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raaahella's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Awkward as anything. I did not like the book. Though I like that it was set in Indonesia.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Racism, Classism, and Gaslighting
kristinallard's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer, Death, Gore, Murder, and Classism
sallysimply's review against another edition
2.5
What a weird book. That opening was enough to keep me going through the first 25% or so when I was somewhat confused and not at all engaged. Then it started picking up around 40% or so. But this was a lot to get through for not much payoff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Death, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, and Fatphobia
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
re: the ending: ??? i mean, sure? it was a big twist that contradicted the entire narrative yet simultaneously (imo) amounted to nothing of significance; it just fell flat. the prose, oh boy. it's how i write when trying to sound smart in essays, unnecessarily florid. it had a promising concept, i was hooked just from the blurb, but it didn't live up and the entire time i wasn't all that interested.
cover design review: ★★★☆☆. intriguing at first glance, i like the yellow background and the texture and shadows of the paint strokes within the face, but other than that it's eh. this is not representative of the book i just read
cover design review: ★★★☆☆. intriguing at first glance, i like the yellow background and the texture and shadows of the paint strokes within the face, but other than that it's eh. this is not representative of the book i just read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Car accident, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Addiction, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Racism
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Infertility, Abortion, Blood, Cancer, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Dementia, Terminal illness, and Vomit
re: animal cruelty and death: it's insects if that makes a differencesolspringsreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
UGH. Loved the beginning of this one, and I was hooked for pretty much the entirety of the book. Great premise, super comparable to We Have Always Lived in the Castle and Crazy Rich Asians, and the book really unfolds in a satisfying and interesting way.
And then we get to the big plot twist, and it just… completely lost me. It’s not that the plot twist was bad (and I even half-guessed it!) but it felt so unnecessary, like it cheapened so much of what made this book compelling and unique. Suddenly this book went from a well-crafted, layered metaphor about wealth, corruption, and family, to a schlocky thriller movie rated 64% on Rotten Tomatoes
I’ll read anything else this author puts out because I did really enjoy the majority of this book, but I’m beyond disappointed by the ending. (How can a plot twist both be predictable AND completely random? I wouldn’t have thought it possible until I read this book.)
And then we get to the big plot twist, and it just… completely lost me. It’s not that the plot twist was bad (and I even half-guessed it!) but it felt so unnecessary, like it cheapened so much of what made this book compelling and unique. Suddenly this book went from a well-crafted, layered metaphor about wealth, corruption, and family, to a schlocky thriller movie rated 64% on Rotten Tomatoes
I’ll read anything else this author puts out because I did really enjoy the majority of this book, but I’m beyond disappointed by the ending. (How can a plot twist both be predictable AND completely random? I wouldn’t have thought it possible until I read this book.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Infidelity, Medical content, Islamophobia, and Drug use
Minor: Addiction and Misogyny
n_asyikin_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
When Gwendolyn's sister, Estrella, comitted mass murder, Gwendolyn became the sole survivor, resulting in her facing a disorder of consciousness. Though aware yet not able to reach wakefulness, Gwen begun to turn to the past to understand why Estrella did what she did as she was stuck comatose in bed.
Observational in her narration, Gwen was astute & had a propensity for speaking in analogies. Though often eloquent, the narration tended to meander at the beginning, making the story's direction unclear so it did feel unnecessarily verbose then, though it improved a quarter of the way through as more context were introduced.
Tsao addressed racial issues associated with being Chinese (a minority group) in Indonesia: dealing with prejudices & mistrust from the majority, considered to be a pendatang (an outsider). As a Malaysian, the dynamic was unfortunately, all too familiar; a remnant of the colonial strategy of divide-and-conquer persisted in our post-colonial society. I liked how Tsao depicted the consequence of our failure to address this, on the losses incurred if we continue to uphold this mentality.
The nuances of the depiction was critical. Though the racist system is attrocious, Tsao explored how economic class interacted with such system. Gwendolyn & Estrella both helmed from a rich background, hence, they were protected from the brunt of a racist system, easily finding sanctuary & opportunities elsewhere; something a non-rich Chinese Indonesians did not have the privilege to do.
At its core, The Majesties touched upon how the rich & powerful exploited racial sentiment to distract the "commoners" from the root cause of the issue: neoliberalism & feudalism. And through Gwendolyn & Estrella, Tsao showed how such realization beset them.
But before that, The Majesties depicted how they profited off & contributed to the oppressive system despite them calling out the racism they experienced. Basically, the racism experienced by the poor cannot be compared to the racism experienced by the rich. And the class difference was an act of oppression on its own.
The seemingly ephemeral categorization of ethnicity that depended primarily on physical features were also shown through Jono. Through him, we'd seen how arbitrary ethnic identity could be. Jono was a Javanese Muslim man (a pribumi, i.e. majority), whose appearance was that of a stereotypical Chinese, faced prejudice & discrimination that were shaped by ethnocentrism. In other words, he was discriminated by his own community for they thought he was Chinese, while the Chinese distrusted him when they found out he was pribumi. All the while, he was exploited & left struggling in poverty, shaped by an incompetent & corrupt government. Critically, Jono was a descendent of a Chinese yet his Chinese heritage was erased, his pribumi identity took precedence, likely due to the supposed privileges that identity ought to bring. Again, this aspect was so painfully familiar to me as a Malay Malaysian, I felt that this book could be a source of reflection for us as well.
The Majesties was brutal in its honest depictions of the interplay between race & class. Focused primarily on Gwendolyn & Estrella's experiences, Tsao did well to include nuances into the complex interactions, making astute observations & doing so in an eloquent manner. Fair warning, for those who expect the story to focus primarily on the crime might be disappointed; the element of mystery was not on the discovery of crimes & motives, it was more on what might've driven a person to criminality with heavy emphasis on morality.
Regardless, Tsao's work will be a great source for reflection & contemplation for many SEAians. A highly recommended read, especially for those interested to engage in a critical read on sociopolitics in a fictional work.
Observational in her narration, Gwen was astute & had a propensity for speaking in analogies. Though often eloquent, the narration tended to meander at the beginning, making the story's direction unclear so it did feel unnecessarily verbose then, though it improved a quarter of the way through as more context were introduced.
Tsao addressed racial issues associated with being Chinese (a minority group) in Indonesia: dealing with prejudices & mistrust from the majority, considered to be a pendatang (an outsider). As a Malaysian, the dynamic was unfortunately, all too familiar; a remnant of the colonial strategy of divide-and-conquer persisted in our post-colonial society. I liked how Tsao depicted the consequence of our failure to address this, on the losses incurred if we continue to uphold this mentality.
The nuances of the depiction was critical. Though the racist system is attrocious, Tsao explored how economic class interacted with such system. Gwendolyn & Estrella both helmed from a rich background, hence, they were protected from the brunt of a racist system, easily finding sanctuary & opportunities elsewhere; something a non-rich Chinese Indonesians did not have the privilege to do.
At its core, The Majesties touched upon how the rich & powerful exploited racial sentiment to distract the "commoners" from the root cause of the issue: neoliberalism & feudalism. And through Gwendolyn & Estrella, Tsao showed how such realization beset them.
But before that, The Majesties depicted how they profited off & contributed to the oppressive system despite them calling out the racism they experienced. Basically, the racism experienced by the poor cannot be compared to the racism experienced by the rich. And the class difference was an act of oppression on its own.
The seemingly ephemeral categorization of ethnicity that depended primarily on physical features were also shown through
The Majesties was brutal in its honest depictions of the interplay between race & class. Focused primarily on Gwendolyn & Estrella's experiences, Tsao did well to include nuances into the complex interactions, making astute observations & doing so in an eloquent manner. Fair warning, for those who expect the story to focus primarily on the crime might be disappointed; the element of mystery was not on the discovery of crimes & motives, it was more on what might've driven a person to criminality with heavy emphasis on morality.
Regardless, Tsao's work will be a great source for reflection & contemplation for many SEAians. A highly recommended read, especially for those interested to engage in a critical read on sociopolitics in a fictional work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, and Eating disorder
carissa230's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This book is marked as a mystery or thriller, but I feel it would be better marked as contemporary. While there is some mystery due t the family being poisoned by the sister that is not the main point of the book.
The book is told from the respective of Gwendolyn, who is in a comma and fighting for life. The book is about the life that the sisters lead and how their lives started on one course and then went down a different more twisted course. Gwendolyn is looking back and seeing where things went wrong with Estella and how Gwendolyn could have helped had she known at the time what a difference it would make.
We get to see Estella's relationship with her husband blossom, her parents push her, and she doesn't go against anything they want. Gwendolyn does not do everything they want and she doesn't quite understand why Gwendolyn does.
It was a good book. I would have preferred if we heard more about the poisoning, may have been a better book from Estella's point of view.
The book is told from the respective of Gwendolyn, who is in a comma and fighting for life. The book is about the life that the sisters lead and how their lives started on one course and then went down a different more twisted course. Gwendolyn is looking back and seeing where things went wrong with Estella and how Gwendolyn could have helped had she known at the time what a difference it would make.
We get to see Estella's relationship with her husband blossom, her parents push her, and she doesn't go against anything they want. Gwendolyn does not do everything they want and she doesn't quite understand why Gwendolyn does.
It was a good book. I would have preferred if we heard more about the poisoning, may have been a better book from Estella's point of view.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, and Death
astereads's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What got me attracted to read is because it offers me a family drama in a thriller book.
20% into the story and I still couldn’t get into it. I even contemplated to dnf the book. Then around 30% in is when I couldn’t stop reading. I really enjoy the drama, although it makes me wonder from time to time, whether this would happen in real life or am I living in the innocent bubble. For real tho, what kind of a poison could kill three hundreds of people with just one vial? Also the ending got me confused. So, whodunnit?
20% into the story and I still couldn’t get into it. I even contemplated to dnf the book. Then around 30% in is when I couldn’t stop reading. I really enjoy the drama, although it makes me wonder from time to time, whether this would happen in real life or am I living in the innocent bubble. For real tho, what kind of a poison could kill three hundreds of people with just one vial? Also the ending got me confused. So, whodunnit?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Drug abuse
alenezela99's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a great read
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Dementia, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Racial slurs
pennym_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Drug abuse