The Last Tale of the Flower Bride (Chokshi)

4.5 Stars

The way that I requested this ARC, solely based on it being written by Chokshi and not because I actually knew anything about it, LOL. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was gothic fiction with some mystery and a tiny smidgeon of romance sprinkled in. That is not something I usually find myself reading at all but in this case, I'm glad I still gave it a go. Chokshi has such romantic and sumptuous writing and the fact that this story itself was full of a variety of different fairy tales, both light and dark, added to the layer of mystery for me. I was telling someone about what I had read so far and I admitted that I honestly didn't know if this book actually contained magic, or if it only seemed that way based on how the characters saw the world surrounding them.

This book had alternating POVs between the Bridegroom and a woman named Azure. The Bridegroom's chapters were in the present while Azure's told the story of how she met the Bridgroom's wife, Indigo, and how their lives became hopelessly intertwined as they grew up together. The different timelines helped to both weave the story together and create a layer of suspense as the book drew closer to the end. I don't want to give anything away but I will say there were a few shockers (for me anyway) at the end that really just blew me away and made me stop and think, wow, Chokshi is an excellent storyteller.

Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!♥

This book is out February 14th, 2023.

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