Stunning photo by @myfriendsarefiction!
Hi Fairies!
Happy Monday and welcome to day 1 of our first Adult readalong! We’ll be reading The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi. I’m so excited to be reading this one with you, I hope you all love it!
Before we start, how are you all doing? I hope you had a wonderful weekend and got some reading and relaxing done.
Since today is day 1, we’ll be reading from the beginning to the end of Chapter 7. Get comfy and let’s get started!
When you’ve finished today’s section, catch up with me in the comments down below so we can discuss the beginning of the book. Happy reading!
Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi from the beginning to Chapter 7. Please only read on if you have finished this section!
–!SPOILERS!-
We begin with a mysterious prologue about secrets.
“If you pry, you’ll destroy our marriage.”
But oh, my love, you lied.
Our narrator, for now, is the Bridegroom of Indigo Maxwell-Castenada. We venture back in time to their first meeting where the Bridegroom was set to meet the heir of the Castenada Hotel fortune.
From the get go, Indigo is guiding him with riddles and tests. The first chapter ends with a kiss, where Indigo draws blood.
The two get married after Indigo gives him an ultimatum that he can’t pry on the life that came before this new life, but the Bridegroom struggles to keep his curiosity about Indigo’s life at bay. When she receives a call that her aunt is dying and they must go to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, to be with her, it looks like secrets may come out.
It’s going well until someone calls out ‘Azure’ in the hotel lobby, it’s directed at Indigo and she assures the person she’s mistaken, she’s Indigo. So who is Azure? The Bridegroom is curious. He asks her who Azure is and she says they were best friends, but they had a fight and she ran away.
When they visit the House of Dreams, the Bridegroom is roped into visiting Tati alone after Indigo has to take a call. Tati asks him if he’s beautiful, that she lost a secret and if he knows his bride. Then the Bridegroom feels something in his mouth and pulls out a bracelet of hair, a tooth hanging from it, with the letter A engraved into it.
It’s time to hear from the mystery woman herself, Azure is narrating now. She tells us that she loved Indigo, tells us how they met, but she also tells us she belonged to Indigo.
Do you think Indigo is telling the truth?
Why do you think we don’t know the Bridegroom’s name?
Do you have any theories about this secret Tati speaks of? Do you think it’s relevant to why Indigo is adamant the Bridegroom must not pry into her past?
What a spooky, eerie start. Some strange things are definitely going on, I’d love to know what you’re all thinking so far!
See you tomorrow for day 2!
Love,
Shannon
I went into this book box, so I’m not entirely sure what I’m in for. So far it’s very whimsical and all this talk of myths, fairytales and magic has me intrigued.
I don’t trust Indigo. Something is clearly up. It’s an interesting choice for the author to not name the Bridegroom, but it just makes me think that he’s almost inconsequential in the overall story.
I have no theories yet about the secret alluded to. I find the incorporation of magic, or the semblance of magic interesting and I’m hoping we get a little bit more of it.
I’m really enjoying this book so far, the writing and lyrical nature of storytelling is fantastic!
It’s super interesting that we don’t know the bridegrooms name, I hope we never learn it and he stays just a part of Indigos story.
As for Azure, I wonder if there was some kind of switch and if it’s really Indigo who’s missing. Also I wonder about the Bridegrooms brother, what’s the mystery there?
I’m also super curious how much magic and fantasy we will get going forwards or if it will hover in the magical realism realm.
I had to come back and add a thought, Azure explains true names have power and you own someone by their name. If the bridegroom doesn’t have a name on the pages did he already lose his? Does she have it? Or does someone else?
Ooo good point about the Bridegroom’s name.
I’m really loving this so far. I like the author’s other work so I thought I would. I’m loving the Bluebeard vibes but with a gender-switch and that wife being the one with a secret.
Really looking forward to reading more and also so glad that you’re doing readalongs for the adult picks too now 🙂 I always like reading with the group.
Ooh, I hadn’t even thought about the fact that we only know him as Bridegroom until you’ve asked that question. Great, really great. Especially since names have power and all that. I’m really in awe of this book and love it with all my heart. Hope it stays this way.
So far, I’m rather intrigued… so Indigo is Azure as well. This has to be something to do with real names being stolen by Fae. Honestly I’m already sympathising with the narrator, it must be so hard not to pry when you’ve been told not to. I feel like I’ve been given a handful of jigsaw pieces but I don’t know what the picture is yet. So excited to see how this unravels
Also, I’m really looking forward to these readalongs 🙂
Indigo is sus. There is clearly something that went down in her past that she does not want anyone to know about. I am guessing it has to do with her best friend. I think that is the secret Tati is referring to and why Indigo does not want anyone to know about her past. I don’t know if she is out right lying but maybe she is stretching or hiding the truth.
I am not sure why we do not know the Bridegroom’s name. Maybe it is because who he is is not important?
First off I’m really enjoying the mystery of this book. The author gives you small details but not enough for me to piece together a full concept. I do find it odd that the bridegroom does not have a name, but I guessing he’s not integral to the story as Indigo and Azure are. The aunt is interesting too she seemed afraid of Indigo after suggesting Indigo to get a pool. She also only talked to the bridegroom by himself.
I’m completely hooked on this story so far! This is my first ever readalong and I’m not disappointed!
Agree that maybe Indigo and Azure have swapped places – at first I thought they were sisters when the lady in the hotel mistook Indigo for Azure, but now I know they were just friends I wonder if Azure was jealous of Indigo and swapped with her? Or maybe because of the name thing she’s now a part of Indigo? Can’t wait to have that mystery solved!
Also want to know who was standing in the window! Tati is rather creepy and gives me Miss Havisham vibes! I want to know what turned her from so warm and loving to how their relationship is now.
I have so many questions I need answers to! I honestly can’t get this story out of my head!
This book is off to a great start! It’s intriguing from the very beginning and the writing is beautiful.
I honestly don’t have any idea what Indigo’s secret is at this point, but I do feel like somehow the Bridegroom’s brother will end up being involved.
The chapter narrated by Azure alluded to there potentially being some magic at play, but I’m suspecting Azure’s disappearance to be a result of Indigo’s possessiveness vs an actual magical event.
So far it feels a bit fairytale and whimsical at the same time. I don’t really know where this is going, but when we got to Azure’s chapters It was starting to feel more intriguing. I agree that the things with the names is interesting, and I’m wondering where that will takes us. And I’m a little suspicious of Indigo.
Everything is beautifully written but I’m not sure what the main character wants? I like that we don’t know his name. I like the mystery. But if you asked me what he wanted I’m not sure – he already has his wife. So I guess I have no clue where this is going and I felt a bit uncertain if I should read on, but then he pulls that hair braid out of his mouth :O so I’m definitely going to read on.
I’m loving this book so far and I’m just mesmerized by Roshani’s prose and certain word choices, choosing more macabre words than seems necessary.
I went to her book launch last night and she regaled us with so many fairy tales and myths that are showing up in these chapters.
She did say that this was a gender-bent retelling of Bluebeard and that Indigo and Azul are shades of blue and that’s why those names were chosen. She also explained that we would never know the bridegroom’s name and that’s because she wanted this to be a feminist tale where men don’t hold the power in this story.
There were also allusions to major plot twists so maybe it is really Azul who is acting as Indigo which would explain why the lady in the lobby would call her Azul. Also, the hair with the teeth could be how that spell was achieved.
Anyway, I’m excited to continue and I’m really curious about The Bridegroom’s brother and how he might come in to play later.
Thank you for starting Adult Readalongs! I’m so excited you’ve added these!
This took me a bit to get into, but it’s interesting so far (I like mythology & Folklore). The fact that the dual POV doesn’t include the main female character up to this point was a twist that I need to know more about the “why” of it. I also liked the mention of the rusalka as I read several books last month dealing with Russian Folklore. I’m also curious to see how his “lost” brother plays into everything.
Daily Q&A:
Q:
1.) Do you think Indigo is telling the truth?
2.) Why do you think we don’t know the Bridegroom’s name?
3.) Do you have any theories about this secret Tati speaks of? Do you think it’s relevant to why Indigo is adamant the Bridegroom must not pry into her past?
A:
1.) I’m not sure to which truth this question refers, but if you’re asking if I have a suspicion that Indigo & Azure may have switched places or, in some way, be entwined as his bride, the answer is “yes, I do.” Or maybe I should be saying, “No, I don’t think she’s telling the truth,” if this refers to the conversation with the woman at the hotel & the following to her husband.
2.) Maybe it’s to do with that bit about how knowing someone’s true name is to own them.
3.) I believe that has to do with her being “family to the Faeries” she was leaving offerings to as a child & how “the entrance to another world craves that which cannot be traced,” so yes, I believe they’re connected. Considering his dream, maybe his “lost” brother has to do with her “lost” secret (Indigo/Azure).
1. Not entirely. I think she is hiding/lying about parts of the truth, but not everything.
2. Maybe because in the end he’ll go to the Otherworld/disappear himself? As if he was never real at all and thus is name isn’t known.
3. It might have to do with Azure and/or Indigo. Indigo did say she and Tati didn’t speak anymore so maybe it has to do with what caused it. I also think that his “lost” brother has something to do with it as well, like both the brother and Azure went to the same place?
It really has an eerie start and not knowing a lot of things as of now really adds to that. As of now, I don’t really know what to thing of it yet. I’m a bit thorns because a lot is still quite confusing, but at the same time I’m really intrigued by all that I’ve read.
I’m a fan of the writing style and all the myths and folklore added though!
So far I’m loving the prose and the inclusion of myths. This is a book I think will be even better on a re-read.
The book reminds me of Rebecca with the main character without a name and the hasty marriage. I don’t really feel a connection between the couple and wonder why they like each other.
But I’m intrigued by the sinister atmosphere. I find it interesting that the names of Indigo and Azure both mean blue, it definitely hints at the two of them being inseparable and/or interchangeable.
Do you think Indigo is telling the truth?
I think there is a lot to Indigo we don’t know and we may never know. The separation of current life and past really creates a mystery to her and the feeling that she may not be honest.
Why do you think we don’t know the Bridegroom’s name?
I do not think his name is said because the story is not about him. While is he is the narrator the story is really about Indigo and Azure.
Do you have any theories about this secret Tati speaks of? Do you think it’s relevant to why Indigo is adamant the Bridegroom must not pry into her past?
I’m not sure I can really answer this question as I continued reading since I could not log into my account last night. ?
Indigo is most definitely NOT telling the truth – she is very secretive and seductive, all qualities of someone not quite telling the truth. Maybe the Bridegroom’s name is part of the big reveal at the end. It keeps me guessing that’s for sure!
It’s giving me Genuine Fraud vibes so I was thinking the secret is that “Indigo” is really “Azure”
This book is soooo odd! The entire story seems mysterious. The odd meeting, randomly marrying a girl because she is attractive and intriguing – the bridegroom seems to have an aire of mystery to him as well. Like when he said he knew he had a brother but his parents one day said he didn’t and the brother disappeared… I could totally see this being a book about someone who is a bit insane and the whole story is entirely in the guy’s head. That would be a cool twist, but I’m guessing it’s not that deep. I’m excited to see where this goes.
I wasn’t sure if this would be my type of book after the first chapter, but luckily my curiosity kept me going ?
I feel that Indigo instrumental (or at least heavily involved) in the disappearance of Azure. Maybe she found a way to access the Fae Realm but it required a sacrifice. I can’t quite tell if she regrets this choice or not. Maybe both?
I also was convinced we knew the Bridegroom’s name from like the first chapter but NOPE ??♀️ I’m not sure this story will end happily for him…
I started this book knowing absolutely nothing about it, only that it was a gothic adult story. I’m super curious about this book, so far the chapters are so mysterious that I just want to continue reading.