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!

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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.

This book feels like the most Roshani book Roshani has written. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is told in her trademark lush, decadent prose and interwoven with folklore, myths, and fairytales. If you’re searching for a book that will transport you to a fantastical gothic world rich in magic and suspense, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is for you.

The first thing that popped into my mind when I started this book was the story of Blackbeard. Similar to Blackbeard, our main character, the Bridegroom, promises his wife that he will never dig into her past. At first, it’s easy to uphold his promise--until he is taunted with glimmers of her past when they travel to Indigo’s childhood home to see her dying aunt. Once they arrive at the House of Dreams, things are never the same.

Beware: you’ll find yourself bewitched by this story. Told in dual POV, the Bridegroom in the present day and Azure, Indigo’s childhood best friend, in the past, you’ll find yourself wondering at the mystery of Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada.

The narrators for this audiobook are *chef’s kiss*. Trust me, Steve West and Sura Siu’s voices enhance this dark, enchanting fairytale. I can't imagine reading this story any other way; their voices truly enhanced my reading experience.

I was anticipating this title and wanted to enjoy it so much but by the end of the book, I couldn't stand it and found that despite enjoying the narrators, this was a 1 star book for me.
I can't even do a pros/cons list for this title because I disliked it so much. I won't harp on all the elements that I disliked but I will express some of the top things that made this book unenjoyable:
1) I got the strong impression that the author was either inspired by or was trying to imitate the writing style of Isabel Allende. While I think Allende is fantastic, this book was not like Allende's works and it felt like they were trying so hard to make this a deep and magic filled story of family drama and trauma. It was so unbearable, I ended up rolling my eyes through most of the book.
2) The bridegroom character felt so insignificant I can't even remember his name and was entirely underdeveloped and read as nothing more than a tool to tell the story of Indigo and Azure while also trying to be a character on his own without succeeding.
3) The obsessions with myths and fairy tales made no sense. At first I though this book was supposed to be magical realism but by the end it was clear that this book isn't magical realism. By the end, I couldn't understand why three adults had been so obsessed with fairy tales and myths to the point that they believed Faerie was real.
4) Indigo was such an unbearable character and Azure wasn't much better. Indigo was a spoiled brat who refused to look at the real world and instead though that she was better than everyone else by pretending she was Fae. She also used this excuse of being one of the Folk to be cruel to everyone around her. The fact that Azure went along with everything was ridiculous. Additionally, all the stuff with Jupiter was absolutely cringey and the fact that Indigo didn't see an issue with that made her such a deplorable character.
5) The ending made no sense and felt as though everything that came before it was absolutely purposeless.

To say that I didn't enjoy this book is an understatement. I enjoyed the narrators though, but I found the male narrator's voice to be so deep that at times it was hard to hear him even though I keep the volume high when I listen to audiobooks. Even though this book wasn't for me, there's no doubt that others will likely enjoy it. I also want to add that the audio quality was very good and as an audiobook, it was done very well.

I tried. I really tried to get into this. I enjoyed the narrators and the story seemed promising but I literally had no idea what was happening 20% in. At that point there should be some kind of plot forming but I was just lost. I really wanted to like this. Maybe it's something I need to pick up another time, I'm not sure.

A gothic mystery that keeps you captivated until the very end.

The last tale of the flower bride is about a man marrying a mysterious woman and finding out about the mysterious woman’s mysterious past. If it’s not clear, this is a mystery. What is the plot? There isn’t one. Not really. Certainly not enough to fill an entire book. I could sum up the major events in this book in two sentences. But do you know what it has in spades? Vibes. Dark, Gothic, mysterious, sexy vibes. Do you know what else this book is filled with? Beautiful prose. Sometimes it’s too beautiful. There were times when I couldn’t figure out if something happened literally or metaphorically. And that seemed to be the point.

A deceptively simple premise that’s exceptionally well executed.

This audiobook was beautifully narrated, which matched the story perfectly. I listened to the entire thing in one sitting. Overall, I really liked it. If you want something gothic, romantic, and vibe-y, pick this one up. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Harper Audio for the advanced copy of this book.

Withholding review until @harpercollins agrees to a fair contract with the @hcunion.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a dark adult fairytale with beautiful and lush writing. It’s simply a gorgeous and wicked story. I was mesmerized from the beginning and because I’m madly in love with fairytales, everything about this one worked for me. The narration from Steve West and Sura Siu on the audio is excellent. The sprinkling of fairytales and musings in this story are lovely and thought provoking. You can practically taste the fairy fruit! If you love fairytales and magical realism, don’t miss this one.

“Do not look. Do not ask. Do not pry.” This is the promise a husband makes to his new wife regarding her past, but once he visits her childhood home, his temptation gets the best of him. As we know from every single fairytale: Don’t. Do. It! At the wife’s home, questions arise as to what became of her childhood best friend. To find out, her husband will have to break his vow.

Thank you to @netgalley @williammorrowbooks @roshanichokshi for an early audio copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully told tale and I’ll be buying a hardcover for my library after the release date.

Favorite quote: “In the end a fairytale is nothing more than a sense of hope.”