The Queen's Opal

A Stone Bearers Novel, Book 1

By: Jacque Stevens

Narrated by: John Pirhalla

Is the opal a blessing or a curse? This coming-of-age fantasy will appeal to teen and young adult fans of Terry Brooks (Shannara), Cinda Willams Chima (The Demon King), Christopher Paolini (Eragon), and other works of epic sword and sorcery.

Elves never use magic or leave the forest.

They aren’t supposed to get sick either, but Drynn’s mother just died from a mysterious illness, which has targeted the elven queens for generations. With no female heir left, the symbol of the curse - a green stone called the Queen’s Opal - passes to Drynn. Unwilling to lose another family member, Drynn’s impulsive and overprotective brother drags him out of the forest to search for a cure. And the oft-diseased humans seem the most likely place to start.

But the opal isn’t all that it seems. Once outside the forest, it shows Drynn visions of the first queen - a time when the mortal avatars of the lost gods walked the earth and the humans and elves lived in peace. Much has changed in the human lands since then. It’s a darker world, ruled by power-hungry wizards who covet any kind of magic. Magic like the opal. Magic like the natural energy the wizards can see inside the elves.

More than healing one illness, Drynn’s visions call for him to restore the world’s former peace, but if the wrong wizard learns about the elves’ innate gifts, even the forest will no longer be safe.

Family bonds will be tested. Friends will become foes. With two kingdoms spiraling into chaos, can a shy bookworm conquer his fears to bring peace to the realm?

The Queen’s Opal is book one in a new high fantasy adventure series set in the same magical and exotic world as The Stone Bearers (2016).

Clean listen. Fantasy violence and a few darker themes. Recommended for young adults and teens 12 and up.

©2017 Jacque Stevens (P)2019 Jacque Stevens

An incredible world!

I was blown away at the amazing world that Stevens created. I loved the interaction between the races (elves, humans) and I loved the way that the brothers learned and grew over the course of the story. The narrator was AMAZING. The voices and timber was fantastic. Five stars!!

The Queen's Opal

The Queen's Opal was a very entertaining Fantasy novel with very well written characters. I was pleasantly surprised I am usually not a fan of books about Elves or at least as main characters but this story was very well done and enjoyable. It had an interesting story and the world that was created by the author was different than many other similar fantasy novels. The story follows to Elf Princes as they leave their forest home and journey out into human territories which hasn't been done in centuries to try to find a cure to the disease/curse that killed their mother. Elves generally don't get sick so they have no knowledge of medicine and want to learn from humans. This is what sets them out on their quest and leads to their many adventures.

That is a very simple synopsis and there is much more to it than even they know. The story is very well written and seems to have a very detailed back story and mythology. The narration and voice work by John Pirhalla is top notch and really adds to the enjoyment of the story.

I very much recommend this story as it has great characters, an intriguing story and quite a bit of action and adventure.

"Please note I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Starts Slow, Finishes Strong

The start of the story is a bit slow and seems a bit confused in the perspective switching and introducing certain elements, but the good narration kept me going. Once the foundation is set and we start building into the character elements, the story begins to shine. The elf princes are a bit naive, but I feel this reflects well the isolated and sheltered nature of their people in the world and adds a novel element to the relationships they develop through with the human characters. As they learn when and who to trust and how to control their emotions, there are certain coming-of-age elements, but with a novel perspective.

The narration is excellent, very distinctive voices for all the characters. There is something fantastical about the way the characters are voiced that really helps to immerse you in the story and bring the characters to life.

Definitely excited for the sequel.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thoroughly Enjoyed It

Elves, dwarves, humans, dragons and magic all wrapped in a great story. Can't wait to listen to book 2. Loved they way the main characters collide from different paths and upbringings. All the characters have depth. Wizard's Tower was good fun and sets the stage for coming books.

The narration was quite good. John Pirhalla handled accents with aplomb. Absolutely love his take on the dragonet, Vernack. Very pleasant voice. Easy to listen to.

Hope I don't have to wait long for audiobook 2!!

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS STORY.

WELL WRITTEN STORYLINE ,ENJOYABLE AND EASY TO FOLLOW. ACCEPTABLE FOR ALL AGES, CLEAN.
CURSES, FANTASY WORLD WITH LOTS OF LAUGHS AND GOOD HUMOR THROUGHOUT. SOME TRAGEDY AND DRAMA WITH THRILL, INTRIGUE AND ADVENTURE.
THE NARRATOR, JOHN PIRHALLA IS GREAT AND EASY TO FOLLOW .

Great adventure

Stevens writes a story that shows how a life can change when we face who we are and what we have to do.

Pirhalla does a good job of creating distinct characters and delivering a good story.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. 

Wonderful reading!

This magical story is original and with a great group of characters and interesting sceneries.
My only downside to the story is the rhythm, oscillating between fast and a bit slow, but it is totally compensated by the mystery of the stone "disease" that keeps us hooked and specially John Pirhalla narration. His voice for each character is just fantastic and really worth listening.
This story doesn't end with a big cliff-hanger but this is a serie, so there are a lot of answers we will end up craving answers for.
I'm wondering if more "stones" with different powers will pop up in the future.

Thoroughly Enjoyed it!

I really enjoyed the book, its went by so fast and I am excited with the stories continuation. I like the characters and the narrator did an excellent job of bringing them all to life. I was given this book free in exchange for my honest opinion. I recommend anyone who appreciates a good story read this novel.

can't wait

can't wait to see what happens; it was an interesting start to a series by a new author to me.

Spectacular Story with a bit of gritty truth

The Queen's Opal is a tale that follows the plight of a young elf, his brother, and a friend he makes along the way as the elf discovers the harsh reality of the humans he had read so much about. It is an interesting story that is about character interaction above all else and is well written and narrated.

If you are looking for a high fantasy story to listen to, I highly recommend this book.