EXCERPT: "Roshani Chokshi’s adult debut novel The Last Tale of the Flower Bride carries the gothic setting to otherworldly, a sentiment that is much too real, levels. ... Its theme of domestic secrets nods to the Bluebeard tale, but The Last Tale of the Flower Bride also develops new understandings that play with the tropes of fairy tales and spin something completely new out of them."

Full review published online at Asia Pacific Arts Magazine.

I had never read a Roshani Chokshi novel previous to this one. I first heard about her work through the amazing podcast LeVar Burton Reads, where her story, "The Vishakanya's Choice," was featured. It's a beautiful story about what we are forced to do with our lives, and how we would change things and make our own choices if we could, and I found that echoed in this novel. The novel is magical and fantastical, and I mean that literally - the writing makes you think that of course fairies are real, of course elves exist, obviously myths are based on real facts, and we poor souls are simply missing out. The book's present time is mostly told through the bridegroom's point of view. He is ecstatically happy about marrying Indigo, a rich, beautiful, mysterious woman who shares his love of folklore and stories. We see them living in a kind of bubble, where the bridegroom is allowed to work on his scholarly activities as he wishes, and Indigo helps to run the family business of hotels. Eventually the bridegroom helps with the hotel designs, which are based on various myths and legends, which is probably a dream job for most people. They seem happy, except that Indigo always holds him at arm's length. He is not allowed to ask about her past, ever. He also can't go snooping and try to find out anything. However, eventually, he accidentally finds a mysterious bracelet with the letter "A" on it, and this leads down a rabbit hole compounded by the fact that Indigo's former guardian, her aunt, who raised her, is dying, and they must travel to the House of Dreams, where she grew up. It is then that Azure, another woman, is mentioned, and we then take up the thread of Azure's narration of their childhood and the closeness they shared, and what happened to make Indigo so secretive.

On the writing style - will this be for everyone? No. Many of the ordinary, everyday experiences and sights are expressed through the lens of myth, and allegories and metaphors abound. Literally, it is about keeping with this fantastical view. While Azure's narration is more straightforward, the bridegroom's is not. An example: "...the sea stretched out beyond the tall windows. The water flexed, muscular as a great tail beneath the sunlight. I thought of Melusine bathing in the dark..." A description of a hallway, just a literal hallway, in the House of Dreams: "Upstairs, the walls were a dull, meaty red and the air carried the sour, musty tang of an unrinsed mouth." I found this tedious at times, because I wanted to get at the real story, but you do get there, mostly through Azure, and this juxtaposition between the dreamlike quality of the bridegroom's story and the actual, hard realities of the past make each one more noticeable and you see what a large gap there is between these two stories about Indigo. As someone who loves folklore and myth, I was enchanted at times; at other times, I was impatient. There were a couple of places where I found myself wondering about the activities of two girls in the story based on their age - you know, that thought you get when you're questioning, "Aren't you a little old for this kind of thing?" But it is important to the story. I enjoyed the mystery, and while I did guess the ending, it didn't take away from the book, and honestly, the final couple of pages of the epilogue were what really shocked me. It looks like Roshani Chokshi typically writes YA and children's novels, but this is an adult novel, and one I really enjoyed.

I have loved Roshani Chokshi's YA for years now, so I was so excited to see that she had an adult book coming out. This book did NOT disappoint. The book was so atmospheric, and the storytelling felt like it put me under a spell. I had predicted the end, but I didn't even care because the ride was so beautiful that I wanted to know HOW we got to the end that I had predicted. I loved one of the narrators, and I was 100% invested in her story. I loved how Chokshi wove fairytale elements into the story, and I never wanted to put it down. This was an exceptionally beautiful tale of friendship, coming of age, and secrets.

This is absolutely exquisite. Chokshi's writing is so lush and haunting and simply beautiful. This book is moody and mysterious and I loved every line.

In the beginning I had a hard time getting in to this book, but I’m glad I pushed through! It’s beautifully written, atmospheric and a bit creepy. I found the characters and format interesting overall and after pushing through the start I flew through the rest of it. This gave me similar vibes to Mexican Gothic but with a more fairytale vibes.

ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher.

I feel like every time I read one of Chokshi’s titles, I am taking a masterclass in language. Her word choice is so lush and deliberate yet unexpected at the same time. The amount of imagery and allegory and similar and metaphor … it’s nothing short of poetically sweeping prose.

Told in true gothic format, confusion is a character in this story. Probably the character that I struggled with the most but one that certainly did it’s job creating an overwhelming sense of unease. Even now having finished am struggling to make sense of what was real and what was magic and what was creative versus what was delusion.

I think this title will be enjoyed by thriller readers, mystery readers, and light horror readers. If you really liked the vibes of Layla by Coho or The Wives by Fisher or Catherine House by Thomas or even Erin Craig’s YA titles will find this satisfying.

If the author and book description could need anymore help … This gorgeous cover will also help this title find circulation and an audience in libraries.

What a fantastic story! A sense of foreboding throughout the whole narrative. Roshani Chokshi is one of my favorite authors and she has done it again. Definitely for adults but the charm and mystery she imbibes her characters with carries through. Great read!

5/5
Roshani Chokshi breathes life into this gothic novel centered around fairytales, myth, and the treacherous secrets of a marriage. Wandering the halls of the crumbling House of Dreams, Chokshi spins her tale, interweaving fairy tales into the central narrative amidst broken promises and childhood dreams. This is everything you could possibly wish for in a gothic novel, and the way it slowly approaches the final act will leave you breathless in its downfall.