to contend with and needs every bit of strength she has. She is skeptical and jaded, which puts her real love interest at a distance; but she eventually comes to grips with herself at a moment of utmost importance. There’s a lot of mystery and very interesting magic in this book and it would probably be rated PG or PG-13 if it were a film due to references of violence and suicide; but the actual romance is very tame. I was engaged the entire book and only stopped reading here and there to rest since I’m sick. I highly recommend!

[Lisa Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Margaret is a high school senior who is starting out at a new school after she and her mother had to escape her mom's abusive boyfriend. At her new school, she meets Keslon, a handsome boy who just seems to pull Mary to him with some otherworldly force, but when it turns out that he is up to no good, things take a turn toward the unbelievable. It turns out that Kelson really is from another world and is trying to get to Mary. In the struggle, Kelson kidnaps Mary's mom, and Mary finds herself finds lost, alone, and in a world she never knew existed.

I really enjoyed this story - clean, fun adventure, and compared to a lot of other teen books in this genre, it was unique.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love fantasy, but I'm not normally a fan of the whole modern girl either time traveling or jumping worlds...and that's exactly what this book is (I don't think that's a spoiler as I'm pretty sure that's in the description). Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this book as much as I did. Was it predictable? Probably. But it was a fun read and it left me with a smile on my face.

[Torie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this one down! Loved the concept, loved the writing...left me wanting more ....

[Shay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really can't remember a thing from this book. I read it many years ago.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I was hooked and I couldn't put it down.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked some of her ideas but this book was sooo boring.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give a 3.5-4.0 Stars. Overall I liked the story line. It has everything I like in a book, adventure, girl meets boy, secrets and the twist---magic. I loved Mary's strong, sarcastic, but loving character. I did feel the plot was easy to figure out, it didn't really keep me guessing once you connected the first couple dilemma’s Mary was in and the rest where easy to figure out. There were several typo's & repeat sentences in the book, which bothered me for whatever reason. At times I felt there was too much detail that then confused me and at other times I felt there wasn't enough detail. About a third of the way in I figured out the parts that confused me and then I didn't mind the overage of details. But with that said I did enjoy the book.
From that back cover: Mary Margaret is not the type of girl to fall in love, especially after seeing what a string of bad relationships has done to her mother. That's why it's so weird when Mary finds herself strangely attracted to Kelson, a guy at her new school. It's almost . . . unnatural. What she doesn't know is that she's been put under a spell. And when Kelson kidnaps Mary's mother and takes her to his home world, Mary will have to rescue her by relying on something she never knew existed, magic. Flecks of Gold is an enchanting blend of fantasy, action, and even a little romance. Get lost in this world where magic is commonplace and danger lurks where you least suspect it.
My Summary: Mary has always stayed in the shadows, with one thing standing out her gold eyes. Her dad left before he knew her mom was pregnant. As long as Mary can remember she has always been more like the adult and took care of her mom. Mary doesn't mind and she has a great relationship with her mother. Mary has always seen 'flecks of gold' on the outside of her vision but never understood what it was until Kelson kidnapped her mother. Mary follows Kelson to another world to find her mother. She finds out that this world has magic there. Also that the color of one’s eyes, is a way of telling/showing your status (King/Queen, Noble, etc.) There is a language barrier Mary runs into, as well as this new world is nothing like earth. There are no cars, TV’s, radios, nothing that is technology related. Books are rare but there is the magic. Mary learns to use the magic quickly with the help of others. She is a fast learner and has rare magically powers. She surprises everyone she meets since she should not have any magic at all let alone the rare magical powers she posses. Mary has a long trip ahead of her to get her mother back and discover who she really is and meant to be.
I believe this is the authors’ first published book and look forward to reading more from her in the future as she grows her writing.

[Ryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book that should have a second.

[Annie ~ Queer Books Unbound · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flecks of Gold.. *sigh*
Ich weiß gar nicht wo ich genau anfangen soll. Der Anfang des Buches wirkt erst einmal sehr komisch. Oder zumindest für mich. Aber wenn man dann mal die ersten 20-30 Seiten gelesen hat macht es irgendwie Sinn genau dort einzusteigen.
Im Buch geht es um Mary und ihre Mutter, die einfach kein Glück mit den Männern haben will. Deswegen müssen die beiden auch umziehen nachdem der letzte Freund gewaltätig wurde.
Eigentlich ist Mary, aufgrund der Exfreunde ihrer Mutter, sehr vorsichtig was Menschen, besonders Jungs, angeht. Trotzdem kann sie Kelson irgendwie nicht widerstehen. Jedes Mal, wenn sie in seiner Nähe ist kann sie einfach nicht anders, als sich wie ein verliebtes Mädchen zu verhalten. Schnell wird klar, dass Kelson nicht derjenige ist, der er zu sein scheint.
Und da kommt dann auch die Magie ins Spiel. Den Mary hat magische Fähigkeiten.
Nachdem Kelson versucht Mary zu überreden ihm ihren Willen zu geben und sie ablehnt entführt er kurzerhand ihre Mutter.
Mary folgt ihm und landet an einem Fremden Ort. Zu ihrem entsetzen scheint keiner von den USA oder den uns bekannten Ländern je gehört zu haben.
Es beginnt eine spannende Reise mit einigen Wendungen, die man nicht gesehen hat.
Dazu kommen dann Breeohan und Rafan. Ich muss sagen, die Charakter in dem Buch waren alle auf ihre Art sehr interessant. Ich fand es spannend mehr rauszufinden und tiefer in die Geschichte abzutauchen.
Und vom Ende war ich doch überrascht. Ich hatte das Gefühl: "Jetzt weißt du was passiert", und dann kam es doch ganz anders.
Ein wirklich tolles Buch. Obwohl ich am Anfang dachte, dass es zu kurz sei mit "nur" 280 Seiten. Aber das passt genau. Es ist nicht zu kurz, dass man sich denkt, "Na 100 Seiten hätten da noch gefehlt". Und zu lang ist es auch nicht. =)
Ist auf jeden Fall kein "Zauberer-Buch" wie man es zum Beispiel von Harry Potter kennt. Kein Abrakadabra oder Simsalabim.

[Miri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary hat kein leichtes Leben, sie ist eine Außenseiterin und ihre Mutter hüpft von einem Bett ins nächste. Bis Mary plötzlich selbst einem Jungen verfällt, doch etwas ist komisch. Und ehe sie sich versieht, hat Kelson ihre Mutter entführt und ohne lange nachzudenken, folgt sie ihm. Mithilfe von Magie in die ferne Welt Iberloah. Auf ihrem Weg zum König, von dem sie sich Hilfe erhofft, trifft sie Breeohan und seinen Freund Rafan, die anbieten, sie zu begleiten. Auf ihrem langen Weg lehrt Breeohan sie, wie die Lacing-Magie funktioniert und gleichzeitig, wie gefährlich sie ist. Im Schloss angekommen, gibt sie sich als Prinzessin aus, doch der König kommt schnell dahinter und spricht mit ihr. Vor langer Zeit war er selbst auf der Erde gewesen, aber das Lacing, um durch Welten zu reisen, ist verschollen. Kelteon, der Verräter, hat es gestohlen. Mary erfährt, dass ihre Mutter bei eben diesem Magier ist und macht sich zusammen mit Rafan und Breeohan auf die Suche, die alles andere als ungefährlich und einfach ist. Und ständig versucht sie Rafan klarzumachen, dass sie nicht an einer Beziehung interessiert ist - zumindest nicht mit ihm. Ein gewaltiger Showdown mit vielen Überraschungen und Wendungen und einem schönen Ende.

Wunderschön geschrieben, die Welt Iberloah ist toll erzählt, die Lacing-Magie fasziniert und ist mal etwas ganz anderes. Die Magier erkennen die Struktur einer jeden Sache, verändern einen Strang und erzielen so den gewünschten Effekt. Sandstürme, Chameleonkröper, Geckofüße, Licht... Die Grenzen sind so weit wie die der Fantasie. Die Liebesgeschichte kommt für meinen Geschmack viel zu spät erst richtig ins Rollen, die beiden lassen sich mit dem Kuss Zeit bis zur letzten Seite. Aber vielleicht kommt ja noch ein zweiter Teil? Bei der Geschichte würde ich es mir wünschen und das will schon was heißen.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite a surprise.
At the beginning, I just thought: O no, please not another bad Urban Fantasy book, but as soon as Mary tried the lacing after Kelson and found herself in the middle of nowhere, it got quite interesting.
Okay, some parts of the story were quite foreseeable, but at other parts it surprised me.










!!!!!!! SPOILER!!!!!!! DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW!!!!!!!
The ending was a bit disappointing for me. I mean,half of the book, Mary expresses her discomfort with the new world, but when it's clear that they can't go back she isn't a bit depressed, only: "Well, let's stay here, Mom?!" I liked Mary (despite her Name... The combination Mary Margaret is not a nice alliteration in my opinion), but this let me doubt my opinion about her. Also, she accepted the fact that she is a princess a bit too fast and easy.
I would really like to know more about some characters, Sogran for example- why did he never marry? Has he also a lost love on earth? And I would like to see how Avana and Mary deal with their conflict... But I'm not sure if a sequel would be too good to this book. It is for a stand-alone quite amazing. but I sequel would maybe destroy it because almost everything that could be said is said in it. Leteon will need years to come back after his magic was destroyed....
!!!!!!! SPOILER-END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!








This book gets 3,5 stars from me, I liked it, but the beginning and the end werenot so great in my opninion.

[Andressa · Rating 3 out of 5]

To get away from her mom's most recent bad boyfriend, Mary Margaret and her mom move to Arizona. Within only a few days though, Mary is confronted with a strange boy who actually has come from another world to take her away. When Mary refuses to go, he instead takes her mother and disappears. Mary uses her recently discovered magic abilities to follow into an entirely different world. Here she must confront the challenge of a new culture while trying to fit in and find her mom. But she never dreamed that these two worlds would collide and combine in an entirely magical and exciting way.

If you want a deep, meaningful book, don't pick this one up and expect it to be so. At first, I was not terribly impressed; the writing style seemed unoriginal, the main character was irksome, and the story seemed lacking, albeit the concept of composition magic was pretty inventive. But as I continued reading, I suddenly found myself falling into this world and getting lost in the magic of another place. The story develops wonderfully and the idea of lacing magic is truly creative and intriguing. Although the main character never did grow on me all the way, the excitement of the story and the wonderful intrigue of this invented culture were enough to keep me interested. This book is truly an enjoyable read, something I don't often find.

[Amberle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was refreshingly new. It reminded me of Robin Mckinley's The Blue Sword but was different enough and unique enough not to feel like I was rereading the same story. More like a cousin story. Buck's main character is very genuine feeling and realistically exasperating.

The last chapter had some fairly blatant editing mistakes that, had they been present throughout the whole book would have been frustrating but since they were all concentrated at the end I was able to look past it.

Overall it was a charming read and I would recommend it to lovers of author's like Robin McKinley and Jessica Day George

[Joy Spraycar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book started out a bit slow and followed at a languishing pace, I still enjoyed it. I normally don't finish one if it doesn't grab me right away, but I sat next to Alicia at a book signing and wanted to give her a review. It's about a girl who lives in this world, but when her mother is kidnapped, she follows by using some magic she witnessed. Sad thing is she gets it wrong.

She meets someone in the new world who gives her direction and shows her a bit about the magic that she has in her already. While traveling she meets a mage who also teachers her about magic and how it can be used. As they travel she becomes more adept and finds herself attracted to her companion. She eventually figures out why she has this type of magic and how she fits into the scheme of this other world.

Overall the book is satisfying and leaves you feeling good. Definately give this one a try and keep reading because in the end you'll be glad you did.

[jen]

Won this through goodreads giveaway :)

Number one, the cover is beautiful.

Number two, with school starting, I think I picked a bad time to try and get into this book. Mostly, I found myself confused by Mary and Kelson's actions and everything else that was going on. I got to page 50, tried to step away for a few days, and never picked it back up. To be fair to the author, who was generous enough to sign and send the book to me, I'm not going to post a star rating. I plan to pick this back up again when I'm not so bogged down with work and school.

I believe that there's much more to be explained in pages to come, and I'm hoping that all the mystery from the first 50 will come together.