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The Centaur Chronicles #2
The Stone of Courage
Be it known throughout the land that the rightful heir to the throne of Crystonia will be the wearer of the Silver Breastplate with its four Stones of Light: The Stone of Mercy, The Stone of Courage, The Stone of Integrity and The Stone of Wisdom.
Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is conquering fear for the sake of doing what is right.
A young Duende girl named Carling is in possession of the coveted Silver Breastplate, but the breastplate is only partially complete. The green Stone of Mercy, which Carling found on her first quest, is nestled securely in its place on the breastplate. Now, the Wizard of Crystonia sends her on her second mission to find the red Stone of Courage in the foreboding region known as the Northern Reaches. The assignment will be difficult because the stone is under the guardianship of a reclusive Tommy Knocker named Shim, who has no intention of relinquishing it to the young Duende girl or to anyone else.
The Stone of Courage is the second tale in the Award-Winning Centaur Chronicles series. This book continues the compelling adventure that began with The Stone of Mercy as Carling attempts to gain another stone on her way to becoming the righteous ruler of Crystonia. In The Stone of Courage, Carling faces her fears in the form of the Tommy Knocker, Ogres and evil Heilodius Centaurs, all of whom attempt to prevent her from fulfilling her destiny to become the Queen of the land.
Immerse yourself in another fantastic adventure created by Award-Winning author M.J. Evans.
Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is conquering fear for the sake of doing what is right.
A young Duende girl named Carling is in possession of the coveted Silver Breastplate, but the breastplate is only partially complete. The green Stone of Mercy, which Carling found on her first quest, is nestled securely in its place on the breastplate. Now, the Wizard of Crystonia sends her on her second mission to find the red Stone of Courage in the foreboding region known as the Northern Reaches. The assignment will be difficult because the stone is under the guardianship of a reclusive Tommy Knocker named Shim, who has no intention of relinquishing it to the young Duende girl or to anyone else.
The Stone of Courage is the second tale in the Award-Winning Centaur Chronicles series. This book continues the compelling adventure that began with The Stone of Mercy as Carling attempts to gain another stone on her way to becoming the righteous ruler of Crystonia. In The Stone of Courage, Carling faces her fears in the form of the Tommy Knocker, Ogres and evil Heilodius Centaurs, all of whom attempt to prevent her from fulfilling her destiny to become the Queen of the land.
Immerse yourself in another fantastic adventure created by Award-Winning author M.J. Evans.
- GenresYoung AdultAdventure
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2017
12 people want to read
About the author
M.J. Evans
25 books142 followersI am a graduate of Oregon State University. Upon graduation, I spent five years teaching at the middle school and high school levels. My writing, at that time, was limited to curriculum. That was not fun.
While raising my children, I coached their Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination teams for seventeen years. I helped them write their own stories for the competitions. During this time, I also wrote two parent handbooks for the Salem, Oregon School district on sex education.
About fifteen years ago, I was able to combine my passion for horses with my love of writing. I researched and wrote two equestrian trail guide books for the Denver area. By “research” I mean that I spent every Friday riding my horse on a new trail, be it on the plains or in the mountains. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it! The result of that work was the publication of Riding Colorado-Day Trips from Denver with Your Horse, and Riding Colorado II. Both books continue to sell very well in the Denver to Colorado Springs area and have made my horse famous.
I was able to combine my love of horses with my love of fantasy in my first Trilogy. The Mist Trilogy, comprised of Behind the Mist, Mists of Darkness and the Rising Mist received a gold medal from the Mom's Choice Awards. My next fantasy, an allegory of the Revolutionary War, but with Trolls and Leprechauns, won first place in the Purple Dragonfly Awards for fantasy. I took a brief (2 year) break from writing fantasy to complete a contemporary, coming of age novel titled "In the Heart of a Mustang." This YA novel won first place in the Literary Classics Awards for Young Adult fiction and second place in the Nautilus Awards in the same category.
On October 1, 2016, I released the first book of my new fantasy series "The Stone of Mercy: Book 1 of the Centaur Chronicles."
I have now expanded my writing interests to include Historical Fiction: "PINTO! Based Upon the True Story of the Longest Horseback Ride in History," and "The Sand Pounder - Love and Drama on Horseback in WWII."
I have also had fun working with illustrators on five picture books: "PERCY - The Racehorse Who Didn't Like to Run," and "The Skullington Family Series."
I describe myself as a “Mozart” type of writer as opposed to a “Beethoven” writer. When I sit down to write, the words just flow and I don’t have to go back and do a lot of revisions.
While raising my children, I coached their Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination teams for seventeen years. I helped them write their own stories for the competitions. During this time, I also wrote two parent handbooks for the Salem, Oregon School district on sex education.
About fifteen years ago, I was able to combine my passion for horses with my love of writing. I researched and wrote two equestrian trail guide books for the Denver area. By “research” I mean that I spent every Friday riding my horse on a new trail, be it on the plains or in the mountains. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it! The result of that work was the publication of Riding Colorado-Day Trips from Denver with Your Horse, and Riding Colorado II. Both books continue to sell very well in the Denver to Colorado Springs area and have made my horse famous.
I was able to combine my love of horses with my love of fantasy in my first Trilogy. The Mist Trilogy, comprised of Behind the Mist, Mists of Darkness and the Rising Mist received a gold medal from the Mom's Choice Awards. My next fantasy, an allegory of the Revolutionary War, but with Trolls and Leprechauns, won first place in the Purple Dragonfly Awards for fantasy. I took a brief (2 year) break from writing fantasy to complete a contemporary, coming of age novel titled "In the Heart of a Mustang." This YA novel won first place in the Literary Classics Awards for Young Adult fiction and second place in the Nautilus Awards in the same category.
On October 1, 2016, I released the first book of my new fantasy series "The Stone of Mercy: Book 1 of the Centaur Chronicles."
I have now expanded my writing interests to include Historical Fiction: "PINTO! Based Upon the True Story of the Longest Horseback Ride in History," and "The Sand Pounder - Love and Drama on Horseback in WWII."
I have also had fun working with illustrators on five picture books: "PERCY - The Racehorse Who Didn't Like to Run," and "The Skullington Family Series."
I describe myself as a “Mozart” type of writer as opposed to a “Beethoven” writer. When I sit down to write, the words just flow and I don’t have to go back and do a lot of revisions.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 31, 2017
Enjoyed this second in the series
The series so far has been a fun epic. The only hesitation I have are the attempts to make the contours too like humans in dress. The nurse wears garb like modern human nurses, for example. But other than this, I love the story and characters.
The series so far has been a fun epic. The only hesitation I have are the attempts to make the contours too like humans in dress. The nurse wears garb like modern human nurses, for example. But other than this, I love the story and characters.
July 19, 2019
Carling and friends seek after the next stone, one of courage, to place on her silver breastplate. She received the next person and location to where she would find the stone. However, she didn’t have directions, and ran into the Ice Horses during her travels. Carling was obedient, and was given guides on her journey.
Carling is a lucky young lady that has a clan of friends who assist in her journeys to help find the stones for her silver breastplate; this book is no different. During the toughest times, they don’t bail out.
This book I enjoyed the middle towards the end, and ready to read book 3 of the series. The best part is the adventure to me is how quickly deception and betrayal can happen; however, if you truly know a person’s character then you know there’s no way possible this person could do a devastating thing.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from the author and paid to provide an honest review.
Dream 4 More Reviews,
Adrienna Turner
Wooed me Dream! 4 stars
Carling is a lucky young lady that has a clan of friends who assist in her journeys to help find the stones for her silver breastplate; this book is no different. During the toughest times, they don’t bail out.
This book I enjoyed the middle towards the end, and ready to read book 3 of the series. The best part is the adventure to me is how quickly deception and betrayal can happen; however, if you truly know a person’s character then you know there’s no way possible this person could do a devastating thing.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from the author and paid to provide an honest review.
Dream 4 More Reviews,
Adrienna Turner
Wooed me Dream! 4 stars
February 18, 2022
After finishing The Stone of Mercy, by M.J. Evans, it was good to be back with Carling and Higson in the second book. On their new quest to get the stone of courage, you’re taken through a beautiful landscape described so vividly it is as if you are there. Carling is destined to be queen and she is slowly becoming the queen she needs to be as she gathers the stones. My favorite new characters are the ice horses! This book had more action and some surprising developments that took me through a range of emotions. M. J. Evans is building the excitement and adventure through this book so that it is impossible not to want to go on to the next book in this fabulous series.
July 19, 2019
Review on my dream 4 more goodreads page.
April 6, 2017
This book made me sad, sad when I finished it, because I wanted to keep reading. This is the second book about Carling and her quest to get the 4 stones necessary to become queen. It isn't really about the stones, it is about the journey and what she learns along the way, especially about loyalty and friendship. All the different creatures she meets, some she has to fight to survive, it is a great fantasy book packed with gold nuggets. A great book to read as a family.
April 8, 2017
Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is conquering fear for the sake of doing what is right.
This is the theme of my latest book and the second of the four book series: The Centaur Chronicles.
Sometimes it takes courage to commit to writing four books that work together and I wake up in the middle of the night feeling fearful. However, just like eating an elephant, I work on it one word, one paragraph and one page at a time!
I'm so glad that the reviewers have been loving "The Stone of Courage." I am excited about it.
April 8, 2017
I was so happy to join Carling on the continuation of her journey! It was fun getting to see more of our 'old friends', and meet new characters as well. As with the first book in this series, this is a wonderful teaching tale for young and old alike. Many of today's youth could benefit from following Carling on her quests, and learning all the important lessons life has to give. Take heart, find your courage, and watch Carling find the courage she needs, to become who she is fated to be (avoiding spoilers, so a bit vague, but read this and the first book, to see what that fate is!)....
April 10, 2017
M.J. Evans gifted me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review. How could I refuse after reading the first in the series, The Stone of Mercy? I believe the best part of these books is the immensely creative characters M.J. has written. Next would be the action! There are no slow parts to drag you down, just one adventure after another for Carling and her friends. Settle in and read a diverting, lively, story. When you turn the last page, you’ll be anxious for the sequel.
April 14, 2017
I was pleased to receive an advance review copy of THE STONE OF COURAGE, which is second in the Centaur Chronicles by M.J. Evans. As a homeschool mom, I appreciated how it begins with a Bible verse. I found related themes of courage and servant leadership throughout the novel. The heroine, Carling, is heir to the Crystonian throne, but she must quest for the four stones that belong in her magical breastplate before she can claim her rightful place as queen. The second stone she seeks is the stone of courage, and her quest challenges her to the utmost. While this is high fantasy, the tone is light and much less dark than most ya fantasy. For this reason, it would be good reading for precocious 8 and 9-year-olds, though I believe the target age is 10-12 years old. A fun read for fantasy lovers!
April 26, 2017
The exciting adventures of a future queen and her friends caught up in a series of character-building challenges designed to help young Carling grow into both the woman and the leader she is destined to become. Set in a land of centaur cities, ice horses, and treasure caves, The Stone of Courage is the wholesome, vibrant second installment in award-winning author MJ Evans' Centaur Chronicles, appropriate for middle-grade readers. And did I mention the ice horses? ~ Rebecca Hammond Yager, author of Winds Cove and the 2016 reimagining of Beauty & the Beast.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews