THE MORNING FLOWER

Ulla continues the quest to find the identity of her parents; her missing friend, Eliana; and the location of the First City.

After Eliana’s kidnapping, Ulla and Pan set off to Fulaträsk in Louisiana, hopeful they’ll find more information about the cult of the Älvolk and the First City. Ulla learns that the troll she believed to be her mother, Orra Fågel, went missing 20 years ago during a mission to find the Lost Bridge of Dimma—the mythical bridge guarded by the Älvolk. Then Ulla hears rumors of roaming philanderer Indu Mattison, an Älvolk from the First City who may be her father. Indu was last heard railing against Kiruna, which is located in the Arctic area of Sweden. This is their best lead yet; it could lead them to the First City. Pan is summoned back to Merellä, and Ulla returns with him, set on continuing her research. But it isn’t long before Ulla and her friends gain the final clues they need to set off to Sweden, where answers to Ulla’s identity bring more turmoil than relief. With fewer dives into deep lore, Ulla’s journey moves with steady purpose, though the clues she finds line up too easily to feel earned. True danger arrives in the climax, but it’s too little, too late.

Another winding quest with only intermittent bursts of intrigue and action.