3.18.2015

Galadria ~ Trilogy Review and Excerpt of Book 3

Galadria: Peter Huddleston and the Rites of Passage
Galadria: Peter Huddleston and the Mists of the Three Lakes
Galadria: Peter Huddleston and the Knights of the Leaf
By Miguel Lopez de Leon

The Rites of Passage
Book 1

12 year old, Peter Huddleston has just started the worst summer of his life. Summer vacation has just started and he's grounded and being accused of attacking others in town.  And to top it off he's being sent away to live with an aunt he never knew he had. Worse Aunt Gillian lives 3 days away!

Instead this is about to be the best summer ever.  Well, other than the attempts on his life.  And the classes he has to take to prepare him for his rule of the Galadrian kingdom.  And then there is the Rite of Passage to prove he can and should be Aunt Gillian's heir.

This is about to be an interesting summer...

The Mists of the Three Lakes
Book 2

Peter Huddleston is about to spend his second summer with Aunt Gillian in her earth estate of Hillside Manor.  And he will finally see Galadria.  This year the trip to Aunt Gillian's isn't one of dread, but rather one of anticipation and excitement.

But first there are official state duties he must perform - interviews, speeches, and a dance - all to introduce him to the Galadrian people.  But when Peter is given a warning that Knor Shadowray and the Shadowray family are plotting against him, his summer is about to get a lot more complicated and dangerous.

War is about to descend upon Galadria and ancient legends are about be revealed and lives will be lost.  The only question is who will prevail - the Willowbrooks or the Shadowrays?

The Knights of the Leaf
Book 3

Peter Huddleston has been rescued from the surprise attack.  He's injured but alive and hidden away from the forces of Knor.  Peter is desperate to make his way to the Grand Palace, to rejoin Aunt Gillian and his friends, if they survived.  But Peter's rescuer is about to reveal the truth about the situation and circumstances surrounding death of his mother.

With the threat of the total annihilation of everything connected to the Willowbrooks Peter has no time to ponder this turn of events before he and his grandfather are sent on a mission to rally aid from the Knights of the Leaf and other less certain sources.  But the future Galadria depends upon the success of this mission.

But ultimately the battle is Peter's, he alone must defeat the man who hates him.  But can a 13 year old boy defeat a man who wields such power?  Peter's life and the lives of those he love depend upon on it...

These three books will appeal to preteen boys. There's tigers, magic, and creatures too fabulous to describe gracing these pages.  Adventure and excitement build as the series progresses to it's conclusion.  Take a trip to Galadria with Peter, you just may want to stay for awhile.


I was provided a copy of these books by the author through PUYB in exchange for my honest review and tour participaion.



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.

His latest book is the fantasy novel, Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Knights of the Leaf.

For More Information

• Visit Miguel Lopez de Leon’s website.
• Connect with Miguel on Facebook and Twitter.

Title: Galadria: Peter Huddleston and The Knight of the Leaf
Author: Miguel Lopez de Leon
Publisher: Galadria Worldwide
Pages: 148
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Paperback/Kindle

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.

Reviewers of book three of the GALADRIA trilogy praise the author’s stunning artistry
and skill:

“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

In book one of the trilogy, GALADRIA: PETER HUDDLESTON and 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 and 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 and
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.

For More Information:
• Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Knights of the Leaf is available at Amazon.
• Pick up your copy at Barnes and Noble.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
• Watch his book video at YouTube.






Book 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 ...”

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