Whew! What a fantastic read this is! I loved reading about multi-generational family drama that explores what happens in wealthy and prominent Chinese families that look perfect on the outside but rotten in its core. Tiffany Tsao is a brilliant writer that was able to explore and challenge the complexities of family relationships in the realm of the Indonesian cultural norms and societal prejudices. A shocking beginning and an even shocking ending. I devoured this in one sitting and still mesmerized by the dark and brooding tale of this sinister book. I LOVED it!

*We received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own and do not reflect those of the publisher and author.

Quick Take: Gwendolyn is the sole survivor of her sister Estelle’s attempt to kill their whole family by poisoning everyone during a family meal. As Gwendolyn regains consciousness she tries make sense of what happened and tried to understand what happened to push Estella to such a tragic and murderous act.

What I Loved: The writing of this book was beautiful, lush, and immersive. Each character that was introduced (and there were a lot!) was distinct and complex, and I found myself genuinely invested in all of them. Underneath the narration was a sense of unease that permeated the story as the reader, per Gwendolyn’s guidance, worked to figure out what exactly happened. While I saw the twist coming a few chapters in, Tsao unveiled the truth in a way that was both shocking and heartbreaking and it made the slower pace worth it in the end.

What I Didn’t Love: I feel like a broken record saying this but I frequently struggle with character driven novels and this was the epitome of a slow burn, character focused family saga. This book is receiving high praise and I completely see why. The pace was just a little too slow for me even though the book itself wasn’t that long. I think there are a lot of people who will enjoy this one, it just won’t make my list of favorites for this year by any means.

This book (with a gorgeous cover!) was billed as "Crazy Rich Asians written by Gillian Flynn." It certainly has elements from both of those evocative descriptions - a wealthy Asian family jet-setting around the world and thriller with a shocking twist. Even though we know right away that a mass murder was committed by Estella, the main character Gwendolyn's sister, we have no idea what the motive could be, and spend the book delving into Gwendolyn's memories as she tries to understand her sister's actions.

I enjoyed a lot of elements of this book, particularly the history of the relationship between Estella and her husband, which is a very powerful depiction of an abusive relationship. And I found the twist or "reveal" at the end truly surprising, which I appreciated. I really had not guessed that! However, I found it poorly written, or perhaps just too quickly wrapped up, to the point that I was actually confused and wasn't sure how it actually ended.

This book is absolutely terrible. The writing is corny, the twist comes too late to be interesting, the narrator is annoying and the dialogue reads like a child wrote it. A mystery/thriller/suspense novel this is not. It’s unfortunately also not a generational family saga. It’s kind of the worst of all worlds.

This book was not for me. I thought the mystery of it was interesting, but it didn't keep my attention the way that I hoped it would. It kind of reminded me of Crazy Rich Asians.

This book sounded like something so up my alley, I was intrigued from the beginning and the premise sounded like something I would love. At the beginning, this book hooked me. However as the story went on, I became more confused and less and less interested. The story introduced lots of elements that I'm interested in: exploring different relationships, family dynamics, and race/class/privilege, however I felt like everything was introduced and not delved into with the depth I would have liked. The storyline started to feel scattered and I couldn't really keep up. I kept finding myself rereading passages because through the flowery language I couldn't discern what was actually happening. It didn't feel like climax was building as we approached the end like I expected. And then the ending happened and I was SO confused. I'm genuinely still not sure that I know what happened. It was a huge mess. This book felt like it had a lot of potential, but it just didn't work for me.

Gwendolyn is in a coma, the only survivor after her sister Estella kills all 300 of her family and relatives with a deadly poison at a party for her grandfather's birthday.
The sisters were always close as they grew up in an extremely wealthy Chinese-Indonesian family.
As she lies comatose, Gwendolyn traces her thoughts back through their history, trying to find clues as to why Estella murdered everyone.
We see insular, powerful and privileged relatives, with an inner circle that will stop at nothing to insure the family is protected from all perceived threats.
A family drama/thriller that was haunting and intriguing.
A bit slow burning, it takes awhile to get answers. And an unexpected twist at the end!
Thank you to Atria Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley.
3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars.

“When your sister murders three hundred people, you can’t help but wonder why- especially if you were one of the intended victims- though I do forgive her, if you can believe it.”

This was an interesting , captivating, clever and unique read.The opening was so strong and compelling that I read the first part in one sitting and I just couldn't put it down!As I said it started really well, what disappoint me was the ending!

I have never read a book quite like this. The execution of the story, I thought, was completely unique. However, this is a purely character driven novel and if you have read my review before they aren't my favorite. I enjoyed the journey I took with Gwendolyn and Estella's family I enjoyed learning about their family and their culture but the plot was just to slow for me. I genuinely wanted to find out what happened but for me there could have been more. So this was good but I recommend it with reservations. If you like Ask Again Yes and enjoy character driven stories I would highly recommend this.

I love a multigenerational drama story. This book had just that and then some. I loved that that the author takes you right into the horrible events that take place with sisters Gwendolyn, Estella and their family and doesn’t hold back. She put the spotlight on how far some people will go to remove toxic people in their lives even if that includes your own flesh and blood. The plot twist was unexpected and my head is still reeling from that. I recommend this to anyone who loves a good family drama between generations!

From the plotting to the jewel-like descriptions, this book is a knock out. Tsao’s voice is clear, evocative, and distinct. Her description of despair as a ripening fruit, in particular, demands to be read multiple times to fully absorb its impact. I can’t wait for more from this author.

This book was fascinating from beginning to end. It begins very intense by talking about the narrator's sister "killing 300 people" so, as a reader, you want to know 'Why?'
From there the story unfolds into many family secrets and the destruction that the family seems to bring upon itself. The ending was not quite what I was expecting, but it was a solid ending for the story.
There were times that the story had a lot of info packed in, and I had to take a break from reading to wrap my head around it and then jump back in.
Not to mention the cover of this book is beautiful!!

Thank you @netgalley and the publisher @Atriabooks for an ARC of The Majesties.

The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao was so different than what I was expecting. The story begins with Gwendolyn's older sister Estella poisoning and killing their entire family. From this gathering, Estella is the only survivor. The story then treks back through what got things to this point. What I thought was going to be a thriller was really a story about the complexities of family and relationships. Estella goes back through her memories as she wonders which event was a tipping point. The stuff that happens throughout is kind of a bummer. There are bridges that have been burned (figuratively), frustrations with love (or lack thereof) and strained relationships. Again, this isn't so much a thriller, but a dramatic trek through stuff in life that really takes a toll on someone. That said, this is a heavy read. It's beautifully written throughout, and the words used painted such captivating pictures. Story aside, that beauty made this one worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

I appreciated some of what this book was trying to do. This is a story that centers on the tumultuous relationship between two sisters and their extended, large, Asian family. It begins explosively, with a mass murder/suicide by one sister killing 300 members of the family while leaving her sister barely alive, in a coma. She is piecing the events together from her hospital bed and so the story then goes into the build up of events.
Parts of this story are interesting, but while I was intrigued by the wealthy Asian family business background, it quickly became odd and not interesting really. This feels like it is trying to be a darker Crazy Rich Asians but it doesn't quite pull it off.
Not really my cup of tea. 2 1/2 stars rounded up to 3 stars
Thanks for the early copy #netgalley #atriabooks

There were elements of this book I really enjoyed - the opening pulls you in, the discussions of race and wealth and family secrets are all interesting, and the writing is good. However, halfway through I considered putting it down, because it just wasn’t keeping my interest. I spent the majority of the novel hoping the payoff was worth how much the book dragged in the middle and for me it wasn’t. The ending was sudden and fell flat.

From the captivating first line, I could not stop reading The Majesties. Gwendolyn is the only survivor after her sister Estella poisons the three-hundred guests at their grandfather's birthday party. As she lies in a hospital bed, she recounts the events that led to this devastating conclusion. Despite knowing the end result from the start, The Majesties drives the story forward by continually asking "why?" Gwendolyn reflects on how Estella's relationship with Leonard drove their close-knit relationship apart and revealed the corruption and secrets of their wealthy family.

I really enjoyed how The Majesties explored the differences of being Chinese in Asia vs. being Chinese in America and the insulating nature of wealth. The historical and cultural context was one of my favorite parts of the book, and Tsao draws from her own years in Indonesia. Since the story is Gwendolyn recounting past events, there's the insight of hindsight, of seeing the signs you missed before. I enjoyed the detailed descriptions and metaphors.

Some aspects of the novel were confusing or unclear - Gwendolyn's narration jumps between different periods in the past and I sometimes forget which year she was referring to. It also took me a while to understand what exactly "Bagatelles" were, although perhaps that was intentional to further the mysteriousness of the story. What disappointed me the most was that I felt the ending undermined an aspect of the novel that I had loved.

Overall, I had fun reading this book and enjoyed the Indonesian setting.

I loved this novel! It reminded me of Crazy Rich Asians because there was travel all around the world, but a little more gritty version of Crazy Rich Asians. The novel follows the Sulinados, an Indonesian-Chinese family. The book opens with Estella (Doll) lying in a hospital bed and the only survivor of an attack on her family. She names the attacker as her sister. Do you need to know anymore than this? This novel will take you on a wild ride of a wealthy family and the secrets that they keep. So good.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy of The Majesties in exchange for my honest review. For whatever reason, I tend to devour books depicting Asian culture. This novel from Tiffany Tsao was no different. It is a story focused on the history of two sisters and their deeply troubled family. The sisters come from a place of wealth, and the family holds many secrets amongst them. I found the sisters’ relationship and the family dynamics intriguing. It is a slower paced story with a small mystery bubbling beneath the plot. This novel is marketed as a Crazy, Rich Asians thriller. I found this comparison to be troubling. Because the story is focused much more on the family history than the mystery, the pacing is naturally dissimilar. While I enjoyed The Majesties, my only complaint was that I began reading it with different expectations than I would have liked.

Gwen's sister Estella has killed three hundred people including herself. Estella was caught on camera poisoning the food.Gwen and her sister are in their early thirties . Gwen is in a coma and catch's pieces of conversation to find out what's going on and try to wake up. Interesting just didn't have me hooked.

2 Stars for the cover. 1 star for the actual story.

The Majesties started out with a bang and tried to end with a bang, but instead, I was left wanting something more.

This is a family drama, wrapped up in a psychological breakdown, with an uneasy obsession with insects. Long chapters about the past, secrets, lies, abuse. The twist....because somewhat obvious about a third in, but still...I kept ready, waiting for more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.