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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 thatAzure 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.
Very early into my read, I was pretty convinced that
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
not_asha01's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
theavidreader405's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I liked the poetic prose, but the pacing was too slow for me. Sometimes I felt a little overwhelmed by the poetic prose and found myself reading things over again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Violence and Murder
snowwhitehatesapples's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.
How long can you last if your partner in marriage has a past they refuse to share with you?
If they turn cold or unhappy at initial probing so you’d immediately stop in fear that the beautiful fantasy of love shatters. If they know more about you than you do about them and it feels as though you’ll never know all of them as they will you.
How long can you last?
For one man, it lasted until the past came haunting his wife again and that’s where The Last Tale of the Flower Bride truly begins.
Written with gorgeous prose filled with lush imagery, this book is its own dark fairytale that centres around the powerful acts of believing and lying, creating a world where reality is seamlessly interwoven with fantasy. It starts with the bridegroom whose name we never find out, falling for Indigo, a wealthy heiress who greatly feels as though she’s a creature from the Otherworld. They strike a deal where in exchange for her heart, he cannot pry into her past. Thus, they marry and everything’s dandy until Indigo has no choice but to bring them both back to the House of Dreams, introducing the series of cracks that later, shatter their happy fantasy. Consequently, as these cracks appear, the bridegroom can no longer resist and begins to search between the veils of the world for the truth.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a mesmerizing experience. The gothic atmosphere, the precariousness of the balance between reality and fantasy, the many lies and the parallels between the story’s world and the myths and folklores we know today — the more I read, the more in love I am with the book. It’s a brilliant ode that emphasises how the scariest monsters will always be humans.
Nevertheless, all the aforementioned also worked against the book’s favour because despite them (plus the beautiful prose), there wasn’t a balance to the emotions from both perspectives. The bridegroom’s POV felt more and more detached as he dug further in search of the truth while Azure’s POV came more and more alive. Eventually, the emotions from Azure’s POV overtook the bridegroom’s, leaving his side hollower than before. Although I suspect that this was done on purpose since we never learn his name and the title of the book itself says the story isn’t about him, I can’t help but wish there was a little more depth to his side of the story.
If you adore myths and folklore, gothic horror, magical realism and lush imagery, this book is for you.
How long can you last if your partner in marriage has a past they refuse to share with you?
If they turn cold or unhappy at initial probing so you’d immediately stop in fear that the beautiful fantasy of love shatters. If they know more about you than you do about them and it feels as though you’ll never know all of them as they will you.
How long can you last?
For one man, it lasted until the past came haunting his wife again and that’s where The Last Tale of the Flower Bride truly begins.
Written with gorgeous prose filled with lush imagery, this book is its own dark fairytale that centres around the powerful acts of believing and lying, creating a world where reality is seamlessly interwoven with fantasy. It starts with the bridegroom whose name we never find out, falling for Indigo, a wealthy heiress who greatly feels as though she’s a creature from the Otherworld. They strike a deal where in exchange for her heart, he cannot pry into her past. Thus, they marry and everything’s dandy until Indigo has no choice but to bring them both back to the House of Dreams, introducing the series of cracks that later, shatter their happy fantasy. Consequently, as these cracks appear, the bridegroom can no longer resist and begins to search between the veils of the world for the truth.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a mesmerizing experience. The gothic atmosphere, the precariousness of the balance between reality and fantasy, the many lies and the parallels between the story’s world and the myths and folklores we know today — the more I read, the more in love I am with the book. It’s a brilliant ode that emphasises how the scariest monsters will always be humans.
Nevertheless, all the aforementioned also worked against the book’s favour because despite them (plus the beautiful prose), there wasn’t a balance to the emotions from both perspectives. The bridegroom’s POV felt more and more detached as he dug further in search of the truth while Azure’s POV came more and more alive. Eventually, the emotions from Azure’s POV overtook the bridegroom’s, leaving his side hollower than before. Although I suspect that this was done on purpose since we never learn his name and the title of the book itself says the story isn’t about him, I can’t help but wish there was a little more depth to his side of the story.
If you adore myths and folklore, gothic horror, magical realism and lush imagery, this book is for you.
Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
maeverose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Originally rated 4.75⭐️, upped it to 5⭐️
TL;DR: The writing and gothic atmosphere are a 10/10. Gave me Rebecca vibes. So satisfied with the ending.
I love how gothic and atmospheric this book is. I loved the dreamlike magical realism elements. I almost want to immediately re read this and annotate it. I didn’t even realize until I finished it and I don’t know if it was intentional (since I’ve heard this is a bluebeard retelling) but Bridegroom’s pov felt very reminiscent of Rebecca. With his quick marriage to Indigo and her secret past with Azure, who’s almost supernaturally tied to the house. And him being unnamed throughout the whole book (which I love).
I found zero objective flaws with this book (outside of the unnecessary body shaming of one of the antagonists), but the main thing that makes me hesitant to give it five stars is that at a few points it triggered my anxiety a little bit (it might’ve just been because I had too much caffeine that day honestly lol). I also really don’t like to read about toxic friendships, which is a big part of this book.
But mostly I loved it
“Too often the truth of a memory lives not in the mind but in the heart, in the subtle and sacred organization that makes up one’s identity. But it is a tender place to reach, and I am wounded by touching it.”
TL;DR: The writing and gothic atmosphere are a 10/10. Gave me Rebecca vibes. So satisfied with the ending.
I love how gothic and atmospheric this book is. I loved the dreamlike magical realism elements. I almost want to immediately re read this and annotate it. I didn’t even realize until I finished it and I don’t know if it was intentional (since I’ve heard this is a bluebeard retelling) but Bridegroom’s pov felt very reminiscent of Rebecca. With his quick marriage to Indigo and her secret past with Azure, who’s almost supernaturally tied to the house. And him being unnamed throughout the whole book (which I love).
I found zero objective flaws with this book (outside of the unnecessary body shaming of one of the antagonists), but the main thing that makes me hesitant to give it five stars is that at a few points it triggered my anxiety a little bit (it might’ve just been because I had too much caffeine that day honestly lol). I also really don’t like to read about toxic friendships, which is a big part of this book.
But mostly I loved it
“Too often the truth of a memory lives not in the mind but in the heart, in the subtle and sacred organization that makes up one’s identity. But it is a tender place to reach, and I am wounded by touching it.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Fatphobia
Graphic: Animal harm, suffocation, cult behavior Moderate: Delusions/Unreality, step father grooming his step daughter, as for the gore, most of it is kind of metaphorical or in the fairytales, so it’s not super descriptive but it’s brought up a lot so I put it in moderate.tpsebast92's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Murder
hellodebbies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Loved the book, characters and story ! It makes me think again and again of all the possible outcome of the situation they were in, I loved the dual pov (And I am not fond of those usually) I only wished we got more of Bridegroom's story and background in his chapters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
meshell's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a beautiful twisty fairy tale within a fairy tale - the story pulled me in, every sentence, intentional, melodic, and woven together with meticulous prose, I felt a sense of perpetual tension, that feeling of not too much, but just enough, throughout the novel, and I was not disappointed with where we ended up. When I stopped reading, it was like I remembered to breathe again.
It is unsettling, romantic, haunting and fascinating. I will be thinking about this novel again and again.
The novel is told from two perspectives, Azure and The Bride-Groom, and they jump comfortably between the past and the present - telling a story filled with grief, neglect, unreliable memories, the struggles of finding ones identity in adolescence, and the magical worlds children create to escape terrible realities. I found most of the characters complicated and mostly loveable.
All that said, this story needs a bunch of content warnings.
Grateful to both Netgalley and the Publisher to have had the opportunity to read it a bit early and share my thoughts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism
srivalli's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
1.75
1.8 Stars
One Liner: Fantastic premise… below par execution with too much prose
He was obsessed with fairytales and mythologies, always looking for answers. She was an ultra-rich heiress with too many secrets. They meet and get married. However, the happy-ever-after of their marriage is threatened by the past.
When Indigo’s estranged aunt is on her deathbed, the newlywed couple moves into The House of Dreams, a place with too many things buried and hidden in the dark. His naturally inquisitive nature makes it hard to keep his promise of not asking about Indigo’s past.
What happens when the secrets are revealed?
The story comes from two POVs.
What I Like:
The blurb is enticing and paints the picture of a gothic story with dark romance, danger, and maybe betrayal. Sadly, the blurb is a lot better than the book.
The covers (yes, both) are eye-catchy and super attractive. I could use the cover with the girl’s face to tick off a reading challenge prompt. Small mercies!
The toxicity of the characters and their relationships comes out really well. It would help people explain red flags by discussing these characters.
The ending is rather good, despite everything. I’m glad for the characters.
What Could Have Been Better for Me:
Oh, well… this could be lengthy.
First, the excessive prose tries too hard to create a dark atmosphere. It succeeds in some places, but most of the time, it nudges the reader to zone out and think of anything else but the book. I could concentrate only after I started speed-reading. I requested the book after being impressed by the author’s work in Three Kisses, One Midnight. This promised something more but left me feeling highly disappointed.
Second, the house is vital in gothic fiction. Giving it a character isn’t enough, though. The house should actually have a role to play. Just Like Home makes the house an integral part of the plot, and I couldn’t help but feel claustrophobic when reading some scenes. Here, the setting has great potential but drowns in the excessive purple prose. Let it breathe and establish itself.
Third, the plot is wafer-thin and almost non-existent. It doesn’t have to be new (there are only so many plots available), but it has to be effective. Personally, I love books that have a touch of magical realism. Here, it’s more of an illusion of magic. So much can be done with a setting like that, and we end up with a tangled mess of characters who need immediate medical help. (As much as I love lush prose, I want a plot too. One reason I dislike Where the Crawdads Sing.)
Fourth, the nameless bridegroom ends up as one of the most underdeveloped and underutilized characters most of the time. Even his POV merely acts as a tool to advance the plot. This is clear in the bare minimum attention he gets. The other track looks like the author’s favorite. Having that track alone would have worked better, IMO. More space to present the sick and twisted minds of the characters. The dual POVs don’t help either, and those plot holes… Ahem.
Fifth, the twist is painfully obvious. I would have rated it higher if this aspect was also dealt with a smoke screen to come up with a double twist. I could guess almost all developments after the 35% mark. While I don’t mind that in cozy mysteries, I do mind it in atmospheric and ‘dark’ novels.
Sixth, with so many references to fairytales and mythologies, the book has tremendous scope to dive deep into the paranormal aspects. You can’t have characters obsessed with faeries and faes and not use them in a gothic novel. It’s confusing to determine the actual intent of the book. It is supposed to be ‘magical’ or ‘delusional’? Of course, a book can have both, but the intent has to be clear (at least by the last page).
Seventh, the romance isn’t exactly dark, especially if we refer to Indigo and the nameless man. I still don’t understand how he became a scholar. And whatever happened to his research? The hints of sick love are mostly found in the past track (in which case, the blurb is rather misleading).
To summarize, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride could have indeed been a breathtakingly dark romance of fairytales, secrets, and betrayals. But it ends up much below the expectations it set for the readers.
Thank you, NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#TheLastTaleOfTheFlowerBride #NetGalley
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship
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: Bullying, Death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicide