Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

74 reviews

callistag1's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Infidelity, and Pedophilia

Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Death

lou_loo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

 The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is an eerie, gothic, dark fairytale.
We follow the story from the point of view of the Bridegroom and Azure.
This story is beautiful yet terrible; it is fascinating and disturbing; scary and haunting. It feels like a fairytale, like a story of magic and fantasy, but it is also a story of abuse, neglect and manipulation. We never know if what we are being told is real or not. We hope it is only magic; if it is not, it's horrifying and scary, showing us how terrible the world can be. If it is not magic, it is gaslighting, abuse and manipulation.
Azure's mother once told her:

"If she kept you around, she would break you into little pieces. You'd never be able to put yourself back together."

Azure found herself stuck somewhere between magic and reality, between the world she wanted to discover and the world Indigo wanted her to stay in.
Roshani Chokshi is an amazing writer, her prose is gorgeous and poetic; she keeps us hanging on a thread for the whole book and each time we think we'll understand the secrets, we find ourselves going deeper and deeper without seeing how it could end. The characters are complex and intriguing, I loved the meaning and role behind each character and how they represented archetypes from fairytales, and the personification of the House of Dreams was the completion of the ambience, it let the eerie vibes be complete and transported us into this mysterious world.
The best way to go into this book is knowing as little as possible, and I'm glad I picked it up ignorant.
This book is a 5/5 star and I'll remember this story for a very long time. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, and Blood

Moderate: Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Confinement

clemireads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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: Alcohol, Animal death, Pedophilia, Death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

startjpw23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is a dark fantasy. It centers around a woman named Indigo. People are strongly attracted to her. The story is actually told in the first person by the two other main characters in the book. The first is never named. He is called the Bridegroom in the chapters he narrates. Early in the book, he and Indigo are married. The other main character, Azure, is a childhood friend of Indigo's. The Bridegroom's chapters are in the present time. Azure's chapters are set in the past. They detail Indigo's and Azure's friendship during their youth. All three main characters have a love of fairy tales. I was kept off balance by magical occurrences in the story. I often wasn't sure if an occurrence was actually magical, if it was in the imaginations of the characters, or if it was wishful thinking. This book has a lot of dark moments. I have heard that expression that a book is vibes. I think this book is partly vibes. I loved the dark atmosphere the author created. I didn't like 2 of the 3 main characters. But I always wanted to know what happened next. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a dark fantasy that kind of keeps you off balance. And pulls the reader in.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Animal death

page_karla's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Blood, Gore, Child death, Body horror, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Incest, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship

anandaclairity's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Child death, and Pedophilia

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, and Death of parent

foxwish's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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 relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Grief, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Death

alloftaysreads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

erinreadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Gorgeous imagery and evocative, atmospheric writing. The beginning was not my favorite and the rapid development of the relationship between the protagonists made me a bit wary but the last 3/4 of the book (basically when we started seeing the past) was gripping and very enjoyable as the creeping sense of horror began to seep in. Recommended for those who like dark fairytale vibes and writing that makes you question what is reality and what is imagined. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Bullying, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Gaslighting, Pedophilia, and Emotional abuse

selenatothemax's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child death, Pedophilia, and Child abuse