Review: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

*I received an advance reading copy of this book from HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

by Roshani Chokshi

February 14, 2023

Goodreads Summary:

A sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales--the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi.

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.

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.

Review

When I picked up The Last Tale of the Flower Bride I didn't quite know what to expect. What I found was a haunting love story of secret pasts and future hopes.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride has left a lasting impression on me. Roshani Chokshi's writing is gorgeous even if it sometimes took me a few seconds longer to interpret some phrases. An innocent story at first glance, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride slowly showed its sinister side through alternating past and present chapters. The build up was deliciously painful. Even though I already guessed the big plot twist, I was pretty satisfied with the reveal. The climax hit at just the right time.

The relationships in The Last Tale of the Flower Bride was beyond toxic. I was shocked by some of the events that took place. Love makes people do crazy things. My heart ached for the Bridegroom, Indigo and Azure. They were so complicated yet also deceptively simple.

I think the biggest question I'm left with after finishing The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is- was the magic real? It really pulled me into the story and was such an important detail to the girls' pasts I wish we'd have gotten a definitive answer. I will choose to believe it.

Roshani Chokshi crafted quite the dark tale. Surreal and alluring, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride captured both the beauty and the cruelty in life. It's a story I will not soon forget.

*I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.