‘Del Toro Moon’ by Darby Karchut

Four centuries ago, Santiago Del Toro, his brother-knights and their warhorses arrived in the New World with a special mandate from the monarch of Spain: to contain an ancient evil inside enchanted coffers and keep that evil from escaping.

Del Toro and his brother-knights were accompanied by their Andalusian warhorses and magic-enhanced maces - effective weapons against the monsters.

The coffers were hidden throughout the New World — each guarded by a knight and then, in-turn, by that knight’s descendents.

For 500 years, generations of Del Toros have continued this quest — safeguarding a coffer hidden in the El Laberinto Wilderness Area near Huerfano, Colorado.
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Young Mateo was trained by his father, who was trained by his father before him. And as Del Toro Moon opens (Owl Hollow Press, October 2018) , Matt is embarking on his first hunt with his father and their respective warhorses, El Cid and Turk.

Matt has a lot to live up to: his father, Francis Javier Del Toro, is an “old-school monster hunter” and a “true caballero: a gentleman of the horse.” Matt also feels painfully caught between an argument between his father, for whom the traditional way has always worked very well, and his older brother Ben, who wants to pursue more efficient and more modern ways of doing things.

Del Toro Moon was a quickly-paced and entertaining read, very much a coming-of-age story. I would recommend it for young readers who enjoy mythology- and legend-based fantasy.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinion expressed is my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”