I didn't get to read the entire book but the premise and characters are beloved. Lady Macbeth, Gruoch, the ultimate female villain and historic queen.

Having not read Macbeth, or much Shakespeare at all, the context of this book was difficult to establish. However, once I got about a quarter of the way through, I started flying. It reminded me of a Genevieve Gornichec narrative in some ways, but it was also entirely its own. The voice of Gruoch as she reckons with her past and her destiny grew as the character grew older, and by the end I was just waiting for her triumph in becoming queen. The unexpected twist where she became queen of the Picti was amazing, and I cheered for her when she married Macbethad. The love between them was clear from the beginning, and I was happy when they got the ending they deserved.

Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler is a reimagining of Scottish Queen Gruoch, who was the inspiration for Shakespeare’s character, Lady Macbeth.

Gruoch, the descendant of ancient druids and ousted Scottish royalty, was told from a young age that she would be queen. Her grandmother had the gift of prophecy and claimed with absolute certainty that Gruoch would be queen.

It seemed unlikely since the families claim to the throne was a bit precarious at the moment. Her family was not winning any competitions to become Scottish rulers at this time. They were lucky that they weren’t exiled or worse.

Growing up Gruoch was close friends with MacBethad. She eventually become betrothed to Duncan, the heir to the throne. This path to the throne was not what she expected but she accepted her role.

Her future mother-in-law, Bethoc, was a master of manipulation, using ruthless and cunning tactics to achieve her goals. There should have been a prophecy about her that said, “Beware of her schemes, for she is not to be trifled with.” Honestly, Gruoch learned a lot about plotting and scheming from Bethoc and the court.

Gruoch’s journey to the throne was anything but easy. Despite facing various obstacles, her unwavering determination never faltered. Due to unforseen circumstances, she had to leave the city. Her engagement to Duncan was called off. Breaking up with Duncan wasn’t necessarily a loss since he was a spoiled man-baby.

Being a queen seems so far from her grasp until she reunites with Macbethad. Soon after, Gruoch becomes Lady Macbethad. You probably know the rest of the story to some extent.

Her strong-willed character will resonate with many whether you like her or not. Being a female with ambition isn’t wrong. More people need to understand that having ambition is not a trait exclusive to men. This book shines a spotlight on women seeking power and status.

While some may argue that as this version of Gruoch as well as Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, her aspirations became too great. It’s undeniable that her relentless pursuit of power was unmatched.

If you are a fan of historical retellings from a different perspective, then you might appreciate Queen Hereafter. I enjoyed this reimagining of Lady Macbeth in a more positive light.

If you can’t see the past what you think you know to hear a new version of the story, then maybe circle back to this book later.

Queen Hereafter is a reimagining of Gruoch, Medieval queen of Scotland, and the real life inspiration of Lady MacBeth. I had no idea that MacBeth was based off of any historical figures and I thought it would be fun to learn more about the real Lady MacBeth.

Anddddd this book was not my favorite! Gruoch is just the WORST! I have trouble with morally gray characters in general, and Lady MacBeth is one of the original morally gray characters, so going into this I thought it might be a problem. And it was. Because Gruoch is the WORST! I think there is such a fine line between awful and morally gray. Gruoch was awful. She treated everyone horribly and I had such difficulty putting up with her. I ended up DNFing the book at about 75% because I just couldn't deal with her anymore.

I'm glad this book exists because I think it's great when historical figures are reimagined by modern writers. Lady MacBeth is one of the more ambitious "villain" retellings that I have read. That alone, as well as the setting, was impressive. Outside of that, this book just didn't do it for me. 2 stars from me. Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book, my thoughts are my own!

Harper Perennial

Macbeth is one of the few Shakespeare plays that I've seen performed live, so I've always been drawn to it. When I heard there was a Lady Macbeth origin story I was excited to read it. This novel reads like an early Briton Tudors. I really enjoyed watching Gruoch become more and more ambitious. There is lots of intrigue in this world. I found myself not having to like the characters and still being able to enjoy the story. There is a lot of violence and some graphic sex, so be aware if those are triggering for you, but if you like retellings, I highly recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

The woman we know only as Lady Macbeth is by, some accounts, the most powerful person on the stage in Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. Yet – she has no name of her own, only her husband’s. And until I read this book, I was only dimly aware she might be based on a real person.

In [a:Isabelle Schuler|22979800]’s telling, before Gruoch ingen Boite was queen to MacBethad, King of Scotland, she was an ambitious girl, born a Picti princess and, at least in her own mind, destined to be queen of all Alba (later Scotland). She was also a victim, a pawn, a cunning wife and a lady of a great house making a success of her rule even as her weak first husband abandoned his duties. She becomes a mother to secure her position, only to find herself willing to put her life on the line for her son.

I love stories in this genre, that take a secondary character in a popular history, story or myth, and put them in center stage. This character is almost always a woman, and equally almost always, portrayed by her male author in the original telling as a villain. If she’s ambitious, it’s grotesque. If she is bold, it’s unseemly. If she happens to want anything – her freedom and independence, power, children (or not to have them) – she is seen as everything a woman must not be. In the hands of a modern, sympathetic (usually female) author, these women become sympathetic, even admirable characters.

In [b:Queen Hereafter|78296956], [a:Isabelle Schuler|22979800]’s Gruoch loses none of her thirst for power and willingness to do anything to get it. And yet, unlike in the Shakespeare, we do not cringe away from her. She is brave, and clever, and so, so determined to protect her people, and her children. She sometimes makes mistakes, trusting the wrong people, and gets hurt (or gets others hurt). And she loves her childhood friend, MacBethad.

The one complaint I have about Queen Hereafter is the pacing – I would have liked to spend less time on her childhood and more on the last few years of the story, which ends long before the events of the Scottish Play.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic copy of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Ever since she was a young child, Gruoch was told by her Druid grandmother that she would be Queen of Alba and hold immense power. When she is betrothed to the heir-elect, Duncan, Gruoch leaves everything behind, including her home, her family and her best friend, MacBethad, to travel to Scone with her fiancé and oversee her soon-to-be kingdom. But deadly fighting breaks out and Gruoch is on the run from Duncan and leaving Scone behind. Her only option is to slip quietly into the shadows or seek vengeance and plot to take the title that she was promised.
“Queen Hereafter” by Isabelle Shuler, is based on the true story of the actual, real-life Lady MacBeth and it’s quite a doozy. Part historical fiction, part fantasy, “Hereafter” is creative, clever and suspenseful.
Gruoch is a young girl whose grandmother was banished when she refused to give up her Druid practices. Now, Gruoch and her mother can only visit her once a year, where they are free to participate in the Druid festivals and rituals. But after Gruoch’s mother dies, she is the one responsible for ensuring her family is safe and comfortable through marriage to Duncan. I wanted to pity Gruoch however she was so feisty and vibrant that I couldn’t help but cheer for her.
I actually did not know that Lord and Lady MacBeth were real people, and that made this novel all the more entertaining. I enjoy retellings as much as the next person but when there’s some historical relevance to the plot and characters, well, I’m on board even more.
Shuler writes beautifully, her language is poetic and yet not complex or confusing, and “Hereafter” flows well. Gruoch’s drive and ambition is inspiring and she is the ideal protagonist. Right from page one I was invested in the characters and, although I had some vague recollection of Lady MacBeth’s end, I was glad to see that Shuler created the ending I wanted. “Hereafter” is a delightfully unique debut, and I can’t wait to see what else Shuler has up her sleeve!

Thanks to Harper Perennial for the copy of this book!

One of my favorite characters from classic literature is Lady Macbeth, so I was PUMPED to receive this gifted copy of Queen Hereafter. Remember reading Macbeth? She's the one who manipulated Macbeth into killing Duncan and is associated with being anti-mother and a witch. She also has a famous "Out, damned spot!" line. Anyway, I enjoyed Queen Hereafter to revisit my time in Macbeth. The medieval Scotland setting was wonderful and I loved the fiery determination of Gruoch, who stars in our Lady Macbeth retelling.

Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most iconic characters. The wife of the titular character in Macbeth, she is one of the Bard’s most impactful and vividly rendered women, a figure who is allowed agency, ambition, and depth of her own. Yet, although the play hints that Lady Macbeth has a much more complex and tragic history than what we see on stage, most of our modern-day pop culture still tends to focus primarily on her worst deeds, content to simply label her a villain and blame her for her husband’s choices rather than truly wrestle with her story’s larger questions about gender and power.

This is why Isabelle Schuler’s Queen Hereafter feels like such a breath of fresh air. The novel, which deftly mixes Shakespearean fiction with the scant bits of historical fact we know about the real-life figures who inspired the play, unabashedly re-centers Lady Macbeth at the center of her own story, reframing a long-accepted narrative by giving this oft-vilified woman a chance to speak for herself. To be clear, Schuler’s version of Lady Macbeth—here reimagined as a Picti princess known as Gruoch—remains as dark and complicated as the one most readers will likely already be familiar with. But the inventive ways in which her story is framed not only give her a welcome sense of depth and self-determination, but allow her to wholeheartedly embrace the same traits—ambition, ruthlessness, and single-minded focus—that she’s long been judged a monster for possessing.

Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler is a stunning historical fiction, retelling of the real life Lady Macbeth.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it was written in a very easy to read manner, and I was intrigued from start to finish.
Brilliantly told, Schuler weaves an incredible retelling and creates a whole new side to the scheming Shakespeare character.
A captivating tale of power, history, love, hate and vengeance.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

I really enjoyed it. I’ve seen the Shakespeare play but never managed to read it, and loved learning about Lady Macbeth in this format instead. Much more interesting!

This historical epic about the real woman behind Shakespeare's Lady MacBeth is perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy and Signe Pike's The Lost Queen trilogy.

Gruoch grows up believing fully in the prophecy that her druid grandmother foretold: she will be a queen of great legacy to her Picti heritage. When the day comes to make a hard choice, Gruoch follows the prophecy rather than her heart, leaving her home behind as the betrothed of the fumbling future king, Duncan. The stifling atmosphere of the royal city takes a toll on Gruoch, but she faces even more hardship when forced to flee and forge an alliance with an enemy to ensure her survival. More content now, Gruoch has nearly given up on her queenly future when opportunity arises: should she risk everything she has attained by chasing the prophecy, and the potential for true happiness, yet again?

Y'all, this book and this woman are everything. Gruoch is FIERCE but not heartless, vengeful but still honorable, and despite her trials she remains full of hopes, dreams, and desires like the rest of us. I was roped into her story immediately and more or less binged this entire book (I had to break for food before I, too, became a murderous Lady). If you've somehow never read or seen Shakespeare's classic story of Macbeth, don't fret, it's not a requirement for reading this book. But I do think a knowledge of the play will enhance your reading experience!

The pace of this novel is fast and consuming, and I found it well balanced overall with solid character development and world building detail. It's a great reimagining of a classic female literary villain, providing her with an actual personality and character motivation rather than just painting her in broad strokes of "manipulative woman" and "lustful for power." I'm a big fan of this retelling sub-genre, because let's be honest, most of these villainous women were written by men, and they're all just screaming for a rewrite.

Thank you to Isabelle Schuler, Harper Perennial, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

4.5 stars! This book was captivating. The worldbuilding (bringing the ancient Scotland to life) was immersive and beautifully written. I enjoyed all of the characters, even the ones with ulterior motives. Gruoch especially, with her ambition to be little more than a puppet in the lives of men, doesn’t shy away from her bad thoughts and traits.

This book could’ve easily turned Gruoch into a hero, on par with the recent string of myth retellings through the lens of prominent women. The issue with some other retellings is that they lose the plot and quickly defer back to submission. Gruoch demands attention: this is her story and the minute someone else tries to lay claim, she takes it back. She is an antihero, not always doing good but doing what is best for her survival. And she ultimately succeeds: she has become immortalized.

Thank you to NetGalley, Isabelle Schuler, and Harper Perennial for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Queen Hereafter was an incredible book. Was the beginning a little slow and hard to get into? Yes. Did I like the main character Gruoch? Not always. Was this book engaging as it progressed, incredibly unique in subject, and one I couldn’t stop thinking about? Yes.

One thing I really loved about this book was the historical note at the end. I had no idea Lady Macbeth was a real person, and I appreciate how the author put in so much research while also making it an enjoyable read fiction-wise. There was so much plotting and scheming in this book that made me dying to know what would happen next.

I would recommend this for fans of Shakespeare, historical fiction, and Scotland. The narrator had a lovely accent that brought the story and characters to life so would also recommend the audiobook.

Wow, this was an epic, wild ride and one of my best reads this year! I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and I was absolutely enthralled with this dramatization of the historical figure who inspired the character of Lady Macbeth. It’s giving Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, but in more of a Madeline Miller-historical retelling style. It also kind of reminded me of I, Iago, by Nicole Galland, which I absolutely adored. However, I do wish that certain sections weren’t as dense — the writing was very descriptive, which I do appreciate, but I struggled through a few sections of heavy prose. Overall, a great origin story for Lady Macbeth!

As the communications director at a Shakespeare theatre company, but also as someone who doesn’t have a large knowledge of his work, I was intrigued by this story following Lady Macbeth. She is a figure who people often see as a pure villain, conniving and controlling and ambitious above all else, someone who goads her husband into killing someone. I always like seeing and reading portrayals that allow her to be a bit more nuanced and complex of a character.

In addition to not having much background knowledge on Shakespeare’s works, I also didn’t have knowledge of the historical truth of the Macbeth story. This work by Isabelle Schuler is well researched and lovingly told, as historically accurately as possible. Following Gruoch from her childhood when she is separated from her druid grandmother and her mother walks into the sea, it traverses through her life to the reunion with Macbeth that leads to their marriage. It captures this moment in time where the region was just starting to enforce monotheism and attempting to distance itself from its druidic history, and the fear and violence that created. One of the most interesting things to me is the relationship between Gruoch (Lady Macbeth) and Duncan. In the play, I have never read them as having a history, so that element added a layer of intrigue that I really enjoyed.

It is a study of relationships more than anything, but especially the relationship that women were forced to have with the men in their lives, and of a woman who was attempting to navigate that. We barely get to see her with Macbethad, because it’s actually not about him, but for people who are expecting it to be a novel of that part of her life, they will be disappointed.

For fans of Jezebel by Megan Barnard, Madeline Miller, Natalie Haynes

I thought this was very engaging and I was totally hooked after the first chapter.I loved the plot and how it wove real life details with a more imaginative story line.I felt the author really captured the violence of the times in which Lady Macbeth lived which helped you to understand her character better.It was a pleasure to read and I hope to see a sequel.

In Queen Hereafter, Isabelle Schuler deftly reimagines the enigmatic Lady Macbeth, offering a rich tapestry of suspense and historical detail. Set against the backdrop of early medieval Scotland, the novel delves into the life of Gruoch (GREW-ock), a woman of noble lineage and deep ambition. Schuler's meticulous research and captivating prose breathe life into Gruoch, presenting her as a complex and tormented figure whose journey from determination to potential royalty is both engaging and resonant. With its skillful pacing, evocative portrayal of Scotland's beauty and darkness, and nuanced exploration of power dynamics and gender roles, Queen Hereafter stands as an intelligent and captivating reinterpretation of history, inviting readers to discover the woman who inspired Shakespeare's iconic character.

This book follows Gruoch’s life in medieval Scotland, where she believes her purpose is to become queen.

This was a fun read and it definitely held my attention, but I had a couple problems with it. I was unsure of Gruoch’s age for a large portion of the book and that made me uncomfortable sometimes- especially in some of the ~sexy~ parts. It also seemed like most interactions in the book were calculated and manipulative which I found a bit annoying.