“The Last Tale of the Flower Bride” - Roshani Chokshi

🧚 We are big fans of Chokshi’s middle grade fantasy series featuring a clever, young heroine, Aru Shah. TLTFB is Chokshi’s foray into grown up fare. Though fairy tales run through this novel, it is decidedly dark compared to her middle grade work. This novel had elements of a gothic thriller, full of fantasy and dark secrets, but at its core it is also a coming-of-age story. See the Goodreads summary below.

🧚 TLTFB features a house that feels alive - drawing comparisons to “Mexican Gothic”. Chokshi expertly blurs the line between reality and magic. I thought the deliberate gender ambiguity in the first few pages - keeps reader deliciously off kilter. We have to ask ourselves why we assigned specific genders to certain characters? Were we correct or incorrect in our judgement?

🧚 Chokshi explores several archetypes commonly found in fairly tales turn by turn. My favorite is her treatment of heroes who grow up and are pushed out of magical realms. One can’t help but think of Susan Pevensie who had the door to Narnia forever closed to her as retribution for her great crime of growing up.

🧚 Interestingly, the myth of Melusina features in TLFB.  You may recall that the uncovering of Melusina’s secret by her prying husband would doom their union. This myth also featured in “The White Princess” by Philippa Gregory.