This book had a very interesting premise and I really enjoyed reading about the family dynamics with this story. I did have a hard time with the book though, there was a lot of time jumps and it was difficult to keep up with what was happening. I can say that I truly did not see the ending but it really brings the whole story to a whole new light.

Thank you Atria for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Majesties
By: Tiffany Tsao


REVIEW ☆☆☆

The premise of The Majesties is shocking and sounds thrilling. The actual story falls short of what I expected. The poisoning is shocking, and I wanted to know more about that situation. Instead, the narrator, survivor, gives a lot of backstory that is slightly interesting but pointless. I would have liked a different point of view than just the narrator. Overall, I was a bit bored and didn't care for this one.

Wow. It's been a few weeks since I finished reading this book, and I think I'm still grappling with exactly how I feel about it. It's the kind of book that I feel will reveal more layers if I re-read it... and even more layers if I re-read it again. 

The Majesties begins with a pretty devastating scene: the main character Gwendolyn is lying in a coma, the only one who survived her sister Estella's poisoning of their entire family (300 people!) at a family celebration. As Gwendolyn tries to figure out why her sister would do such a thing, we learn about the lives of both sisters, how they were super close as children, but then a bad decision takes their lives on separate paths, such that Gwendolyn enjoyed tremendous success while Estella was trapped in a dead-end career and toxic marriage.

There's a lot going on in this novel, and while the poisoning may have been the most dramatic event, it feels almost secondary to the story of how the sisters' lives unfolded. Tsao touches slightly on the social strata in Indonesian society, and how the Chinese part of the sisters' heritage isolated them somewhat within a very stratified segment of the super-rich. It's the kind of subtle cultural nuance I love to see in fiction, and that I think helps bring this story to life. 

The 'majesties' in the title refers to the jewellery that makes Gwendolyn an international fashion star and independently wealthy from her family. In a reveal that honestly turned my stomach, we learn that majesties are live insects that are put into some kind of soporific state by genetically modified fungus. The idea that people would be okay with butterflies essentially being zombiefied into accessories is disgusting. Unfortunately, I can also imagine people being okay with it, especially since the way Tsao describes these majesties shows how utterly beautiful they are. To assuage any lingering bits of conscience, Gwendolyn assures customers that her majesties have longer and more comfortable lives than insects in the wild. It's horrific, yet all too believable, and these majesties are an incredibly potent metaphor for the gilded prison Gwendolyn and Estella grew up in.

The tragedy of Estella's life, and perhaps a clue into her motives behind killing her entire family, is that while Gwendolyn managed to escape their family, Estella remained trapped. She fell in love with the wrong man, Leonard, who turned out to be abusive. And she took a job in the family business, one that provided her with a steady source of income but did nothing to stimulate her intellectually. The scenes where she listens to Gwendolyn's stories about the majesties are almost heartbreaking -- you can feel Estella's desire to escape like her sister did, just as much as you sense her inability to actually do so.

Given the magnitude of Estella's act at the beginning of the novel, I wish Tsao had shown us more about how horrible their family actually was. About halfway through the novel, I had a very strong sense of why Leonard was horrible (and a very strong suspicion that Estella may have been responsible for his fate), but still didn't quite understand why she would have been driven to kill her entire family. Tsao holds out Estella's motives till near the end of the book, and while she did succeed in making the reveal dramatic, I wish we'd seen more details about her family's behaviour throughout.

The Majesties turned out to be much sadder than I expected. I think I came into it expecting a psychological thriller, or some kind of social satire. But instead, it's a story about a young woman's life gone horribly wrong, and her sister's ultimate inability to save her. It's a realistic, heartfelt story amidst all the glitz and glamour of its characters' worlds, and Tsao does a great job in tucking Gwedolyn and Estella right into your heart.


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Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

NOTE: This review will go live on my blog on March 2, 2020 at 8 AM ET.

Classically an “I don’t want to put this down” book. You get pulled in by the beginning premise and engulfed by the study of Estella and Gwendolyn’s family over the years, the crucial examination of their interactions. What could possibly drive someone to such an extreme? This is a book for the more relaxed literary readers and for anyone who listens to true crime podcasts and ends up marvelling at the very idea of such crimes.

I read this on the plane to Mexico in one sitting! It was fast paced, intriguing, and made me want to know what was going to happen! The story is kinda described as Crazy Rich Asians meets Girl on the Train, and I haven’t read either so I don’t think I’m the best to judge whether it lives up to this comparison, but I did find it thrilling!
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The book centres around a wealthy Chinese-Indonesian family that has a lot mysteries revolving around the family! Gwendolyn and Estella seem like close sisters within this family, but after Estella poisons everyone in the family (this is in the synopsis not a spoiler!) and Gwendolyn is the only survivor, she must try to figure out what exactly led to this poisoning!
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I found the overall pace of the book fine, in that it was fast paced and then slower and then fast again! I loved the setting for the story and the premise of the book, but I did struggle to connect to the characters and the family in general and the ending was a little anticlimactic in my opinion! However, it definitely made me want to keep reading to the end to figure out what was happening in this family, so that’s good! Overall an interesting read.

This was a really good read, it had me drawn In By the first page. I really enjoyed learning the family dynamics and the series of events that cause such a dramatic mass murder.

The writing was great, although I did find the book a little slow moving In parts. Throughly enjoyable.

"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. I tried my best to deny the strength of family ties when everyone was still alive, but now I realize the truth of the cliché: Blood does run thick. Even if poison trumps all."

This opening line of The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao is absolutely devastating. The book starts off by informing readers that our narrator, Gwendolyn, is the only survivor of a mass murder committed by her very own sister. Ready for some twists and turns?

Well . . . don’t get too ahead of yourself. The Majesties has been marketed as Gone Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians, and while I understand the comparison, I don’t exactly agree with it.

The Gone Girl aspect obviously comes from the fact that Gwendolyn’s sister, Estella, murdered their entire extended family and close friends. That, paired with a couple family secrets that we learn about later in the book, and a strange end reveal, fulfill the “thriller” aspect of this story.

The Crazy Rich Asians comparison comes into play because the family is Chinese, living in Indonesia, and owns and operates a number of incredibly successful businesses. They own multiple properties, and take shopping trips in other countries without thinking twice. It’s easy to see the glamour and glitz that surrounds this family.

However, readers who are expecting either of the previous comparisons to be wholly accurate will likely be let down. The majority of this book is told from the perspective of Gwendolyn, as she lay in her hospital bed (in a coma?), trying to figure out what exactly caused her sister to poison their entire family network. As a result, you spend most of the book reading about the family’s history.

I didn’t necessarily think the book was bad, it’s just not what I expected. The prose was well done, and I found myself immersed in the details of the family, but if you’re looking for a succinct ending, you’re not going to get one. The fact that Gwendolyn is recounting details from the hospital poses the question of whether or not any of it is even accurate.

While I think the description may be a bit misleading, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. Readers who enjoy family sagas, or a aspects of domestic thrillers will likely enjoy The Majesties. The family dynamics are complicated, not everyone is telling the truth, and you have to shift through a lot of prose to try and figure out what, exactly, happened.

Thank you to the publisher for an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. The Majesties comes out on January 20, 2020, and can be purchased wherever books are sold.

This was more of a 2.5 but I'm rounding up.

I had higher hopes for this one. I feel like it could have been about 100 pages shorter, and it would have been much better.

I just didn't really feel anything for the characters, and the story had far too many unnecessary details.

Thank you to the publisher, and to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, but sadly it just didn't live up to my expectations.

This book sounded SO good, so I knew right away that I wanted to read it (especially since the blurbs mentioned that it was as if Crazy Rich Asians had been written by Gillian Flynn!!). I'm going to be upfront and tell you right now that this book is definitely not a thriller, but leans more towards mystery.

I did enjoy a good portion of this book, and I can admit that I did not see the twist coming but I think parts of it just felt a little flat. At some parts the story got a little lost, and I had to repeatedly remind myself what exactly the author was trying to accomplish. Overall, I did enjoy this book, but it just wasn't AS good as I thought it would be. My advice to anyone picking this up is to not think of it as a thriller, otherwise you will be disappointed.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of The Majesties in exchange for an honest review.

The Majesties is a book about two sisters.

This book is being marketed as a thriller. But IMO it is not really a thriller.

The narrator is Gwendolyn (1st person POV). Her family is Chinese and lives in Indonesia. The book starts with her being sort of unconscious/in a coma. We find out that her sister Estella has poisoned a group of people.

The cover is so unique and the story sounded so intriguing. I like reading about different cultures. So I was excited to read this book.

But the entire story is told from Gwendolyn's POV of her thinking back to various events. This did not work for me. I kept waiting to get to the point where we found out why her sister poisoned people. And I guess we find out at the end. However I found the ending to be very confusing.

The narrator was interesting. Her job was very interesting. The location was interesting. However the whole book was just a comatose woman giving us the backstory of her life.

Oh man, this book. The synopsis sounds so good, promising to deliver a thrilling story of Gone Girl meets Crazy Rich Asians. But no, just no. The major catostrophic event happens in the first few pages: our narrator Gwendolyn, who is now in a coma, tells us that her sister Estella murdered 300 of their closest family and friends, by poisoning the soup at a family event. Gwendolyn is the only survivor and is left to ponder why her sister did what she did.

So the "thrilling" aspect of the book stops there. Then we rewind and Gwendolyn plays over in her head, all the events leading up to the murder, starting way back when her and Estella were inseparable as children. And before Estella married a controlling, volatile man.

I generally enjoy fiction about different cultures, and it is from my understanding that what Crazy Rich Asians lacked in depth, The Majesties more than makes up for that. Perhaps. But it was a tad boring to read. And the chapter lengths! Most chapters were around 30-40 pages long! My biggest pet peeve in a book is ridiculously long chapters. There is also so much talk about other family members that it was challenging to keep it all straight. Although I couldn't even really be bothered to remember as it didn't add much to the story anyway.

I surprised to see when I was done that this book was only 272 pages long (I read it on my kindle so I only had progress visible), as it felt like it was easily 400 pages. It took me far too long to read. Needless to say, I was happy to get to the end. There's apparently a big plot twist at the end, something along the lines of Fight Club, but it clearly went over my head because I didn't pick up on it lol.

Oh well, this just wasn't the book for me, despite it's beautiful cover.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Net Galley for the ARC.

The Majesties is marketed as “if Gillian Flynn wrote Crazy Rich Asians”. The Majesties is not that. Not even close. It does give off Crazy Rich Asians vibes, but doesn’t touch Flynn with a ten-foot pole.

The Majesties is an interesting concept, but it’s poor executive leaves much to be desired. The slow pacing, almost non-existent plot, and unlikeable characters makes The Majesties a boring read that is a slog to get through.

The Majesties is bogged down in its over reliance on exposition. There are too many instances where the narrator tells readers pages upon pages of historical information, as the novel is set in the 1990s in Indonesia, or gives a detailed breakdown of the other characters in the family, as there are many. These pages are particularly boring since it feels like time spent that could have been better served elsewhere.

Unlikeable characters are not necessarily cause for criticism. Unfortunately, when the novel has nothing else going for it the inability to connect with the characters makes the novel even harder to enjoy. The Majesties does not have a single likable character.


The big twist at the end is predictable. I guessed at it around the 40 pages mark. The ending also contributed to my dislike of the novel since these kinds of twists are not creative, intriguing, or jaw dropping. They’re irresponsible and lazy.


Overall, there's an interesting story buried deep in this novel, unfortunately, the poor execution does a disservice to the concept.

I succeeded in my goal of doing nothing else but read The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao yesterday afternoon. What a day well spent!

The narrator, in a coma, sifts through memories to try and understand why her sister poisoned and killed 300 family members and friends at their grandfather's birthday.

The Sulinados are ultra-rich Chinese Indonesians who have much to hide behind a veneer of silk. As Gwendolyn (Doll) unravels the threads, the killer's desire for redemption becomes all too clear.

Unique premise & setting: yes.
Historical & cultural detail: yes.
Complex characters: yes.
Masterfully executed plot: yes.
Gorgeous prose: yes.

Must read: YES.

This is the kind of book that I can see readers inhaling in a single sitting. The opening begins with Gwendolyn, who is in a coma, trying to figure out why her sister Estella poisoned three hundred people, including Gwendolyn and the rest of the Sulinado family. It’s an interesting mystery that made this book hard to put down, and Tsao plots the story so that events jump through different time periods in the sisters’ lives which intensifies the suspense and made the book hard to put down.

While mystery was an intriguing element of the story, I found I was most interested in how Tsao used it to explore issues of class and race. The Salinado clan is a rich Chinese-Indonesian family, and Tsao shows the deceit and destruction behind their opulent lifestyles. The corruption behind wealth isn’t a new story, but the exploration of this theme in The Majesties is partnered with questions about race and identity, that make Tsao’s approach feel fresh.

The one thing I didn’t like about this book was that a little past the halfway mark, I figured out a major detail about the ending. I don’t want to say too much for fear of potentially ruining things for others, but I feel like the ending was supposed to be surprising, yet there were details that may have revealed too much too soon in the plot. I also didn’t really like this choice or how it was handled at the end.

Overall, I enjoyed reading The Majesties. The mystery definitely hooked me, and I found the themes helped to give the story substance. The only downside for me was one plot twist that I felt weakened an otherwise solid novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Canada for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.