A review by bookreviewswithkb
The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

okay i was really skeptical about this novel because it’s described as a thriller and that’s not a genre i love but i picked it up for @storygraph’s read the world challenge as a book set in Indonesia and i am so glad i did! i did not think i would like it, but i ended up loving it 

side note: i truly wouldn’t consider this a thriller and i think people are giving it low ratings because they are going into it wanting a thriller and it’s not meeting their expectations 

but if you like family drama with a side of intrigue then here you go. you’re welcome 😇 

anyway. this is such an atmospheric novel, with emotions bleeding off the pages, complexity of character, and a peeling back of layers!!! it is haunting and complicated. Tsao explores stereotypes, privilege and power, wealth, deception, and this idea of how we grapple with the knowledge that we are steeped in a legacy of harm and there is no foreseeable way out