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A review by deedireads
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a lush, delicious, completely enchanting (and short!) gothic fairytale with an ending I can’t believe I didn’t see coming. What more could you ask for?
For you if: You’re looking for the perfect book to gobble up in one sitting.
FULL REVIEW:
I haven’t read all of Roshani Chokshi’s books, but I did have fun reading the Gilded Wolves trilogy, so when I heard she’d written a standalone, adult, gothic fairy tale fantasy novel, I was ON BOARD. And my friends, this book is such a good time. I absolutely recommend.
The book has two narrators: an unnamed “bridegroom” married to a mysterious, possibly magical woman named Indigo (present day), and Indigo’s mysteriously absent childhood best friend Azure (flashback). Indigo married her bridegroom on the condition that he’s never ask questions about her past, but when she has to bring him to the (also possibly magical) house she grew up in, the threads begin to unravel. And then ending? Absolutely A+. Can’t believe I didn’t see it coming (and isn’t that the best kind)?
This is a standalone and not very long, but it’s super immersive and atmospheric, which makes it the perfect book to get lost in and finish in one sitting. The prose is absolutely delicious, lush, and enchanting. The kind of darkly romantic book where you aren’t sure who to trust and what’s real. As Alix Harrow put it, “fairy tale in the old bad sense, gothic in the new subversive sense.” I think I wish it had been a bit more fleshed out for this to become a true favorite, but I definitely loved it nonetheless.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a lush, delicious, completely enchanting (and short!) gothic fairytale with an ending I can’t believe I didn’t see coming. What more could you ask for?
For you if: You’re looking for the perfect book to gobble up in one sitting.
FULL REVIEW:
I haven’t read all of Roshani Chokshi’s books, but I did have fun reading the Gilded Wolves trilogy, so when I heard she’d written a standalone, adult, gothic fairy tale fantasy novel, I was ON BOARD. And my friends, this book is such a good time. I absolutely recommend.
The book has two narrators: an unnamed “bridegroom” married to a mysterious, possibly magical woman named Indigo (present day), and Indigo’s mysteriously absent childhood best friend Azure (flashback). Indigo married her bridegroom on the condition that he’s never ask questions about her past, but when she has to bring him to the (also possibly magical) house she grew up in, the threads begin to unravel. And then ending? Absolutely A+. Can’t believe I didn’t see it coming (and isn’t that the best kind)?
This is a standalone and not very long, but it’s super immersive and atmospheric, which makes it the perfect book to get lost in and finish in one sitting. The prose is absolutely delicious, lush, and enchanting. The kind of darkly romantic book where you aren’t sure who to trust and what’s real. As Alix Harrow put it, “fairy tale in the old bad sense, gothic in the new subversive sense.” I think I wish it had been a bit more fleshed out for this to become a true favorite, but I definitely loved it nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Sexual content