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A review by provo
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
4.5
The language in this book is beautiful. Highly recommended, if you love fairy tales - look up the content warnings though, this book is not a light one.
At times I was really irritated about the time and place this is supposed to play out, I am still not sure if this takes place in Europe or the USA. There were thing very specific to Europe (e.g. drinking at 16) and things very specific to the U S (driving at 17). There were things typical for the 90s (big cellphones with an antenna are mentioned in the parts were the protagonists are grown up, which puts the childhood scenes somewhere between end 70s/mid 80s) but also things that were absolutely not typical for that time (girls making out with other girls in public without anyone reacting in a homophobic way in a small town).
I was less interested in the story of the husband (but it was important to the overall plot and it did not take up too much space in the story), but the parts about the past were really good (also very painful at times).
It also cements my belief that kids who grow up too rich are just completely out of touch 🤷🏻♀️
Edit: after reading a couple of reviews for this after finishing it, I want to add: I would not call this a romance nor fantasy and I am slightly annoyed by publishing houses who are not able to describe the genre of their books correctly because their fancy descriptions might sell better. This is a mystery thriller and a coming of age story in a Trenchcoat of fairytale metaphors.
At times I was really irritated about the time and place this is supposed to play out, I am still not sure if this takes place in Europe or the USA. There were thing very specific to Europe (e.g. drinking at 16) and things very specific to the U S (driving at 17). There were things typical for the 90s (big cellphones with an antenna are mentioned in the parts were the protagonists are grown up, which puts the childhood scenes somewhere between end 70s/mid 80s) but also things that were absolutely not typical for that time (girls making out with other girls in public without anyone reacting in a homophobic way in a small town).
I was less interested in the story of the husband (but it was important to the overall plot and it did not take up too much space in the story), but the parts about the past were really good (also very painful at times).
It also cements my belief that kids who grow up too rich are just completely out of touch 🤷🏻♀️
Edit: after reading a couple of reviews for this after finishing it, I want to add: I would not call this a romance nor fantasy and I am slightly annoyed by publishing houses who are not able to describe the genre of their books correctly because their fancy descriptions might sell better. This is a mystery thriller and a coming of age story in a Trenchcoat of fairytale metaphors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Pedophilia
Minor: Animal death