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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Child death, Death, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcohol
saliwali's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Grief, Child death, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Mental illness, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, and Medical content
honuzbubbles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Death, and Pedophilia
Minor: Alcohol
saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"They know neither the contours of our hearts nor the cold hands that shaped them."
This is, in fact, Roshani Chokshi's most magical book.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is an absolutely dreamy, mesmerizing story that starts off enchanting but gets darker as it goes. It swept me in and asked that I savor it, hence I didn't rush finishing it! I'd recommend going into it blind and not reading the rest of my review, though I don't include any major spoilers.
It's beautifully written, filled with lush metaphors and descriptions that often allude to and reference fairytales and mythology. I found myself constantly stopping to write down lines. It's a magical story that demands equally magical writing! Though some may find it confusing, I found the plot to be easy enough to keep up with and was only occasionally confused by some descriptions. The story reads like a contemporary written as if it were a fantasy!
The story is not only beautiful, but also tragic and haunting. Going beyond romance and into obsession. Going back and fourth between two timelines; one with an unnamed bridegroom who knows nothing about his wife's past, and another that tells the story between two girls who are obsessed with each other and 100% in love with each other romantically and this is one of the most homoerotic things I've ever read. Both of these timelines connected by the enigmatic Indigo. It's focused heavily on a small cast and character study, allowing the cast to be fleshed out as we learn more and more about Indigo's backstory.
I'd highly recommend Flower Bride to anyone looking for a gorgeous Gothic story. Especially those who are in love with fantasy, despite the lack of fantastical elements!
TWs: death, blood and gore, pedophilia including sexual touches and advances, grief, abuse both physical and emotional, cutting of palms for ritual purposes, alcohol consumption
Pre-review April 2022
I posted an Instagram story about being excited for this that Roshani Chokshi reposted and in her repost she said "strangely, this is my most magical book... without a drop of magic?" which considering that her previous stories have dealt with gods it's absolutely WILD that this is her most magical one. Can't wait to read it!
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol and Pedophilia
Minor: Death of parent, Self harm, and Drug use
not_asha01's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Classism, Alcohol, Death, Blood, Animal death, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, and Child abuse
anni_swanilda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Death, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Self harm, Violence, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent
tigger89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Chokshi's lush descriptions are probably the best part of this book. I could picture the House of Dreams and the Otherworld so easily that I almost felt as if I was reading an illustrated edition. My criticism would be that this felt like a novel about Indigo's childhood that occasionally flashed forward to her future husband, which wasn't really what I'd been expecting from the cover copy. What we got was still a great story, don't get me wrong, but I'd expected more focus on the husband using his knowledge of fairy tales to navigate the danger he found himself in, whereas the primary focus was actually on the story of Indigo's origin.
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Terminal illness
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, and Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Pedophilia, and Blood
kris386's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Child death, and Death
Minor: Blood, Gun violence, and Alcohol
annamorgan27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Mental illness and Pedophilia