This copy was kindly given to me by the publisher and netgalley for honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was interesting to say the least. I will not be giving it a star review because I don't think it would be fair to the book nor author. I saw the plot twist coming and wasn't truly in the mood for this book but made myself try to read so I won't go into this review lying- I mostly skim read this book.

It was lyrical, dark and poetic but I just didn't vibe with it (which I think had more to do with me than the book itself). I will say that Roshani Chokshi has a true talent when it comes to building these magical backdrops to her stories that bloom and read like lore- a very cool talent in my opinion. I will pick this book up in the future and give it the attention is deserves but it might be a while (anyone else a mood reader?)

I am a huge fan of Roshani Chokshi's works, and this one is no different.

Chokshi is a master at creating atmosphere and at imagery. I felt as if I was living in this story, a ghost privy to all the happenings of this magical world. This story is dark and masterfully executed.

I was excited to get this one but sadly it was not for me. I loved the Star Touched Queen series but it seems that everything after that has fallen short. This fairytale just fell short of what I was looking for and mostly just felt flat for me.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is such a beautifully written fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out The Last Tale of the Flower Bride today.

This was one of those books that I was thinking about after I finished reading it! After reading Chokshi's The Gilded Wolves trilogy, I knew I had to read more. I was so excited when I heard about this one and knew I had to read it. I enjoyed reading the plot, but to me that did not feel like the focus of the book. The characters themselves were so intriguing, with the Bridegroom and Azure being the narrators in the two timelines. Indigo, the center of both timelines, was such an interestingly developed character who reminds mysterious throughout the book.

What made this book a five star read for me was the gothic vibes and beautiful writing. I read/listened to this book a rainy day and it was literally the perfect reading experience. I felt that this book combines fantasy with a little bit of horror. This book feels magical as Chokshi incorporates fairytales and mythology seamlessly in the story and that made for a very atmospheric read. I truly loved the writing in this book, it was lush and poetic and had me turning the pages throughout. The whole book felt very dreamlike while I was reading and I don't think I've read a book like this before that I've loved this much. I kept thinking about this book after I finished reading and I can definitely see myself revisiting this book some day.

I would recommend this book solely based on the vibes and the writing style. The characters are intriguing and I loved this story. It's full of magic and a gothic atmosphere. It was definitely an easy five star read!

A gothic tale of obsessive relationships where the family house has a mind of its own and someone isn't who they say they are? Yes please. I'm ready for another from Chokshi!

The writing was beautiful and dreamlike. This story focus on the intertwining of two teenage girls as they come of age and grow into themselves. But something is not right between them. The book has fantastical elements mixed with realism and is dream like.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is absolutely wonderful.

I'm a huge fan of Roshani's The Gilded Wolves, her fast-paced YA historical fantasy, but it's in this gothic fairy tale that Roshani's purple prose really found its place and shone. Unlike what many seem to think when they get this book, it's not a romance, nor a fantasy. If I could classify it, I'd say it takes inspiration in magical realism, where the lines between real and not real are blurred.

We follow, at first, the bridegroom, who tells us how he met this astonishing woman called Indigo and married her; then, as they both have to return to her childhood home to say goodbye to her sick aunt, we are introduced to another narrator, Azure, Indigo's childhood friend, who will reflect on their friendship since they first met at 10 years old, until their paths diverged in their teenage years. Metaphors, hyperboles, descriptions of magic that you can't take at face value; both POVs are told in first person, so we see the world the way the characters do, and when they believe there's magic, we have to believe it as well. The synopsis tells you it's about a marriage, but you won't see the normal slow burn of a romance – you'll see a marriage trying to survive each individuals' secrets as they unravel. It's also very slow, because, with so many secrets, readers and characters need time to digest what they're learning about themselves and each other. More than just this marriage, you'll see Indigo's deep relationship with her friend Azure, where the lines are also blurred. Like Indigo said, "I loved her in a way that almost made me wish never to love again until I met you". It's not healthy; it's obsessive and toxic and terrifying to read about. But it's what made Indigo the person she is, and, just like the unnamed bridegroom, we are drawn to her story like a moth to a flame.

The main theme of this novel is trauma, and obsession, and how it marks people's lives, and about getting to know the most important person in the world to you in gruesome detail and having to decide if you'll turn your back to them or not. It's beautiful, and sad, and different than anything I've read before, and I loved it.

A delightfully creepy, fairy tale infused story of "soul-twins," a magical house, and what happens when you don't follow fairy tale rules.

I'm not sure what kept me from this book for roughly a month and a half - I kept being drawn to the synopsis and cover but as a mood reader I never felt like I was 'ready' for this book. The truth is, I would never be ready for this book. It is weird, twisted, fantastical, and almost verges on psychotic but the way the story is laid out just feels masterful and I was hanging on every single word. I have never read from Roshani Chokshi before, I've heard her writing is pretty good, but let me tell you that her writing is phenomenal. This is written in such a way that is simultaneously flowery, atmospheric, dark, full of metaphor, and yet straight to the point. I found myself stopping along the way, when a single sentence just brought my life to a halt, and that lasted through the entire story. This is the kind of story that holds on and I cannot wait for my brain to live with it for a while yet I also desperately want to reread it this very moment. I might have to pick up the audiobook as a reread soon but something about letting my eyes devour the words that Roshani Chokshi dusted the pages with felt remarkable. Dare I say that this will be my favorite book of 2023? It will be in the top 5 at the very least.

There were a lot of intriguing elements about this book that made me want to read it, but in the end it fell a bit flat for me. The bones of an interesting story were in there somewhere, but I felt like the story got lost amid overwritten prose. Chokshi clearly has a lot of knowledge about fairy tales and folklore, but that wasn't enough to bring this story to life in a satisfying way. That being said, I did really enjoy the gothic elements of the story, especially the twists and turns at the end.

Even though I wasn't a fan of this book, I'd still recommend it to readers who enjoy modern fairy tales with gothic elements.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC of this book!

The prose in this book was beautiful but I thought that plot was lacking. The two main characters were a little too similar to each other for my preference. I wish there had been more clarity to the plot. It seemed like the author was relying on vibes alone.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of the last tale of the flower bride. this was fantastic i read it and listened to it and ordered copies for my book shop. the magic in every day life and two friends. switching between the one friend and her husband in current day while the two friends was the past. their lives in a big house and they cared for each other always.

I would like to start this review by saying that I had no idea what I was going into when I started this book. My brain essentially said "ooo pretty cover" and I was sold.
And following that, I'm not 100% certain how I feel about this book. I mostly enjoyed it but also found myself confused multiple times throughout the story. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to read books like this, but the writing was beautiful. Lovely imagery and the setting was very atmospheric. There were so many fairy tale and folklore references made, many of which I didn't know. But I enjoyed them! I love a good fairy tale.

Honestly the house made me think very much of Encanto? Just like. Not for kids.

I do think that going into this book knowing very little about it helped my reading experience. This is not a story you'll want spoiled! I didn't know where the heck it was going until I got there.

Despite my confusion, I enjoyed The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. The story was slow paced but in an enjoyable way. Sitting down and reading it in small segments was the ideal way for me to read it. This isn't a book I would recommend speed reading.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a slower paced read, with elements of magic.

4 stars

Whew. This is definitely a book hangover book. I'm going to be thinking about this one for awhile, and checking Goodreads for the answer to a certain question. It is lush and darkly magical and will be a matter of personal opinion whether you find the writing style and prose to be intoxicating or purple (or both).
Thank you very much to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC!

Gorgeously written and truly an atmospheric read. While I really enjoyed The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, I did figure out the twist about halfway through so the climax was a bit of a letdown.

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.

This is my first Roshani Chokshi read and wow I was blown away by how beautiful her writing is.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is weaved with various dark fairytales and folklores. If you’re a fan of atmospheric Gothic story with manipulative teenage girl messing with imaginative supernatural powers, this is for you!

I guessed the ending pretty early on and felt like it didn’t explain a couple of things, but still really enjoyed the book. Will definitely want to read Chokshi’s other books!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the e-ARC!

4 ⭐️

This incredibly intriguing novel is nothing short of brilliant! This tale of horror is mesmerizing, full of twists and keeps you guessing until the very end. Ms. Chokshi's writing is dynamic and beautifully put together. The splendor that she weaves through this tale is captivating and I can only hope that more is to come along these same lines. The Bibliophile in me loved the tremendous imagery written to describe each scene and the Detective in me loved gathering the pieces of the beautiful puzzle that she unfolded with the passing of each page. If you love mysterious, somewhat dark tales, this is sure to entertain and delight you to the core. Just read it...you won't be sorry!

Roshani Chokshi’s books are always showstoppers. She takes lyrical writing to the next level creating paintings and music with her words like no other. This was such a lovely story of trust and love and magic. I thoroughly enjoyed every part of it.