Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

48 reviews

jbird_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Sexual content

horizonous's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense 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

4.25

Usually I'm not the biggest fan of flowery writing, but somehow it worked really well for me in this book. It creates this eerie, lush and dreamy, yet poisonous atmosphere, and I couldn't get enough of it. The descriptions of the House of Dreams were especially immaculate. I just really like it, when a setting comes to live as if it were its own character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship and Animal death

Moderate: Blood, Death, Infidelity, and Self harm

Minor: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, and Child abuse

saliwali's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

paperquilt's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Pedophilia

deszra's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

While i don’t think this book is for everyone, it definitely was for me. The writing is absolutely gorgeous, toward the end especially, i found myself pausing to just fully appreciate the beauty of Chokshi’s writing and the characterization as well of the bridegroom, indigo, and azure is so layered and multifaceted. I think if you liked The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, you will probably like The Last Tale of the Flower Bride as well. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual harassment, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

unfiltered_fiction's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was a mixed reading experience for me, because there were so many things I admired - especially the quality of the prose and the careful, clever references to fairytales - but it still all felt quite flat to me. A lot of this was due to really struggling to take an interest in any of the characters until about the last quarter of the book. The denouement is absolutely excellent, but it just felt to me that everything that builds up to it lays a wobbly foundation which makes it hard to really value the best bits at their very best.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Violence

provo's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.5

The language in this book is beautiful. Highly recommended, if you love fairy tales - look up the content warnings though, this book is not a light one.

At times I was really irritated about the time and place this is supposed to play out, I am still not sure if this takes place in Europe or the USA. There were thing very specific to Europe (e.g. drinking at 16) and things very specific to the U S (driving at 17). There were things typical for the 90s (big cellphones with an antenna are mentioned in the parts were the protagonists are grown up, which puts the childhood scenes somewhere between end 70s/mid 80s) but also things that were absolutely not typical for that time (girls making out with other girls in public without anyone reacting in a homophobic way in a small town).

I was less interested in the story of the husband (but it was important to the overall plot and it did not take up too much space in the story), but the parts about the past were really good (also very painful at times).
It also cements my belief that kids who grow up too rich are just completely out of touch 🤷🏻‍♀️

Edit: after reading a couple of reviews for this after finishing it, I want to add: I would not call this a romance nor fantasy and I am slightly annoyed by publishing houses who are not able to describe the genre of their books correctly because their fancy descriptions might sell better. This is a mystery thriller and a coming of age story in a Trenchcoat of fairytale metaphors.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Classism

Moderate: Pedophilia, Child death, and Death

Minor: Animal death

effy's review against another edition

4.5

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Child death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Pedophilia

mandkips's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, and Death

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia

anni_swanilda's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

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