Review: The Majesties

The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Majesties is the story of a family. Of their money, power and also corruption.

It is told by Gwendolyn (Doll) who is lying in a hospital bed, in a coma. She’s the only survivor of a mass poisoning that her sister, Estella (Stell) was responsible for.

As she struggles to wake up, she is reliving her memories to try to find out why Stell would do such a thing.

Doll and Stell were sisters, they were very close until Stell married Leonard. They had been born into a very wealthy family and lived a life of luxury and power. But, there is something rotten at the heart of it all.

As Doll remembers, her rose tinted glasses are ripped away as she begins to see the family’s true colours. Stell has made her see the darkness, the secrets that their wealth has been built on, and kept.

This is not a fast paced story, but is slow, immersive and beautifully written and had me gripped from start to finish. It’s not a thriller in the usual sense, but there is a tension throughout, as you wonder why Estella would kill her whole family.

It is full of luxury and opulence, but also domestic violence, murder and secrets.

Doll also runs a business, Bagatelle, where she creates living jewellery, made from living insects and butterflies that are controlled by a fungal parasite ( think zombie ant but beautiful). Just a creepy thought!!


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This is a tale of family and love, but also incredible wealth, power and corruption and the lengths taken to keep it. It’s heartbreaking at times too.

If you like a family drama, with a dark edge then you are going to love The Majesties. Just a fantastic read that’s going to stay with me.

Thank you to Poppy at Pushkin Press for the opportunity to be part of this blog tour, for the promotional material and a copy of The Majesties. This is my honest and unbiased review.


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