Skip to main content

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

The Bone Flower Queen (Book Two of the Bone Flower Trilogy)
Author: T. L. Morganfield
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Feathered Serpent Books
Release Date: 2015
Pages: 356
Source: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Gods Do Not Die. They Just Sleep.

     Having defeated the sorcerer god Smoking Mirror and reclaimed her throne, Quetzalpetlatl and her brother Topiltzin set out to found Quetzalcoatl’s new holy city and end human sacrifice throughout the Toltec world.

     But Smoking Mirror hasn’t abandoned his own ambitions for power; with his allies–mortal and divine–threatening war among the gods, he’s shifted his focus to Quetzalpetlatl and her budding magical powers. Along with her deep, personal connection to his hated enemy Quetzalcoatl, she would be the perfect addition to his ranks, if only he can convince her that she’s working for the wrong side in this conflict.

     And he knows the one secret that will tear apart everything she thinks she knows about her beloved god…and herself.

      My Review: Quetzalpetlatl and her brother Topiltzin are now King and Queen of Tollan, a city they have founded on which they could build their dreams and end human sacrifice. However, they soon find that the peace and prosperity they have hoped for is over. Smoking Mirror is back and wants to start a war with Quetzalcoatl. He turns his eye on Quetzalpetlatl and tries to convince her that Quetzalcoatl is not the just god he claims to be. Caught in the midst of a war between the gods, Quetzalpetlatl soon learns a secret that may tear her devotion to Quetzalcoatl apart.

    Quetzalpetlatl has grown more mature in The Bone Flower Queen than The Bone Flower Throne. She becomes a strong capable queen ruling alongside her brother. She has ambitions and goals where she hopes to have a better future and a happy ending. She is also a loving mother. However, she still has insecurities about herself. Due to her power, she wonders if she is hurting those she loves. Quetzalpetlatl makes decisions, some of which are careless, in order to remain true to herself and to save those she loves. Quetzalpetlatl, at times, can be impulsive and there were some actions she made that I didn’t approve of. Despite her flaws, Quetzalpetlatl is a loveable character that readers will root for and hopes that she will find her happiness.

    Overall, this book is about a woman trying to find her self-identity. The characters are fleshed out, and it was great to revisit tenth century Mexico again. The author does a great job in making her world come alive. The only thing I did not really like was the ending. However, I liked the story well enough to read the conclusion to the trilogy, The Bone Flower Goddess. The story itself was very reminiscent of King Arthur and his Camelot. The Bone Flower Throne has the makings of an Arthurian tragedy that will appeal to King Arthur fans. I recommend this book to fans of The Mists of Avalon, The Hollow Hills, and Avelynn.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Enheduana: Princess, Priestess, Poetess (Routledge Ancient Biographies) by Alhena Gadotti: A Book Review

Enheduana: Princess, Priestess, Poetess (Routledge Ancient Biographies) Author: Alhena Gadotti Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Routledge Publication Date: May 2, 2025 Pages: 132 Source: Personal Collection  Synopsis: Enheduana: Princess, Priestess, Poetess offers the first comprehensive biography of Enheduana, daughter of Sargon of Agade and one of the most intriguing, yet elusive, women from antiquity.      Royal princess, priestess, and alleged author, Enheduana deserves as much attention as her martial relatives. A crucial contributor to her father’s military ambitions, Enheduana nonetheless wielded religious and economic power, as evidenced by primary and secondary sources. Even more interestingly, Enheduana remained alive in the cultural memory of those who came after her, so much so that works attributed to her were integrated into the scribal curriculum centuries after her death. This book aims to situate Enheduana in her own histor...

Enheduana: The Complete Poems of the World's First Author by Sophus Helle: A Book Review

Enheduana: The Complete Poems of the World’s First Author Author: Sophus Helle Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Religion Publisher: Yale University Press Release Date: 2024 Pages: 228 Source: Personal Collection  Synopsis: The complete poems of the priestess Enheduana, the world’s first known author, newly translated from the original Sumerian.      Enheduana was a high priestess and royal princess who lived in Ur, in what is now southern Iraq, about 2300 BCE. Not only does Enheduana have the distinction of being the first author whose name we know, but the poems attributed to her are hymns of great power. They are a rare flash of the female voice in the often male-dominated ancient world, treating themes that are as relevant today as they were four thousand years ago: exile, social disruption, the power of storytelling, gender-bending identities, the devastation of war, and the terrifying forces of nature.       This book is ...

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) by Lucinda Riley: A Book Review

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) Author: Lucinda Riley Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Atria Release Date: 2015 Pages: 463 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: Maia D’Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, “Atlantis”—a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva—having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died. Each of them is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage—a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of her story and its beginnings. Eighty years earlier in Rio’s Belle Epoque of the 1920s, Izabela Bonifacio’s father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into the aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is devising plans for an enormous statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to ...