A review by just_one_more_paige
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
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.” 
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