The Majesties was fascinating to me from it’s science fiction aspect that I did not quite understand until the end to it’s story of great family wealth perched in an exotic locale. The book, beyond it’s well written entertainment value, tells a story of the lengths some families will go to gather great wealth and go even further to keep that wealth even when those efforts leave a trail of bodies and, judging from some real life families in today’s headlines, that story is timely.

Stunning, this was an absolute pleasure to read.

Towards the latter half there was a bit of a drag pacing wise, but overall this family drama/ thriller was fantastic all around.

Wealth, bad behavior, family strife all collide in The Majesties centering on two sisters.

Gwendolyn and Estella.

Gwendolyn's struggle to piece together events after surviving her sisters mass poisoning, is fascinating crossing continents but always boiling down to one thing, do we truly know our family?

#TheMajesties
A slow, creepy novel that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. A must read!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review The Majesties.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was crazy.

The story starts off with the main character, Gwendolyn, waking up in the hospital and finding out her sister has killed her entire family via poison. The story unravels from the there, and is crazy, rich Asians meets big, little lies. I enjoyed it, and the cover is amazing.

This cover is one of my favorites of the year.
The story opens with Gwendolyn waking up in the hospital, her sister Estelle has killed her entire family.
Poison.
Gwendolyn the sole survivor, looks back on her life with her sister trying to piece together the mystery of why did her sister do what she did.

This book had an unassuming intensity to it.
It was quite slow moving, but the crawl is what made it so haunting.


*this advanced reader copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Majesties.

I've never read Rich Crazy Asians but I was intrigued by the premise because of the thriller aspect so I was excited when my request was approved.

Gwendolyn and Estella are as close as sisters can be. Raised in luxury and wealthy in a prominent Chinese-Indonesian family, the women have had to navigate social expectations, the rigidity of their Asian culture, battle stereotypes as well as their own expectations of self worth.

When Estella commits a horrible act against Gwendolyn and their entire family, she takes the time to reflect on how she and her sister have come to this point, the family drama they were taught to ignore or gloss over, how their family (and others just like them) got rich, and what eventually led to Estella's destruction.

But, nothing is ever what it seems, especially when hindsight is 20/20.

First, the writing is great. This is well written with metaphors intricately shaped as the jewels Gwendolyn's company creates.

The author writes confidently and fluidly with no wasted words. The writing flowed and brought me into Gwendolyn and Estella's past and present with no hitch in the narrative.

Second, the inside look into Indonesian culture was fascinating, though some of it reminded me of the movie, Crazy Rich Asians.

Third, character development was not bad, but not great. I would have liked exposition on Gwen, though I later figure out why the author didn't provide more details on her.

As for the sister, I didn't like Gwen or Estella, but I didn't hate them. I loved their bond as sisters, the support they had for one another, and their passion for insects.

I figured out the Fight Club twist early in the book, mainly because there were a few clues (such as how Gwendolyn rarely spoke about herself, naturally, since she was trying to figure out why her sister would commit such a vile act) but something felt off.

Also, I've read a few books with a similar twist so it wasn't hard.

A few days after finishing The Majesties, I'm still not sure if I can suspend complete and total disbelief in believing the twist.

I'll let future readers decide for themselves.

This was a good read, with beautiful writing and an intriguing premise.

You might like the twist. I'm not sold on it but I love the writing.

I look forward to reading the author's future books.

Captivating, chilling, gripping. This is being described as Crazy Rich Asians meets Gillian Flynn, which I can see in terms of exploring the secret internal rotting of this rich Chinese-Indonesian family. It also compares well to Big Little Lies. I swallowed this book in one gulp and kept turning page after page trying to dive down and see what would cause someone to poison to the death their entire 300+ member family (not a spoiler, you learn that in the opening pages). 5 stars.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I love a contemporary psychological thriller, and The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao was perfect. It was the first book in a while that has surprised me with its twists and turns. The main characters are two adult women of Chinese descent living in Indonesia. They are from a very wealthy and influential family, and enjoy the many luxuries their lives provide. However, from the beginning you know that something has gone terrible wrong, as the book is narrated by one of the sisters as she lies in a comma. She is the only survivor of a mass poisoning by the other sister, which has left all their family and friends dead. The story unfolds from here, recalling the events of the past that have lead up to this moment. I would recommend this book for fans of Liane Moriarty or Gillian Flynn.

Um... wow. I'm not exactly sure what say about this book. This is about rich Chinese who deal in corruption to keep their lifestyle and I must say it was an engrossing read. I definitely didn't see the ending coming. It is a book you simply have to read.


I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Well that went in a direction I never saw coming! Very enjoyable- great settings and characters. The kind of book you want to re-read immediately to see what you missed.

The beginning of this book is fantastic - think Crazy Rich Asians meets My Sister, the Serial Killer. Tiffany Tsao wickedly contrasts the luxurious lifestyle of her characters - elegant homes, rich food, lush fabrics - with the corruption and greed needed to maintain that lifestyle. It would have been a solid four star read... but I just could not get behind the twist.

This book is going to win all sorts of awards. From the first sentence to the last, this book pulls you in and takes a deep dive into the privileged life of the Chinese in Indonesia.
WOW! Incredibly story, great writing, and the ending...oh that ending. I was NOT expecting the ending.
On the same level as Gone Girl, this book will leave readers wondering WHAT DID I JUST READ!
I won't give spoilers but this book is MAGNIFICENT!