Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler was freaking phenomenal. Set in an atmospheric, twisted and ruthless world with a determined, unrelenting FMC at its heart in Gruock - a young Lady Macbeth, the Queen from Shakespeare’s play Macbeth - this story was suspenseful, gripping, and powerful. It’ll suck you right in. Highly recommended!

Queen Hereafter brings a classical figure. She was the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth.

Gruoch is the daughter of an ousted king. Her betrothal to Duncan is to make her a queen and reclaim the lost lands. She travels to his court and leaves behind her best friend MacBethad, who taught her basics of hand-to-hand combat. But the turn of events puts her on a path where she needs to make a choice of quiet life or climb her own way to the throne.

Set against the backdrop of early medieval Scotland, this stunningly imagined story of an iconic character brings court drama and intrigue with suspense. The characters are well-developed. Grouch is complex. She is ambitious and ruthless. It seems as nothing can stop her from achieving her goal. However, as story was building up, I wished for a bit faster pace.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am not too familiar with Shakespeare’s MacBeth, but I was drawn to this story by my ever-growing love of historical fiction and recent mythology retellings. I devoured this book over the course of a day. Gruoch’s story is one of divine purpose and having to overcome many blows dealt her way. It’s an illusion of power and stability, where she constantly gets thrown off her path.


Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an advanced copy through Netgalley.

I support women's rights, and their wrongs. Especially when they are cunning and manipulative... it really just adds flavor.

Queen Hereafter is a Macbeth feminist retelling, in a brutal and backstabbing world. It follows Gruoch who is the daughter of an ousted king, who has been told she is prophecized to be queen by her druid grandmother. Yet the whole world seems to be working against her, but that won't stop her from claiming her destiny by whatever means.

Retellings have really just been my jam this year, and so far every single one of them has been a hit, and this one only continues on that trend. I think it's just the mixture of feminism, twists on modern tales, and the magic that seems to be embedded in all of them. This book not only had this but also had a brutal and backstabbing world, and it made for such an interesting plot and environment in this book. But the real star of this story was our cunning and sneaky Gruoch, who quickly learned that if you want something then you gotta do it yourself. Even if it involves a little bit of blood.

Such an amazing book and an easy five-star read for me. Loved the twisty plot, the lies, the betrayals, and especially Gruoch.

A must read for anyone who loves historical fiction! High court drama & intrigue saturate the pages of Queen Hereafter. Forget everything you know about "The Scottish Play" and dive into the extraordinary life of Gruoch ingen Boedhe before she's Lady Macbethad. From her childhood embracing her Pictish heritage in secret, to a child in Burghead who is used as barter for the lives of her loved ones, she struggles to master her emotions. This is a deeper look into who Gruoch is, her motivations, her secret heartbreaks & disappintments. Does her ambition create her or does she become what circumstances & the schemes of others force her to become?

Actual Rating: 4,5 ⭐️

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Macbeth by Shakespeare is an amazing play and Lady Macbeth was my favorite character when I read it. I didn't know she was inspired by a real life person Grouch. When I knew this and when I found this book, I knew I needed to read this.

Plot

Gruoch, a former king's daughter and a lineal descendant of druids, has always seen herself as Alba's queen and reclaiming her Pictish ancestors' ancestral lands. She goes to Scone to settle into her new role, but she finds Duncan's court full with sly remarks and hostile people, women eager to steal her position, and others whose motivations are a mystery. A terrible change of events compels Gruoch to leave Duncan and the capital as her coronation draws near. Gruoch must decide whether to live a fatal life in the shadows or seek retribution and a way back to the throne because he is alone and at the mercy of an old enemy.

The plot of the novel was really good. I loved every second of it. The ending was really good and I wish this book could have been longer, because I wanted to know what will happen next with Grouch and MacBethad.

Characters

Grouch

Grouch is our main character and the person that inspired Lady Macbeth. Grouch was an amazing protagonist. I loved how complex she was. She wants to fulfill her grandmother prophecy and became queen. However, she doesn't care what she needs to do in order to be become a powerful queen.

MacBethad

I wish I could have seen more of him during the novel. I really liked him, he really grew since he was a child and honestly he and Grouch are perfect for each other. MacBethad was also a very good character and probably my favorite male character.

Gillecomghain

He was Grouch's first husband and her opposite in every way. He wants a simple life, he doesn't like war, he doesn't like power. I actually felt sorry for him and pitied him in some moments, but just like every other character, he also made very bad and poor decisions.

Duncan

Duncan is a character that really made me mad. He is so full of himself and was a jerk to Grouch when she was younger. He wants to be king and will do anything to maintain his status.

Sinna

Sinna is Grouch's maid. I really liked her. She was a very wise and was always there helping Grouch.

Writing

If I'm not mistaken, this is Isabelle Schuler debut novel and the writing was really good. I loved the descriptions and the dialogue between the characters was great. I cannot wait to see what this author will publish next.

World-Building

The world-building was good and well explained. I love how she explained the politics of the time and it was good to learned more about that time.

Romance

This book doesn't have a lot of romance, but the reader can see the main couple is Grouch and MacBethad. I really loved these two and I need to be honest, they were really perfect for each other. Their chemistry and dynamic was awesome.

Final Thoughts

An amazing novel about the real Lady Macbeth.