The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
Published: February 14, 2023
Netgalley Digital ARC
Genre: Magical Realism; Realistic Fiction, Folklore/Fairy Tale
Trigger warnings: Death of a parent, implied abuse by a stepparent, parental abandonment, emotional abuse
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Summary: "Chokshi's tale is as sweet as a piece of fairy fruit, and just as wicked. Every bite is velvet, every swallow is gold, and the taste lingers like a fever dream." — V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
"A delightfully meta fairy tale. . . . Magic emanates from every exquisitely crafted sentence. . . . It feels like the best conjuring trick ever." — Charlie Jane Anders, Washington Post
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.
Review: This is a gothic and gorgeous dark contemporary fairy tale that will haunt you with its magical realism. At one point, I questioned whether the novel was a fantasy or not, the magic of the narrative will captivate you as it captivated me. Richly drawn from multiple character perspectives, you may grow uncertain of where you are in the timeline of the story as you flash back to the past – part of the allure of Indigo and Azure’s tale is the way that you are an omniscient presence to events, and I love how the timeline keeps you in this unsure universe of dreaminess. Indigo and Azure are memorable characters as is the fairy tale professor husband who provides some gravity to the Gothic magic. Delicious, mysterious, and captivating for those who love reading magic. You may find yourself searching for Bluebeard’s tales and drawing some comparisons. I loved how Chokshi wove the truth and terror of reality with the magic of the unknown in this story. Watch out for delicious twists and turns and enjoy this enchanting book.

THE LAST TALE OF THE FLOWER BRIDE is a gorgeous and terrifying adult fairy tale from @roshanichokshi, out this month.

This was an extremely atmospheric work of fiction, with quite a bit of assumed magical realism involved. I thought it would read more like a fantasy, but it was very much based in real life with some very interesting characters and long buried secrets. There is a delicious twist at the end. The writing is lush and beautiful, but it's definitely a very odd book, and like nothing I've read before. I did enjoy it, though.

Denser than Chokshi's YA and Middle Grade books, this is a dark fairy tale with allusions to Blodeuwedd and various Grimm tales in which a spouse goes against their spouses wishes and finds out more than they would want to know about their past. Rich and very visual prose marks the tale of Indigo and her "sister" Azure.

I loved this book so much and I did not want to put it down. I loved all of the characters and I loved the atmosphere of it. It was so spooky and I loved the fairy tale aspect of it.

I love the color purple. Just not when it comes to prose.

Roshani Chokshi’s first adult novel, "The Last Tale of the Flower Bride," is richly steeped in fairy tales and myths. It’s the story of heiress Indigo Maxwell-Castenada, as revealed through the eyes of her husband, known simply as The Bridegroom, and her childhood friend, Azure. The narrative alternates between the present and the past, allowing both The Bridegroom and Azure to illuminate the true nature of their relationship with Indigo while within the walls of her eerie childhood home, the House of Dreams.

At its best, "The Last Tale of the Flower Bride" is a somewhat enthralling exploration of the mystical power of fairy tales and the spell they cast on the reader. And to be fair, Chokshi has written the novel in a style that is appropriately lush and surreal, creating an atmospheric reading experience that fuzzes dream and reality.

But her prose is so glaringly purple that it buries the story. It muddles the plot and makes it difficult to discern what each character is attempting to accomplish. And even though I was curious enough to see the novel through to its end, trudging my way through the prose left me exhausted.

Really, hidden beneath all the florid writing of "The Last Tale of the Flower Bride," there IS a fantastic story. I know this because the pull of it is why I continued to read the novel. But sadly, through the veil of the purple prose, I just couldn’t see it – at least not clearly enough to give a full recommendation.


My sincerest appreciation to Roshani Chokshi, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

Gorgeous, heartbreaking, horrifying, a fairy tale for grown-ups with a twist I glimpsed from the corner of my eye but still appreciated when it came into full view.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride was not what I expected. I'm not sure what I expected, really, but this wasn't quite it. That being said, I did really enjoy TLTOTFB. It was gorgeously written, fabulously Gothic, and a bit like living in a dream world, which is thematically appropriate all things considered. It didn't really give me the horror that I wanted, the story was much more heavily focused on developing the relationships betweenthe bridegroom and Indigo, and Indigo and Azure, which makes sense given the conclusion that we were meandering our way towards. And while it may have been low on the unease that I prefer in my Gothic horror, TLTOTFB was definitely still Gothic, even if it wasn't scary. It was melancholy, and full of old secrets. And beautiful, gosh it was beautiful. I mean, I said it was like living in a dream world and it really was. The scenes in the House of Dreams, particularly between Azure and Indigo when they were young, had this gorgeous ballroom in a soap bubble feel to them that I just loved.

** In the end, a fairy tale is nothing more than a sense of hope. Hope lures and tricks. It temps with shining thrones, exquisite nectars, and loving arms. It whispers to us that we are extraordinary.**

This book is a riff on fairy tales and mythology. It’s filled with magic and fairies, an evil step-father, and a bit of mystery. I enjoyed reading it, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t always understand it.

Indigo is a wealthy girl. When her parents die, she continues living in her house with her aunt as guardian. Azure is a local girl from a dysfunctional family. The two girls hit if off instantly, and they both believe that one day they’ll transform to live in “the Otherworld,” a fairytale land. After many years, as they approach the end of high school, Azure’s goals change.

Indigo becomes the head of her family’s high end hotel chain. She marries a historical researcher, who has his own hidden past, but makes him promise to never ask about her former life. It becomes difficult for him when they return to her childhood home to spend time with her aunt as she faces her last days. What he finds out might not be what he expects.

This is a book about dysfunctional families, friendship, controlling others. It’s fantasy and reality mixed together. The ending is telegraphed earlier in the book, but it still comes as a bit of a surprise. Despite its problems, this book kept me reading to find out how everything would turn out.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All comments in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book

A lush, beautiful tale of love tangled in a fairytale told in two voices- the bridegroom in the present and of Azure the best friend/ lover in the past. It starts as a kind of Bluebeard tale- the bridegroom can never look into his bride Indigo’s things. Desperately in love, he swears until they have to go to her family home and the fairytale marriage starts to feel dark. Alternately, Azure tells the tale of her and Indigo’s youth as they wait to throw off their mortal coils and go live in the otherworld where they belong. As past and present start to clash the bridegroom must find his way to the otherworld to save himself and his bride.
A dark, gothic, fairytale whose resolution was quite well done.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is published by an imprint of HarperCollins and as such I will be withholding my review at this time in support of the HarperCollins Union strike. I look forward to reviewing this title once HarperCollins has worked with the union and agreed to a fair contract.

What an intriguing book!

This is a story about a girl who’s obsessed with fairytales and how she longs to live them. But at what expense? This gothic tale follows the magical life of Indigo and her best friend, Azure, as they grow from girls into women.

I absolutely couldn’t predict what was going on in this story. It was mysterious and pulled me in with each page. I enjoyed the dual POVs of the chapters and found that the two stories we follow throughout the book were more similar than they first appeared! This book was beautifully written, but dark and tragic at the same time.

The plot twist at the end was phenomenal and I didn’t suspect it at all! I had figured out what I thought was gonna happen, but I was no where near what brilliant ending the author had in store!

One of my most intriguing reads so far this year!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook ARC.

Absolutely amazing. This was enchanting and tragic, and I wished it went on forever. The two friends in their youth remind me of who I was as a teen. Indigo as an adult is who I wished I could be. She's mysterious and beautiful, and can keep a secret like no other. The twist at the end was completely shocking and had me wanting to re-read everything a second time. I loved the Magic of this book.

“The first thing you have to understand is that I loved her.”

There are so many things I could say about ‘The Last Tale of the Flower Bride’ but honestly, it wouldn’t be enough to encapsulate how deeply I love this book. I started reading it in the doctor’s office and before I knew it I was two thirds through and impatiently waiting to get back to the magic. Because that’s what this book is at its core—brimming with magic. It’s a gem of a fairytale, a haunting, syrupy story that smothers you with its mystery and magic. It’s a mix of The Starless Sea (Erin Morgenstern), Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier) and Bluebeard’s Wife.

Told from two perspectives, there’s an element of not quite knowing who is telling the truth or what the truth even is. One perspective tells the story of the past, of two young girls and their fevered, codependent friendship through growing up. The other is told in the present day by someone known only as the bridegroom, where we learn what happened to those two girls.

I cannot say enough how much I love this book. Roshani Chokshi is an author I really like and have for a long time but this truly blew me away. The storytelling, the weaving of the perspectives, the fairytale of it all! Stunning. Brilliant. Outstanding.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Roshani Chokshi's debut into adult Fantasy is everything I hoped it would be. Her writing vibrates off the page with this fairy tale. Definitely will look forward to more of her adult fiction works.

3.5 stars
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a beautifully written novel focusing on a gothic manor house, obscure fairytales and the bond between two friends. As the novel begins we meet one of our narrators the unnamed Bridegroom. He marries Indigo and as payment for having a beautiful. rich wife to live out all his fantasies with, he promises to never ask about her past. This of course proves difficult when Indigos aunt falls ill and they must travel to her childhood home, the House of Dreams. We meet our second narrator Azure and in alternating perspectives learn about Indigos childhood as well as more backstory on the bridegroom.

This book is strange and the entire time I was reading I was waiting for something terrible to happen or be revealed. The twist was predictable (in my opinion) but that didn't take away from the eerie atmosphere. The writing was so beautiful and the descriptions of the house, the island and even Indigo and Azure were so good. I liked that Chokshi kept the setting and time period vague because that just added to the atmosphere for me. I also loved all the fairytale references especially the weirder ones.

I think my only issue is that some of the chapters could have been trimmed or shortened. I can't say much more without spoiling it. but there were definitely some chapters that got a little repetitive where nothing really seemed to happen.

Overall this was a really fascinating book and I would definitely read other books by this author.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. Her Secrets are hers alone and no one better try to uncover them. 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.

I went into The Tale of the Flower Bride not expecting the beautiful writing and prose. For my liking I thought the style of writing over powered the plot of the story. For those that love the lyrical and poetic novels this one should be top of your list to read.
The story unfolds between two timelines told from The Bridegroom's (the reader is never given his name) and Azure's point of view, both inextricably intertwined with Indigo..

Gothic, atmospheric and a bit dark, I was surprised by the emotions it struck in me at the end. And a house that holds all the secrets.
It did feel heavy at times and a bit wordy but I'm so glad I took a chance reading this novel. It's one that will stick with you well after reading.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy and the opportunity to read and review honestly.

As this title is published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, I will be withholding my review of the title in support of the HarperCollins Union strike. I look forward to reviewing this title once HarperCollins has met the union at the bargaining table and agreed to a fair contract.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is one of those books that you're best suited to going into without knowing much about the actual plot so the mystery can unfurl...mysteriously. I'm going to be very vague and brief in this review. Ok, so, I have read a lot of Roshani Chokshi's books and while this wasn't my favorite (that distinction still belongs to the Silvered Serpents) it's probably her "best" book, if you will. Chokshi's biggest strengths IMO are worldbuilding and developing multi-faceted characters and those skills were very much on display in her latest book. The worldbuilding and weaving in of different stories from various mythologies was awesome. . The writing occasionally reads as purple to me, but that's obviously highly subjective. I never really had like, an emotional response to the story for some reason, but I think folks who like Gothic romances steeped in mystery are going to find a lot to love here. It's also a book that I think will translate well for mature YA readers. 4 stars - I really liked it! It'd be a great book club pick, for what that's worth.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride follows the story of a newly married couple, the husband unnamed and Indigo - the heiress to a fortune. The story is told through the two perspectives of The Bridegroom in the present and Indigo's childhood friend, Azure, in the past. The novel is woven with beautiful folklore and mythology throughout and is somewhat mystical in relation to the House of Dreams, Indigo's childhood home. The work is beautifully written and weaves a tale that waits to intersect until the last few chapters of the book. Overall, this novel is a wonderful adult debut. I haven't read any other Roshani Chokshi works but I would definitely look forward to reading more from her. Unfortunately, I would have loved to have more history or background on the House and its secrets. That is the only part of the story that intrigued me and yet I felt was unfinished by the end of the novel.