Mother of Trees: An Epic Fantasy

Thaumatropic Roots #1

by Steven J. Morris

The Mother of Trees slumbers, her existence fading into myth, her prophecy of the one who could save the world... almost unheard.Living as a drifter, skipping town whenever her daughter draws the wrong kind of attention, the herald maintains her silence. For her daughter, the Promised One, has no magic at all. Elliah is Bereft, and even her own kind seek her death.When Elliah meets a Warder and his half-breed son, who hope to awaken the Mother, she realizes she has questions of her own. Did the Mother make a mistake? And even worse--what if she didn't?To whom can one turn when all paths lead to death, even the death of a goddess?

Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy

264 pages, Paperback

Published February 3, 2024

About the author

Engineer, husband, and father of three wonderful girls by day. Fantasy fiction writer by night (and other random times he's not taxiing kids, pulling hair out of drains, helping with math and science homework, coaching soccer, remodeling rooms, and walking the dogs).

Reviews

[Briana Briggs]

I don't always like prequels, but this was a great one! I love seeing the hints towards the events of the Guardian League series. And of course this is just the first book in the series, so I'm sure there will be even more in the next one! Super excited for the rest of the story. I loved seeing young Elliah and Hughelas! Now I want to go back and reread the Guardian books again.

[Beth]

4.5 rounded up.

Mother of Trees
@stevenmorris
Pub day: Feb 3rd

This is Steve’s second series and it’s a prequel to his last series (The Guardian League).

👉🏻First I have to say that if it weren’t for Steve’s books over the past few years, I don’t think I would be the fantasy reader I am today. So many thanks to Steve. I’ve really gotten ‘into’ some fantasy this past year. Yay me. 🎉

Now for this book: 💭💭
This one is hard to put into words as it’s a whirlwind of world and character building. It’s a fun ride and revolves around elves species’ and their worlds. 🧝🧝‍♀️🧝‍♂️

“The Mother of Trees slumbers, her exsistence folding into myth, her prophecy of the one who could save the world…almost unheard.”

This is Elliah’s and her Mother’s story as much as it is the story of the elves’ worlds and exsistence. If you like origin stories seeped in magic with a bit of a YA feel this is for you.

The writing here is smooth yet still witty and was nostalgic for me as it works to connect the timelines here. I love Elliah and felt for her as a young girl (elf ♥️), trying to understand her own power that lies within herself.

Mother of Trees is a great introduction to this series to come and I can’t wait to read more. 😊

Check this one out of you are a fantasy lover. 👀
Steve writes with heart and that makes all the difference here. I gotta say I do miss Grundle though. #iykyk

[Kassyreadsalot]

Title: Mother Of Trees

Author: Steven J. Morris

Synopsis: The Mother of Trees slumbers, her existence fading into myth, her prophecy of the one who could save the world... almost unheard.Living as a drifter, skipping town whenever her daughter draws the wrong kind of attention, the herald maintains her silence. For her daughter, the Promised One, has no magic at all. Elliah is Bereft, and even her own kind seek her death.When Elliah meets a Warder and his half-breed son, who hope to awaken the Mother, she realizes she has questions of her own. Did the Mother make a mistake? And even worse--what if she didn't?To whom can one turn when all paths lead to death, even the death of a goddess?

Review: I must commend Steven J. Morris! His writing in this book was so good! I couldn’t get enough of it! The world felt so intricate I feel like I was watching a movie! This book had compelling characters that I want to know more about! I thought it would go one way and it completely surprised me and keeps me on my toes! I can’t wait for the sequel!

[Angel (Bookn.All.Night)]

Oh my...where to start LOL

Elliah and her mother are drifters. Not by choice, they roam from place-to-place, when Elliah's "condition" becomes known. Although an Elf, her situation brings her no solidarity with her kind...instead disdain and coldness meet her gaze.

One day, she meets an Elf who sees her for who she is and yet ... he isn't disgusted. He embraces her difference and befriends her. He and his father are on a quest and somehow Elliah and her mother end up joining them.

There is a secret to who Elliah truly is, and learning some of her past along the way to the Mother of Trees fuels many questions inside her. Will this quest to the Mother finally bring some clarity? Or will this journey bring something darker...or worse despair.

Oh man...did this one being back the nostalgia for The Guardian League. If you haven't read that series yet...do it. LOL I really enjoyed learning about Elliah. It's not easy to persevere when so much, and so many are against you. Just because of what you lack (in their eyes at least).

At times, Elliah did irritate me but such is the attitude of youth. Eventually, I grew to love her character and the growth she shows in such a short story. This one definitely has a YA feel and, for me, it works.

I will say, the beginning was a little hard for me to get into. The pacing felt a tad slow and off, to me at least, BUT it picks up and when it goes .. zoom baby. I cannot wait for the 2nd book. That ending has me HOOKED.

This is definitely one for fans of this author's earlier series AND for those who love a solid fantasy that gives off those LOTR feels.

I sincerely appreciate the author for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Stephanie]

It felt great getting back into the wonderful world that Steven Morris has created. Mother of Trees is perfect for those that want to venture into its universe, but it's also great for those of us that have read the Guardian League series.

I'm not always a huge fan of prequel series, especially for series that I love. But this one was done right. I really liked that it provides backstories for not only the elves and some characters, but also for the world. And you can't go wrong when there are dragons!

I highly recommend Mother of Trees to anyone that likes fantasy. It's a good start to a series and I can't wait to see how Steven Morris connects it to the Guardian League series, which I also highly recommend.

Thank you to Steven Morris for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Sue]

4.75

This is a new author to me and I’m so excited to discover him. Mother of Trees is the first book of the Thaumotrophic trilogy which is a prequel to the existing Guardian League(4 books). This book has various types of elves, trolls, dragons and so much more. The writing is really good-building up the storyline in a meaningful way with good character building. It was a fun read and I’m looking forward to more!

[Jeremy]

If you’re looking for a quick fantasy read packed with tons of lore and mystery, you’ll be right at home with Mother of Trees!

The characters are very easy to love and root for and we see so much growth happening in the story, especially with Elliah. Elliah is perceived as something bad amongst the elves due to her inability to perform magic, and I love that she finally starts loving herself more when she meets a boy that doesn’t care about any of that and actually sees her for herself.

The books gives off epic fantasy vibes without taking you on quite the same long journey. Instead, a lot of world building is packed into the story in a very natural way as we learn about the present and the secrets from the past as Elliah, her mother, the young man and his father all journey to find the mythical deity, the Mother of Trees.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to Steven J. Morris for my ARC of this story! All of my thoughts are my own.

[Brittany]

I love getting pulled into a fantasy world that feels real. This book has me trying to figure out things the entire time and I still don't think I have it right. Keeps me guessing and wanting more!

So read this book if you like magic, elves, mystery, adventure, fighting, dragons, slow burn, mythology, and so much more.

[Bozena]

Let's start by saying that this cover is so incredibly beautiful that you absolutely have to have this book on your bookshelf. Yes, that's a reason enough to buy a book 😂.
In this case, the first one.

I love fantasy stories with the theme of nature and fauna.
So far, I have only read one story/series that had a nature-related theme that I loved, and I was looking for books with this topic, and it seems the book found me, or rather Steven, did 😉
I'm so so happy that he did.

This beautiful book is not only
Unbelievable fascinating, gripping and exciting, but it's also a story about the world of high elves, elves, trolls, dragons, and other mysterious "forest/nature" creatures.

A fascinating tell about how nature works in their own world and with their own lows.
Before you ask, no, it's not related to our world.
It's completely different from our world in the place, locations, and time-frame, but unfortunately not exactly enough different from some very mean behaviors and rituals in their world.

The book is a slow, extremely interesting, and exciting story about the inhabitants of forests and other similar places.
It's really difficult to write about this book without spoilers 😬

It's a story about a fascinating, interesting, and yes, mythical world that is so beautifully designed and described. You just can't stop imagining it on a huge screen.
It's a book for fans of high fantasy stories with a whole new life creation in a very interesting fantasy world that lives and breathes nature in the most fascinating shapes.

Just read this book.
It's a must-read for all fantasy fans.

[CiCi | bookameme]

A Quick And Epic Fantasy


Quote:📖
“I smiled as I settled in, wondering how, exactly, a child without magic would save it.”

Thoughts: 💡
This is a fantastic fantasy with a creative view. It follows the apocalypse of a race and death of a god with the continual question of what comes next. There are multiple POVs and the timeline jumps a bit, but it all works together to tell a pretty fantastic story.

Important Note:✨
This is book 1 in a prequel series, it’s open ended but not a brutal cliffhanger.


Stats:📊
Fantasy: Elves, Dying Gods, Twisting Futures, an Epic Journey📘
First Person, Present Tense, Multi POV
⚠️: War, Violence, Blood, & Gore

[Air]

A gorgeous setting of lush world building, Book 1 of Thaumatropic Roots sets the scene for a fantastic fantasy. I really enjoyed the authors compelling characters and very intricate storyline. This has the prelude to be a very epic fantasy that shows us exactly what Elliah is made of. I thought she was such a strong character considering everything she’d gone through and continues to experience! You should definitely give this indie read a try!

Thank you to the author for my copy!

[Jaime Morris]

I thoroughly enjoyed this first book of this new prequel series. Steven J Morris knocks it out of the park.

[Myndalynn]

This book was a fun change from the books I normally read. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

[Kearstin Ellis]

This was a quick read for me

I really enjoyed the world building and intricate characters.
Elliah has so much more strength than she was lead to believe, the love stories, and the twists at the end.
The mother of trees and Elliah have a connection that is beyond the eye currently

I can’t wait to read the second book in this series to see how everything falls into place !

[Alicia]

I received a free copy through Story Origin in exchange for an honest review.

The prologue is well written and engaging. Initial world building lays the roots (foundation) for the series. New terms are introduced (Rooted, Roamers, Limited, Fathers of Stone) but enough is elucidated to draw readers in. I want to know more: who is the "I" of the prologue? (Answer: the Mother of Trees, but she only appears as an on-stage character in the beginning and end of the novel).

The remainder of the book is equally enjoyable. There are several additional first person narrators, but each has a unique voice and personality, several of which are different what one might have expected due to their species. Elliah is an adolescent of mixed parentage: half Wood Elf and half High Elf. She's 80 years old, but since elves are not considered adults until they turn 100, she still attends school and lives with her mother, Illiara. Elliah is one of the few elves who cannot use magic, and she and her mother have to move whenever her condition attracts too much attention. When they prepare to leave town at the beginning of the novel, a Warder named Beldroth arrives in town. He and his son Hughelas (half Warder and half Salt) are on a pilgrimage to visit the Mother of the Trees and ask her blessing. The four leave town together.

Zoras appears as a first-person narrator early in the novel. His scenes from the past provide additional information, filling in gaps in the main protagonist's knowledge. But elves live long lives. Zoras' story starts 930 years in the past but drops to 700, 500, 180, 81, until the past and present meet. Once his storyline connects with Ellias's, he is no longer a protagonist. While his actions seemed justified when viewed from his own perspective, Illiara sees him as the antagonist.

The third first-person narrator is Jenat, the First of the Last. She appears in only two chapters, near the beginning and end of the novel. She is a dragon, and her perspective sheds light on the world before the Breaking.

Despite clearly being a fantasy novel, I enjoyed many subtle references to the science and religion of our own world. For example, the Mother of Trees is careful about looking into the future because "the act of observing could affect the outcome." As a physicist, I recognize this as the observer effect from quantum mechanics. As another example, when Beldroth and Zoras discuss the legends of the Mother of Trees and the Father of Stones, they engage in what amounts to biblical criticism applied to their fictional, sacred texts. "Some believe [those two creators] are the Father of Stones and Mother of Trees in their original forms." "What if she [the goddess] created us to be like her, but when she left, we didn't follow...What if the Mother came back to save us after we were too afraid to be what she meant us to be?"

The afterward suggests that this is the first novel in a prequel series, but I have not read the series for which it is a prequel.

[DL Heim]

There is a natural tension in a fantasy series between the needs of the fans already steeped in the lore and those of new readers unfamiliar with the world. As a seasoned fantasy reader I am willing to push through my initial confusion at the start of (in this case) a prequel book in an established series IF I have confidence the author will resolve enough of the story’s ambiguities to provide a satisfying reading experience. I made the bet on Mother of Trees and was richly rewarded.

The beginning of this book had the feel of an art film –images and monologue that seemed disconnected to the point of incoherence. But once the story focused on the main “quest” story of unlikely companions on a pilgrimage to the Mother of Trees, the plot really moves. By the end Morris has pulled the disparate threads together, providing a satisfying sense of closure and a good reason to keep reading the series. And oh, the angsty/cringy main character Elliah! You know an author has hooked you when you want to slap the main character across the face and still care deeply about what happens to her.

Highly recommend to fans of classic epic fantasy with a unique magic system, morally ambiguous characters and an exploration of metaphysical themes (and elves, dragons, trolls and other magical creatures).

[Tralyn]

The Mother of Trees is the newest series from author Steven J. Morris. This series is a kind of prequel series to The Guardian League, which I read and loved.

I am fortunate to be part of Steven's street team and was able to read an ARC of the book. Thank you, Steven, for the opportunity and the gifted e-arc. I loved it!

My favorite things about this author's books are the characters he creates. Don't get me wrong, the stories are so good. But it's the characters that keep me reading. And, once again, Steven has created a cast of characters that endear themselves to you. You can't help but cheer them on and care about what comes next.

I love journeys. Each character seems to have their own individual journey while they take on a quest together to find direction for the future. Secrets are revealed. Friendships are formed. There are romantic sparks. And, there is unique magic.

I can't wait to see where we go next on this journey. I recommend Mother of Trees to fans of fantasy, loveable characters, great worldbuilding, and unique magic.

[Laurie]

I received the second book from the author for an honest review, and since I wanted to be fair in my assessment, I bought and read this one first. I am so glad I did.
The pacing is good, and we're introduced to the relevant characters at a decent pace--i.e. not all at once. The MC is definitely flawed, but if she makes a mistake in judgement, she owns up to it. I love how she handles being 'different'--she doesn't feel sorry for herself, she's learned to cope, but she is also wary of any attempts at friendship by others. A lot of people will be able to relate to this.
As I said in the title of my post, the ending is a cliffhanger. I don't necessarily like cliffhanger endings, but that's usually for books where I don't care about the characters. I care about these characters and am rooting for them all the way. I was so glad I had the second book to read immediately.
I believe most fantasy lovers will enjoy this series.

[Minu Freitag]

A despairing goddess slumbers through the centuries all but forgotten by her elf children until one day a desperate mother dares to wake her and asks her to bless her magic-less daughter who otherwise might be doomed to die. A spark of hope is kindled. The goddess foretells that the daughter will live and more—she will be a Promised One—and then breaks out in tears.

Years later we meet mother and daughter as they move from elf town to elf town whenever the daughter’s bereft-ness draws too much hostility. Then one day they meet a Warder and his half-breed son, who hope to awaken the Mother of Trees once more ...

I loved it. Engaging read, wonderful light and humorous prose! Go and read a sample and see if you don’t get hooked! Steve’s books proof that independently published books can be as high quality, or higher, than traditionally published Fantasy books!

Thank you for the ARC copy, can't wait for the next instalment!

[Simone]

In a world of magic, being without is frowned upon. And for Elliah that means staying under the radar, trying not to cause any problems. But eventually, this always happens, and she and her mother must leave again. Elliah always feels forced to hide who she truly is blaming her own existence for their situation. Always having to watch over their shoulders.

The author gives us an amazing world with many kinds of elves, magic, dragons, trolls, and trees that are truly alive and walk among the living.

This is the beginning of, what I feel is going to be, an amazing story about finding who you truly are and accepting yourself, whether you are magical or not. And I can't wait for the next book.

[Amy]

4.5 stars, rounded up

This book was BEAUTIFUL. The prose, the world building, the way the author reveals certain things and leaves other things open ended for us to (hopefully) find out about later in the series.
So in this book the main characters are all elves - and they’re just like humans, but with magic! And this magic is SO COOL and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I don’t wanna say anything about what the world building entails (because you should go read the book) but it’s intricate and complex and unique and has so many layers
And there is action and adventure and I loved the characters!

Thank you to the author for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Sky Alicia Duran]

The Author Is Correct...

In his "Acknowledgements", Stephen J. Morris states that this book's story is a challenge, and he is right. But it is a good challenge.
Though it did take me longer than usual to finish Mother of Trees, I finished this book feeling conflicted (mainly with how long it took me to complete, due to life interrupting my reading plans), yet compelled to continue Elliah's journey.
Based on my experience with this fantastical work, I feel the beginning is slow, and toward the end, a certain trope is used and I see no reason why it was added. But since this is the first book, it may come into play later. I look forward to following the Thaumatropic Roots.

[Kathy Vickers]

Engaging read set in a world where magic is the operational values. Follow a divers group of characters-two young adults learning their way in the world, a manipulative elder elf, a warder on his quest to save his land, a mother protecting her daughter-as they journey to engage a dying god. Different reasons fuel their perilous journey, but can their encounter with the "Mother" save their unraveling world? The characters are intriguing, the world of magic is well planned and functional and the action is plentiful. The book will leave you asking for more from the author.

[Dani]

I love a good origin story! There are so many new characters to learn to love (or hate as the case may be) and a few wild threads that start tying stories back to the very beginning and forward to the wild adventures to come. The mythos and world building lean more toward the fantasy end of the spectrum rather than the science leaning of the previous series, which I think speaks to the growth of the author over time.

[Kris Holliday]

Confusing

I had to re-read quite a bit of this book. It was quite confusing. Being that each chapter was about a different person and I do not think the characters in this story were defined well enough at Beginning. Therefore I found the need to re.Read when I couldn't Remember who was who or what was going on or why. Need list to say I made it. The ending provided to be as confusing as the book itself.

[Kat M]

I was hooked from the cover and glad I was able to read this, it had that opening chapter that I was looking for and enjoyed from the genre. Steven J. Morris write a strong story and characters that I was invested in reading this. It left me wanting to read more in this series and from Steven J. Morris.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Crystal Roberts]

as prequel series go this book is a great one. I love the world building in this book with the characters and glimpses of what is going to come. can't wait for the next book..... although next read through I'm going to read through the whole series again.

[Marsha]

Loved this one. The world building was pretty good. Loved the characters and really enjoyed how they interacted with one another. The suspense of where is this going kept my interest.
This is a book series I probably will read again.

[Otis Nettles]

Another great read from Steven Morris!

Cannot wait to read the next one! It's great to see the beginning of so many of the characters from the first series.

[Sheryl Williams]

gripping read!

What a great adventure! Coming of age story with many twists and turns that can’t be foreseen. Excellent writing. Can’t wait for the next in this series!