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Spell Tracker

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Luca has a problem his magic can’t solve. The boy he’s loved since they fought side-by-side as gladiators in Ancient Rome is about to die for the last time. Luca's only chance to prevent it is to make a deal with the Spell Tracker, who demands Luca’s own life as collateral.


At seventeen years old, Luca is a Light Mage, the rarest of magicians. He’s able to navigate the earthbound dimension without losing his memory of its magical counterpart. Like an invisible kind-hearted ghost, he helps others to graduate their life paths and take up their chosen magical professions.


But this time, with the help of the Spell Tracker, Luca is earthbound again for real as a high school senior. The boy he’s here to save is nothing like he expected, and before long his head and his heart are all over the place, as well as his intended rescue.


The Spell Tracker can hardly wait for him to fail. The life of this particular Light Mage is something he’s wanted for a very long time…


Spell Tracker, the first book in the Light Mage series, is a contemporary fantasy story with time travel, m/m romance, and no cliffhanger. Additional content information is available via the Look Inside feature on Amazon. Recommended for 14+

318 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2018

About the author

Alex C. Vick

15 books99 followers

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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Lauren Stoolfire.
4,201 reviews287 followers
December 2, 2018
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Luca has a problem his magic can’t solve. The boy he’s loved since they fought side-by-side as gladiators in Ancient Rome is about to die for the last time. Luca's only chance to prevent it is to make a deal with the Spell Tracker. Luca is a Light Mage, the rarest of magicians as he can travel this dimension without losing his memories. He helps others take up their magical professions. Now with the help of the Spell Tracker, he's earthbound again as a high school senior. The boy he’s here to save is nothing like he expected and the Spell Tracker can't for him to fail because life of this particular Light Mage is something he’s always wanted.

Spell Tracker by Alex C. Vick is a decent YA LGBT+ Fantasy series opener and for the most part I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their world. Unfortunately, it takes a little while for the story to really take off. Plus, there were moments where I felt left out of the loop. As you go along certain story elements become more clear and it begins to pick up the pace. Pacing and clarity issues are the main issues I had with the book and most of the reason why I knocked this story down to three stars. Either way, this novel has a lot of potential. If you're looking for a twisty fantasy novel with a dash of cute M/M romance that's a good fit for younger teen audiences, then you may want to try Vick's newest release.
Profile Image for Laxmama .
618 reviews
August 30, 2019
This was a very Y/A book for me, it personally was just not for me, just too young. I do enjoy the Y/A genre this felt targeted at a much younger audience. It was not an unejoyable read but for me it felt like too many tangents with the story, less is more someties for me.
Profile Image for Devann.
2,458 reviews176 followers
January 1, 2019
I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley

actual rating: 2.5

This wasn't necessarily a bad book - and that's why I rounded up instead of down - but it definitely seemed slightly unfinished and also wasn't really what I was expecting from the summary. The rest of the review does contain spoilers, but I'll just say if you want a straight-forward M/M romance without a lot of weird info-dumps then this probably isn't the book for you.

This book does have an interesting concept with the guardians and the spell-tracker and everything but after reading the book I'm not sure I really UNDERSTAND it all, and I feel like I should because there was definitely a lot of explanation ...but it was shoe-horned in pretty awkwardly so sometimes I did find myself zoning out. Like I'm still not sure WHY the spell-tracker is trying to stop Luca from helping people? Is that just ...his entire job? Because it seemed like he worked for the same people Luca did so like ...why do they have one person trying to help people and then another people trying to stop them? Was it supposed to be some kind of biblical allegory but with aliens? Because if it was then I don't think it really worked ...

Then you've got the romance aspect. The romance is NOT between the main character and the guy he was with in ancient Rome. That person has been reincarnated as a girl and the main character ends up falling in love with her brother. Again, there is nothing really wrong with this ...but the summary makes it seem like it's going to be a reincarnation / soul-mates kind of story and it definitely isn't.

Overall there were some funny and cute parts, the basic concept was unique, and the writing itself was not bad - although sometimes the plot was confusing - so I don't feel bad giving it 3 stars, but I don't think I will continue with the series. There's just too much going on that wasn't explained well and I also didn't really connect with any of the characters.
Profile Image for LOLA.
506 reviews2 followers
November 25, 2018
I liked it. A guardian that is centuries old has to come to the earth dimension to help a high schooler. Avi acting as a young man is here at high school to help Devin and his sister Cass. There is a bunch of twists and turns. Some parts of the book were a bit confusing. Things are much clearer in the middle of the book.
There is some romance, no sex, some cute kissing. It really is a fun read.
I hope there is more to come for Devin and Avi.

(Given a copy for an honest review)
(NetGalley)
(Thanks)
Profile Image for Cara.
14 reviews
March 5, 2019
this is the second book I’ve read by Alex Vick {the first one being “Stealing Magic”}, and I have loved them both! In this one, “Spell Tracker”, she again has an amazing way of thinking outside the box of the stereotypical YA para/rom and takes some brave chances with her characters – and it pays off nicely. It is creative with the concept of the time/travel/ magic/supernatural characters, but also realistic with real people (in current time and the past) and broached important issues that many people/teens face. Yes, it has a m/m romance, but I don’t think that is really the focus, nor is it a huge deal. It’s part of the fluid and enticing world that Vick explores, and is delivered in a compassionate, authentic, and exciting way that readers from teens to adults will enjoy following along. I am glad it played out (and ended) the way it did, with the proper closure to the whole story arc with Luca and “Cass”, and how things are different for them all going forward. It seems that there are a lot more possibilities for Vick to explore using these characters and this unique concept (love the ‘light mage’ idea), and I’m eager to see where she takes it all next!
Profile Image for Ellen Pennino.
12 reviews
February 14, 2019
I have to say something and understand some might disagree and that’s fine. Okay, I respect that the author made the decision to put the ‘additional content information” in the very opening page of her book, but honestly that made me want to stop reading right there. The ‘warnings’ … pointing out negative or ‘controversial’ behavior or even past (mild) indiscretions of a character – off screen no less—and references to even the most ordinary of life issues that are in MOST books, as well as disclosing the type of ending we will receive, just started off on such a bad note for me it was really hard to recover. It’s one thing when we have a feeling how it’ll end up, but the thrill is experiencing those moments where we are just not sure, versus where you KNOW how it will end before even starting so you don’t get that worried or invested. What bothered me is that Ms. Vick felt for some reason that she needed to include all this additional info up front- – either to protect herself or others. That people reading books are that sensitive or closed minded or so easily rattled and triggered by the most ordinary of life’s experiences. This is the generation of Hunger Games and Divergent and Perks of Being a Wallflower and 13 Reasons Why and so many popular novels that are driven by gritty, edgy reality of life – not about shielding or warning others from mild discomfort or that there was a need to point out things such as a m/m or m/f romance or a suicide or death as if it is something someone (who is at least a teenager) needed to be forewarned about. If this was a book intended for 5-year-olds… yes. But it’s not, and coddling readers does far more harm than good. To be fair, I’m not saying she’s the only one who does this and there in an alarming trend for the need for ‘trigger warnings’ which is ludicrous and this seems a step beyond. EVERY great book in literature will include unpleasant and uncomfortable situations that help readers learn to cope and understand the complexities of life and the human experience. That’s the whole point of reading. I am sorry I spent my review on this topic because the book has a great concept overall, and fortunately the characters themselves don’t come across as if its unusual or even wrong even though it their situations get very confusing and far more extraordinary than the average HS senior! Maybe this review is more for the author, and I apologize – the story has a lot of potential and doesn’t feel like something I’ve read a dozen times – rare for this genre. she shows. It could use some light proofreading for a few minor things, but otherwise the presentation is excellent, as is the cover. We feel transported not only into Luca’s head but his experiences connecting to the ‘magical side’ and with people closest to him… and it was an interesting… and at times quite fascinating voyage experiencing several slices of real life and imaginative fantasy shown to us by cast of characters who are relatable and believable and will capture your heart and imagination.
(3 1/2 stars)
Profile Image for Book Gannet.
1,572 reviews17 followers
December 5, 2018
3.5 stars.

This was fun. A tale of love and sacrifice, time travel and life lessons, with a M/M romance and a bunch of teenagers. It’s kind of complicated at times and there isn’t a lot of explaining about what exactly is going on until much later, but there’s a decent air of mystery and hidden malice to keep things interesting as our 2,000 year old teenager stumbles around dealing with modern life.

I liked it, mostly because Luca/Avi is very endearing. He may have been a gladiator in his former life, but he’s spent most of existence taking care of people and looking for his lost love. He has a lot of emotions to work through in this book, not helped by the fact he’s falling in love again, under a lot of pressure and very, very confused about what he’s doing and what he’s feeling. But he’s brave and determined and always well-intentioned, even if his methods aren’t always the best. I liked him and that was enough to get me past any confusion about what was actually going on, what the magic was all about and just who and what the Spell Tracker was, and what he ultimately wanted.

Around Luca and his difficult task plenty of modern day dramas play out, with mean people and nice people, angry ones and hurting ones. There’s plenty of gossip and Shakespeare along the way, not to mention lots of Latin and a few time-travel trips to keep things interesting. I’ll admit there were times when I was a little worried about where the romance seemed to be going, but I shouldn’t have been, because it all makes sense in the end.

Speaking of the end, it might have been nice to have had some of the information about the Spell Tracker and Luca’s main objective a little earlier, because it all crashes in mostly at once making an already complicated situation a little harder to follow. I did get it and I appreciated how things went, but it is a lot to deal with at once.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this and I look forward to seeing where this series heads next.

(ARC provided by the author.)
Profile Image for Stephie.
453 reviews12 followers
December 13, 2018
Luca has a problem his magic can’t solve. The boy he’s loved since they fought side-by-side as gladiators in Ancient Rome is about to die for the last time. Luca's only chance to prevent it is to make a deal with the Spell Tracker, who demands Luca’s own life as collateral.

…with the help of the Spell Tracker, Luca is earthbound again for real as a high school senior. The boy he’s here to save is nothing like he expected, and before long his head and his heart are all over the place, as well as his intended rescue. The Spell Tracker can hardly wait for him to fail. The life of this particular Light Mage is something he’s wanted for a very long time.

Spell Tracker, the first book in the Light Mage series, is a contemporary fantasy story with time travel, m/m romance, and no cliffhanger. Recommended for 14+
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I requested this book but I thought the premise was interesting. I am a sucker for a good magic/fantasy novel. I also loved the relationship between Avi and Devin.

The execution of the book was a bit off and unfortunately knocked it down a couple stars.

The book was short and probably could have benefited from a few extra pages. It is not really explained that Avi’s Ancient Roman love (Cass/Leander) is about to die for the last time as the reason he enters the contract with the Spell Tracker.

There were also quite a few inconsistencies that drove me a bit batty.

Text messaging: Avi mentions how only the Spell Tracker send him texts then literally two paragraphs later he gets a text from Devin.

Chapter or so later and his phone buzzes and he thinks it’s Cass but it is Spell Tracker

Then there was the fact that Cass is a female reincarnation of a male, Leander, from Avi’s past whom he had a relationship with… yet every flashback is “she” pronouns instead of “he” and Cass in rarely Leander.

Inconsistencies aside I will more than likely continue reading the series.

*Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Christy Lee.
6 reviews
February 14, 2019
Spell Tracker” is a rollercoaster of emotion and creative fantasy, and I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like it before. Reminded me of a show I’d watch when I was younger on Saturday morning, I don’t remember the name, but it had youths from modern times flashing back to Ancient Rome as gladiators. But “Spell Tracker” by Alex C. Vick covers a lot more than just time travel or magic or fighting or even romance. It had important social and philosophical themes integrated throughout, and kept my attention from beginning to end – no easy feat usually! It wasn’t cliché or predictable in any way, but also I thought sometimes it tried just a little too hard to shake things up or put a unique twist on everything (from the genders, the roles, the shifting relationships, the magic and the rules of alternative worlds) and it was a little …scattered, for lack of a better word. I liked the characters of Luca and Devin, Gabe, Cass and all the others – or what they ‘represent’- and they make for interesting leads – not because a few are gay, but because it is how they connect on a deeper level that transcends time and the rules and logic of love and life. This is a very difficult book to review because there are so many layers it’s hard to properly convey each one. You have to experience it for yourself! Recommend for teens and older.
Profile Image for Marissa Ann.
6 reviews
March 3, 2019
Spell Tracker was a ton of (weird) fun and I think Alex C Vick is on to great idea here. I’m not one for rehashing the plot (that’s what the summary is for on the book description page), but it encompassed far, far more than I imagined, and to be honest I’m not completely certain if it was for the better or not – hard to explain, but as I read there were so many things that would happen, or little ‘branches’ that Luca (avi’s) course would take – at times I felt it was so incredible, this unique world-building and story structure, but simultaneously felt like too little of too much – different concepts or subplots I’d like to see covered in more depth, but not all in the same story arc if this makes any sense. But despite the mishmash of subplots, it’s not an overly-complicated read, and will take you through whole different lives and experiences that you’ve probably never even considered. I liked that there was a blend of modern times reality, magical/paranormal dimensions, and visits to a ‘past’ that is a blend of both real people and events and the fictional. It really worked in my opinion, just would like to see in more depth. But Vick’s writing style is very good, the way she brought the scenes and characters to life, and there are positive messages and lessons to be found here. Suitable for ages 14 and older.
March 1, 2019
3.5 stars
I really liked what Alex Vick was trying to do here…but sometimes I wished I could have paused the story and asked her a few questions directly. I don’t want to spoil anything – I think this is okay to say – but I was a bit unclear with how the different magical/real dimensions and their forms change and a boy can become a girl, etc, but their soul or energy or signature is the same. But Luca is thrown off because the ‘guy’ he loved is now a ‘girl’? So I guess I wondered if being gay or straight meant what we’d think? I don’t know… It was cool to combine a paranormal adventure with m/m romance and a blast to the past, and organically teaching us some things about Rome and gladiators as well as the challenges gay people can face, no matter where (or when) they are in life. There is some thrilling action and some sweet romance, introspection and growth, and sound character development. This is book 1 in the series so it’s only getting started. Also, there is a handy reference page in the back for all those Latin words… use it! Lol.
Profile Image for Nikki.
8 reviews
February 14, 2019
Alex Vick’s writing is strong and has a genuine YA energy and feel, with near flawless editing -- I notice these things. I wasn’t sure where the story would end up going, and occasionally I felt a little overwhelmed with the rules of this world building was with regards to the magic and the spell tracker, Cass’s physical form affecting their whole dynamic. …. But regardless, I always felt invested in outcome, especially with Luca/Avi and Cass and Devin. At first, I worried that I wouldn’t like it because time-travel can be a tricky literary trope to pull off and not be annoying– especially for a younger audience, but while there are some confusing aspects that could have used more defining, it still worked well and added an exciting/adventurous layer to their journey. The ending is perfect; we get satisfying answers but still allows for more magical and romantic adventures… maybe from Cass’s POV next time? Recommend for ages 15+ -- (4-5 stars)
Profile Image for Brocc.
864 reviews30 followers
November 25, 2019
This one just wasn't for me. The character kind of irritated me from the get-go, and so I put it down for a while to see if it was just the mood I was in. Nope. Even when I picked it back up, I just found it to be a bit of a slog for me so DNFing this one. I think it was a little immature and I found myself a bit frustrated; perhaps this is more for someone else.

I received an egalley copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Ashley.
Author 5 books25 followers
December 23, 2018
This was not at all what I was hoping for. In theory it's a great idea. It wasn't executed in the best way. I spent a lot of my time wondering what was going on, who the characters were and tracking the dialogue. I'm going to be honest, this was a DNF for. If it causes that many issues in the beginning, I'm not going to force myself to keep reading to see if it gets better.
365 reviews
March 27, 2024
It took to long to get started but still a good read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Cinderfella.
18 reviews
December 8, 2018
creative idea but poor execution
I really wanted to love this, mostly I was just confused
almost gave up on it in the middle but kept reading to see if things got clearer at the end
they didn't
Profile Image for Melanie.
386 reviews6 followers
August 29, 2022
I have to admit, I spent a fair amount of this story kind of confused (and annoyed at teenagers, but that's definitely more on me than the book itself), but overall this is a fascinating world the author has built. This is essentially a good versus evil story, but wrapped up in a different cloak of rebirth, immortality, and magic. Instead of angels and demons, we have light and dark mages, we have a contract of sorts for a soul, and we have the kind of stupid teenage antics that make sense for high schoolers, even ones that have been teens for centuries.
Profile Image for Emma.
97 reviews13 followers
December 16, 2018
I really enjoyed ‘Spell Tracker by Alex C. Vick, it was intense, suspenseful and littered with amazing scenes and witty comments. I found that the characters were easy to relate to and the suspense through the first parts of the novel was amazing around what secret the students were hiding. I thought that the initial romance between Devin and Avitus was written really well, as it was awkward and cute a relatable, as it wasn’t all picture perfect from the start.

I did find that the beginning of the novel dragged on for a bit and that the momentum slowed down significantly around the middle when Avitus was getting closer to finding out ‘the big secret’. I also think that The Spell Tracker was rather informal and very odd restrictions, which was confusing and did not really add any value to some instances. I do believe however that the age recommendation which is 14+ is almost straight on and it was perfect because there were many people I told about it around this age who seem rather interested, especially considering that this book also explores some aspects of the LGBTQ+ life of two teen boys.

In conclusion, I think that teens interested in magic and need a suspenseful and interesting novel to occupy their time, then they should most definitely read ‘Spell Tracker’.
184 reviews5 followers
December 3, 2018
After the first 20 pages I was both intrigued and confused. Those feelings persisted through a good portion of the book. For a lot of the time you aren't too sure what's going on or who people are, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There were definitely points I wanted more information, but I don't think it really hurt anything that it wasn't given right away. My one complaint was the ending. It all happened very fast and left me with a lot of unanswered questions. All in all I found it fairly enjoyable, though.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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