Scan barcode
mezzythedragon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Love the atmosphere, as well as Steve West’s narration. Two-thirds of the way in, I had an idea of what the big secret was, but great story all around.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Blood
Minor: Pedophilia
bookforthought's review
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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I hadn't read anything by Roshani Chokshi before, but after hearing a lot of praise for her YA novels over on Book Twitter, I decided to start with her adult debut, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. The beautiful cover and the plot instantly caught my attention while browsing NetGalley, so it was a pretty automatic request. And I'm so glad I did, as this rich, dark and unique tale was SO good.
I'm honestly in love with Chokshi's writing. It is flowery and almost poetic without ever feeling pretentious or heavily constructed. The prose flows really smoothly while at the same time perfectly painting the picture and building the atmosphere. It's clear when reading that the book has a strong foundation in the Western literary canon, effortlessly weaving together the storytelling traditions of old and gothic romance elements with mystery and a dash of magical realism to create a classic tale for modern readers. I loved seeing how expertly the author played with old tropes and storytelling conventions to build an engaging plot and deeply flawed, difficult characters. I particularly liked the choice to reverse traditionally held roles, with Indigo being the centre of the story and the keeper of dangerous secrets, while her husband The Bridegroom remains the unnamed narrator seeking to uncover her mysteries. It was a refreshing take on classic fairytale characters (think Bluebeard) in their original, dark versions. There are also multiple references to these stories throughout, which added a layer of depth to the story.
The story is told in dual POV and in alternating timelines: in one, we follow The Bridegroom in the present as he starts being curious about his wife's past and decides to look for answers as they visit her childhood home; in the other, we follow Azure, Indigo's best friend from childhood who mysteriously disappeared, to watch the two girls grow up in the House of Dreams. Both storylines were great, each adding something to the story until the whole picture became clear. Hints were dropped throughout and the foreshadowing was very well crafted, but I still didn't put all the pieces together until the end. The Bridegroom was somewhat less full as a character compared to the female ones, but it felt like a deliberate choice (much like keeping him nameless) and worked well within the story. We still get to see and understand rather a lot about him and his past, although Indigo and Azure remained far more interesting to me. Listening to the audiobook, Steve West was a marvellous narrator, really helping to bring those gothic vibes through, which massively improved my experience of the Bridegroom's chapters.
Now the female characters are where this book truly shines. They were richly drawn, complex and flawed in a way that is hard to come across (or at least, I haven't really recently - if you have any recommendations, please tell me in the comments!). The relationship between Indigo and Azure was fascinating, even if deeply toxic, and it was easy to understand their attraction to the faerie world and what they call the Otherworld. Their coming-of-age story is rich with subtext and really shows what it means to be a teenage girl on the verge of adulthood in a complicated, and sometimes very dark, world. Feelings take centre stage in this book, the ones that are expressed and the ones kept hidden, love and obsession intertwining until it is hard to recognise where one ends and the other begins.
I could talk about this book for a lot longer, but I won't to avoid spoiling it all. Safe to say that, even in February, this is already a strong contender for best read of the year. Now I'll have to catch up on all of Chokshi's other works!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Blood
author2223's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Blood
azrah786's review against another edition
4.5
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury, death, animal death, bullying, child abuse, neglect, gaslighting, toxic friendship/relationship, sexual harassment, pedophilia, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, terminal illness
--
If you’ve read any of Roshani’s work before then you know that her writing is woven with its own unique magic, and this is a story that feels like it has been pulled from a dusty tome of forgotten fairy tales itself. Though if you come looking for something on the fantasy side you’ll be in for a surprise as this is very much a gothic thriller. An alluring tale centring on promises and secrets kept between people who love to go looking behind locked doors, it will reel you in more and more with each page.
Alternating between dual points of view and over dual timelines we follow The Bridegroom, lover of stories and myths who can’t resist following the breadcrumbs leading him to the secrets of his wife Indigo’s past and Azure, Indigo’s best friend narrating an account of their childhood growing up in the House of Dreams.
Roshani’s prose perfectly captures the ambience of the setting and all the wonder and mystery twisted around these absorbing characters. I was definitely more drawn to the coming of age side of the story but both storylines work in harmony to meticulously reveal the shadowy truths surrounding the enigma that is Indigo’s past in a similar fashion to a classic fairy tale. And the snippets of classical stories and folklore included within the narrative enhanced this even more.
Equally enchanting and horrifying the exploration of obsession and power, love and manipulation is done so well and the closing reveal is one of those that even if you see it coming it’ll still blow you away.
As ever I cannot wait for whatever Roshani writes next!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars
CW: violence, blood, injury, death, animal death, bullying, child abuse, neglect, gaslighting, toxic friendship/relationship, sexual harassment, pedophilia, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, terminal illness
--
If you’ve read any of Roshani’s work before then you know that her writing is woven with its own unique magic, and this is a story that feels like it has been pulled from a dusty tome of forgotten fairy tales itself. Though if you come looking for something on the fantasy side you’ll be in for a surprise as this is very much a gothic thriller. An alluring tale centring on promises and secrets kept between people who love to go looking behind locked doors, it will reel you in more and more with each page.
Alternating between dual points of view and over dual timelines we follow The Bridegroom, lover of stories and myths who can’t resist following the breadcrumbs leading him to the secrets of his wife Indigo’s past and Azure, Indigo’s best friend narrating an account of their childhood growing up in the House of Dreams.
Roshani’s prose perfectly captures the ambience of the setting and all the wonder and mystery twisted around these absorbing characters. I was definitely more drawn to the coming of age side of the story but both storylines work in harmony to meticulously reveal the shadowy truths surrounding the enigma that is Indigo’s past in a similar fashion to a classic fairy tale. And the snippets of classical stories and folklore included within the narrative enhanced this even more.
Equally enchanting and horrifying the exploration of obsession and power, love and manipulation is done so well and the closing reveal is one of those that even if you see it coming it’ll still blow you away.
As ever I cannot wait for whatever Roshani writes next!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Violence, Death, Sexual harassment, Blood, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pedophilia and Terminal illness
partawesome's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Death
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
kris386's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Mental illness and Pedophilia
poppywarphan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
2.5
Characters: 3/10
Enjoyment: 3/10
Plot: 5/10
Worldbuilding: 4/10
Writing: 7/10
Plot: 5/10
Worldbuilding: 4/10
Writing: 7/10
I’d say this was like a gothic fairytale mystery. Everything felt like a fever dream. The writing style was definitely not my preferred style. It felt like the words kept going in circles. Not as in being repetitive, but as in going on this roundabout way to express something but ending up back at the beginning. I appreciate the effort put into the writing, a lot of people will probably find it beautiful, but it was just too much for me.
The worldbuilding was just a big question mark. I was confused about the fantasy elements. When magic was described, I couldn’t tell if it was meant literally or figuratively. Additionally, I had no idea whether this Otherworld mentioned was actually real, or most of the things mentioned as a matter of fact.
The characters were boring. I didn’t care about any of them except for, maybe, Azure in the past. The relationship between Indigo and the bridegroom felt artificial. The friendship between Indigo and Azure was unhealthy.
Everyone was obsessed with the supernatural. The bridegroom studied magic, mythology, and folklore because he remembered having a brother who apparently did not exist. Azure and Indigo bonded over the fae. They were convinced they were a part of them and belonged elsewhere. Indigo took that obsession too far.
Everyone was obsessed with the supernatural. The bridegroom studied magic, mythology, and folklore because he remembered having a brother who apparently did not exist. Azure and Indigo bonded over the fae. They were convinced they were a part of them and belonged elsewhere. Indigo took that obsession too far.
The plot was extremely slow. Almost everything was merely told, and most of the page space was filled with descriptions.
The author said this is her best work. If that is the case, I don’t think her books are for me. I don’t understand metaphorical gibberish. That’s a me problem. I chose to read this first because it was the shortest of my arcs, yet it felt so long.
Arc provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Arc provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
heartbrekker's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My first audiobook ARC was destined to be five stars when its Roshani's adult debut!
If it wasn't already obvious—I adore Roshani Chokshi, so this should come as a surprise to no one that I loved this hauntingly gothic tale of childhood friendship, marriage, and faeries. I actually don't think anywhere in the synopsis does it mention faeries, but they actually indirectly play a vital role to the entirety of this story, which was a pleasant surprise. The book market is oversaturated in faerie content currently, but Roshani brought the creeps and magic of true fae to the forefront of this story. I'm not going to go too much in detail because I think this story is told best by following along yourself. A lot can be considered spoilers so the less I talk about this book, the better.
Anyway, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride follows two dual perspectives. The first a man merely known as Bridegroom who marries Indigo and follows her back to her childhood home when her estranged aunt's health is near its end. The other POV does not appear for the first few chapters, but it was a pleasant surprise that I think a lot of reader's will find interesting. But back to Bridegroom—he starts to realize something is amiss as soon as he steps into the House of Dreams (Indigo's childhood home). The house seems almost... sentient, and Indigo refuses to acknowledge even a single detail of her past. It's all very peculiar and discomforting, so Bridegroom begins to investigate.
I found the unraveling of Indigo's secrets to be highly entertaining. She initially reminded me of Evelyn Hugo from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo because of her larger than life aura, so it was great to learn about her from another character rather than her own POV. Obviously, that decision makes her wildly more mysterious. Her marriage to Bridegroom was interesting too because in the beginning, Bridegroom is certainly the one not in control when it comes to their relationship, but as the story unravels, Indigo does too. She becomes less composed and "seemingly" perfect. The House of Dreams unsettles her, and Bridegroom senses it too. To be honest, this story was a journey into whether this marriage would become stronger or obliterated. Readers will enjoy trying to guess what the endgame will be for these two.
The writing is extremely telling rather than showing (think writing like Erin Morgenstern), so if you don't like that then maybe don't pick this up quite yet. All gothic literature is very lyrical and detailed, so it didn't bother me one bit getting to listen to Roshani's laments of love. Her writing burns the brightest in this standalone; she was meant to write gothic literature. The fact that I read this in a day alone shows how entrancing it was, couldn't stop listening for a second.
Now I'm definitely going to come back to this review with spoilers. I want to scream about the other POV to the rooftops! I'm very excited to see people's reactions to this story, and I really hope Roshani decides to write more within this genre in the future. I'll be the first to read them!
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
If it wasn't already obvious—I adore Roshani Chokshi, so this should come as a surprise to no one that I loved this hauntingly gothic tale of childhood friendship, marriage, and faeries. I actually don't think anywhere in the synopsis does it mention faeries, but they actually indirectly play a vital role to the entirety of this story, which was a pleasant surprise. The book market is oversaturated in faerie content currently, but Roshani brought the creeps and magic of true fae to the forefront of this story. I'm not going to go too much in detail because I think this story is told best by following along yourself. A lot can be considered spoilers so the less I talk about this book, the better.
Anyway, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride follows two dual perspectives. The first a man merely known as Bridegroom who marries Indigo and follows her back to her childhood home when her estranged aunt's health is near its end. The other POV does not appear for the first few chapters, but it was a pleasant surprise that I think a lot of reader's will find interesting. But back to Bridegroom—he starts to realize something is amiss as soon as he steps into the House of Dreams (Indigo's childhood home). The house seems almost... sentient, and Indigo refuses to acknowledge even a single detail of her past. It's all very peculiar and discomforting, so Bridegroom begins to investigate.
I found the unraveling of Indigo's secrets to be highly entertaining. She initially reminded me of Evelyn Hugo from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo because of her larger than life aura, so it was great to learn about her from another character rather than her own POV. Obviously, that decision makes her wildly more mysterious. Her marriage to Bridegroom was interesting too because in the beginning, Bridegroom is certainly the one not in control when it comes to their relationship, but as the story unravels, Indigo does too. She becomes less composed and "seemingly" perfect. The House of Dreams unsettles her, and Bridegroom senses it too. To be honest, this story was a journey into whether this marriage would become stronger or obliterated. Readers will enjoy trying to guess what the endgame will be for these two.
The writing is extremely telling rather than showing (think writing like Erin Morgenstern), so if you don't like that then maybe don't pick this up quite yet. All gothic literature is very lyrical and detailed, so it didn't bother me one bit getting to listen to Roshani's laments of love. Her writing burns the brightest in this standalone; she was meant to write gothic literature. The fact that I read this in a day alone shows how entrancing it was, couldn't stop listening for a second.
Now I'm definitely going to come back to this review with spoilers. I want to scream about the other POV to the rooftops! I'm very excited to see people's reactions to this story, and I really hope Roshani decides to write more within this genre in the future. I'll be the first to read them!
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Murder, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Animal death, Toxic friendship, and Drug abuse
Minor: Bullying and Child death
More details on the pedophilia: constant fear of unwanted touching/ discomfort towards a particular man throughout youth that leads to unwanted touching by said man to the child at 17 years old—could be more than unwanted touching but unclear due to end of the scenetinybluepixel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Grief
More...