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A review by lovelymisanthrope
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I received this book as part of my subscription to FairyLoot.
"The Last Tale of the Flower Bride" follows a man who believes in fairy tales and his beautifully mysterious wife, Indigo. They believed they would have their happily ever after, as long as Indigo's Groom promised to never pry into her dark and elusive past. When they are forced to return to her childhood home, the lure of learning more about Indigo is too much, and he starts to investigate what Indigo is hiding, and what happened to her childhood best friend, Azure.
This book is beautifully written to be both hauntingly gothic and atmospheric. My favorite chapters were from Azure's perspective from when she and Indigo were young. Their magic and fairy games were so elaborate and the world they created was vivid and entertaining to read about.
Indigo is a highly unlikable character, in my opinion. She is a bully and manipulates those around her so that she can have the things she wants most. There are some scenes with Indigo, Azure, and a girl who just wants to be friends with them, and Indigo takes her eagerness to please the duo too far. Indigo is the epitome of a toxic friend, and it took Azure too long in my opinion to start to poke holes in Indigo's motives. I know they were young, but Azure and everyone else deserved better. Having an unlikely main character is always risky in my opinion, and in this case it slightly hindered my enjoyment of the story.
I think it is interesting to learn the stories of Indigo's and Azure's childhoods as her groom is uncovering the secrets of the house in the present, however, reading from his perspective was not my favorite. I felt like he was a flat character and did not add much to the story. Additionally, his motivation for snooping (trying to see his brother again) did not feel urgent or authentic enough to me.
Overall, this book was slightly higher than middle of the road for me. I am intrigued, and I am interested to pick up more from Roshani Chokshi in the future.
"The Last Tale of the Flower Bride" follows a man who believes in fairy tales and his beautifully mysterious wife, Indigo. They believed they would have their happily ever after, as long as Indigo's Groom promised to never pry into her dark and elusive past. When they are forced to return to her childhood home, the lure of learning more about Indigo is too much, and he starts to investigate what Indigo is hiding, and what happened to her childhood best friend, Azure.
This book is beautifully written to be both hauntingly gothic and atmospheric. My favorite chapters were from Azure's perspective from when she and Indigo were young. Their magic and fairy games were so elaborate and the world they created was vivid and entertaining to read about.
Indigo is a highly unlikable character, in my opinion. She is a bully and manipulates those around her so that she can have the things she wants most. There are some scenes with Indigo, Azure, and a girl who just wants to be friends with them, and Indigo takes her eagerness to please the duo too far. Indigo is the epitome of a toxic friend, and it took Azure too long in my opinion to start to poke holes in Indigo's motives. I know they were young, but Azure and everyone else deserved better. Having an unlikely main character is always risky in my opinion, and in this case it slightly hindered my enjoyment of the story.
I think it is interesting to learn the stories of Indigo's and Azure's childhoods as her groom is uncovering the secrets of the house in the present, however, reading from his perspective was not my favorite. I felt like he was a flat character and did not add much to the story. Additionally, his motivation for snooping (trying to see his brother again) did not feel urgent or authentic enough to me.
Overall, this book was slightly higher than middle of the road for me. I am intrigued, and I am interested to pick up more from Roshani Chokshi in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Bullying
Moderate: Death and Child death
Minor: Domestic abuse and Pedophilia