Book Review: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, Roshani Chokshi

Title: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Published: 14th February 2023, Hodder
Pages: 289
Source: Bought (FairyLoot)
Format: Hardback
Rating: 4/5
Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Castenada. 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 if 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 wipes, 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.

Combining the lush, haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies, secrets and betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride tells the story of the Bridegroom as he follows his wife, Indigo, back to her family home and begins to break his promise not to pry into her past. It is a beautifully written, haunting story that had me gripped.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is mainly set in the House of Dreams - a haunting, gothic mansion that ensures the book oozes with atmosphere and tension. It fits the mysteriousness of the plot so well and is just so creepy. I was utterly immersed in the story and it gave me tingles. The writing just flowed perfectly and it was stunning. I found it so hard to stick to the FairyLoot read-along as I wanted to keep reading each day.

I'm not sure if I found the characters likeable as such. There was so much mystery surrounding all of them. I did find the relationship between the Bridegroom and Indigo so alluring though. They had so much chemistry and it was really quite sensual, with maybe a hint of obsession. I do think they could be a bit forgettable though and I wish there were more of the secondary characters - Tati and the housekeeper. I was completely hooked on the idea of finding out what would happen to each of them though.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is told via two timelines, each from a different perspective. One is following the Bridegroom in the present day as he begins to uncover Indigo's past, and the other follows a young girl called Azure. I did find the story slightly predictable, but I was still taken in by the plot twists. And the two perspectives really kept it interesting.

I did find the plot fairly fast-paced, even though I found the writing quite slow and flowing in style. I enjoyed the plot, but what I struggled with was understanding the fantasy element. I think it needed slightly more world-building.

Overall, I did really enjoy The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. The writing style just had me in a chokehold. If there had been slightly more to the characters and the world-building it would have been 5 stars. I'd definitely recommend it to fans of whimsical fantasy though.

My favourite parts? The writing

My favourite character? Azure

Did I learn something? I love a haunting gothic fantasy

Will I read Roshani Chokshi again? Yes

Will I read the rest of the series? N/A

Worth the price? Yes

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Roshani Chokshi / Goodreads

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