I was thrilled when I received an arc for this as it was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024–I adore Ava Reid and how she seamlessly weaves folklore into her stories, and I particularly love how she writes female characters who find strength in being soft. A Study in Drowning was one of my favorite reads from last year so I had high hopes for Lady Macbeth.
I read this back in April and I was quite surprised that it’s a quick read, however, it unfortunately didn’t meet my expectations and in the end, was a bit disappointing ☹️ I think for me this stemmed from the way in which Lady Macbeth’s character was written. I guess I was hoping that she would be more ferocious, but I didn’t find that she came off as cunning (and mildly crazy) as I would’ve thought. This really affected the book for me more than I anticipated. Though I loved the strength in softness in ASID, it didn’t work for me here. Even though this is a feminist reimagining, I was still hoping we’d see the more cunning side of Roscille but that didn’t really come through for me. I feel like this book was often very weird, so I was kind of shocked that I wasn’t really shocked by Roscille’s character? I also didn’t find the prose as strong as ASID, which is what I loved about that book.
The reason this is still a 3 star read for me is because it is a retelling/reimagining, so I can’t be that angry that my expectations didn’t align. It just wasn’t for me! I also heard her speak about the book on pub day at The Strand and I really appreciated hearing her research behind this book, including Marie de France’s lais and Shakespeare’s original source, Holinshed’s Chronicles. I think her writing process is insanely interesting to hear about and despite not loving this book, I really can respect the writing process behind it. I don’t think I’d really recommend this one but I’m looking forward to Reid’s next publication!!

I generally enjoy retellings which is why I was initially drawn to this book, however, nothing about this one worked for me. I did not finish this book in its entirety but I am rating based on what I read. Other than it being dark, I didn’t enjoy anything about it regarding plot and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ava Reid always kills it with gothic, atmospheric fantasy. Their writing is always absolutely beautiful and I will always read whatever they publish.

There were times I just wanted more from Lady Macbeth. We were told that she is very cunning and smart and there were times where it would have been a good idea to show it but it wasn't. That is my main issue with the book and the reason why its a 4 star and not a 5 star.

Lady Macbeth was a beautiful, gloomy retelling of the Shakespearian leading lady. It maintained its grimdark tone and moody setting while establishing a fierce and intense protagonist. We support women's wrongs!

Lady Macbeth is a feminist retelling of the eponymous character from Shakespeare. The book blends history, folklore, Shakespeare, and fantasy to reimagine the story through the eyes of the woman who is usually portrayed as the villain in the play Macbeth. This the second feminist retelling of Lady Macbeth that I have read this year and I wasn't a huge fan of the first one, so I went into this one fairly nervous. But I loved A Study in Drowning, also by Ava Reid, and had faith that this book would successfully combine the different genres into a satisfying novel.

And... it still didn't work for me. First off, this book is very violent with vivid depictions of sexual assault and physical violence. Not my favorite things to read. And boy, there is a lot of it. If you are at all sensitive to these topics, skip this book. Roscille, our Lady Macbeth, is supposed to be a smart, cunning, and conniving character. I didn't see that with her at all. She was constantly found out and challenged at every turn. It didn't make me feel like this was a character who was several steps ahead of anyone else.

This book also unfortunately had two of my pet peeves. First, BIG, HUGE MAN and tiny, delicate woman. In this case, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. And it's mentioned pretty much every time these characters are together. And they're together a lot. I get it, he's a huge brute and she's a delicate flower. Cool cool cool. The second is the female character being "cursed" with such beauty that it ruins her. Roscille is so beautiful that her father started the rumor that she can't look at a man directly without causing madness, so she wears a veil. Cool, I guess? But boy do we get objectified throughout the whole book! Being beautiful is literally the only quality that I can identify about Roscille now that I have reached the end. Unbelievably beautiful woman is also present in A Study in Drowning and I didn't love it there, and I don't love it here, but I felt like it had more nuance in the other book. Here it just made me feel some type of way. I think there are more interesting stories to tell than really focusing on the physical aspects of people.

MINOR SPOILERS but one guy is also a dragon. That's something I don't remember from Shakespeare! I wish I could say that he adds to the story but he unfortunately does not.

Overall, this book was pretty disappointing to me, even when I'm often a fan of feminist retellings of classic characters. If you're okay with everything I mentioned and love (supposedly) morally gray characters, I'd say give this a try. 2.5 stars from me rounded down to 2. Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, my thoughts are my own!

CW: Sexual assault, physical assault, descriptions of death and dying, blood, cruelty to animals, death of animals

I would say I Love Ava, but i think its more apt to say I am obsessed with Ava, so this hurts.
I think if you change the title of this book and change the characters name its exactly what I love from her. Gothic and Angsty with female protagonists taking back their agency while strange things are at play and there is a monster or two. However, this being marketed as a lady macbeth reimagining made it harder to stomach since it shifted so dramatically. I will say I am pretty sure the intent was for this to sort of take place after the lady macbeth we know who is now one of the witches but some of the major events are shifted to this part, but I am not sure if that was actually the intent and that could be part of the problem since it wasnt clear and for anyone who has a smaller Macbeth understanding a first name of one of the witches isn't enough to give them all of that. I will say when we found out the witches name I yelped with joy cause it was suddenly all making sense, but then we didnt really delve into that idea any further which is why I almost think I imagined it.

~thank you so much to netgalley & the publisher for gifting me an arc~

I have such mixed feelings about this book.

There’s no denying the Ava reid is a very talented writer, and this book definitely proof of that. they have such a way with words and can create the most beautiful imagery and gloomy ambiance.

this book follow roscille, a 17 year old dukes daughter, as she’s about to marry the infamous Macbeth. Roscille is witch kissed or “cursed” and has gleaming white hair and other interesting abilities. As Macbeth tries to overtake and compete for the crown, roscille is thrown into the chaos and tries to make her own way.

I’ve personally never read Macbeth or seen the play so I have no idea how accurate or inaccurate this book is to the play.

It just seemed like this book moved really fast, I wish we had an extra 50 pages. I had to keep backing up and re-listening to parts of read because it moved from scene to scene quickly.

I think this book is very average. there’s definitely flaws with it and parts that I also really enjoyed but overall I don’t feel any strong emotion and it just feels mid. I know a lot of people are very excited for this one after a study in drowning and I think a lot of people are going to be slightly disappointed. It’s just different than I think we all were hoping for. The cover is so insanely gorgeous though and that’s probably my favorite part of this book

Thanks again to the publisher and netgalley

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid is a well-written and evocative re-imagining of the story of Lady Macbeth. I'm not sure that I'm a member of the target audience for this book, as I'm not a huge fantasy reader nor someone as familiar with Shakespeare as I would like to be, but I can vouch that the story is well-told. I'll likely recommend it to lovers of Shakespeare reimaginings or those who are drawn to fantasy of this type.

I think this is a good book but unfortunately it was not the book for me. The premise of it fascinated me but I just couldn’t get into it and I struggled a bit with the writing. I think I just haven’t had luck with this author but maybe in the future if I come back to this book I’ll like it.

Reid’s prose is both lyrical and incisive, capturing the tense atmosphere of the Scottish Highlands and the political machinations of the time. The novel excels in its vivid descriptions and the psychological nuance with which it examines its protagonist. The interplay of historical detail and emotional depth makes Lady Macbeth a riveting read, offering new insights into a character who has long fascinated readers and scholars alike.

Overall, Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of one of literature’s most intriguing characters. It is a must-read for fans of Shakespearean adaptations and those interested in complex, character-driven narratives.

I was intrigued by the premise of this story, but ultimately I wasn't a huge fan. I will also say that this didn't really feel like it needed to be tied to Macbeth, I would have probably enjoyed this as its own thing. There was a lot of stereotyping, and a lot of.....boring (for lack of a better word) descriptions of people and places. I don't know, this just wasn't....what I was hoping for, I really do think that if this was edited a bit, to cut out the boring, and marketed as its own thing it probably would do a lot better. The cover is really cool, though, I will give it that.

There are entirely too many Shakespeare reimaginings out there in the world, but every once in a while you get one that feels fresh and interesting. Lady MacBeth is an intriguing retelling of MacBeth with some added magical elements and from the perspective of the titular character.

The book gives her an interesting backstory, some magical abilities, and a far greater hand in her husband’s poisonous ambition and tragic downfall.

She isn’t an especially sympathetic character here, though she is more sympathetic than in the original play and she’s certainly more likable than her brutish husband, who’s more bully here than Shakespeare’s version.

If I had a gripe with this version of the story it’s that change to MacBeth’s character, which feels a bit of a hard-fisted attempt to make him the villain, along with the romance with Lysander, which also feels like a goofy attempt to introduce a romantic subplot to a story which didn’t have one and didn’t need one.

Ava Reid’s writing is just as enthralling and beautiful as i remember it from Juniper and Thorn. I couldn’t get enough of how she created her own version of Lady Macbeth.

Absolutely a must read by Ava Reid!!! Roscilla comes into her power and Reid makes the journey such a treat. Humongous thank you to Del Rey for this ARC.

This is an immediate buy.

This was an absolutely transfixing read! The atmospheric writing and suspense gave the reader an immersive journey.

I went into LADY MACBETH with certain expectations of how Ava Reid would approach the character--I expected more femme fatale, less ingenue. I guess I am more familiar with the older, more hardened portrayals of Lady Macbeth. I am sincerely glad Ava Reid turned my preconceived notions of the character on their head because LADY MACBETH is just so darn good! The book, not the character...the character is still a *tad* troubled, but I love her. Reid stayed more or less true to the Bard's tale while reinventing one of history's most evergreen villains. Reid's Lady Macbeth is a young and inexperienced bride trying to establish a place for herself in her husband's court. She watches and observes the men around her and rebels little by little against the laws and labels ascribed to her by playing the men. Reid's Lady Macbeth is not Lady Macbeth at all, but Roscille, a young woman who is so often called a witch that she must cover her eyes for fear of men falling under her spell. Roscille hides behind the veil and thinks and plots. But there are more shades to Roscille, Lady Macbeth than there ever were in Bard's tale. I loved this book, I LOVED the ending of the book, I loved the portrayal of Lady Macbeth, and I love Ava Reid's writing. Very happy that she has so many novels coming out within the next couple of years.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for this review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. There were many changes from the original story that didn’t feel right.

Ava Reid’s Lady Macbeth is a strikingly atmospheric and darkly moody retelling of the classic Shakespearean tragedy. Reid's writing style is undeniably intricate and evocative, skillfully weaving a tense narrative that encapsulates themes of feminine rage and ambition. Her prose is at its finest in her fourth book

However, despite these strengths, I found my overall experience with the book to be somewhat mixed. The first three-quarters of the story struggled to fully engage me, despite the promise of a gripping narrative. While Reid’s intention to reimagine the iconic character of Lady Macbeth is clear, her portrayal fell short of the strength, cunning, and agency that I had anticipated. This reimagining, while inventive, did not fully resonate with my expectations for Lady Macbeth’s character arc.

The final 20% of the book, however, is where Reid’s vision shines through most vividly. The resolution offers the readers a satisfying conclusion and elevates the story’s emotional impact, showcasing the author’s ability to craft compelling and powerful moments.

Ultimately, Lady Macbeth is not a faithful retelling of Shakespeare’s original play, which may disappoint some reades or those seeking a traditional interpretation. While I appreciate Reid’s unique spin on the story, I find that my long-term impression of the book is somewhat diminished by the earlier shortcomings. For readers interested in a dark, atmospheric reimagining with a fresh perspective on a classic character, I would recommend it, though it may not leave a lasting impact for everyone.

My bookclub never pass up a chance to read Ava Reid. Our group started with her first novel and we’ve continued our discussions for each book. Lady Macbeth continues the tradition with her beautiful and haunting writing. I admit to not recalling much of the source material so my opinions are based on the story told here and not in comparison.

This felt like a cross between historical fiction and fantasy, the remote and brutal setting both felt real and one based in fantasy. When Roscille becomes the Lady Macbeth, she uses everything in her power - beauty, brains and the mythology surrounding her to help her navigate survival in this new life. Trying to manipulate her Lord husband and surviving any way possible I found the storytelling to be so intricately woven, it wasn’t fast paced or exciting but I flew through it every chance I had to pick it up.
Such an interesting story and i cannot wait to discuss it with the group.

Many thanks to the publisher and @netgalley for my earc to review! 5⭐️

Ava Reid writes some of the grittiest historical fantasy I've ever read. In Lady Macbeth, 17-year-old Roscille is brought to Scotland to marry Macbeth. This retelling engages with the Shakespeare play. So many of the beats are there, from the three witches' prophecies to Lady Macbeth's bloody hands (or are they?) - but in a sideways manner that focuses on women's place in medieval society. It was a rough read in the sense that you feel Roscille's helplessness despite her urge to use her wits to survive.

Reid's prose is beautiful but stark. Sexual violence is a part of life for Roscille, so it forms a large part of the novel. Reid doesn't focus on the mechanics or the specific acts, but rather the impact on women's health, both mental and physical. Tread cautiously, but know that Roscille does get a happier (if more ambiguous) ending than in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.