New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking returns to the magical world of the Trylle with The Morning Flower, the second book in the Omte Origins arc. Welcome back to the kingdom of the Omte–a forest realm where secrets and danger, human nature and ancient mythology collide. Where truth is stranger than fiction. Searching for answers to her own shrouded origins, Ulla Tulin’s journey … Searching for answers to her own shrouded origins, Ulla Tulin’s journey of exploration takes a sudden turn when Eliana is kidnapped. Turning toward the Omte capital instead of the institute where she hoped to learn the truth about her identity, Ulla must put Eliana’s welfare before her own–a sacrifice that will present all new dangers to them both.
When history is still unwritten.
Ulla never expected that once she arrived she’d discover the identity of a Skojare man who crossed paths with her mother–a man who could very well be her father. Given the man’s connections to the Ãlvolk, a secret society tasked with protecting the location of the First City, Ulla is soon dispatched to Sweden to find him.
One woman will dare to go wherever fate will take her…
Now Ulla, along with her maybe boyfriend Pan, finds herself on a desperate race against time to locate her kin–who could very well pose a danger to her kingdom. Nobody and nothing is as it seems as she penetrates the dark heart of the Ãlvolk…all the way to the secret Lost Bridge to the First City, where an unknown future awaits for Ulla and her kind.
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Morning Flower is the second book in the Omete Origins and it was great. Ulla took the internship at the Mimirin to find out where she comes from but the search has been slow but not unexciting running into a troll fairytale character and meets Eliana, a mysterious girl who comes from mysterious origins and is a troll but not who goes missing is certainly exciting but things get really amped up in this story. Ulla gets some of the answers she’s looking for but those answers only lead to more questions, possibly dangerous questions.
Ulla and Pan have grown close, I like how he is there for her in friendship first then maybe romantically, really these two need to get their act together. Well, Ulla and Pan set off to Louisiana, to an Omete city to look into a clue Ulla found about her mother. Ulla may be part Omete but she was never really around the trolls, she grew up in Iskyla, in the outer regions of the troll world, and then worked for Finn’s family in Trylle so the only thing she knows about the Omete is what the other trolls have taught her. After visiting the Omete city, deep in the swamp of Louisiana it seems that the trolls have let their snobbery and prejudices color their look on the Omete, yes they are huge and aren’t asymmetric but they are far from the ugly bloodthirsty oafs that the other trolls make them out to be. The Omete trolls are kind, open, pretty, and just as smart as the other trolls. Ulla had this certain outlook about who she is because she is Omete and now she knows the truth about them and it warmed her heart.
Ulla learns some surprising things in the swamp but nothing that she thought would help her but when she returns to the Mimirin and has a conversation with Jem-Krek who was last seen spiriting Eliana away it opens up whole new avenues for her to search which leads her, Pan, Dagny, and Elof to Sweden to search for the first troll city. There they expect to find clues to who Ulla is, make scientific discoveries, and find Eliana. How Amanda tied everything together was genius, I read the story and it made sense but for the life of me I can’t figure out how she did it. The story tied so perfectly together with all these clues that just sort fit and need a little something to put them together. I have some major questions about what is happening at the Mimirin, like why are they interested in Ulla? Why are they fitting the bill for this trip? Finally, what is it exactly that they want to know?
In Sweden, Ulla found the answers she was looking for even if they weren’t what she expected but something shady is going on in Sweden, and the people that she meets there are unlike anything else. I wish Ulla could have had happier answers to her questions but more important questions have come up. Things get very magical and all twist turny by the end of this story. Things are complicated and I never expected the ending I got but things are still being kept from Ulla and she is determined to find out what they are.
The Morning Flower is filled with magic, mystery, and family drama. There are plenty of shady characters roaming about and I may have even more questions than Ulla. I really hope Ulla gets her happy ending in Ever After, the final book in the series.
So this is the second book in this series, and while I had planned to read it this summer right after I read the first one, The Lost City, as I keep mentioning, my reading/reviewing schedules just don’t follow my plans. This second book ended on a major cliffhanger! Fortunately I do have the third book to review already, but again, I haven’t been able to get to it as soon as I would have liked. But since it doesn’t come out till January, I do have it scheduled in next month to read in time for it’s publishing date. I plan to give it its own post too since I’ve got it scheduled in like I did with the first one. I love that this one went down to Louisiana for a lot of the story. It was neat to once again see the trolls in different areas of the world. There was a big twist, but I wondered if it was true as I read, because I just didn’t know if I could trust the different people in the story. All I know is that I’m excited to get to this one next month to find out who was telling the truth and fix that cliffhanger!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
What I’ve heard when it comes to Hocking’s trilogies is that she has a starter novel that brings you into the world and background, a middle book that details the journey and then a final climax that completely gives readers the ending they look for. This is my first trilogy by her and so far it is sticking to that course.
The first book was definitely a starter for me and now this is more depth into the journey for the golden ticket so-to-speak. This novel picks up right where the first left off and you do need to read the first book to understand this one. Ulla is still on the hunt for her birth parents and the kidnapped Eliana. What she learns about herself along the way paves the road for book 3.
The world building has not let me down yet. Hocking has a beautiful mastery that depicts the Troll world and the different tribes. What I would love to see is a detailed map in the hardcover editions. Besides that though is the descriptive detail of each scene that pulls you in and lets you sit beside Ulla and her friends.
I can’t say too much about this one without giving away details from Book one. I am a little disappointed that this one didn’t have as much excitement as the first and I kinda lost my connection to the characters. I am not sure if it was due to lack of action or the amount of time spent in the journey. I am still looking forward to seeing how everything comes together in the end.
Thank you Wednesday Books and Amanda Hocking for the opportunity to read both books in this trilogy so far. All thoughts are solely my own.
The Morning Flower picks up where The Lost City left off, and you definitely need to read the first if you don’t want to be lost in this book.
I absolutely loved The Lost City and the return to Amanda Hocking’s troll world. Unfortunately, The Morning Flower didn’t hold me in the same kind of thrall. The beginning was very slow and uneventful, and it didn’t seem to provide any meaningful information. The romance was awkward and clunky, which was disappointing, as I don’t remember it being that way initially.
By the time the story started moving along and getting into some revelations, it was time for it to end on a cliffhanger.
I am still interested in the conclusion to the series, but I hope it will be better.
As a side note, this book had editing issues that I hope will be fixed prior to final publishing.
***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***
The Morning Flower is the second book in The Omte origins by Amanda Hockin.
We continue to follow Ulla as she search for her origins and to find Eliana who have been kidnapped. She travel with Pan to the Omte capital with Pan and their relationship is developping. She will find some information about her birth parents and thats gonna lead them to Sweden where a secret society is hidden. But those people aren’t just what they seems and Ulla and Pan might be in danger there.
I have received an arc of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. Looking foward to read the next book in the serie.
I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the character! Well written for sure! I hope there will be a third one come out in this series!