The first time I read this book, I feel in love with the gothic style, atmospheric writing, the spine tingling unease, and the desire to get to the bottom of Azure’s disappearance from her best friend Indigo’s childhood home…the House of Dreams.

However, it wasn’t until my reread that I truly understood just how incredibly clever this book is. Chokshi has a way with words and truly is a masterful storyteller.

I haven’t actually addressed the plot, but that’s because I really think this is one where you should have little background knowledge to truly get enchanted by this mesmerizing yet haunting tale!

This one was definitely a fun read! The dark and atmospheric tone gave me Silvia Moreno-Garcia vibes which I definitely loved, and the story read like a dark fairytale. I loved the alternating POVs in this book - I think they definitely helped it feel even more suspenseful. I did guess the “twist” of this one which was a bit disappointing, and part of me feels like I’ve read this story before…but I still really enjoyed it. It was definitely worth the read since it was so short and fast-paced, and I enjoyed the vibes even when I wasn’t enjoying the plot.

Past and present come together in this gothic and incredibly atmospheric story of love, lust, secrets, and fairytales.

Roshani Chokshi's first adult novel, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 is dark, twisted and so rich in magic and suspense that will bewitch you and keep you turning the pages.

With beautiful prose and amazing narration (Steve West and Sura Siu), this is a story you won't be able to stop thinking about!

This was absolutely beautiful. The narrator was perfect. The world-building was something I didn't even know I needed to read about. I really enjoyed the characters and the world. I don't know how to put words down right now. I am still processing everything because this story was so unique. The gothic-esque vibes from this were top-notch. This is a fantastic dark romantic page-turner that is full of love, lies, betrayal, and SO much more.

Lyrically written with gothic drama and romance. Great for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic, and Hazel Prior's Ellie and the Harpmaker. Dark fantasy elements of myth and legend start to transform into reality in The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. The book leads you down two paths, with two different points of view that make you question what is real and what is perceived. While certain elements of this story really want to draw me in, and the writing is often times lyrical, it had me feeling a bit bored and drawn by the end. I felt I had waited so long for MORE and it never really came.

I think I would have liked this more if I had read it as opposed to listening ...it was hard to track the dual POVs and different timelines via audio.

I really enjoyed the gothic vibes of this and the sense of mystery / horror that pervaded the novel. The atmosphere / environment building was well done. I was curious / engaged as I tried to put it all together. Ultimately though, the dual POV didn't work for me here in audio. I really wanted to love it and am bummed I didn't!

Roshani Chokshi has always wowed me with her writing and creativity, and she did not disappoint with this book! I absolutely loved darkness and unique world of this story. If you enjoy dark twists on fairytales and mystical worlds full of wonder and surprises, this is an instant add to your list!

Thank you @harperaudio, @netgalley and @roshanichokshi for the #gifted ALC of THE LAST TALE OF THE FLOWER BRIDE!

I am absolutely obsessed with Roshani Chokshi’s THE GILDED WOLVES series so I was incredibly excited to hear she was writing an adult novel and even more excited when I received an ALC.
FLOWER BRIDE is the definition of dark and mysterious adult fairytale. I was immediately sucked into Chokshi’s lush writing style and the world she built.

“If you are a figment of my imagination, some wild dream, I hope I never wake.”

The book is partially told by the heiress Indigo Maxwell-Castenada’s husband. He tells the story of their whirlwind romance based off their shared love (obsession?) of dark fairytales. Prior to their wedding, Indigo made him promise to never look into her past in exchange for her love. One detail I absolutely loved is that we never know her husband’s name. He’s simply referred to as the Bridegroom. And yet his voice is one of the main drivers of the story.

“A sky of azure and a sky of indigo walked hand in hand into the other world, but only one of them came out.”

One day Indigo and her bridegroom receive word that her aunt is dying and they are called back to Indigo’s childhood home, The House of Dreams. While there, the Bridegroom can’t help but be drawn into the mystery of what happened to Indigo’s childhood best friend, Azure, who disappeared one day.

We also get Azure’s story as she and Indigo become fast friends as children and are convinced that they are two halves of the same soul. They invent a faerie world and spend their days wrapped in faerie lore. It’s a magical childhood but there are also tense undertones with jealousy and obsession.

I’m just so obsessed with this book and predict it will be one of my favorites of 2023. It’s a total vibe.

THE LAST TALE OF THE FLOWER BRIDE is out 2/14/23!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4891702134
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Co7l9ioJ_41/

The writing for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 by Roshani Chokshi was absolutely, spellbindingly gorgeous, but for some reason the story itself just didn’t hit the right note for me. It was intriguing and atmospheric as hell, which I adored, and the audio was a stunning performance by Steve West and Sura Siu, but something I can’t quite put my finger on yet fell flat. It’s honestly pretty hard to concretely rate, so I might return to this at a later date because I really did want to love it, and it could just be a case of right book, wrong time for my mood reader self. Definitely still recommend picking this up!

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙗𝙮 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 (𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪!). 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

This wasn't for me simply because this type of gothic tale is overly dramatic to me. But I can understand the type of reader this book was made for and can see it as a good readalike option for people who enjoy dark, gothic romances. It was well-written. The characters just didn't appeal to me very much.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride really tells the story of two girls, Indigo and Azur, coming of age. One is obsessed with the other-worldly, the other just trying to escape her home situation. The book flips between scenes from the girls’ youth and Indigo’s husband trying to unravel a mystery he said he wouldn’t pursue. The writing in this book is absolutely gorgeous, and I could vividly imagine every scene. It’s even co-narrated by one of my faves, Steve West. I enjoyed the story and the lore within, but in the end I didn’t really care about any of the characters. I gave the story 3.5 stars and a bonus half star for excellent narration.

I had mixed feelings on this one. The story was interesting, but the pacing could be brutal. The writing was lyrical and lovely…. but wasn’t always engaging.

In the end I tried both listening to the audio and reading the book, I found it worked a little better in printed format, while the audio was well acted and pleasant to listen too, given the style of the narrative I felt it made more sense to see written out.

The fairy tale themes of the story and the gothic styling worked well together, I found the overall concept genuinely intriguing. I suppose when it comes down to it my biggest complaint is that the pacing is very slow and hard to get into at first

Amazing book . Haunting and dreamlike. This is my first book by this author and I need to find her more. The narrator was prefect. This is such a great read.

I listened to the audiobook of this one.

For the story, I enjoyed the magic, mysticism, and mythology interlaced throughout the tale of two childhood friends and in the present one of their current relationships. This reads like a gothic fairytale. The friendship at the center of the book has an imbalance of power that is obvious early on, whoever both girls seem to genuinely care for each other and Indigo provides a safe haven for Azure.

Due to the nature of the story the characters are difficult to relate to. Azure is the most relatable of the three. Indigo felt unknowable and other-wordly. The Bridegroom felt incomplete to me. Like a person so obsessed with stories that they forgot to develop into a real person. It made it a little difficult for me to care about the characters the way I would have liked to, but I think that was on purpose.

The way the author layers the magical in to the mundane was beautifully done. This is my first book by this author and I will definitely read her other novels.

For the narrators, I had a difficult time with the male narrator. He has a beautiful deep voice but it was difficult for me to process what he was saying at times and it was perhaps a bit too soothing for me.

The minute I finished this book, I flipped back to the beginning and read the author’s note. I was tempted to read it all over again, but it was late and my TBR is long.

I went into this one thinking it was a fairytale like a Disney movie and I quickly realized that was not the kind of fairytale I was about to read. It took some time to get settled into the book, but once I was in I was IN.

This one is like The Starless Sea meets My Brilliant Friend. Or like - what if Anne Shirley was kind of sinister? “The Last Tale of the Flower Bride” is a gorgeous tale of obsession, marriage, friendship, girlhood, and is a perfect end of winter read.

I was fortunate to be able to pair this book with the audiobook, but I spent most of my time with the physical book - this book is perfect if you want to tab. There are so many gorgeous quotes and little mysteries unraveling. The narrators were wonderful, so either way you read will be an enjoyable experience!

Thank you to @the_neverending_bookshop for my physical review copy, and @netgalley @williammorrowbooks @harperaudio for the audiobook.

I went in not knowing anything about this book except that Roshani Chokshi wrote it and that it was adult gothic fiction. That was enough for me and I truly thought going in blind made this book even more enjoyable to me.

This was lyrical, surprising and just plain great. I didn’t expect any of it and loved every single second of it. I actually got an audio arc as well as an ebook one and I absolutely loved the narrator. I could not stop reading and actually finished it in an evening/night. Some parts were not very fun and even painful but it was still just so captivating. I was taken aback by it all and even as I was screaming at the characters, I did it with my entire heart. I honestly didn’t expect to love this as much especially after the very beginning but that took me by surprise too. Roshani Chokshi is such an incredible writer and I can’t wait to see what more she has up her sleeve.

thank you to net galley and harper audio for the arc copy. I have been looking forward to the release of this book and it didn't let me down. I already have copies in place in my bookshop. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is about a secretive wife Indigo and her husband. They loved each other and she only asked him not to pry into her past. They return to her childhood home as her aunt is dying. The mystery of Indigo's past calls to the bridegroom and unravels her secrets even if he doesn't mean to at first. We also switch between chapters of Azure, Indigo's childhood friend who had mysteriously disappeared. As the secret past comes forward the couple needs to make choices that will change their future.

This was such an incredibly wild book!!!
I always go into books blindly and I’m so glad I did it with this title. I didn’t know what to expect and I was completely surprised by what we got. I’m still unsure if this was supposed to be fantasy, magical realism, or a physiological thriller, and honestly? I love it more for it.
The author’s way with words is magical and the heavy themes of dark fairytales made this completely delectable. It’s a book that requires your faith to let it take your hand and guide your through this journey and by the end you are so glad you trusted the process.
Having Steve West as a narrator also didn’t hurt since I love him, and Sura Siu did a magnificent job too.

“As a scholar, I have always found dreams to be frustrating—if not lazy—motifs. They might be portents or prophecies, messages or mysteries. Dreams might pass through gates of horn and speak true, or sneak through gates of ivory and speak false. At it’s heart, a dream is a door.”

A beautiful gothic fairytale full of dark secrets and twisted friendships.
The characters had amazing depth and I loved seeing how their relationships played out.

I loved the flashback story scenes, I’m a sucker for dual timelines.

After finishing this book I immediately wanted to start over because the ending plot twist changes everything. I still have questions!

Perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic and Galant.

4.5 Stars

Is Steve West's voice getting lower...like..
Ok so like....I need to re-read it because like: sfjkldasfjkldafjklds. I need to go back and notice all of the details.
The writing is so pretty (I'm not surprised)
I don't even have words to describe the book, but I loved it.