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cedartonk's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Domestic abuse
cheye13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The best thing I can say about this book is that the writing is beautiful. Stepping back, I can see what it was going for, but ultimately, I think it should've been a novella, or even a short story.
A big part of my disappointment is the fault of the synopsis. I had expected a bluebeard-like tale featuring the Bridegroom as a main character, but as is, he could've been removed from the story entirely. In actuality, this is the story of Indigo and Azure growing up together, and the all-encompassing nature of their friendship and the world they create together. It's an interesting story, but simply too long. Every element of the tale is overdrawn to the point that any initial tension dissolves.
A big part of my disappointment is the fault of the synopsis. I had expected a bluebeard-like tale featuring the Bridegroom as a main character, but as is, he could've been removed from the story entirely. In actuality, this is the story of Indigo and Azure growing up together, and the all-encompassing nature of their friendship and the world they create together. It's an interesting story, but simply too long. Every element of the tale is overdrawn to the point that any initial tension dissolves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Gore, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Alcohol, Child death, Dementia, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent, Dementia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Pedophilia
a myriad of standard old-style fairytale content warnings, not graphically described, but consistently mentioned: rape, incest, murder, etc. A persistent predatory stepfather and an off-page sexual assault involving blackout drinking.el393way's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I have read Roshani Chokshi’s middle grade books with my students for read alouds. She is a talented writer. This was an instant read for me because I wanted to try an adult book from her. Her writing style very much fits the gothic, magical genre this book attempts to be. There were so many elements that played really well to an eerie, suspenseful, gothic motif.
That being said, I would strongly recommend NOT doing the audiobook for this one. The narrators are good at what they do, but hearing this story unfold is a bit challenging to grasp. It also really spoils the ending of the book because what would be revealed slowly over time for readers is just jarringly obvious for listeners. Perhaps the creative direction chosen for the audiobook simply did not mesh with my own internal reading voice. I think the characters’ tones and accents made them very unlikable (Indigo), pathetic (Azure), or a tad creepy (Bridegroom).
The time jumps back and forth from present really make everything feel like a drag when compared to the more ethereal writing style. What felt like the telling of a story from an unnamed character because more of snapshot of this third character that both narrators have connections to.
Instead of enjoying learning about these characters, they’re so immediately unlikable. When we were younger, most of us had that pretentious, know-it-all friend who thrives off controlling the room and guiding everyone to how they want things to go. That’s what Indigo was and it was so toxic. Instead of enjoying the story I spent a lot of the read being annoyed and rolling my eyes at things she said. Instead of feeling like a gothic novel with magical elements, it felt like the kids in middle school and high school school that like to pretend they’re witches and form their own clique with role playing.
In all, I love the premise but really disliked the characters so much that the whole wasn’t enjoyable.
That being said, I would strongly recommend NOT doing the audiobook for this one. The narrators are good at what they do, but hearing this story unfold is a bit challenging to grasp. It also really spoils the ending of the book because what would be revealed slowly over time for readers is just jarringly obvious for listeners. Perhaps the creative direction chosen for the audiobook simply did not mesh with my own internal reading voice. I think the characters’ tones and accents made them very unlikable (Indigo), pathetic (Azure), or a tad creepy (Bridegroom).
The time jumps back and forth from present really make everything feel like a drag when compared to the more ethereal writing style. What felt like the telling of a story from an unnamed character because more of snapshot of this third character that both narrators have connections to.
Instead of enjoying learning about these characters, they’re so immediately unlikable. When we were younger, most of us had that pretentious, know-it-all friend who thrives off controlling the room and guiding everyone to how they want things to go. That’s what Indigo was and it was so toxic. Instead of enjoying the story I spent a lot of the read being annoyed and rolling my eyes at things she said. Instead of feeling like a gothic novel with magical elements, it felt like the kids in middle school and high school school that like to pretend they’re witches and form their own clique with role playing.
In all, I love the premise but really disliked the characters so much that the whole wasn’t enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Pedophilia
Minor: Suicide
onthesamepage's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Here's the most important thing to know if you're picking up this book: it's not a fantasy. It's not a romance. It is gothic literary fiction inspired by fairytales. Going in expecting anything else will lead to disappointment.
Why it's not a romance
To me, a romance book means that there is a focus on building a romantic relationship between (at least) two individuals that spans the entire story. That is not the case here. Our main character, known only as the bridegroom, falls for and marries a woman named Indigo within the first few chapters, and they've been married for a few years by the time we get to the actual story, which is unraveling the mysteries surrounding Indigo.
Why it's not a fantasy
To really explain why this doesn't count as fantasy, I have to talk about some things that could be considered spoilers. They won't reveal the plot, but will make certain things about the world clear that you wouldn't otherwise know for sure until the end, so I'll put it behind a cut.There is a lot of focus on fairytales throughout the story. When we meet Azure and see her with Indigo, we're seeing everything from Azure's point of view, and she believes in magic. There is an Otherworld that looks and feels special, the House of Dreams has feelings and shows her things, and Indigo firmly believes that they don't belong to this world and will be spirited away once they reach a certain age. There are also other off-hand mentions, like two types of whiskey, one that will fill your belly for the rest of your days but make you only able to speak the truth, and one that will leave you hungrier than before, but a polished liar. By the end of the book, it became very clear to me that there isn't actually any magic, and that almost everything can be attributed to a) childhood/teenage fancies, or b) introducing fairytale elements to their lives. The only thing that isn't clarified outright is whether the house is actually semi-sentient, but my conclusion by the last page was that it's very debatable that this is true, considering how unreliable our narrators are. This means that every single thing that would make this a fantasy book, is actually just people's imaginations. Hence, not a fantasy.
That's not to say I don't think the book is worth reading. I actually really liked the way fairytales were such a central theme throughout. It's more of a character study than a book with much of a plot, but it was interesting to see how the Indigo we see in Azure's chapters became the Indigo of the present. The pacing was very slow, however, and this has to do with the dual timelines. It bogged everything down, and every time I felt like we were getting somewhere in the present, we'd be back in the past for a significant chunk, which made the bridegroom's story lose its urgency. I also found parts of it to be overwritten—I had to reread a lot of paragraphs, sometimes more than once, because my mind kept wandering from the words.
Here's the most important thing to know if you're picking up this book: it's not a fantasy. It's not a romance. It is gothic literary fiction inspired by fairytales. Going in expecting anything else will lead to disappointment.
Why it's not a romance
To me, a romance book means that there is a focus on building a romantic relationship between (at least) two individuals that spans the entire story. That is not the case here. Our main character, known only as the bridegroom, falls for and marries a woman named Indigo within the first few chapters, and they've been married for a few years by the time we get to the actual story, which is unraveling the mysteries surrounding Indigo.
Why it's not a fantasy
To really explain why this doesn't count as fantasy, I have to talk about some things that could be considered spoilers. They won't reveal the plot, but will make certain things about the world clear that you wouldn't otherwise know for sure until the end, so I'll put it behind a cut.
That's not to say I don't think the book is worth reading. I actually really liked the way fairytales were such a central theme throughout. It's more of a character study than a book with much of a plot, but it was interesting to see how the Indigo we see in Azure's chapters became the Indigo of the present. The pacing was very slow, however, and this has to do with the dual timelines. It bogged everything down, and every time I felt like we were getting somewhere in the present, we'd be back in the past for a significant chunk, which made the bridegroom's story lose its urgency. I also found parts of it to be overwritten—I had to reread a lot of paragraphs, sometimes more than once, because my mind kept wandering from the words.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, and Self harm
Moderate: Suicide and Pedophilia
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual harassment
astralbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual harassment, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Suicide
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
ccouey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Death, and Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, and Murder
Minor: Suicide
emilydrojas's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
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