The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a love letter to fairy tales. It follows the fairy-tale aesthetic, logic, and even language. Roshani Chokshi is at her best with her adult debut, and I wonder why she doesn’t stick to this genre when it works wonders for her. This book did have its ups and does, and I do believe that the last few chapters really changed my mind about it.

Chokshi is one of those authors, whose books are choked full of purple prose, so readers who find that exhausting or slow might not appreciate her work. I’m not a huge fan of it either, but it really works here considering the type of story she wanted to tell. At its heart, Flower Bride is a gothic romance. And like most gothic romances, it must have a shady and mysterious spouse, an ancient house, secrets, and obsessive characters. At the start, I was reminded of Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea (a book I decisively hated), but since I’d enjoyed Chokshi’s fairy-tale-type mythological YA novels from her early years, I was hopeful this might not disappoint as much. As I read on, I was reminded more and more of the works of the Bronte sisters. Think Mr. Rochester and his mad wife locked in the attic, think of Heathcliff and Catherine’s obsessive love that spanned generations and decades. And lastly, one of my favorite reads of the year These Violent Delightss by Micah Nevermeer (and yes, this is not THAT tvd. Get over yourself.). Indigo and Azure’s relationship is the likes of Paul and Julien’s. The only difference is Azure, and Indigo were never explicitly queer. The queer coding of most of the characters of this book is an essay for another time, but it plays a huge role in how the character dynamics play out.

And like most gothic stories, this was at the end of the day a book about monstrosity, horror, and love, all wrapped up in a nice little tragic package. I want to read more of Chokshi’s adult work if she ever gives it another try. For Flower Bride I enjoyed Azure and Indigo’s characterization, but I found the bridegroom’s character and storyline to be very lacking, especially the way his and Indigo’s relationship was rushed through. Indigo came across as his manic pixie dream girl during the entire courting phase and that wasn’t something I enjoyed.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride comes out on the 14th of February 2023, Valentine's Day. And it is the perfect gift if you and your significant other love fairy tales, fucked up rich people and gothic mansions. Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder Books for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.