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The Bone Flower Goddess (Book Three of the Bone Flower Trilogy) by T. L. Morganfield: A Book Review

The Bone Flower Goddess (Book Three of the Bone Flower Trilogy)
Author: T. L. Morganfield
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Feathered Serpent Books
Release Date: 2016
Pages: 393
Source: Personal collection
Synopsis: Death is her gift.

     Discovering the truth about her forgotten past sets Quetzalpetlatl—former Queen of Tollan and High Priestess of Quetzalcoatl—on a new journey, to rebuild her life from the ashes of the Feathered Serpent’s deception. Her top priority is to rescue her son from the underworld, but the Lord of the Dead will only resurrect him in exchange for the most powerful of the gods: Quetzalcoatl himself.

     For such a dangerous mission, Quetzalpetlatl needs help. She finds allies among the gods, but the only one willing—and powerful enough—to take on the Feathered Serpent is the one god who’s responsible for so much of her personal pain these last thirty-five years. The Smoking Mirror holds the key to everything she’s ever longed for…if she’s willing to give him the one thing he’s sought for countless bundles of year.

     But with Tollan’s throne and the future of the Tolteca empire at stake, is the price one that humanity can afford to pay?

     My Review: Quetzalpetlatl, the former Queen of Tollan, is now in exile. She tries to rebuild her life and is  trying to come to terms with her identity. Her first step is to rescue her son from the underworld and bargain with the Lord of the Dead in exchange for Quetzalcoatl. When she gets out of the underworld, she meets up with Mextli, a god, who shows her what it is like to be a goddess. When Quetzalpetlatl comes back to Tollan, she finds it in disarray, and her brother Topiltzin is dying. Can Quetzalpetlatl save Tollan and Topiltzin before it is too late?

    After learning the identity of who Quetzalpetlatl really is, I found that I did not like her character very much in this novel. She seems like a totally different person from the previous novels. She is very selfish in the beginning, and does not care how her abilities affect others. Later on,  she does realize the consequences she has made on others and tries to fix it with no avail. Eventually, she becomes the character that I recognize in the series. However, I also found her to be a weaker character than she was in other novels. Throughout the novel, Quetzalpetlatl tries to come to terms with herself, and she begins to lose faith with Quetzalcoatl, whom she has been faithful to. Still, I did not like Quetzalpetlatl’s actions, and thought some of them may have done more harm than good.

   Overall, this book is about faith, love, and friendship. There was very little character development in the novel. Most of the supporting characters that we have come to know over the course of the series make very little appearances. I did find the Native American mythology to be very interesting, and the author makes the world come alive. The Bone Flower Goddess raises more questions than answers. While I prefer the previous novels, The Bone Flower Goddess was a solid conclusion to the series. I recommend this series to fans of The Star-Touched Queen, Lily of the Nile, and Child of the Prophecy.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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