read

I couldn't get into this. It hinges on a character who is self-obsessed and manipulative, and I didn't see why everyone else was so willing to be manipulated by her. The flowery language felt like it was trying too hard.

dnf @ pg 119

I’m not in awe of Indigo like everyone else in this book is. She ain’t no divaaaaaa!

I wanted to be pleasantly surprised that instead of the romance you think this is going to be. instead, it hinges on a female friendship.

But seriously, I didn’t mesh well with the long-winded purple prose. Instalove is to be expected for fairytales, but I feel like the man (and Azure) were terribly codependent on this chick who made them feel special. Because I didn’t care for the characters, I wasn’t invested in the mystery.

I’m guessing Azure falls romantically in love with Indigo at some point, Azure tries to body snatch Indigo’s life, or Indigo accidentally loses Azure and never forgives herself.

Overall, I don’t have an interest in continuing this, but the story excelled with setting a luxurious, gothic tone. It really leans into the magical opulence of the supernatural. I also liked the cover. ( )

A very dark, twisty fairy tale that will transport you. ( )

I hadn't read anything by Roshani Chokshi before, but after hearing a lot of praise for her YA novels over on Book Twitter, I decided to start with her adult debut, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. The beautiful cover and the plot instantly caught my attention while browsing NetGalley, so it was a pretty automatic request. And I'm so glad I did, as this rich, dark and unique tale was SO good.

I'm honestly in love with Chokshi's writing. It is flowery and almost poetic without ever feeling pretentious or heavily constructed. The prose flows really smoothly while at the same time perfectly painting the picture and building the atmosphere. It's clear when reading that the book has a strong foundation in the Western literary canon, effortlessly weaving together the storytelling traditions of old and gothic romance elements with mystery and a dash of magical realism to create a classic tale for modern readers. I loved seeing how expertly the author played with old tropes and storytelling conventions to build an engaging plot and deeply flawed, difficult characters. I particularly liked the choice to reverse traditionally held roles, with Indigo being the centre of the story and the keeper of dangerous secrets, while her husband The Bridegroom remains the unnamed narrator seeking to uncover her mysteries. It was a refreshing take on classic fairytale characters (think Bluebeard) in their original, dark versions. There are also multiple references to these stories throughout, which added a layer of depth to the story.

The story is told in dual POV and in alternating timelines: in one, we follow The Bridegroom in the present as he starts being curious about his wife's past and decides to look for answers as they visit her childhood home; in the other, we follow Azure, Indigo's best friend from childhood who mysteriously disappeared, to watch the two girls grow up in the House of Dreams. Both storylines were great, each adding something to the story until the whole picture became clear. Hints were dropped throughout and the foreshadowing was very well crafted, but I still didn't put all the pieces together until the end. The Bridegroom was somewhat less full as a character compared to the female ones, but it felt like a deliberate choice (much like keeping him nameless) and worked well within the story. We still get to see and understand rather a lot about him and his past, although Indigo and Azure remained far more interesting to me. Listening to the audiobook, Steve West was a marvellous narrator, really helping to bring those gothic vibes through, which massively improved my experience of the Bridegroom's chapters.

Now the female characters are where this book truly shines. They were richly drawn, complex and flawed in a way that is hard to come across (or at least, I haven't really recently - if you have any recommendations, please tell me in the comments!). The relationship between Indigo and Azure was fascinating, even if deeply toxic, and it was easy to understand their attraction to the faerie world and what they call the Otherworld. Their coming-of-age story is rich with subtext and really shows what it means to be a teenage girl on the verge of adulthood in a complicated, and sometimes very dark, world. Feelings take centre stage in this book, the ones that are expressed and the ones kept hidden, love and obsession intertwining until it is hard to recognise where one ends and the other begins.

I could talk about this book for a lot longer, but I won't to avoid spoiling it all. Safe to say that, even in February, this is already a strong contender for best read of the year. Now I'll have to catch up on all of Chokshi's other works!

CW: This book contains mentions of death, toxic friendship and relationship, sexual harassment, domestic and emotional abuse, pedophilia and blood.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way. ( )