Many thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton, and the author, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the story of Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada and her nameless bridegroom. After meeting under mysterious circumstance, they get married! Indigo has nothing but one condition, do not question, pry or snoop around about her past or her at all. Being believers in Fairy tales, and folklore and Fae themselves, the two of them commit and begin a wonderful life. its not before long that the past starts to form a shadow around everything they are building and the bridegroom gets more and more curious about his bride's past and her mysterious best friend Azure who went missing and was never to be seen again. But will curiosity kill the cat? will Indigo disappear out of his life, like he is scared of?

The book is gothic personified, the atmosphere, the characters, the buildup, everything! Its like you are swimming in and out this grey place where you are stuck and want to leave, yet want to stay! The book follows 2 POVs , the present story from the point of view of the bridegroom as he charts his life with Indigo and the point of view of Azure, Indigo's bestfriend/ soul sister/ soulmate. I was so glad that the story was narrated by 2 different narrators. This gave the whole book a much more eerie sense with us yearning for one POV when in the other.

The relationship between every single character is messed up in both very human yet non human ways! Its hard to explain! But I will tell you this, Indigo is one of the most toxic and creepy person I have ever read about (throughout every stage of her life).

In Two words, this book is Memorable and Mesmerizing!!

This book is perfect for lovers of House of Hollow and Mexican Gothic.

TW: Death, Gaslighting, Blood, Rituals, Manipulation.

Some stories need to be told, and 'The Last Tale of the Flower Bride' was one of those stories. It is an ode to the sinister poetry of magic and what lurks in the shadows. An homage to Gothic tales of creaky old houses, the secrets in marriages and unnamed protagonists. And also a love letter to fairy tales and myth.

I honestly really enjoyed losing myself in this book, stories like this remind me of being a teenager, discovering Daphne du Maurier, Emily Brontë and Wilkie Collins. Too often I find myself being critical and reading too much into a book but this book took me back to simply enjoying the story for the sake of it. Roshani’s writing was gripping, unapologetic, hauntingly beautiful and sharp. She was definitely at her best, because from the first few lines into the book, the writing gripped me. It needed to be heard and I could do nothing but surrender and lose myself in this story. The story of a passionate marriage, colored with secrets and ghosts. A friendship that was an entity of its own. The old houses and playing make believe was everything I’ve done growing up. The main mystery was fun to watch unfold, although predictable. But it was the atmosphere and the writing which truly shined for me. So glad to have started the New Year with this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

THIS.BOOK.
WOW.

“In the end a fairytale is nothing more than a sense of hope”

This book was perfect. I can’t stop thinking about it. Roshani has created the most incredible story, I just want to curl up in it and never return to the real world.

It was dark, tense and all consuming. Once I started I didn’t want to put it down. The world building, the imagery, the characters were all created flawlessly.

The story of 2 half’s becoming a whole in 2 very different but equally beautiful ways.

A fantastic mystery built on obsession, family, secrets and friendships. A connoisseur of myths and folklore meets the elusive and enigmatic Indigo. Their subsequent marriage has one rule, for the Bridegroom never to seek his wife's past. Their life has a taste of their shared love of folklore and myths, and is told initially from the points of view of the Bride and the Bridegroom. Eventually, the Bridegroom breaks his promise and while staying in The House of Dreams, his wife's childhood home, he can't help but discover new and disturbing things about her. The story then is hatred between the Bridegroom, Indio (his wife) and Azure, her childhood friend, which slowly reveals secrets of dark obsession and a desire for things to change.
It's a dark story, if you like reading old fairy tales, you will delight in a lot of references to stories you'll be very familiar with. Nothing here is a complete surprise as you are expecting some kind of revelation or twist and this story doesn’t disappoint.

J'ai adoré ce livre, l'ambiance est magique, le rapport aux contes de fées est sublime ! Le twist final n'est pas trop facile à deviner.
Je recommande beaucoup ce bouquin, si vous aimez les ambiances féériques et baroque !

decadent and dark and gorgeous. the book i've known chokshi had in her since i read the star touched queen. a glorious adult debut. bravo

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the arc of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I’ve always been intrigued by fairytales, so beguiling but, dark and tested and this book delivers that depth and enticing nature as it tells the tale of the friendship between Indigo and Azure from girlhood, blending the loving, but strange and distorted friendship with fairy tales, myths and stories to deliver a multilayered story within stories.

The book itself consists of absolutely beautiful and stunning prose that serves to enhance the world building of the House of Dreams and the Otherworld, overlaying a dark, haunting and intriguing atmosphere, that make them seem almost sentient.

The book itself is a study in relationships and is told from the perspectives of Azure and the Bridegroom, with their perspectives of their relationships with Indigo.

This is a beautiful but, dark, charming but, heartbreaking story fantasy tale that explores myth, magic and humanity.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s a story about stories, following a loving but twisted friendship between two young girls.

Chokshi’s writing is haunting and beautiful. She creates such an intriguing atmosphere surrounding this House of Dreams, which is almost a character in itself.

I loved seeing the relationship between Indigo and Azure grow (and implode) and adored the exploration of Azure's confusion over this all-consuming friendship. I especially enjoyed Azure as a protagonist. She manages to feel so real in this fantastical setting.

The Bridegrooms chapters are a lot less gripping. I don’t mind boring if there’s beautiful prose (and there definitely is), but I found myself counting down the pages to return to Azure’s chapters.

Nevertheless, the book kept my attention throughout and I could not put it down.

If you like flowery writing and creepy characters I think you’ll like this one.

"Curses are made to be broken. They aren't so static as one might think."

Once upon a time, there was a man who believe in fairy tales and fell in love with a mysterious woman named Indigo who find him, she said, “If you pry, you’ll destroy our marriage.” But she lied!

"the secret to everlasting love was fear. Fear tethered love in place. Without the terror that came from imagining a life without your beloved, there was no urgency in loving them."

By the end of their third year of marriage, Tati, Indigo's aunt, was dying and they leave for her childhood home, the House of Dreams, an enchanted house, full of old, creepy and scary secrets.

And now is a time for the bridegroom to shiver at his wife's secrets, uncertain of knowing the woman he married, as someone who had his own secrets, he begins to think that all maybe is unreal, imagination!

"In the end, a fairy tale is nothing more than a sense of hope."

House of Dreams want the bridegroom to find his wife's secrets and see a shadow, a girl from the past, Azure, Indigo's best friend, they played fairy tale in this house and were Inseparable. Azure disappeared years ago! What should he do, pry and destroy his marriage or run?!

"Once, I had let someone I loved go into the dark without me. I did not know if I could survive that again."

A mind-blowing and astonishing story, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a hunting and toxic tale with a dark atmosphere about poison's love, betrayal, loss and buried secrets that reveal and destroy!

I push hard my teeth when was reading this amazing book and couldnt stop myself. Shocking and Tempting as hell! Why there are only five stars?!

My huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for DRC, I have given my honest review.
Pub Date: 16 Feb 2023

Hypnotic and atmosphere - a 5 star read. I loved this winding, gothic tale, full of magic, love, obsession and grief. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A short read that seemed a lot longer due to the complexity of the plot. The story was confusing at times due to Indigo’s change in behaviour between past and present- this does finally make sense at the end. The book was very descriptive, lots of figurative language which isn’t often seen in mystery/gothic novels. Really questioned what was real and what wasn’t.

Beautiful but not much plot that interests me. I did get shocked by the plot twist though. The writing is soooo gorgeous. I was obsessed with the first 25%, but then it just got a little bit boring to me

Oh, what a gorgeous book this was! I've always enjoyed Chokshi's beautiful writing, but she surpasses herself in her adult debut, "The Last Tale of the Flower Bride". It's a dark, gothic novel full of mysteries and stories and fairytales and myths, with a fascinating centerpiece in the form of Indigo, a woman with secrets in her past. The novel is told in dual timelines by two narrators: her nameless husband, who, in the present time, can't stop trying to delve into Indigo's mysterious past, and Azure - childhood best friend and soulmate, who tells the story of their shared past. The mystery mostly focuses on Azure's disappearance years ago and the possibility that indigo had something to do with it.

Reading this story felt almost surreal at times, the poetic prose and almost dreamlike atmosphere of the book letting me forget the world around me. While fairytales and myths make both the protagonists and the readers wonder what's real and what's not, there are darker, more serious themes underneath: abuse and neglect, obsession, the horrors of love and codependent, toxic relationships. It's enchanting and frightening at the same time.

Now, it's not a perfect novel. The final twist is not at all surprising, and I'd wager most readers will see it coming early on because we've seen this kind of twist too often. The husband is also barely a character at all. This is not the "darkly romantic" tale about marriage that the official description makes it out to be, quite frankly the marriage in question is the least interesting part of the book. It's not really developed either, so I didn't care for this relationship. This novel is, at its core, a dark, gothic coming-of-age story, with the present time storyline adding not enough tension to really hold my interest, instead just making me wait for the next, much more intriguing and enchanting Azure chapter. They are where this novel really shines.

All in all, despite these flaws, "The Last Tale of the Flower Bride" is most definitely a memorable tale and turned Chokshi into a must-read-author for me. The gothic vibes, the dark fairytale-esque atmosphere, the absolutely gorgeous prose and the bittersweet, at times uncomfortable coming-of-age story and relationship between Azure and Indigo make this one of my biggest recommendations in a while.

An original story with some gorgeous writing and ideas but I struggled with caring about what was going on.

That said, it could've just been me.

Chokshi's adult debut certainly stands out though and even though I didn't like this one, I'd be eager to check out another adult book by her.

The last tale of the flower bride was a mysterious haunting and gripping read Roshani Chokshi did a dark twist on fairytales which I enjoyed a lot. The characters in the book are twisted in their own ways which makes the book very interesting to read. Overall the book was a perfect dark gothic read the only reason I haven’t given it 5 stars is because the main plot twist during the last few chapters was kind of predictable to me. Other than that the book was definitely one of my fav reads this year I really loved it, especially Chokshi's writing which made me feel like I was living the book

Thank you so much Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the amazing opportunity to read this fascinating book.

I enjoyed reading this book, but because I'm currently on a reading slump I've read it on and off and it's probably why I didn't rate it any higher.
This book had everything to be perfect, the gothic vibes, the mystery throughout the book that only gets solved at the very end and finally a beautiful happy ending.
The writing was so poetic and beautiful and it made me deeply feel every emotion the characters were experiencing. I really liked that one of the main characters, the Bridegroom, remained unnamed for the whole book, it was a really interesting choice.
The plot was so captivating with the dual perspective and going back and forth in the timeline until we get to the final plot twist in the end when both timelines join. Even though I didn't guess the plot twist until it happened, I can now see all the little clues that were left all throughout the chapters and to be honest they really were cleverly placed.
Overall I really liked this gothic romance and as soon as this book is out I'll reread it again physically and annotate it and then it'll definitely rise my rating to at least a 4.5 stars

the flowery writing, the melodramatic characters, and the tumblrersque dialogues are not for me. maybe 14-yr-old me would liked it. present-day me does not. i can like, even love, stories that prioritise the vibes and the atmosphere but not if they do so at the sake of substance. and this novel sadly struck me as all flash...

idiomatic's review brilliantly expresses much of what i felt/thought towards this novel so i recommend you check that review out.

if you are interested in this novel i suggest you read some more positive reviews as i recognise that YMMV.

I tend to have a conflicting, usually verging on soured, relationship with novels written in an overly flowery prose. When I first began reading The Last Tale of the Flower Bride – a book with an evocative title if I ever heard one - I was genuinely enchanted and impressed by the creative metaphors, analogies and vivid descriptions Chokshi was able to weave into her story. The writing style felt appropriate for a novel which promised a fated gothic romance, enthralling fairytale mystery and dangerous, seductive secrets.

Nevertheless, the more I read, the more the writing actually became obnoxious and started to break my immersion in the already flimsy story. The beginning was promising but as soon as Indigo and her naive Bridegroom arrive to her childhood ‘House of Dreams‘ and we’re introduced to her childhood best friend Azure in a 2nd POV, the intrigue started losing its spell. I would sometimes read passages full of metaphors and have no clue what the author was trying to convey other than string pretty words together.

This book read more like a magical realism novel than a fantasy. Neither the story, characters or worldbuilding were its main focus. Rather, it was Indigo's incredibly toxic relationships, which wasn't fun to read, and possibly the themes veiled by the strong sense of ‘vibes.‘ Unfortunately, that’s not enough to make a story memorable in my eyes. The Flower Bride is much more figurative and melodramatic than it needs to be but at least it’s short and clearly engaged me enough to finish it.

The vivid imagery in this book would probably translate very well into an artsy, atmospheric film adaptation by Alex Garland, David Lowery or even Tim Burton and Guillermo del Torro who would probably add some needed horror elements or spike up the conflict. While there were instances of conflict or heightened tension, it never amounted to anything or was swept under the rug too quickly because of the characters‘ reluctance to confront their demons. I understand that was the author’s purposeful choice but it made for a frustrating reading experience and lack of catharsis.

There are some dark topics and triggering themes explored here but everything is buried under the purple prose. The only character that felt somewhat well realised was, well, Azure, which is why I pushed to finish the book.

Overall, this was not a story for me but I can see some literary fiction and magical realism readers enjoying it. If you love art & mythology references, fairytales and symbolism in your fantasy and don’t mind the lack of tangible story or characters, give this one a try.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC for review.

I can’t deny this book is beautifully written but I’m afraid the whimsical writing was lost on me, as much as I kind of understood what was going on most of the time I didn’t necessarily understand what was being said.
I found myself reading paragraphs over and over again trying to gain the meaning but it almost felt like reading Shakespeare.

We start by following a man and woman falling in love both having a common interest in fairytales and stories however the wife Indigo has told the man to never ask about her past but she then proceeds to take him with her to her childhood home as her aunt is dying.
If you want your secrets hidden and your husband to not know your past I wouldn’t recommend taking him on a trip to your childhood home but I digress.

In other chapters we are following the story of a girl called Azure who was Indigo’s childhood best friend and their story is filled with magic and whimsical writing but from what I could gather they had an obsessive toxic friendship in which they never wanted to be apart and spoke of wanting to go to/originally belonging to a faerie world.
Which made sense when they were 9/10 years old when they first met but this fairytale talk continues up until they’re 17/18 years old which was bizarre to me especially with the aunt Tati encouraging it.
Speaking of the aunt character, she never made sense to me, what happened to her? and was she psychic or psychotic?

Overall I liked the ending but I’m not sure what to make of this book, I didn’t love or hate it and there’s a strong possibility it all just flew over my head

This is a wonderfully gothic fairytale full of grief, denial, self preservation with a lyrical story flowing through it.

It must be mentioned that the writing and descriptions in the story were beautiful and poetic. I would say that due to this, it is a slow paced story that leaves you entranced to the very end to find out about Indigo’s secrets in her past. It feels haunting at times.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this in advance in exchange for my honest review.