literally one of my most anticipated releases which i’ve been waiting ever since it was first announced and i’m delighted to report that the last tale of the flower bride definitely lived up my incredibly high expectations.

YA and middle grade fantasist Roshani Chokshi has once again shown her expertise to deliver a delightful blend of fairy tale and folklore that feels both whimsical and lovely. i was drawn by the book’s lush and poetic narrative which enticed me to explore the gothic atmosphere and secrets that the house of dreams hide within its wall. despite being the author’s adult debut, this book has shown to be written by a really talented writer who understands how to truly tap into one's imagination and keep them engaged with what is coming next without resorting to forced plot lines or clumsy narrative devices. the prose is exquisite without being self indulgent and you can really slip inside the skin of each of the characters, they are all feel so vibrant and alive.

without giving too much away, this novel was about obsession and complicated relationships in which each character's dependencies, possessives, and anxieties are present. we were given two narrators who offer two different points of view. both offer insights into the unreliable thoughts of someone who doesn't know who indigo maxwell-casteñada actually is and into the secrets of a woman who seems to be so much more than merely human. this is a magical, perilous thriller that takes you on a journey you won't soon forget, skillfully handled in a quietly creepy manner. i don’t read much gothic but i need this author to write more books like this. there is nothing roshani chokshi writes out that i would not put on a pedestal and worship.

<i>arc kindly provided by hodder & stoughton via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Viewed through the lens of folk and fairytale, a life can be a comedy or a tragedy. It is simply a case of picking the moments when the story begins and ends. But of course, real life is infinitely more complex and the people we encounter each have their own reasons for the decisions they make that effect us.
Roshani Chokshi understands this perfectly and conjures a twisting tale stretched across two narrative lines; Azure's tale and that of the nameless Bridegroom (many fairytale heroes are nameless or are given a generic name). One plot line involves the burying of secrets whilst the other is concerned with the disinterment of secrets. Along the way we are teased with references to folk stories from around the world.
The characters felt like real people throughout and I was invested in them by the end (despite a slow start). The writing is beautiful and I enjoyed lingering over some paragraphs, savouring each syllable.
A dark, stark reminder of the power myth has over us.

This book gave me some serious Mexican Gothic vibes ! I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook and read the book alongside. Audiobook is narrated really well. I did guess the twist really early on but I still enjoyed it. The writing is very beautiful and immersive.

teethering unsteadily on the fine line between whimsy and horror, the magical and the mundane, and fantasy and reality, 'the last tale of the flower bride' gorgeously written by the sensational roshani chokshi is sure to take any unsuspecting reader on a ride worth remembering.

the premise is deceptively simple — once upon a time, a man who had an unwavering faith in fairy tales, took a woman who was no less than one for his own bride. of course, as it is with every fairy tale, this union demanded a great sacrifice from the bridegroom's side — relinquishing his unending curiosity. for no matter, the bride made him vow to never pry into her past. and as it is, yet again, with every fairy tale, the bridegroom found himself in the impossible position of yearning to shatter his vow, when a trip to the bride's childhood home allows him a glance at the secrets withheld from him.

filled to the brim with roshani's quintessentially brilliant narrating style, lush, exuberant prose, and her terrific pacing climbing deliciously slowly up to the climax, this book casts a spell on the reader that refuses to break — even once you're done with the tale.

Mixed feelings, but mostly positive. The atmosphere the novel creates is beautiful. The language is tinged with fantasy, at times a bit cliched. The core mystery at the heart of the book grows and builds slowly, but the payoff just isn’t there. However, the book’s blending of the real and the mythical is enough reason to read it.

Lavish world-building and language, with a gothic vibe.
Warning about the paedophile creeping around one of the POV characters though: if that is a trigger for you, this book is not for you. They never harm the POV character but still.
Time skips for one POV character, first they are about ten years old, then thirteen, then a teenager. Yet their voice stays the same, which seems a bit odd.
The mystery is interesting but may not be a big surprise to mystery readers. And it is not the main point of the book, I think: messy relationships and how to navigate them is.
I felt rather detached from the husband’s POV, and hated another character with a passion.
The magic the world and language conjure is interesting, but a bit lost on me as it gets too flowery for me at points.
Rounding up to four stars.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for approving me for an ARC of this book. I was initially drawn in by the gorgeous cover and then the blurb peaked my interest even more.

The story is told from two POV, flipping between two timelines. Our first narrator is ‘The Bridegroom’, who has found himself helplessly in love with Indigo. There is something about her that pulls him in and soon the pair are married and living relatively happy lives. I felt this part of the story moved quite quickly, they didn’t seem to be ‘courting’ for very long and I would have liked to see more of that part. When Indigo’s Aunt is taken ill and the pair are called back to the house ‘The Bridegroom’ sees this as his opportunity, to betray his promise and discover his wife’s secrets. It is then that we learn about our second narrator, Asha.

Asha’s story is about her complex friendship that she had with Indigo. Desperate to escape from her own home and her mother’s sleezy boyfriend, she finds herself integrated more and more into Indigo’s family. These two young girls were glued at the hip but there was a dark underlying tone to their friendship that showed the toxic side to female solidarity. At times I could see the danger that Asha was in and desperately wanted to reach in and pull her back but it seemed the alure of Indigo was strong, even then. The question is, what happened to Asha?

With a lyrical prose and the intertwining of magic, fantasy and folklore we find ourselves in two different worlds. I sometimes struggled to separate the two and see how both timelines worked with each other, but I could appreciate what the author was trying to convey in doing this. The element of mystery surrounding Asha kept me on my toes and I thought I had figured it out but I was definitely wrong.

By then end I honestly felt like my head had been seriously messed with, which I’m assuming is the point. We see the dark inner workings of Indigos and Asha’s minds as well as solving a few mysteries along the way. There were moments of plot twists and this definitely had a gothic vibe running throughout. It’s hauntingly beautiful and definitely left its mark.

This is my first time reading soemthing that has a dual timeline in this way but it never got confusing and I really enjoyed it along wihh the dual POV.
This book is beautifully lyrical and makes you imagine things described in the book so beautifully and vividly.
If you are looking for a book that's full of mystery, dark and gothix romance with fairytale elements with a sprinkle of the coming of age trope then this is for you

This is darkly gothic, dreamlike and shimmering surreal storytelling from Roshani Choksi, with exquisitely atmospheric lyrical prose, infused with the chilling haunting horror of unsettling fairytales. 'The Bridegroom' falls into an all consuming love for Indigo Maxwell-Castenada, an heiress, happy ever afters beckon with their marriage, although there is a condition, he must never probe into her past, but like all fairytales, despite the dangers, he is going to do so. After learning that her estranged aunt is dying, the couple travel to Indigo's home as a child, The House of Dreams, a place that knows Indigo's secrets, her friendship with Azure and Azure's strange disappearance. It becomes difficult to discern the reality through the billowing haze of the fae and deception.

We learn of the nature of Indigo's inseparable relationship with Azure in this narrative of horror, obsession, complicated feelings and emotions, toxic friendships, marriage, loss, the search for truth, and secrets, there can be much darker fairytale overtones beneath what appears on the surface. This is a darkly enchanting, vibrant, hypnotic and beautiful read, the skilful slow build up of foreboding, the magic and intertwining fairytales, ensure that the reader is gripped by a novel whose prime focus is the developing dynamics of the relationship between Azure and Indigo. A truly memorable book! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is fantastic gothic mystery dark romance story about coming age and relationship between spouse. The stories was following two characters pov with dual timeline, someone called him/her self as bridegroom (the author very talented with the words and make the story could fits for any gender) and girl name Azure, both telling their dreamy twisted unimaginable experiences with a mysterious woman name Indigo Maxwell-Castenada.

This is not my first ride with the author but her skill to spinning multi mythology, fairytales, exotic cultures into one modern plot story always amazes me. The proses are lyrical and mesmerizing, it is almost feel like you are Alive who jump into magical otherworld. I don't felt the narrative over describe but enriched the experience with the characters, eerie hunting atmosphere and all untangled mysteries.

It is not easy reading for everyone. Slower pace, flowery prose and simple plots with intense layering overshading facts will challenge some readers who want different style writing. I appreciate how author approaching such toxic and sensitive issues in relationship with very gentle and beautiful ways.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder &Stoughton for provided me with this copy. I truly enjoyed my time with this book and my thoughts always be mine.

🌺The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Rodhani Chokshi🌺

🌺A haunting gothic mystery with themes of the fantastical, it's lyrical prose weaves exquisite imagery in your imagination. The story intertwines fairytales into reality to give the characters lives the sense of the otherworldly.

🌺It started slow for me, but I became invested in the characters. It's dual timeline and dual POV, but never got confusing between them. As it plays out, even if you think you can see where it's heading, it still throws you a couple of curve balls. Chokshi is like a literary Rumplestiltskin, pulling all of the different threads together to create this golden story.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 5.

🌺
*Mystery
*Dual timeline
*Dual POV
*Coming of age aspect
*Dark romance
*Fairytale/folklore elements
*Debut into Adult fiction

🌺Released February 16 2023.

🌺Check trigger warnings if needed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I didn't really know what to expect when I opened this book and was pleasantly surprised. If you've always been fascinated by the dark side of fairy tales, this is a story for you. As in many fairy tales, we never find out the name of the main narrator (he is referred to throughout as 'The Bridegroom'), though Chokshi cleverly inverts the gender stereotypes here by making her character male rather than female. The narrative itself is gloriously gothic and twisty, and has a satisfying if mysterious conclusion.

There was much to love about this book, the gothic feel, the poetic writing, the fairy tale overtones, the toxic relationship between Indigo and Azure. But the bridegroom's story holds me back from giving it four stars. I just did not get that get the intense level of connection between him and Indigo to warrant their actions. A lovely read but not quite a winner for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I take a quote from Roshani themselves because I believe it explains the book perfectly

"Fairytales and myths are vital to our existence. They seek to explain the unexplainable. They offer succor. Hope. Horror. They assure us that there are a thousand paths through the woods. This is one of those paths."

This book was simply beautiful

The novel begins with a husband contemplating the secretive past of his mysterious and beautiful new wife Indigo, and as we learn more about them as a couple, we also jump back frequently to Indigo’s teenage years as seen through the eyes of her best friend Azure. Inseparable and more like sisters, they shunned the world and built their own fantasy games and lifestyle amongst the lavish house and grounds Indigo had inherited. But just as darkness underpins fairy tales, obsessions and desires creep round the edges of The House of Dreams, and secrets emerge like whispers from another place. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A gorgeous UK cover. A Gothic tale with beautiful lyrical writing and different folk tales woven into it.

Sadly, the very slow plot never really gripped my attention.

Trigger warning: the relationships between the MCs is toxic, which made reading the story not easier.

Sadly, the beautiful writing was not enough to capture my attention and save this book. I think I have come to the difficult decision that fantasy just isn't for me any more. Nothing wrong with the book itself, but my taste in books has massively changed over the past few years.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance copy of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride to read for an honest review.

The story revolves around the mysterious woman Indigo Maxwell-Castenada her story told through her Bridegroom, he a scholar of myths. They exchanged gifts and stories of the otherworld with one promise he would never pry into Indigos past.

However when Indigos estranged aunt is dying the couple are forced to return to the House of Dreams. Here the Bridegroom is unable to resist delving into her past. In the house lurks the shadows of another girl Azure, Indigos childhood best friend who disappeared. As the house reveals its secrets the Bridegroom will be forced to choose between the fantasy and the reality of his marriage.

The story started off abit hard to get into for me but once I got further into the story I was hooked.

Roshani Chokshi has a poetic and haunting way of writing. This book reads as a gothic fairytale and is beautifully crafted.

I loved the inclusion of all the myths and fairytales shared to explain different elements of the story and I was caught up in the chapters from Azures point of view.

A haunting and fascinating read perfect for lovers of gothic fiction.

big thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for this arc!

4 big shining sparkling stars (and all four of them are some shade of blue).

as i was reading the last quarter of this book, i began wondering about what i was going to write for my review. and i'm sure all other reviewers have said it before me; but the word captures this story so well– it's beautifully haunting. and so unlike anything else i've read this year. it was the way of walking the finest line between magic and reality, between friendship and love and betrayal, between knowing what is real and what is not (including the people you love most. because, do you really know them, actually? are you sure?).
i thought i had it figured out by the end, but as it turns out, i couldn't have been more wrong. and yet as i think back on all that has happened throughout this book, the breadcrumbs were THERE, and i just hadn't thought to pick them up. and honestly, as dumb as it makes me feel, it delights me. because it is a reminder that still, stories will find a way to surprise me, no matter how many of them i've checked off my list. that alone is enough to soothe my bruised ego.
apart from all that, this was also just so incredibly well written, i recommend it to everyone who needs a fill of creepy-haunting-disturbing-yet-beautiful. coming to you this valentine's!

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a love letter to fairy tales. It follows the fairy-tale aesthetic, logic, and even language. Roshani Chokshi is at her best with her adult debut, and I wonder why she doesn’t stick to this genre when it works wonders for her. This book did have its ups and does, and I do believe that the last few chapters really changed my mind about it.

Chokshi is one of those authors, whose books are choked full of purple prose, so readers who find that exhausting or slow might not appreciate her work. I’m not a huge fan of it either, but it really works here considering the type of story she wanted to tell. At its heart, Flower Bride is a gothic romance. And like most gothic romances, it must have a shady and mysterious spouse, an ancient house, secrets, and obsessive characters. At the start, I was reminded of Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea (a book I decisively hated), but since I’d enjoyed Chokshi’s fairy-tale-type mythological YA novels from her early years, I was hopeful this might not disappoint as much. As I read on, I was reminded more and more of the works of the Bronte sisters. Think Mr. Rochester and his mad wife locked in the attic, think of Heathcliff and Catherine’s obsessive love that spanned generations and decades. And lastly, one of my favourite reads of the year These Violent Delights by Micah Nevermeer (and yes, this is not THAT tvd. Get over yourself.). Indigo and Azure’s relationship is the likes of Paul and Julien’s. The only difference is Azure, and Indigo were never explicitly queer. The queer coding of most of the characters of this book is an essay for another time, but it plays a huge role in how the character dynamics play out.

And like most gothic stories, this was at the end of the day a book about monstrosity, horror, and love, all wrapped up in a nice little tragic package. I want to read more of Chokshi’s adult work if she ever gives it another try. For Flower Bride I enjoyed Azure and Indigo’s characterization, but I found the bridegroom’s character and storyline to be very lacking, especially the way his and Indigo’s relationship was rushed through. Indigo came across as his manic pixie dream girl during the entire courting phase and that wasn’t something I enjoyed.

I do think this would work better after being trimmed a bit because I doubt most readers would stick far enough to reach the good bits. Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder Books