The Morning Flower

<br><p>I went into this one hoping for a little more action/excitement. I was more forgiving of the lack of that element in the first book because it's a lot of setup on the world and plot in general but I really needed to see that progression in the sequel, and through the first two thirds of this book I did not. The Morning Flower was actually set up quite the same as the first book in terms of very little progression until the end. Again with this one, the plot and world are interesting but I can't help but to be left feeling like a lot of the search for answers and rather mundane details could be condensed greatly in the first 2/3 of this story. It drags. It made it hard for me to fully get into and that's not what I want in a sequel. It's a lot to wade through to get to the excitement, just to end on another cliffhanger.</p><br> <br> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1595622677ra/29859909.gif" alt="" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> <br><p>Even other sub-elements like the romance are basically non-starters. When done well a 'will they or won't they' can be fun and torturously exciting. Ulla and Pan or even the hinted at spark of attraction with Jem-Kruck just never had that integral draw. The desire to see either happen at all never fully formed for me. The characters were so apprehensive and not fully into it that how in the world could I as a reader be? Surprisingly I think a lot of this book was meant to be a slow progression to more between Ulla and Pan but their lack of passion and outward interest definitely fed into mine and I just didn't end up caring one way or another.</p><br> <br> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1595622677ra/29859908.gif" alt="" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> <br><p>I was really hoping book one was an exception and not the rule and unfortunately that proved otherwise for me here. While I would like to see what happens next in the story, it's just not enough that I am content waiting to reach the end of another novel to get a little further.</p><br> <br><p> <em> <strong>I received an arc of this book from Wednesday Books via Netgalley and this is my honest review.</strong> </em> </p><br>

Amanda Hocking knows how to finish her books... WITH MAJOR CLIFFHANGINGS!!!! <br /><br />I really liked this second book in the Omte Origins series. Loved to find my favorite characters once again, loved to see the new adventures of Ulla, trying to find her family... <br /><br />All laced in folklore, the world building of this series is amazing. There is a lot of work in there, and it shows. <br /><br />Can't wait to know what will happen in book 3!<br /><br />Many thanks to Wednesday Books for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

When I began reading The Morning Flower I didn't realize it was the 2nd book in a series. Oopsie! It's unfair to the book and the author to rate the story based on that so after I go back to the first book, I'll probably come back to revise my rating.<br /><br />Without any background or history the storyline was extremely confusing, although it became more familiar during the progression. Trying to find a kidnapped child entrusted to her care, Ulla also becomes entwined in finding out about her own heritage and the mysteries of First City. The romance seemed sweet and naive if a little awkward.<br /><br />I'm sure this will be a worthy read if I just go back and get the foundation I missed in the first book!

<i>Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a review copy. All opinions are my own. </i><br /><br /><b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/havenofink/" rel="nofollow noopener">instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/102337987-rayne-ig-havenofink" rel="nofollow noopener">goodreads</a></b>

I love Amanda Hocking. She never lets me down! Great book everyone should try her series. All of them!

In the Omte Origins series, we hear more about the origins of the trolls and their Scandinavian heritage, their history tightly woven among the Viking folklore. The mythology and legends of children's fairytales coming to life was beautiful and I hope it might lead the way to future series' set within this magical world.<br /><br />It's been quite a while since a series has captivated me so entirely and that's one of my favourite aspects of Amanda Hocking's writing. They're entertaining reads and I inhaled both books within days. Being back in the Trylle world was lovely and although the Omte Origins series features an entirely new community of troll, characters and storylines, it was comforting to be back in a world I was familiar with. The Morning Flower, the second Omte Origins instalment is wonderfully adventurous, a beautiful exploration of folklore and culture, of lost cities and found family.

The Morning Flower, the second book in The Omte Origins, picks up where The Lost City ended. Ulla and Pan are traveling to New Orleans, the Omte capital, to learn more about Ulla’s birth parents. They also want to find out about the First City and Eliana who was kidnapped at the end of the first book.<br /><br />One of Amanda Hocking’s strengths as a storyteller is her ability to create these intricate worlds that are detailed and vivid. This story, for example, delves quite deeply into troll history, which I found fascinating. As Ulla learns more about her birth parents and her history, the reader learns so much about the various troll communities across the globe (and possibly beyond?) and their relationships, or lack of, with each other.<br /><br />This is not a fast-paced or action-packed story. Instead, it is a story about a young woman’s journey to find herself. Ulla has always felt like she doesn’t belong, and she still feels this way. In searching for her identity and finding out about her history, she might gain a sense of belonging and self. Though there are parts that feel slow, the intriguing mystery of Ulla’s parentage, as well as the mystery behind Eliana’s kidnapping, pushed me to finish the story.<br /><br />I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the love story since that’s usually my favorite part. Unfortunately, Ulla’s actions were frustrating. Just when it seemed like they were moving forward in their relationship, Ulla would back off or hesitate. Her relationship with Pan has so much potential, but Ulla’s indecisiveness puts their romance on the back-burner. She has a lot to deal with and argues that a relationship wouldn’t be wise. However, I predict that Ulla won’t be able to resist Pan’s unwavering support and devotion for long!<br /><br />The last third of the book was faster paced than the rest of the story, and there are several surprising revelations. I’m curious to see how this affects Ulla in the next book. Thanks so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

In this second novel we continue to follow Ulla on her hunt to find her parents and along with this a quest to find the quirky Eliana which we met in book one. These kind of stories always hook me cause their a mystery to be solved and usually it involves something way bigger then what we thought. <br /><br />The world building for this series is phenomenal and i really can see myself as we travel to find the lost city. I hurt for Ulla as she uncovers things about her mom and farther that were complete out left field. We don’t learn much about Eliana or even see her on this part of the adventure. <br /><br />I really love how this series is playing out but now i sad cause i have to wait tell January 2021 to see how it all ends.

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1521269641i/25226820._SX540_.png" width="600" height="100" alt="description" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><b> <i>5 stars!</i> </b> The Morning Flower is a rich, decadent, fascinating sequel that not only improves upon the first book in retrospect, but also brings in a lot more callbacks to previous books in the franchise and brings things full-circle in many regards. It's going to be hard not to totally nerd out over this one, but luckily, I've got one of my handy bullet-point Table of Contents lists to keep this (mostly spoiler-free) review focused! Let's go:<br><br><b><br>-Fulatrask<br>-Road Trip/Throwback<br>-Crystal Kingdom Connection<br>-Scholarly<br>-A Deeper Conspiracy<br>-Omte &amp; Stereotypes<br>-Ancient History<br>-Soft Romance<br>-Finding Heritage<br>-Uncontacted Tribes<br>-Expanding World<br>-PLOT TWISTS GALORE<br>-Answers Raise Questions<br>-Time Dilation?<br></b><br><br><b> <i>Fulatrask</i> </b><br><br>Our novel opens with a return to Fulatrask, the Omte capital hidden in the swamps of Louisiana. Last seen in Crystal Kingdom when Brynn and Konstantin visited to request Omte help during the Kanin Civil War...we all remember how well that went, right? :/ But this time around Ulla and Pan are the ones heading to the swamps, and they're rubbing elbows with locals during peacetime, not royals and politicians during wartime...it's a wholly different experience and it was fascinating seeing more of this locale! The entire opening half of the book was so absorbing, partially due to the setting, and partially due to the Ulla/Pan/Rikky trio.<br><br>We get to visit The Ugly Vulture on-screen/on-page for the first time, too! The bar where the last Omte king was killed in a drunken brawl. It was a great gem and felt like the best kind of fanservice. The entire affair reminded me a lot of Crystal Kingdom, which makes sense, considering...<br><br><b> <i>Road Trip/Throwback</i> </b><br><br>The novel opens with Ulla and Pan on a road trip to Fulatrask, just like Crystal Kingdom opened with Brynn and Konstantin on a similar one. How time flies. I truly enjoyed the fun trips in this novel. There are two trips that essentially split the book in half, with a brief visit back home to the Mimirin separating them. The road trip with Ulla and Pan in the beginning really threw me back to the past with Brynn and Konstantin, and the second one to Sweden threw me back to Ice Kissed, when Ridley and Brynn had their first mysterious and tense stay in Storvatten! The throwbacks don't stop there, though...<br><br><b> <i>Crystal Kingdom Connection</i> </b><br><br>The Morning Flower revisits a lot of plot threads from the book Crystal Kingdom: The comparison between the road trips is undeniable, but we also revisit the Fulatrask Royal Palace, Queen Bodil and her son (and his vulture), and are reunited with Bekk Vallin, the one Omte who *did* help Brynn during the Kanin Civil War, all in this book! It truly felt as if we were seeing more of the effects of the Kanin Civil War play out. We were sheltered from it in book one because Ulla is more focused on her own personal life and the happenings at the Mimirin, but here she's traveling to places and meeting with people who are much more closely effected by the fallout of that war. It has further evolved the current emotional and social connections between the tribes, and the situation between the Omte, Kanin, Vittra, Trylle, and Skojare is still tense from the entire thing...<br><br><b> <i>Scholarly</i> </b><br><br>Like I mentioned in my review of The Lost City (or at least, I think I did) Ulla is a much more scholarly character, with scholarly friends. She's an intern. Her pals are assistants, researchers, students, etc. In the Trylle Trilogy, Wendy was a royal heir, a princess, a politician, and add a dash of the chosen one trope in there for good measure. Contrast that with The Kanin Chronicles, where Brynn is our action girl war hero, a lethal soldier dedicated to her kingdom. And now we've got Ulla, a scholarly, nerdy, bookish type who relies more on her brain and books to get things done, fully rounding out the perfect trio of main characters each designed to show us a different side of this world.<br><br>Ulla and her friends must rely on their access to ancient archives, files, books, catacombs, and legends and folk lore to get to the bottom of this mystery. They use blood testing and genealogy and try to piece together webs of ancestry and history and are sometimes thwarted by the worst villain of all...bureaucratic red tape!<br><br>But seriously, I love our cast of nerds who must rely on study, research, cleverness, and politely requesting the right documents and interviews up the chain of command at their university in order to get the right information to try and save the day. Go books!<br><br><b> <i>A Deeper Conspiracy</i> </b><br><br>But when there's a deeper conspiracy afoot, it's hard to know who to trust. The leaders at the Mimirin are clearly bullshitters out for their own good. They know more than they're letting on, and despite running a prestigious university and research institute, they seem to be more in the business of gathering information than sharing it. At least with new interns and lackeys who are asking the right questions about the wrong things...<br><br>Ulla and her friends are working to get tiny pieces of a larger puzzle, and it often feels like all their clues are disjointed and don't fit together right. I love it! This is how a conspiracy should *really* feel. It's bigger than one person. It's spread across multiple different events and when the people who know about it only know bits and pieces, it gets even harder to put them together; many of the people involved in these past events don't understand them in their full scope themselves, from lost cities and confusing history, culture clashes, mistranslations in old books, royal families trying to keep their clandestine drama secret, and people who were involved have spread out around the globe, too. Many trying to actively distance themselves from their past; not answer questions about it.<br><br>Put that all together and you have one huge conspiracy that spans multiple countries, continents, and troll tribes, along with a timeline of hundreds if not thousands of years? It's going to be a huge, jumbled mess to put it all together, and the patterns that do emerge can be confusing themselves. It truly felt like a web of conspiracy and ancient mystery were evading our heroes, and I was obsessed with it every step of the way, to the point where I could not put this book down because I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!<br><br><b> <i>Omte &amp; Stereotypes</i> </b><br><br>It's a common trope in fantasy or even urban fantasy to have monster hunters putting down races of mythical creatures and holding extermination views but have it justified because, well, they're just mindless beasts, right? That's in effect here with the Omte to a degree: the prejudice against them is justified because they're ugly and surly and grouchy and kinda dumber than the other tribes, right? So why not look down on them? We've been told repeatedly across two previous trilogies that the Omte are big, dumb, and slow, but what if that's not the case?<br><br><i> All my life I'd been hearing about how all the Omte were so ugly, and I'd been repeatedly told that I should feel "lucky" for being attractive "by Omte standards." I'd always thought it was a shitty backhanded compliment to begin with, but now I was seeing that it wasn't even true. I wasn't "hot" for an Omte--I was average at best.<br><br>It was the strangest feeling. I should've been saddened to learn I was even less attractive than I thought I was, that there were plenty of prettier girls than me, like Rikky and Bekk, but it was actually a relief.<br><br>Even in school, I had been taught that the Omte were dumb, ugly, and violent. These were "facts" that had been repeated to me over and over. By teachers, by peers, by nearly every piece of troll literature I'd ever read. I'd been led to believe a negative stereotype about the Omte, my tribe, myself.<br><br>And now I had to wonder, how many other things had I learned about the Omte that weren't true? About other tribes? About humans?" </i><br><br><b> <i>Ancient History</i> </b><br><br>The Omte, their history, and the history of all troll tribes is far more strange and ancient than we may have been led to believe, because just like humans don't entirely understand our origins, just the overall basics, the same can be said for trolls. How exactly did they emerge? How did they evolve differently from other human species? These questions are brought up as the web of conspiracy grows deeper and deeper, taking us much further back through time than anticipated. The ancient secrets of the troll world may soon be revealed, and the anticipation lingers throughout this novel, with what hints and tidbits we do receive only being that much more enticing.<br><br><b> <i>Soft Romance</i> </b><br><br><i> "When you're around, things don't seem quite so bad. Like even if things get messy or difficult, you'll be there to offer advice or make me laugh... Sorry, I'm rambling."<br><br>"I like it when you ramble." </i><br><br>Ulla and Pan are cute as fuck. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I honestly have a huge crush on Pan because I imagine him as a cute sort-of thotty Instagram model I follow. &gt;.&gt; It helps that he's so sweet, and he's not prone to being weird or aggressive or possessive. He doesn't exactly feel like a boy next door type, either though. There have to be more nice guy character archetypes than that, but I don't know what you'd call his. Studly prince charming? Yeah. He is technically a prince, too. An outcast half-human unclaimed bastard one, sure, but he's still technically a prince.<br><br><i> He relaxed back down on the bed, content with just holding my hand. "I would follow you anywhere, and it's worth whatever risk there is."<br><br>"You're so cute when you're all high on Alvolk medicine."<br><br>"I'm always cute," he joked.<br><br>"That's true," I agreed with a laugh, and he yawned loudly. "You're tired. I should let you sleep."<br><br>"Stay with me until I fall asleep." He tugged at my hand. "Please." </i><br><br>I WOULD DIE FOR THEM OKAY? T.T<br><br><b> <i>Finding Heritage</i> </b><br><br>Ulla is ultimately on a quest to find her birth parents and her heritage. No matter how large the conspiracy grows or how much the world she inhabits becomes at stake, this quest started with her parents for her, and it will always be a question that haunts her until she is able to learn where she comes from, who her family is, and what their history is. Ulla is trying to reclaim her culture and heritage, like a lot of people who have been given up as babies. All she has are hints, but to her, understanding her life and where she's going to end up means trying to glean some answers about her past. It was a touching story I think a lot of people will particularly relate, especially anyone who has been in the position of trying to find their birth parents, or adoptees who were raised outside their culture of origin and feel cut off from it.<br><br><b> <i>Uncontacted Tribes</i> </b><br><br>The quest leads Ulla and Pan to some uncontacted tribes, which I thought was particularly brilliant! We've had the five troll tribes since, well, 2009? 2010? Around there. To learn there could be more hidden, uncontacted tribes out there is an amazing, jaw-dropping plot twist! It makes perfect sense, and Ulla does in fact compare it to reading about human uncontacted tribes in old copies of National Geographic. Some tribes and communities are more reclusive than others, and some of them have good reasons, from immunity and diseases, to culture, to their tense history with outsiders, and more. Bringing this into the troll world richens it immensely in my humble little opinion.<br><br><b> <i>Expanding World</i> </b><br><br>And a LOT of this novel is about expanding the world of the trolls and the franchise in general. It's the final trilogy in a trilogy of trilogies, so it makes sense for Amanda Hocking to be pulling out all of the stops for this arc in the series. There are some really surprising developments in here that I think should both surprise and delight longtime fans of this world who have the history of the previous two trilogies to go on.<br><br><b> <i>PLOT TWISTS GALORE</i> </b><br><br>Speaking of surprises, hoooo boy, did this book have a lot of them! I was particularly shocked by some of the twists later in the book that happen in such quick succession it left my head spinning. It was like Amanda Hocking one-two punched me upside the head. And I thank her for that!<br><br>Nothing will ever be the same. And I'm not just being melodramatic. No matter how this information comes back into play going forward, it changes everything for some of our main characters. Considering the character who reveals this info may have ulterior motives, I'm keeping in mind he may be lying or engaging in wishful thinking, but I'm partial to the idea he was telling the truth. Only book three will reveal for sure, but hot damn if it didn't make me shout and throw the book down to pace my room in shock.<br><br>Well played, book. Well played.<br><br><b> <i>Answers Raise Questions</i> </b><br><br>Like all great mysteries and books, the answers to our questions come with even more questions in tow, leaving us with only half a picture, told from a biased perspective. Now we have more to go on than ever before, BUT the stakes are raised, AND we have no clue who to trust, who is telling the truth, or if they're telling the whole truth.<br><br><b> <i>Time Dilation?</i> </b><br><br>My theory? Time dilation! I don't know where exactly these people are coming from, and I don't know what their motives are, but I do know whether the bridge in the First City leads to another dimension, or another planet, it almost certainly involves time dilation, like in season 7 of The 100. This portal of sorts is messing with time, and that makes me worry for what Eliana's going through, God knows where.<br><br><b> <i>IN CONCLUSION</i> </b> The Morning Flower had everything I could have wanted and more. It felt like a very transitional sequel and a sort of 'getting there' book, but without feeling at all like filler. It was full of genuine revelations, developments, and character exploration that made it all so worth it. It's probably more of a 4.5 than an outright 5, but this is my review, so I can round up ratings if I please, and for this book, I certainly do!<br><br>I cannot wait for book three and my hopes are that we get an Ulla/Brynn/Wendy team-up to close off the franchise! (I am so desperate for new Wendy scenes and content you have no idea. WHERE is my Vittra/Trylle queen? I need her to save everyone. In fact if her and Brynn were here they'd just threaten everybody into spilling the beans, and then the story would be over in seconds.)<br><br>Highly recommend this whole franchise! 1 Trylle: Switched, Torn, Ascend. 2 Kanin: Frostfire, Ice Kissed, Crystal Kingdom. 3 Omte: The Lost City, The Morning Flower, The Ever After.

<i>The Morning Flower</i> picks up right were <i>The Lost City</i> left off. Following the kidnapping of Eliana, Ulla And Pan are headed to the Omte capital in search of answers about Ulla’s parents as well as to figure out what exactly happened to Eliana. <br /><br />Where <i>The Lost City</i> is more action focused, <i>The Morning Flower</i> focuses more on Ulla’s personal journey to understanding herself. The Morning Flower still boasts the intricate world building that Amanda Hocking is known for, but we really dive deep into what it means to be Omte and the history of that tribe. I thought it provided a greater insight into this tribe that up until now has remained a huge mystery within the troll kingdoms. <br /><br />I don’t want to give anything away, but there are definitely a lot of revelations in this book that I didn’t see coming. This book does end on quite a cliffhanger, but I can’t wait to see how this trilogy wraps up in the end.<br /><br /><i>Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced listening copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.</i>