Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

This book was a complicated one for me. I had a really hard time getting into it. I think because it wasn't what I was expecting on so many different levels. To call this book fantasy I think is very misleading because the fantastical elements are more vehicles for the story as opposed to truly being present. The whirlwind of Indigo and the bridegroom first getting together also made it quite difficult for me to find my footing.

Very early into my read, I was pretty convinced that

Azure had killed Indigo and assumed her identity so largely I was focused on waiting for that reveal.

What I truly loved about this book was the way that trauma and the toxicity of relationships are portrayed within this book. I also feel as though this book gave a lot of the same vibes as Pan's Labyrinth, in particular the way that the whimsy and fairytale was expanded in the book.

I suspect that this is the kind of book that I will simply adore on re-read if for no other reason that I will be experiencing it with full knowledge of what I am going into.

The final chapter and epilogue were so incredibly masterfully done that, despite having a really hard time with this book, my lasting impression is a positive one.

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not_asha01's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

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anni_swanilda's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

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ryuutchi's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Docked a star for the

heterosexually every after

ending. If you're given me a genderfucked Bluebeard story with essence of Blodeuwedd, this ending didn't do it for me. Not gonna lie, as a story with a Blodeuwedd under current, it felt like the resolution was more like Owl Service than anything with real talons.

Otherwise, a generally entertaining mystical twist on what might have otherwise been an obvious thriller plot.

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snowwhitehatesapples's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.

How long can you last if your partner in marriage has a past they refuse to share with you?
If they turn cold or unhappy at initial probing so you’d immediately stop in fear that the beautiful fantasy of love shatters. If they know more about you than you do about them and it feels as though you’ll never know all of them as they will you.
How long can you last?

For one man, it lasted until the past came haunting his wife again and that’s where The Last Tale of the Flower Bride truly begins.

Written with gorgeous prose filled with lush imagery, this book is its own dark fairytale that centres around the powerful acts of believing and lying, creating a world where reality is seamlessly interwoven with fantasy. It starts with the bridegroom whose name we never find out, falling for Indigo, a wealthy heiress who greatly feels as though she’s a creature from the Otherworld. They strike a deal where in exchange for her heart, he cannot pry into her past. Thus, they marry and everything’s dandy until Indigo has no choice but to bring them both back to the House of Dreams, introducing the series of cracks that later, shatter their happy fantasy. Consequently, as these cracks appear, the bridegroom can no longer resist and begins to search between the veils of the world for the truth.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a mesmerizing experience. The gothic atmosphere, the precariousness of the balance between reality and fantasy, the many lies and the parallels between the story’s world and the myths and folklores we know today — the more I read, the more in love I am with the book. It’s a brilliant ode that emphasises how the scariest monsters will always be humans.

Nevertheless, all the aforementioned also worked against the book’s favour because despite them (plus the beautiful prose), there wasn’t a balance to the emotions from both perspectives. The bridegroom’s POV felt more and more detached as he dug further in search of the truth while Azure’s POV came more and more alive. Eventually, the emotions from Azure’s POV overtook the bridegroom’s, leaving his side hollower than before. Although I suspect that this was done on purpose since we never learn his name and the title of the book itself says the story isn’t about him, I can’t help but wish there was a little more depth to his side of the story.

If you adore myths and folklore, gothic horror, magical realism and lush imagery, this book is for you.

Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

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maeverose's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

So close to being five stars

TL;DR: The writing and gothic atmosphere are a 10/10. Gave me Rebecca vibes. So satisfied with the ending.

I love how gothic and atmospheric this book is. I loved the dreamlike magical realism elements. I almost want to immediately re read this and annotate it. I didn’t even realize until I finished it and I don’t know if it was intentional (since I’ve heard this is a bluebeard retelling) but Bridegroom’s pov felt very reminiscent of Rebecca. With his quick marriage to Indigo and her secret past with Azure, who’s almost supernaturally tied to the house. And him being unnamed throughout the whole book (which I love).

I found zero objective flaws with this book (outside of the unnecessary body shaming of one of the antagonists), but the main thing that makes me hesitant to give it five stars is that at a few points it triggered my anxiety a little bit (it might’ve just been because I had too much caffeine that day honestly lol). I also really don’t like to read about toxic friendships, which is a big part of this book.

But mostly I loved it

“Too often the truth of a memory lives not in the mind but in the heart, in the subtle and sacred organization that makes up one’s identity. But it is a tender place to reach, and I am wounded by touching it.”

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nikogatts's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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nini23's review against another edition

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2.75

I'm always wary of YA writers who profess to cross over to adult and this is why. From the description, I thought it would be like The Husband Stitch by Carmen Maria Machado with its powerful underlying message. Instead it focuses on two unsupervised tweens indulging in their overactive imaginations. Everything is the colour of blood, bone, teeth. First kiss, shaving, dancing to loud music in a crowded space, prom, playing dress up, bullying others and being queen bees at school, so yawn-worthy. Activities of spoilt malicious teen girls really don't hold my interest. The husband's present voice and Azure's narrative flashback voice sound the same. The strongest part of the novel is probably the analysis of fairytales. I did like the prose at first, then it became overdone and overdramatic. Reveals had no emotional impact on me.

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