The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
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- Create Date：2023-01-18 09:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Roshani Chokshi
- ISBN：0063206501
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Summary
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--the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi。
Once upon a time， a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful， mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada。 He was a scholar of myths。 She was heiress to a fortune。 They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after--and in exchange for her love， Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past。
But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home， the House of Dreams， the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist。 For within the crumbling manor's extravagant rooms and musty halls， there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure， Indigo's dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared。 As the house slowly reveals his wife's secrets， the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy， even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage 。 。 。 or their lives。
Combining the lush， haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue， The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies， secrets and betrayal， and the stories we tell ourselves to survive。
Once upon a time， a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful， mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada。 He was a scholar of myths。 She was heiress to a fortune。 They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after--and in exchange for her love， Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past。
But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home， the House of Dreams， the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist。 For within the crumbling manor's extravagant rooms and musty halls， there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure， Indigo's dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared。 As the house slowly reveals his wife's secrets， the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy， even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage 。 。 。 or their lives。
Combining the lush， haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue， The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies， secrets and betrayal， and the stories we tell ourselves to survive。
Reviews
Anne O'Connell
，
I’m not sure what I expected from The Last Tale of the Flower Bride and I don’t really know what to make of it。 I read it right after Sara Maitland’s great Gossip from the Forest， which looks at how fairytales inhabit forests， so I was more attuned than I would have been to the references here in the stories shared between the lovers。 In a world in which almost everyone has a preposterous name， Roshani Chokshi gives us some great descriptions of love; Azure says she thought Lyric had ‘translated I’m not sure what I expected from The Last Tale of the Flower Bride and I don’t really know what to make of it。 I read it right after Sara Maitland’s great Gossip from the Forest， which looks at how fairytales inhabit forests， so I was more attuned than I would have been to the references here in the stories shared between the lovers。 In a world in which almost everyone has a preposterous name， Roshani Chokshi gives us some great descriptions of love; Azure says she thought Lyric had ‘translated my every cell to flame’ （I’ve been there， love。 It rarely ends well）。 There are elegant turns of phrase （teeth the ‘milky colour of petrified memory’） or idea （‘marriage asks for that crust of time you were selfishly saving for yourself’） and some jarring images and repetition。 Referring to the Otherworld， the language is poetic bordering on the nonsensical。I liked the portrayal of the House as a living being， accepting or rejecting visitors。 But alongside the magic and supernatural， the world of the book is believable。 I found myself drawn up short when it occurred to me that there would be an ending。 And I wasn’t expecting an almighty twist at the end， the kind that made me want to go back to the beginning to see if I could spot it coming。I received a free proof copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Mabel
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An extraordinary mystical fairytale to completely lose yourself in。 I don’t usually read this type of novel， but found it enjoyable and very different。 Indigo is cunning and wicked at times and lives in a remarkable， magical home。 She wants to cross into the underworld， but not everything goes according to plan - there’s a strange marriage with a real sting in the tale。 Azure hopes her friendship with Indigo is strong enough for her to go with her to this other world。
Lizenbyl
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This book is not my type and rather than write inappropriate comments--not going to comment at all。
Meagan
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Thank you Netgalley for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review。A poor young scholar meets and falls in love with a wealthy heiress。 Their life is like the fairytales he studies， full of palaces and promises， shadows and secrets。 They will have a full and happy life together， as long as he vows never to pry into her past。 But when they are called to his wife’s family home to care for a dying aunt， the bridegroom discovers that his bride’s secrets are more sinister than he had Thank you Netgalley for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review。A poor young scholar meets and falls in love with a wealthy heiress。 Their life is like the fairytales he studies， full of palaces and promises， shadows and secrets。 They will have a full and happy life together， as long as he vows never to pry into her past。 But when they are called to his wife’s family home to care for a dying aunt， the bridegroom discovers that his bride’s secrets are more sinister than he had ever imagined。 The House of Dreams reveals his bride’s past and the greatest love of her life- her friendship with a girl named Azure。 As the bridegroom seeks to solve the mystery of his bride’s past， he fears he may find the answer in one unspoken question。 Where was Azure now？The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a stunning gothic story of love and obsession， dreams and nightmares。 Roshani Chokshi has crafted a magical and devastating tale the Grimm's Brothers would heartily approve of。 。。。more
Heidi
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I’m not certain what I expected when I started this book。 And I think that’s a good thing。 The tone reminds me of CS Lewis’s Til We Have Faces， but the story reminds me of the darker， sadder kinds of fairy tales， which I believe was the point。 It’s the story of a marriage and of a monster， of the past that haunts us and the halves of our souls that don’t belong entirely to us。 The parts of ourselves we try to bury that never quite let us walk away。 It has a weight to it， and while I thought I kn I’m not certain what I expected when I started this book。 And I think that’s a good thing。 The tone reminds me of CS Lewis’s Til We Have Faces， but the story reminds me of the darker， sadder kinds of fairy tales， which I believe was the point。 It’s the story of a marriage and of a monster， of the past that haunts us and the halves of our souls that don’t belong entirely to us。 The parts of ourselves we try to bury that never quite let us walk away。 It has a weight to it， and while I thought I knew what was happening for all of it， I definitely didn’t。 A brilliant adult debut from an author I already loved and I can’t wait to read more！ I won a copy in a giveaway from the publisher， a review was not required， and all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Emily
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This book has impeccable gothic twisted fairytale vibes。 The writing is beautiful， lyrical prose & it is obvious that this has been a true labour of love for the author。 I’ve thought about it often since finishing it， however I strongly feel that this book has once again fallen victim to poor marketing。 This is not a romantic book， this is a book centred around a toxic friendship， distrust， control & obsession。 Although you are lead to believe the story will revolve around the husband & the marr This book has impeccable gothic twisted fairytale vibes。 The writing is beautiful， lyrical prose & it is obvious that this has been a true labour of love for the author。 I’ve thought about it often since finishing it， however I strongly feel that this book has once again fallen victim to poor marketing。 This is not a romantic book， this is a book centred around a toxic friendship， distrust， control & obsession。 Although you are lead to believe the story will revolve around the husband & the marriage falling apart， he serves only as a plot device。 I found myself skimming his chapters， his POV past the initial set up didn’t interest me anywhere near as much as the flashbacks。 The relationship of the two girls was far more intriguing， slowly watching them devolve over time。 Their characters growing up together is the main arc of the story & their co-dependant relationship was very well written， unhinged yet still somewhat believable。 Overall， I did enjoy the book， although not at all what I was expecting。 Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC。 。。。more
Rach Binns
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I was gifted an audiobook ARC of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by the publisher in exchange for my honest review。I enjoyed Chokshi’s lyrical writing and the way they built this dark fairy tale world from the very start。 The characters were complex and flawed but still you grew to love them。 I did find this a rather slow paced story， but whenever I was about to lose interest it drew me back in。I thoroughly enjoyed Steve West’s narration。 His pacing and pronunciation were perfect， and his voic I was gifted an audiobook ARC of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by the publisher in exchange for my honest review。I enjoyed Chokshi’s lyrical writing and the way they built this dark fairy tale world from the very start。 The characters were complex and flawed but still you grew to love them。 I did find this a rather slow paced story， but whenever I was about to lose interest it drew me back in。I thoroughly enjoyed Steve West’s narration。 His pacing and pronunciation were perfect， and his voice is extremely easy to listen to。 It’s like butter。Though I enjoyed the dual narration， the female narrator， Sura Siu， has some strange pronunciation choices。 I don’t know if it was because I was listening to it as a Brit， but I found a few words grating。 Additionally， Siu begins her narration pronouncing Hippolyta’s name differently to West， but ends up matching his pronunciation towards the end of the book。 Siu uses three different pronunciations of Hippolyta throughout the book which I found very jarring。If you’re looking for a character-driven dark fairy tale with betrayals and secrets upon secrets， this is for you。 Whilst I enjoyed the book， it was a little too slow paced for my liking。Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton Audio via Netgalley for this audiobook ARC of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi。 。。。more
Poppy Warphan
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Haha， well。。。 I should have listened to my instincts。Review with spoilers on my blog My rating: 2。5 of 5 stars Characters: 2/10Enjoyment: 3/10Plot: 5/10Worldbuilding: 3/10Writing: 5/10 Content warnings: death of loved one， toxic relationship， emotional abuse， sexual harassment。。。 （maybe more， I skipped half of the book） I’d say this was like a gothic fairytale mystery。 Everything felt like a fever dream。 The writing style was definitely not my preferred style。 It felt like the words kept going Haha， well。。。 I should have listened to my instincts。Review with spoilers on my blog My rating: 2。5 of 5 stars Characters: 2/10Enjoyment: 3/10Plot: 5/10Worldbuilding: 3/10Writing: 5/10 Content warnings: death of loved one， toxic relationship， emotional abuse， sexual harassment。。。 （maybe more， I skipped half of the book） I’d say this was like a gothic fairytale mystery。 Everything felt like a fever dream。 The writing style was definitely not my preferred style。 It felt like the words kept going in circles。 Not as in being repetitive， but as in going on this roundabout way to express something but ending up back at the beginning。 I appreciate the effort put into the writing， a lot of people will probably find it beautiful， but it was just too much for me。The worldbuilding was just a big question mark。 I was confused about the fantasy elements。 When magic was described， I couldn’t tell if it was meant literally or figuratively。 Additionally， I had no idea whether this Otherworld mentioned was actually real， or most of the things mentioned as a matter of fact。The characters were boring。 I didn’t care about any of them except for， maybe， Azure in the past。 The relationship between Indigo and the bridegroom felt artificial。 The friendship between Indigo and Azure was unhealthy。 Everyone was obsessed with the supernatural。 The bridegroom studied magic， mythology， and folklore because he remembered having a brother who apparently did not exist。 Azure and Indigo bonded over the fae。 They were convinced they were a part of them and belonged elsewhere。 Indigo took that obsession too far。The plot was extremely slow。 Almost everything was merely told， and most of the page space was filled with descriptions。The author said this is her best work。 If that is the case， I don’t think her books are for me。 I don’t understand metaphorical gibberish。 That’s a me problem。 I chose to read this first because it was the shortest of my arcs， yet it felt so long。 Arc provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Urban_Reads
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Audiobook of the Last Tale of the Flower BrideThis ADHD girl almost didn't finish， boy am I glad I kept reading！ I promise you， just keep reading。。。 once the past storyline came into view - i couldn't stop listening！ The main male character， known as The Bridegroom， is bewitched by the main female character， Indigo Maxwell-Castenada， She is a mysterious heiress to a hotel empire， who has the ability to bewitch all who come to know her。 The Bridegroom is enchanted and falls in love at first site Audiobook of the Last Tale of the Flower BrideThis ADHD girl almost didn't finish， boy am I glad I kept reading！ I promise you， just keep reading。。。 once the past storyline came into view - i couldn't stop listening！ The main male character， known as The Bridegroom， is bewitched by the main female character， Indigo Maxwell-Castenada， She is a mysterious heiress to a hotel empire， who has the ability to bewitch all who come to know her。 The Bridegroom is enchanted and falls in love at first site and the feeling is mutual。 Before they marry， Indigo has but one condition。 He must never dig into her past， or try to uncover any secrets。 He agrees and off they go， traveling around the world until one day， Indigo's past comes calling。 Her estranged aunt is dying and they need to go back to Indigo's childhood home， known as The House of Dreams。 The House of Dreams wants to reveal her secrets and temptation begins to haunt the Bridegroom; he breaks his promise。。。 The mystery involves the disappearance of Indigo's childhood best friend， Azure。 Indigo and Azure They are deeply entangled in mind， body and heart， so much so that they create a place called The Otherworld。 A place where life is full of magic and fae and all the world's problems and realities go quiet。 As the two of them start to grow up， one of them clings to this alternate reality and one of them starts to explore the world outside of The Otherworld and The House of Dreams。 What happens to Azure， what happens to the Bridegroom and Indigo， what happens to the House of Dreams。。。 the pages tell the story， and what a story it is。 My Struggles。。。~I found myself deeply disturbed by the toxic， codependent relationships between EVERYONE in this book~I found myself having to reread parts because they were a bit too lyrical and flowery at times， it's beautiful， but with an audiobook， I struggle with that style。 （Totally a preference） ~Felt the pacing dragged the first half of the book YET， I couldn't stop reading！ I wanted to find out what happened to Azure， I wanted to find out why the Bridegroom was haunted with dreams of a brother that didn't exist。 I wanted to know why Indigo was the way she was。 I wanted to know why Azure never wanted to be home。 I wanted to know more; The Otherworld。。。does it exist？ Is the House magic？ Mystery and intrigue drip from every page， and I became obsessed with these crazy， unhinged characters。 This book feels haunting， dark， intriguing， mysterious， magical， confusion， and full of contradictions。 Roshani's writing is stunning， and she knows how to weave beauty into every word。 I've never been more mystified by a book in my life。。。 The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi is the most unique book I've ever read。 Book will be released February 2023#netgalley #thelasttaleoftheflowerbride #arc 。。。more
Kyra K
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I loved the sound of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride。 A gothic mystery about friendship， marriage， and secrets？ Sign me up！The beginning of the story was a little slow for me， but I figured we were setting the scene。 Once the dual perspectives started， I was really intrigued。 Simultaneously hearing about Indigo’s past and present， and watching them converge， was enthralling。 Unfortunately， the ending fell really flat for me。 I liked the twist in Azure’s story， but the reveal on the bridegroom’ I loved the sound of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride。 A gothic mystery about friendship， marriage， and secrets？ Sign me up！The beginning of the story was a little slow for me， but I figured we were setting the scene。 Once the dual perspectives started， I was really intrigued。 Simultaneously hearing about Indigo’s past and present， and watching them converge， was enthralling。 Unfortunately， the ending fell really flat for me。 I liked the twist in Azure’s story， but the reveal on the bridegroom’s side was so glossed past that I had to go back and listen a second time to clarify what had happened。 The main characters have obviously been through significant trauma， but the way that it all came together just felt rushed and underdeveloped to me。 Overall， I really enjoyed the vibes of the story， but I wish there had been a little more exploration of the revelations at the end。 。。。more
Stella ☆Paper Wings☆
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I think this is a gender-swapped retelling of bluebeard？？？ Bluebeard is one of the creepiest fairytales out there and there is nowhere near enough modern fiction about it！
Savanna
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Well I can officially say this book has made it’s way to one of my favorite books of the year and it’s only January。The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a gothic novel centered around fairytales and myths。 Roshani Chokshi did an incredible job with this book。 The writing is beautiful and the story itself is dark and compelling。 I couldn’t stop reading。 Honestly， this book left me speechless。 I have nothing but amazing things to say about this book。 And that ending wasn’t what I was expecting at Well I can officially say this book has made it’s way to one of my favorite books of the year and it’s only January。The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a gothic novel centered around fairytales and myths。 Roshani Chokshi did an incredible job with this book。 The writing is beautiful and the story itself is dark and compelling。 I couldn’t stop reading。 Honestly， this book left me speechless。 I have nothing but amazing things to say about this book。 And that ending wasn’t what I was expecting at all！If you love a good gothic fairytale then I highly recommend picking this one up on February 14th！Thank you so much to William Morrow for the arc！ 。。。more
Rochelle Hickey
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Like a Guillermo del Toro fairy tale except the monsters are the grief held within us。 This beautifully written， gothic tale brings you in under one pretense， let’s you linger， and then let’s you discover it’s hidden meaning。 You feel like you are a part of the house， being welcomed in， and then like leaving a dark movie theater with the sun too bright， the outside realities come crashing in and you realize the fairy tale wasn’t a fantasy but a tragedy—the real world coming to meet you and you f Like a Guillermo del Toro fairy tale except the monsters are the grief held within us。 This beautifully written， gothic tale brings you in under one pretense， let’s you linger， and then let’s you discover it’s hidden meaning。 You feel like you are a part of the house， being welcomed in， and then like leaving a dark movie theater with the sun too bright， the outside realities come crashing in and you realize the fairy tale wasn’t a fantasy but a tragedy—the real world coming to meet you and you feel the breath of relief when it does。 。。。more
Katie
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Thank you Net Galley for sending me this eArc。 The narration draws you in immediately making you crave more and more。 It is an atmospheric， gothic and poetic book。 Intriguing and full of mystery。
Mierfie Read
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I cant get engage with this book， hard to focus what the story was。 Sudenly there are married without any story build， feel like the bridegroom （he even dont have name！） get enchanted。 The story move to Indigo childhood house and friend。 There are mystery。 What i get is when real word to hard， to sad， to dissapointed， you made your own world to escape。 It is your choise to leave it or stay。 Indigo choose to stay。 At the end i love how the couple hold on to each other until the end。 Thank you to I cant get engage with this book， hard to focus what the story was。 Sudenly there are married without any story build， feel like the bridegroom （he even dont have name！） get enchanted。 The story move to Indigo childhood house and friend。 There are mystery。 What i get is when real word to hard， to sad， to dissapointed， you made your own world to escape。 It is your choise to leave it or stay。 Indigo choose to stay。 At the end i love how the couple hold on to each other until the end。 Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book， it is pleasure to review this book。 #TheLastTaleOfTheFlowerBride #RoshaniChokshi #HodderStoughton #NetGalley #ARC 。。。more
Samantha Dupree
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This is a lovely， crawling， poetic gothic story about a man who loves a woman with a mysterious past。 It is the Bluebeard story for a new audience which lovingly mentions fables and myths to juxtapose them against whatever startling things our Bridegroom will discover about his bride， the illusive and intoxicating Indigo。Indigo in the main narrative is flighty but devoted and asks nothing of her lover but that he stay out of her past。 Indigo of the secondary narrative， which takes place in the p This is a lovely， crawling， poetic gothic story about a man who loves a woman with a mysterious past。 It is the Bluebeard story for a new audience which lovingly mentions fables and myths to juxtapose them against whatever startling things our Bridegroom will discover about his bride， the illusive and intoxicating Indigo。Indigo in the main narrative is flighty but devoted and asks nothing of her lover but that he stay out of her past。 Indigo of the secondary narrative， which takes place in the past and shows the experience of Indigo and her friend Azure as they are as children， teens， and young women， is a desperately annoying and ungrounded person。 I know it's a personal flaw that I don't like this character type of the Likable Unlikable Character but I really just don't。 It makes it hard to follow at times because I can't accept the reality of the novel that suggests someone has not slapped this delusional child at least once。 You are not a fairy， you're a cunt。Anyway， the novel itself is good， the writing is phenomenal and the plot will take turns you don't expect and for the pacing of it I highly recommend you pick it up。 。。。more
Piper
，
The Last Flower Bride by Roshani ChokshiThis gothic fairytale is completely immersive， with unexpected twists and flawless prose。 This is a captivating and magical story。 A haunting and atmospheric story about mystery and the blurred lines between fantasy and reality。At frist I was confused but after following the nameless Historian it starts to make more sense they have so many blurred lines within this book。 I enjoyed the different POV which each character and experiencing this with them。 Azur The Last Flower Bride by Roshani ChokshiThis gothic fairytale is completely immersive， with unexpected twists and flawless prose。 This is a captivating and magical story。 A haunting and atmospheric story about mystery and the blurred lines between fantasy and reality。At frist I was confused but after following the nameless Historian it starts to make more sense they have so many blurred lines within this book。 I enjoyed the different POV which each character and experiencing this with them。 Azure and Indigo have known since childhood that they are special， chosen to be whisked away to Faerie。 They exist almost entirely for each other， in a peculiar folie à deux until the brink of adulthood， believing that when they reach the age of majority， they will go to the Otherworld。 While this was plausible when they were young kids， it was odd that they still believed it as teenagers。 Regardless， I enjoyed Azure's chapters and the themes of gender inequality， class， and toxic female friendships that they addressed。 。。。more
lapetitepritt
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rtc
Carlos
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3。5 ⭐️
Hanna Palm
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This book is something out of the ordinary。 It’s dark and terrifying and absolutely spellbinding。 I could not put it down！ This is a hunting and eerie story about love， both the good kind of love but also love turned ugly。 Throughout the story， Roshani Chokshi explores the very foundation of what love really is and how the bonds to other people makes us who we are。 How a person can thrive if given the right kind of attention， the good kind of love。 But also how the wrong kind of attention can ma This book is something out of the ordinary。 It’s dark and terrifying and absolutely spellbinding。 I could not put it down！ This is a hunting and eerie story about love， both the good kind of love but also love turned ugly。 Throughout the story， Roshani Chokshi explores the very foundation of what love really is and how the bonds to other people makes us who we are。 How a person can thrive if given the right kind of attention， the good kind of love。 But also how the wrong kind of attention can make someone wish nothing more than to become invisible。 The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a story about the bond between to girls。 Two girls who became the closest of friends。 You might as well say that they shared the same soul… It is a story about how you can come to love someone too much。 How love can turn into obsessive。 It is also a story about the secrets we keep and of how our pasts somehow often finds a way to haunt us。 But perhaps most important of all - it is a story about how love can overcome the secrets we keep if only given the chance。 What makes this book truly special is not only the unique story or way of telling it， but rather how it is written。 It’s such a beautifully written book。 The descriptions and way in which everything is described is just remarkable。 I’ve read a lot of books and never have I come across such a descriptive， vivid way of writing until now。 This was my first time reading a book by Roshani Chokshi but it will definitely not be the last！ Thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Alessa
，
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book。 It took me a bit to get into it， but once I did， I could not put it down。 The atmosphere is so good; it feels so gothic and timely despite it being set in the modern world。 Some of the dialogue felt a bit out of place， but other than that， I loved the writing。 It was so lyrical and haunting， and some descriptions were just so beautiful。 At first， I struggled a bit with Indigo being this mysterious yet irresistibl Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book。 It took me a bit to get into it， but once I did， I could not put it down。 The atmosphere is so good; it feels so gothic and timely despite it being set in the modern world。 Some of the dialogue felt a bit out of place， but other than that， I loved the writing。 It was so lyrical and haunting， and some descriptions were just so beautiful。 At first， I struggled a bit with Indigo being this mysterious yet irresistible girl since that's a character type I don't usually enjoy （I blame Alison from Pretty Little Liars for this aversion）， which is why I enjoyed the Bridegroom's POV a lot more than Azure's。 But again， once the novel gripped me， my doubts were washed away， and I just really enjoyed it all。 The mystery aspect was done so well！ I had a revelation about what might have happened roughly two-thirds into the book， and the more I thought about it， the more evidence I found for my theory。 And really， there is nothing more satisfying than finding out you were right， especially when it's a book like this， where it's really not obvious at all， but instead， you have these well-hidden clues。 The characters were intriguing， I do wish the bridegroom had a bit more personality， but you could tell that the focus was clearly on Indigo and Azure。 Overall， this was a great book that I will definitely recommend。 If you enjoy magical realism and gothic vibes， this book is for you。 。。。more
Emily Ryder
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Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and review this book！I will start by saying that I did enjoy my reading experience - despite this seemingly negative review。 I had a good time， it wasn’t too long， and I would recommend it to people。 But I don’t think it ended up being for me。 A big positive was that the descriptions and writing of this book are beyond stunning。 I was in love with the writing as I was reading and wanted to mark a million quotes。 Wo Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and review this book！I will start by saying that I did enjoy my reading experience - despite this seemingly negative review。 I had a good time， it wasn’t too long， and I would recommend it to people。 But I don’t think it ended up being for me。 A big positive was that the descriptions and writing of this book are beyond stunning。 I was in love with the writing as I was reading and wanted to mark a million quotes。 Would definitely like to be as imaginative as Roshani Chokshi。 But …。 I wasn’t a fan of how jumpy the flashbacks were and how we never got much into one perspective before being slammed into the other - again another issue that I found was less noticeable nearer to the last 20%。 But it meant that I was left without having really connected to either protagonist by the and。 Also found the plot meandering。 By 60% I had still failed to really see an overarching plot and was rather just following characters through their day to day。 I didn’t care much to figure out was happened to indigo’s childhood friend who went missing。Overall， I really did enjoy the writing and I liked the IDEA behind the story and setting and characters even if I wish the execution had Vee slightly different。 But for a book that’s said to be like Addie Larue and Mexican Gothic I was left wanting MORE。 More creepiness， more general gothic ness。 I guessed the plot-twist so some more mystery and shock would have been fab。 。。。more
Yadi
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Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC。 DNF at 70%I will be withholding my review due to the Harper Collins Union being on strike to get a fair contract。 Review to come once everything is resolved。
Dario Pacheco
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Haunting， beautiful and dark。 One of those books that enchants you from the first page and doesn’t let you go till the stunning finale。 Will leave you breathless and thinking about it long after you finish the last sentence。
Tyler Reads
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This was not at all what I was expecting。。。。 But I liked the dark gothic vibes and not being sure at any given time how rooted in reality we actually were。 And while I didn't really connect with the bridegroom pov and still had some questions about his plot line， I overall enjoyed thisThank you to Netgally for the ARC This was not at all what I was expecting。。。。 But I liked the dark gothic vibes and not being sure at any given time how rooted in reality we actually were。 And while I didn't really connect with the bridegroom pov and still had some questions about his plot line， I overall enjoyed thisThank you to Netgally for the ARC 。。。more
Isabel
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I did not expect this to blow my mind the way it did。 This is exactly what Roshani Chokshi should be writing and this is exactly the kind of book I've been looking for。Her books has been a moderate hit-and-miss for me in the past: I enjoyed The Star-Touched Queen and Crown of Wishes enough but they needed more control over the prose， I never took to the The Gilded Wolves trilogy despite my best efforts， and Once More Upon a Time had some great ideas but ultimately felt underdeveloped。But this ad I did not expect this to blow my mind the way it did。 This is exactly what Roshani Chokshi should be writing and this is exactly the kind of book I've been looking for。Her books has been a moderate hit-and-miss for me in the past: I enjoyed The Star-Touched Queen and Crown of Wishes enough but they needed more control over the prose， I never took to the The Gilded Wolves trilogy despite my best efforts， and Once More Upon a Time had some great ideas but ultimately felt underdeveloped。But this adult debut showcases the best of her writing and seems to have pushed her abilities to its peak the same way it pushes the reader。 Flower Bride is absolutely sublime and sinister in the best way！ I adore the dreamy abstractness and magical realism of the prose and the world， and how they hide the nightmarish experience of simply existing。I will say that as much as gripping as the entire book is， I felt more invested in Azure's chapters than I did the bridegroom's。Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC！ 。。。more
Elise
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I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley。When I began listening to “The Last Tale of the Flower Bride，” I took a look at some of the reviews that had been written about the novel。 One particular comment said， “I cannot believe a book like this exists，” or something of the like。 I have to say that I agree with this statement。 I am in awe of the author for creating this tale。 I am glad that I accidentally requested the audiobook version because its lyrical writing demanded to be spoken a I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley。When I began listening to “The Last Tale of the Flower Bride，” I took a look at some of the reviews that had been written about the novel。 One particular comment said， “I cannot believe a book like this exists，” or something of the like。 I have to say that I agree with this statement。 I am in awe of the author for creating this tale。 I am glad that I accidentally requested the audiobook version because its lyrical writing demanded to be spoken aloud。 There is not much I can object to in this novel; it was stunning。 I quickly became addicted to it and had it playing while I cooked dinner or simply sat in front of my fireplace， content to be lost in the story。 I was lost in the dialog， lost in the mystery， the things unsaid。 I became entranced by the marriage of our unnamed male narrator and the secretive Indigo。 I became unsettled about the codependent friendship between Indigo and Azure， but I could not get enough of it！ Even the House of Dreams became a beloved character。 This book was radiant， addictive， shocking and haunting。 I would recommend it to adult readers who crave the kind of subtle magic that prowls through these pages and pulls you into The Other World。I will 100% be reading more by Roshani Chokshi。 5/5 stars。 。。。more
Abbey
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review！ This book was very obviously a labour of love for Roshani。 The amount of research that she would have done is just so impressive， there’s so many different faerie tales from so many different countries mentioned。 The title of the book actually comes from a Welsh tale， which was just lovely to see as a Welsh person。 She handles each tale so respectfully and beautifully。 The writing is so beautiful and lu Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review！ This book was very obviously a labour of love for Roshani。 The amount of research that she would have done is just so impressive， there’s so many different faerie tales from so many different countries mentioned。 The title of the book actually comes from a Welsh tale， which was just lovely to see as a Welsh person。 She handles each tale so respectfully and beautifully。 The writing is so beautiful and lush， it truly captures you and doesn’t let you go。 I really enjoyed my time with this book， the plot was interesting and kept you intrigued。 While the ending wasn’t personally a surprise to me I didn’t mind， because I enjoyed the journey to get there so much， and I think it tells a lot of Roshani’s skill as writer with how she unfolded the plot。 I would highly recommend this book if you’re a lover of faerie tales， dark retellings and gothic novels。 I look forward to rereading this book in the future。 。。。more
Christa
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This book brings fairy tales to life， but not in the sugar coated way we're now used to。 It has those raw， dark， and sometimes haunting fairy tales of old， wrought with lessons and warnings， throughout the pages leading the reader through a story of mystery and intrigue。What would you do for your love？ And what secrets will you hide from them？ This book brings fairy tales to life， but not in the sugar coated way we're now used to。 It has those raw， dark， and sometimes haunting fairy tales of old， wrought with lessons and warnings， throughout the pages leading the reader through a story of mystery and intrigue。What would you do for your love？ And what secrets will you hide from them？ 。。。more
Melanie
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