“A grand finish to a YA trilogy that never fails to challenge audience expectations.”–Kirkus Reviews
“With the close of his Galadria trilogy, Miguel Lopez de Leon packs battles, travel and adventure into a story that’s ultimately about family ties.”–BlueInk Review
“Once again, the writing in this book is superb and the story is fast paced and action packed.”–SPR Review
Description:
In book three of Miguel Lopez de Leon’s Galadria fantasy series, GALADRIA: PETER HUDDLESTON & THE KNIGHTS OF THE LEAF, Peter and his family command a mystical cast of powerful, exciting new characters in their war against the blood-thirsty tyrant, Knor Shadowray.
In book one of the trilogy, GALADRIA: PETER HUDDLESTON & THE RITES OF PASSAGE, 12-year-old Peter leaves his friendless, uneventful life in the suburbs and suddenly finds himself spending the summer chomping down magical chocolates and tossing around an enchanted boomerang at Hillside Manor, the 3000 room home of his aunt Gillian Willowbrook. While there, Peter learns he is the next in line to the throne of a magnificent realm called Galadria where his aunt is queen. His position is being challenged by a ruthless nobleman, Knor Shadowray.
Book two, GALADRIA: PETER HUDDLESTON & THE MISTS OF THE THREE LAKES shows Peter struggling to play the role of a prince. After being accepted as the heir of the Golden Realm, his new challenge is to gain command of Galadrian princely etiquette and survive dangerous adventures with his fearless white tiger, Rune. At a parade held in his honor, Peter and his aunt are violently ambushed by a band of screeching monstrosities and a merciless dark army led by the fiendish Knor Shadowray.
In the final book in the Galadria series, GALADRIA: PETER HUDDLESTON & THE KNIGHTS OF THE LEAF, the story continues where book two left off: Knor Shadowray’s relentless attack on the ruling Willowbrook family. In a desperate attempt to save her kingdom, Queen Gillian Willowbrook sends Peter and his grandfather to the Forests of Fernell to recruit a multitude of diverse warriors to defend the crown. Populated with serpent priestesses, nature-loving knights, magical weapons, paper-thin tree nymphs, and political fairies, the final installment of the Galadria trilogy shows the Galadrian populace at their breaking point as the realm explodes into a full-fledged civil war. A flurry of riotous battles are fought against the villainous Knor Shadowray’s ambitious attempt to capture the crown of Galadria.
De Leon developed the GALADRIA series out of a love of the fantasy genre and the thrill of creating “new worlds, creatures, and story lines…enhanced with magic and otherworldly mystery.” The trilogy also tells the coming-of-age story of a boy as he learns to accept himself and discovers the family he never believed he would have. “The Galadria trilogy is mainly about a lonely boy who, through overcoming obstacles, finds out who he really is. I think everyone has an element of the extraordinary in them, and I hope Peter’s story shows that,” de Leon says.
EXCERPT
(From Chapter Nine)
As the group of adventurers strode onward into the thick, soupy fog that seemed to encompass the entire valley, Peter distinctly noticed that it had gotten much colder. The plants around them looked putrid and gnarled, more like grotesque weeds than flourishing plant life, and the few pathetic trees that grew from the muddy earth were blackened, leafless, and hard. Covering everything was a thick, palpable, unmoving stew of mist, thin in some parts, thicker in others, but certainly everywhere. The entire cursed area smelled like rotting fruit ... a moldy, sick, sweet smell that made Peter feel completely nauseated.
With Bastian in the lead, his shield positioned firmly in front of him, the ambitious group continued moving steadily forward. Suddenly, the young knight raised up his hand, halting his other companions.
“Crouch down on the ground, now!” Bastian whispered, quickly lowering himself to the soft earth. “Use the shrubs and fog as cover ... Quiet ... Don’t move!”
Peter, Henry, and Restella dropped to the ground behind a cluster of decrepit shrubs, careful not to make a sound. Sabasti silently slithered up next to them, before remaining completely still.
Seconds passed, as Bastian continued to peer intently in front of them. Peter was gazing in the same direction as the young knight but saw nothing through the relentless thick mist. A few moments later, Peter started to hear strange clicking sounds growing louder and louder. Straining to make out the source of the mysterious sounds, Peter had to stifle his shock, when a huge garish monstrosity suddenly became visible through the thick, vaporous haze around them. To Peter, it looked like a gigantic dark blue lobster, as big as an elephant, completely covered in little jagged horns protruding from all over its enormous body. The terrifying beast had two huge clicking lobster claws and a long armored tail, which ended in an odd plume of slimy black feathers. The strange monster moved startlingly fast, and just as quickly as it had appeared, so too did it turn back and vanish from sight. As soon as Bastian signaled that it was safe, the silent group continued to soldier
“What was that?” Peter whispered to Bastian, as they made their way forward.
“I’m honestly not sure,” the young knight answered, still scanning the surrounding area. “As protectors and preservers of nature, the Knights of the Leaf are familiar with most of the creatures that inhabit our forests, but we rarely travel this far into the Darkened Valley. We’re not sure why, but we’ve discovered that most of the creatures that choose to live near the wraiths’ dwelling seem to mutate ... some to the point of being unrecognizable. I’ve never seen anything like what we just saw ... It didn’t even look close to any other species I’m familiar with.”
And so they trudged on, futilely trying to ignore the increasing cold that was steadily escalating around them.
Suddenly, the group halted, as a high, feminine voice abruptly pierced the chilly air.
“H-help me ... ,” the voice cried out. “P-please ... I need help ...”
As Peter and his companions moved forward, they encountered a small waiflike woman, with beautiful pale skin and silky black hair, kneeling on the ground. She was wearing nothing more than a slip of a white dress and seemed to have injured her ankle.
“Are you hurt ... ,” Peter began, taking a step toward the wounded young woman.
In unison, Sabasti began to hiss violently, as Restella quickly grabbed Peter’s arm. “Stop, Your Highness!” the priestess demanded, her yellow eyes focused on the woman in front of them.
“Something is wrong. This woman is not what she seems ...”
About the author:
Miguel Lopez de Leon is a prolific fiction writer with over 30 short stories published in a variety of international literary magazines and anthologies. De Leon, who prefers to write in the mornings, began working on his first novel as a hobby. That first book blossomed into the Galadria trilogy. “One part of the writing process I really enjoy is writing the first draft of a novel…For me, it’s the time when you can lose yourself in the story the most.” De Leon lives in Los Angeles and enjoys reading historical biographies and collecting vintage comic books.
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