Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

An adult fiction fairy tale from a beloved YA author, described as "a sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales." Yes, please. And bonus, I had access to the audiobook thanks to Libro.fm, which had a full cast (does it count as "full cast" if it was just two narrators, one for each POV?) narration with just the right vocal ambiance.

Once upon a time...a man and a woman meet and get married. The man has researched myths and fairy tales for years, after a childhood memory (or was it a dream?) leaves him believing in the magical and unseen. The woman, Indigo, is an heiress with a dark secret, who, in exchange for her love, made the man promise to never dig into her past. Sounds like a fairy tale, no? As with all fairy tales though, secrets come out and promises are broken. After happy years together, the unnamed groom and Indigo must travel back to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, to say good-bye to the dying aunt who raised her. Within the grand and ancient halls of the House, the shadows of Indigo's past lurk, and despite his best efforts, the dying aunt, Tati, lures the groom into finding the truth of Indigo's secrets, and discovering what happened to her closest childhood friend, Azure, who disappeared suddenly and without a trace years ago. And his discoveries threaten to unravel not only the balance of their marriage, but perhaps even their lives.

Phew, this was atmospheric AF. Like, everything else (characters, plot, etc.) was fine, solid. Nothing spectacular, but definitely enjoyable. But damn, Chokshi casts a spell with her words. This novel is haunting from the very first page, even before you have any idea why/how you feel that way, and it never lets up. It's darkly mysterious and vibrantly magical. It's creepy and manipulative and gaslighting undertones slowly become overtones as the reader's anticipation of the finale(s) grows. And this is only enhanced by the way that Chokshi gorgeously blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, making the reader ask over and over if there is *real* magic in this story or if it all stems from an internal hope and childlike imagination and the power that people can have over one another. The writing and way the story unfolds left me on the edge of my seat straining for a conclusion/answer to this "is it magic or not" question up until the very end and I am so impressed by the way that line was walked with such perfect literary tension.

There is an incredible infusion of fairy tale references throughout, from myriad cultures and periods, and all of the darker variations and varieties. It was interesting because some references were explicit, naming stories and characters (some of which I knew and some of which required me to do some Googling, which I love), and some of which were more reflections on fairy tales as a genre/literature in general. I really enjoyed some of the literary theory and analysis included, as Chokshi explores some connecting themes in fairy tales, like the nature of oaths, where does the power of love come from (happiness and smiles or screams and fear), the casual cruelty of fairy tales juxtaposed with with the careful distance the story-tellings tyle keeps you at (which allows you to not be overly affected by it), and more. Plus, as the plot comes to a head - the reveals of the dark secret of Indigo's past, Azure's story, and the truth of the magical event in the groom's history that made him believe in fairy tales to begin with - we are treated to a front row seat unfolding of how fairy tales are our way of escaping reality, both for fun and as a refuge (for when we must escape reality in order to protect ourselves).

Like I said, the plot and character development are good - very much like a fairy tale in the way they are paced and built - a solid foundation, if not spectacular, foundation for an unfolding novel. But this book truly shines in the spirit and aura. If you are looking to fall completely into the energy and ambiance of a novel, to get lost in it and leave the "real" world behind, then let this be the one.

“Some individuals are like portals, the knowing of them makes the world a far vaster place.”

“…the lightless space between what you cannot believe is a truth and what you know must be a lie.”

“I have since learned that marriage is nothing more than a spell strengthened by daily ritual.”

“If you combed through enough fairy tales, untangled their roots, and shook their branches, you would find that they are infested with oaths. Oaths are brittle things, not unlike an egg. Though they go by different names depending on the myth - troths and gels, vows and tynged - there is one thing they all share: they must be broken for there to be a story. Only a shattered promise yields a rich, glittering yolk of a tale.”

“Only grief can make time change its tempo like that, expand seconds to centuries, with only our eyes marking the distance crossed.”

“There is always a peculiar distance to fairy tales. They are denuded of urgency, rinsed of true horror even as the words relish in gore. Love is presented to us as something that must be as vast as a horizon and just as unreachable.”

“Sometimes you are lured not by the promise of safety but the safety of knowing that here lies a sure thing.”

“That’s why magic kissed our bruises, coddled our hearts, and then sent us on our way. Magic hoped we would carry its echo out into the world, for we were never meant to stay here.”

“In the end, a fairy tale is nothing more than a sense of hope. Hope lures and tricks. It tempts with shining thrones, exquisite nectars, and loving arms. It whispers to us that we are extraordinary. Exempt. Thus lured, we follow its path. Sometimes we are led to riches. Other times, we are led astray. But this hope never hides its shape, and for its honesty we reach for it and pull its sweet and stinking furs up to our chins, for to live without it means living without magic.”

Content Warnings

saliwali's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

blackcatkai's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

CW: toxic friendships/relationships, ableism, emotional as well as physical abuse (against children and adults), gaslighting, death, violence, alcoholism, disordered eating, body/fat shaming, classism, sexual assault of a minor (mainly implied/mentioned: not overly graphic throughout majority of story), abandonment, trauma/mental illness, body horror

this was so beautifully written and really did feel like a faerie tale. it is very much a slower gothic read so definitely set expectations accordingly. its a story that deals with a few very heavy topics so heed any content warnings beforehand, as well. i really enjoyed the way chokshi interwove two main stories together with a common thread tying them together. you feel a lot for azure if no one else and really root for her against all odds. the bridegroom is a very interesting perspective to read from, especially as his sections are more in the now while azures are in the past until they both crash together in the end.

now some people will probably see the twist coming before you actually get to the reveal, but i dont think that necessarily takes away from the story as a whole. IS there magic? is it all just a ruse? ultimately its left a bit open-ended for the reader to decide and i really liked where it went in the end, it really got quite the roller coaster of emotions out of me. will definitely read more of chokshi's adult work going forward, shes a master!

Content Warnings

booksemmahasread's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

Content Warnings

saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

Review April 2023
"They know neither the contours of our hearts nor the cold hands that shaped them."

This is, in fact, Roshani Chokshi's most magical book.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is an absolutely dreamy, mesmerizing story that starts off enchanting but gets darker as it goes. It swept me in and asked that I savor it, hence I didn't rush finishing it! I'd recommend going into it blind and not reading the rest of my review, though I don't include any major spoilers.

It's beautifully written, filled with lush metaphors and descriptions that often allude to and reference fairytales and mythology. I found myself constantly stopping to write down lines. It's a magical story that demands equally magical writing! Though some may find it confusing, I found the plot to be easy enough to keep up with and was only occasionally confused by some descriptions. The story reads like a contemporary written as if it were a fantasy!

The story is not only beautiful, but also tragic and haunting. Going beyond romance and into obsession. Going back and fourth between two timelines; one with an unnamed bridegroom who knows nothing about his wife's past, and another that tells the story between two girls who are obsessed with each other and 100% in love with each other romantically and this is one of the most homoerotic things I've ever read. Both of these timelines connected by the enigmatic Indigo. It's focused heavily on a small cast and character study, allowing the cast to be fleshed out as we learn more and more about Indigo's backstory.

I'd highly recommend Flower Bride to anyone looking for a gorgeous Gothic story. Especially those who are in love with fantasy, despite the lack of fantastical elements!

TWs: death, blood and gore, pedophilia including sexual touches and advances, grief, abuse both physical and emotional, cutting of palms for ritual purposes, alcohol consumption

Pre-review April 2022
I posted an Instagram story about being excited for this that Roshani Chokshi reposted and in her repost she said "strangely, this is my most magical book... without a drop of magic?" which considering that her previous stories have dealt with gods it's absolutely WILD that this is her most magical one. Can't wait to read it!

Content Warnings

tspice24's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

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

Content Warnings

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