<b>“Pain is inexplicably vital to us. It pins us to the very fabric of our lives, that which joy and comfort and warmth have made alien and foreign. Pain speaks to us in a voice that carries the hallowed certainty of hymns: I know exactly what you deserve, and I shall give it to you.”</b>

I’m not usually one to fawn over prose, much less prefer it to whip smart dialogue and a fast-paced action plot, but something about Chokshi’s latest, and debut adult fantasy, just struck the right cord with me. This felt like a wondrous fever dream that elegantly captures the excitement and enchantment, rhythms, secrets, and consuming nature of love and marriage, all wrapped up in an enticing yet dangerous game of mystery and fairytales.

<b><i>“Even an illusion can wound. Perhaps more so than anything.”</i></b>

We start off with the Bridegroom, a character who from the beginning feels a bit unknowable to us, grounded centrally by the past that haunts him with a brother we’re not sure ever existed, and in the present by his love for his wife, Indigo, herself an enigma of sorts. With vows not to pry or ask questions, to let secrets lay, the Bridegroom finds himself inexplicably drawn to unraveling the careful foundations of his marriage in his quest to set his wife free of her secrets.

“Wonder begets wonder, and to play within its borders forever meant never finding out how far we might truly go on our own.”

At the same time, we have alternating chapters from Azure, a girl from Indigo’s past, who finds herself in a trajectory that leads her closer and closer to Indigo until the two, seemingly, suffuse as halves of one whole. Their adventures and days are centered around magic and the world of Faerie, their desperation to escape this false reality full of false loves and designated roles for one where its just them and their magic feels like every teen’s long lost desire.

<b>“That’s why magic kissed our bruises, coddled our hearts, and then sent us on our way. Magic hoped we would carry its echo out into the world, for we were never meant to stay here.”</b>

As the outside world, reality, begins to crash in, particularly invading Azure’s mind and desires, the bond between Indigo and Azure is tested, which is how our Bridegroom in the future and the two girls in the past ultimately collide. The mystery of what happened to Azure and how will force everyone to sacrifice something, but ultimately this is what Chokshi is asking us — What would you sacrifice for love? How do you know it’s really love? Do you test a love that’s real and if it is real, what does it feel like?

<i>“Do not look. Do not ask. Do not pry. I have long imagined that my wife was cursed and that my silence might one day break it. But today, as the light rendered her lovely and alien, an idea slipped into my skull and my vision sheered sapphire, cerulean. A question edged in blue found my tongue: What if the breaking of the promise is the breaking of a spell?”</i>

While the overall plot was captivating, the overall message and meaning of the fairytale — because of course this has one, every fairytale does, boils down to love and marriage and it’s with such a deft and nuanced hand that Chokshi talks about both that truly captured me.

<b><i>“This is not the first time we will sit like this, with our hands intertwined, the space between us aching to be remade by every confession we have folded within the dark of ourselves.”</i></b>

It’s in the way she describes the familiar touches and breathes as a language in marriage:

<i>“All marriages possess their own tongue. It is a lexicon discovered in that space between clipped sentences. Its poetry can be heard in the rustle of blankets as you shift to curl around the other in silent apology.”</i>

In how sometimes you know its love because you are not only afraid of losing it but afraid of your partner and what they would inspire within you to do for them, but it’s also in the mundane and the quiet moments where marriage acts as a mirror you have to hold up to yourself:

<i>“I have never before considered what it means to have a good marriage. I thought it was finding intriguing and attractive company. But maybe it is about finding someone whose heart is like a mirror, whose love can make you stand the sight of yourself.” </i>

There’s something that aches, yet comforts and understands within these pages that I just haven;t been able to stop thinking about. It doesn’t promise an easy road, or even a good one. It shows us the games that we play, the secrets we try to keep, the monsters we become to survive the world and ourselves, and ultimately, in the end, it brings us a hope that we can be set free. I’m probably just rambling at this point because it’s so hard to do this justice, to put into words what this conjures, but just know that it’s really, truly, special, and one to savor.

<i>“In the end, they lived.” </i>

"I knew I would love Indigo forever. I didn’t know what it would cost."

A marriage between a scholar and an enigmatic heiress collapses under the weight of her dark secrets in Roshani Chokshi’s lushly imagined gothic fantasy, THE LAST TALE OF THE FLOWER BRIDE.

We meet an unnamed Bridegroom, who falls fast and hard for the beautiful and mysterious Indigo Maxwell-Castañeda. They fall in love in a tempest of mythical stories and rapturous promises, swept away by their own fairytale. In exchange for a life together, Indigo forces the Bridegroom to promise he would never pry into her past.

Years later, when Indigo’s estranged aunt falls ill, the Bridegroom must accompany her to her childhood home—the House of Dreams—and step into the once-extravagant manor and the crumbling walls which hide her dark secrets. There, he learns more about Azure, Indigo’s best friend, who vanished when they were teens.

Slowly, but with an urgency that can’t be denied, the house begins to whisper of transgressions past, unearthing what once transpired between two young girls who forged a world glimmering with magic, promises and play.

Chokshi’s story reads like a dark and haunting fairytale, and I was swept away from the beginning. Vivified by her lyrical prose, the narrative felt like a mesmeric and dazzling fever dream in which reality and fantasy blur, drawing you into a story darker than the light you expect.

Roshani Chokshi’s mastery of words is extraordinary, and I love how each page ripples with the seduction of an otherworldly magic. This must-read gothic tale of love and friendship is an immediate 2023 favorite, and a story (like all her stories), that will long linger with me.

"If you pry, you’ll destroy our marriage. But oh, my love, you lied."

This book was absolutely incredible. The characters were compelling, the plot was well paced, the atmosphere was magical, and the writing was stunning. I can’t wait to see what other adult books Chokshi has up her sleeves.

The Bridegroom sets out to meet Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada, who he presumes to be a man, to gain access to an ancient grimoire. When Indigo appears, however, she is a woman. She draws The Bridegroom into her world of magic and fairy tales and forbids him from prying into her past. When the couple go to visit Indigo's ailing aunt, soon her secrets begin to come to light.

An incredibly atmospheric tale of romance, legend, and horror, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is captivating. While the story starts slowly, readers will find themselves immersed in a world that they cannot fully understand. Does magic lie hidden around the characters or is this world the product of one woman's daydreams and desires? Readers who enjoy fairy tale retellings and gothic novels will enjoy The Last Tale of the Flower Bride.

As such a fan of Roshani Chokshi, I hate to admit how disappointed I was in this book. I struggled to stay engaged for the first half of it, and even once the story picked up I struggled to care about any of the characters. However, Chokshi's heady prose and ability to build atmosphere did leave an impression on me, and I think there will be those who find more to enjoy in this novel than I did.

How to describe a masterpiece? How to break down what it is about a book that makes it perfect?

This book was the last thing on my mind before I went to sleep and the first when I woke up.

Chokshi says this book was born out of terror. I couldn't agree more. It is both beautiful and terrifying. It repulses and draws you in. The prose is so exquisitely beautiful, I felt I was watching a movie while reading. Gothic, atmospheric, alluring, mysterious. It's all this and more.

It's a slow burn. It took a while for me to get into the story, but once it clicked, I found that I was torn between love, horror, and fascination. It's a magical and artistic unfurling of trauma and love. Simply unforgettable.

This is definitely going down as one of my top reads of the year. 5 INCREDIBLE stars.

Words can not fairly describe the enjoyment of reading this book. The story is woven around a bridegroom and two girls, while tangled with fairytales and a troubling mystery. It is exquisitely told, paced, and satisfying to read. Perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic, Nettle and Bone, or House of Hollows!

When I pick up a book written by Roshani Chokshi, I know that it will be a highly atmospheric and beautifully written adventure. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, Chokshi’s adult debut delivers on everything I expected and more. My initial thoughts when I finished reading this story which I shared on my Instagram stories were, “politely, what the f*ck? I am trying to comprehend how Roshani Chokshi conjured this tale. It is truly a fever dream and a fairy-tale (the Grimm kind, not the Disney kind). All I can say is I loved it and you’re not ready.”

When describing this book, Chokshi uses words like nightmare, terror and fairy-tale thriller which creates a sort of dark shroud around what the book is about. I can confirm that reading this book is very much like that dark shroud lifting, like mist dissipating as you flip the pages. The imagery and writing is quite dark but unbearably addictive and a mystical feat that deserves all the praise!

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride follows an unnamed husband, married to one Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada, an alluring and wicked heiress who makes her husband, the Bridegroom promise to never pry into her past for the duration of their marriage. But like any good tale, the Bridegroom beings to pry when the couple finds themselves in Indigo’s childhood home. There the Bridegroom learns about Indigo’s peculiar past and her mysterious and missing best friend, Azure. What he finds is dark and twisty, strange and unsettling and deliciously gothic. The story plays out like a symphony, getting louder and clearer until it crescendos into an unimaginable scream. Will the events of the story unravel the Bridegroom and Indigo’s marriage? Will they survive what is to come? Find out on February 14th, 2023.

I loved this book in all of its disturbing and beautiful glamour. If you like thrillers and just a sliver of darkness, you will not regret reading this story.

This started out so promising, but it really wasn't for me. It just seemed unbelievable at some point and I couldn't empathize with the story.

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC in return for an honest review.

This book isn't really fantasy, although the main characters are obsessed with fairy tales and end up living as if they were. None were particularly appealing; I wasn't rooting for anyone except Azure, whose air time is from the past. She is the victim even decades after her story is told. Usually I really enjoy Chokshi's book but this one I don't recommend.

The premise of this book is what made me request this. Its beautifully written, buts its a very slow paced book and I found it hard to connect to the characters. I also had a hard time following the plot.
If you like gothic fiction books you may like this more than I did.

This was a very captivating read. I loved the alternating voices and the story line. Would read this one again and definitely recommend.

Things I loved about this book:
1. The gothic, magical feeling on every page. It was rich and robust! (Warning - some of it is very dark gothic and dark magic!)
2. Finding a new author that I will read again!
3. Indigo and Azure - their strange twisted relationship - I was invested in them and kept turning the page to see what they were up to next!!

Things I wanted to be different:
1. You need to know that there is a lot of triggering subjects in the book and if you are not prepared - they can be tough to get through.
2. Some parts are slow and they felt out of place because the book has a nice cadence otherwise.


Thank you to NetGalley and William and Morrow for the eARC!

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is due to be released 14th February 2023.

3.5 rounded up.

I think it could have been a five if it had been more of Azure’s POV and even just her POV because I love unhinged teenage friendship stories.

I do understand why the bridegroom plot was necessary for the story, however.

The writing is absolutely stunning.

Dark and fascinating, a good book for fans of fairy tales and sumptuous language.
I would recommend for older teens at the earliest.

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

“You warned me that knowing your secret would destroy us.
At first, it sat in our marriage like a blue-lipped ghost, hardly noticeable until a trick of the light drew it into focus. But you could always tell the days when it gnawed at my thoughts. You tried to comfort me. You stroked my fave and curled my fingers to your heart.
You said: “If you pry, you’ll destroy our marriage.”
But, oh, my love, you lied.”

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is the adult debut of YA-novelist Roshani Chokshi. It is the story of The Bridegroom, a Middle Ages historian with a penchant for fairytales, in a hunt for a thirteenth-century grimoire. In his quest, he who goes to meet the heir to the Casteñada fortune, Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada, who he assumes is a man. Instead, she is a beautiful woman with secrets that he must not ask about. How could he resist a classic fairytale trope of a person?

Early in the story, Indigo and her bridegroom must travel to her childhood home to care for an ailing relative. We swap between chapters from the Bridegroom’s point of view, and those from the point of view of a childhood friend of Indigo’s named Azure. Obviously, we are going to find out some secrets, no matter the cost.

As befitting a story about and infused with fairytales, the language throughout is flowery, as you can see in the quote above. I don’t object to poetic language in books, but it does mean that the voices of Azure and the Bridegroom are a little too similar. In addition, the characters can be a little slippery to get a hold of or identify with, particularly the Bridegroom. But as one chapter states, “There is always a peculiar distance to fairy tales.”

The story itself is engaging and I found it quite a fast read. The flowery language is beautiful, but the driving force is the plot and the romantic, fairytale-esque setting. And even if I guessed some of the twists, the conclusion was still very satisfying.

Recommended to people who love dark fairy tales, adult or YA thrillers and/or prose that reads like poetry.

No one is more disappointed than me with this rating. I hate to give ARCs less than a 3 especially but oh boy, did I hate picking up this book. It became such a chore to read and it all comes down to the writing style. Roshani Chokshi took purple prose to another level. Some of the metaphors in here had me rolling my eyes. Because of the prose, I just never fully connected to the characters and this is heavily a character-focused story. There is little to no plot. I also guessed the ending little twist pretty early on.

WITH THAT BEING SAID, if you like beautiful, purple prose and you want some fairy tale vibes with gothic undertones throughout your stories, this might be perfect for you! I thought that's what I wanted but apparently not.

WOW! What an incredible read. I've read Roshani Chokshi's YA books, but this is her first foray into Adult fiction and she NAILED it. This book is so deliciously mesmerizing, I could not put it down. So excited to see more from her!

This story is a true ride from start to finish. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and got lost in the luxurious descriptions as the3 story was told in 2 entwining parts. The author did a wonderful job, building mystery, setting tones and creating unforgettable characters and certainly an unforgettable story.

This is the first book I’ve read by Chokshi. I didn’t know what to expect, but I did think this book was fantasy. It’s not; it’s a gorgeous, dark, haunting gothic story of fairytales, nightmares, toxic friendship, secrets and obsession. I don’t have words to adequately express how much I love this book! If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

The story is told from the Bridegroom’s POV, which is present day, and from Indigo’s childhood friend Azure, which is past. The Bridegroom and Indigo have a whirlwind, intoxicating courtship and are soon married, with the condition that the Bridegroom must never pry into Indigo’s past. When Indigo is called to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, because her aunt is dying, it becomes impossible for the Bridegroom to keep his vow. The House knows Indigo’s secrets and wants to share them.

I don’t want to give anything away because the best way to enjoy this book is by going into it with no expectations or assumptions. This is a story to read and savor slowly on quiet, dark days, and you won’t want it to end.