I was so intrigued by the idea of a reimagining of Macbeth from Lady Macbeth’s perspective as she is definitely one of the more intriguing Shakespeare characters. This book transports you directly to Medieval Scotland, to gothic, dark castles, creaky and creepy cellars, and lush green landscapes.

We follow Roscille, our titular Lady Macbeth, as she is married off to Lord Macbeth. But Roscille is said to be witch cursed, one look at her eyes and she will kill anyone. Thus she must wear her veil to protect men from her gaze. But Macbeth is bloodthirsty and of course ambitious. And also has a secret of his own- the three witches he keeps in the basement that provide him with his prophecies.

In a world where men rule all, and women are just seen as meak posessions, Roscille must do everything she can to survive. I really loved Roscille as a character and seeing her slip into her mask and role as Lady Macbeth but also her tender and scared moments when she was alone, when she was fighting for her survival. The way she comes into her own and into her powers was truly a remarkable arc.

The new cast of characters we get as well really added to the story and rounded out the cast. It added a breath of fresh air to this story and really helped drive the story along. I will always be in awe of Reid’s prose and I always look forward to seeing what they write next!

There is no doubt that Ava Reid is an exceptional writer. However, this story was not my cup of tea. I am not familiar with the original Macbeth, but I am always excited for a feminist retelling.

Lady Macbeth/ Roscille is a seventeen year old girl who was married off and is posing (?) as a witch. She uses her perceived naivety to her advantage by playing her husband. I enjoyed the aspects of feminine rage but my issue was I wasn’t totally invested in the story or Roscille’s character. I would have enjoyed her more if we knew more about her and dove deeply into her psyche.

The incorporation of Lisander and the dragon came out of left field to me. I don’t know what the point of his character was supposed to be honestly as the “love” story didn’t make sense.

Overall, this just wasn’t for me. There are some beautiful quotes but it fell flat.

TW: SA, gruesome torture

I taught Macbeth for over a decade in my Senior English class, so I was very excited for this retelling. Except it's not a retelling, it's a wholesale reimagining that doesn't feel at all true to the original source material. If I didn't know the play so well and love Lady Macbeth so much, maybe I would have enjoyed it more, but going into it at a retelling and having it not at all feel like the play or the character wasn't what I was expecting.

WOOOWOWWWW. I mean OBSESSED. This is my first type of book about Lady Macbeth. I don’t know much of the background but I think I will now go in a rabbit hole.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, Del Rey, for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

"Lady Macbeth" by Ava Reid was a slower read for me as I soaked in the writing style, which beautifully establishes and maintains the setting throughout. Even though it took me a bit longer to read, I enjoyed every minute of the story, eager to see how the titular character would overcome her next obstacle. I also loved the fables and backstories woven into the story. And the witches! I don’t think we could’ve asked for better witches.

I’ll be recommending this book to fans of retellings and of Taylor Swift's "Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?" and "mad woman."

Briefly, I would say good for Ava Reid fans, less so for 'Macbeth' fans.

I always love a tale of vengeance and Roscille was an interesting character. However, I found myself missing so much of what I enjoyed from 'Macbeth'. I was expecting the tragedy from Lady Macbeth's POV, and this was not that.

DNF. I just didn’t understand it and it was not for me. As much I love Ava Reid’s writing, I just could not understand Lady Macbeth storyline.

Thank you to Del Rey for providing me with an arc.

I truly have loved the Ava Reid book I have read up until now which is why I have decided not to pick this one up. The quotes I have seen from it, my friends opinions who I trust, and other reviews have really put me off due to how much xenophobia I have seen in those quotes and brought up by fellow reviewers. I was already iffy as I am someone who doesn't love shakespear so to hear it doesn't even often do those elements well just isn't appealing anymore. I have lost all motivation to read this one after I started seeing reviews and if I do decide to pick it up eventually I will update my review then but I currently have no desire to read this book due to mainly the quotes I have seen.

A dark, Gothic look at one of Shakespeare's most misunderstood characters! Ava Reid presents a new take on the famous lady while staying true to much of Shakespeare's play. Reid plays up on the idea of Lady Macbeth as witch-touched, drawing inspiration from lines of the play to delve deep into a feminist retelling of a well-known tale. Those who enjoy a Scottish setting, a Renaissance time period, and a powerful protagonist thwarting the conventions that bind her will fin much to love. Lush and lyrical!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

Oh, this was a dark, twisty, gothic surprise and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I thought that the take on MacBeth was unique and held enough elements of the original play to keep Shakespeare enthusiasts happy. I am so glad that the author went heavy on the fantasy aspect.

I would’ve loved to see more interaction between Roscellie and Lisander. I could happily have read another 150 pages with more detail. I also would’ve loved more detail on the witches. I guess I just wanted MORE. It was so interesting that I was left wanting. I felt I was dropped into the story rather abruptly and it took awhile for me to get into it but once I was in I was completely hooked.

This author has a real talent for dark, gothic fantasy and I hope to see much more from her.

I am not one to notate books or highlight passages. I typically just read and continue on. But this book? I found myself highlighting so many sections because the writing hit me in the gut and took my breath away!

First, let me say that I am not a Shakespeare aficionado in any capacity. I am not familiar with Macbeth, and thus my view on this topic may differ drastically from one who is an avid fan of the original story. That being said, I loved this book. Any retelling of a famous story from the woman’s point of view as opposed to the typical male dominated stories is automatically working at an advantage.

I loved the mind of Lady Macbeth in this story as she manipulates and maneuvers the men to execute her plans as she envisions them. All while ensuring the men think their path is determined by fates beyond their comprehension. In reality, they’re all following a path created by a young woman. Not to mention, the visceral and ethereal writing in this book was so poignant and intentional that I truly felt as if I was shivering in the damp and claustrophobic Scottish castle next to Lady Macbeth.

Make sure to pick up this book when it comes out on August 6! Thanks to #DelRey and #NetGalley for a free ARC of #LadyMacbeth in exchange for an honest review!

This was the first I've read by this author. Lady Macbeth is the tale of Macbeth from the point of view of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has grown up being told that she is "witch-touched". As such, she always wears a veil to prevent people (men) from looking her in the eye and being ensnared by her powers. There are moments where elements from Shakespeare's Macbeth come through but it's less about her own motivations and more about being the perfect wife that she is expected to be. Most of the motivation for her seemingly comes from how other people have trained her to be. I would recommend this if you are a looking for an interesting retelling that is beautifully written but not as close to the well known Lady Macbeth from literature.

Thank you NetGalley for this earc!

3.5 stars

Ava Reid, as always, knows how to write a captivating and masterful atmosphere to lose yourself in. This was dark, bloody, and intense.

I was put off with the constant reminder that the Scots were brutal, barbaric people. You couldn’t read more than 2 pages without being reminded of that fact. And for a feminist retelling there was a disappointingly lack of women in this story. I guess I just wasn’t impressed by the characters themselves.

I think one benefit for me reading this is that I had very little knowledge of the original play this was supposedly a retelling of. Which from what I see of other reviews there is very little similar between the two. Since I had nothing to compare it to, and I didn’t go in with those expectations, I didn’t dislike it as much as others. But I was expecting more from Roscille character and her ‘gifts’.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Ray for the eARC for an honest review.

This book was incredibly creative- Ava Reid is undeniably a great writer. The concept had so much potential- but unfortunately fell flat. The characters were interesting- but they lacked depth. The romance felt forced and out of nowhere. The ending was underdeveloped.

I loved a Study in Drowning so much, and I was so incredibly disappointed by this novel.

This was more a butchering than a re-imagining. I knew I would be a little bit more critical because Macbeth is my favorite play, but I also did not expect Ava Reid to eschew everything that made Macbeth so tragically beautiful. Macbeth is a story filled with so much love and that it is what makes it so heartbreaking. Macbeth can not help but love Duncan as a father and Banquo as a brother and Lady Macbeth as his wife, and that is why it's all the more tragic he leads them to the fates he does. All the love in the world is not enough for Macbeth to put aside his pride and ambition. Macbeth can not find a way outside of his prophecies. He struggles so deeply with his actions. He is quite literally haunted by them. And in Lady Macbeth he is an unfeeling brute, one that resembles his namesake in name alone and nothing else. He ridicules honor! Macbeth is haunted by honor!

Lady Macbeth herself is not any more feminist here than the she was in the Shakespearean tragedy. She has been stripped of her agency, rather, transformed into a motherless seventeen year old who is unable to imagine a version of herself that is not dictated by the men who surround her. You can make the argument that is precisely the point Reid is trying to make, but why would you take a female character who is so self-assured, who already is an independent, self-functioning character, and warp her into this directionless child in the name of feminism. It adds nothing to the feminist discourse around Lady Macbeth.

Also did not enjoy the English = civilized and Scottish = savage rhetoric. It was really weird, unnecessary, and it was even odder that it came from an American?

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦-𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳; 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

It is said that Roscille of the Veiled Eyes is witch-cursed, her stare able to induce madness in men. She’s beautiful, clever, observant and is unceremoniously sold off to marry the brutal Thane of Glammis, Lord Macbeth.

Thrust into an unruly and leery foreign court, Roscille must rely on her instincts and cunning to survive. And thus begins a dangerous game of dark machinations, deceit, and murder.

This story is a gothic Macbeth retelling from Lady Macbeth’s perspective. We learn of her isolated upbringing, hopes, and fears. She endeavors to earn her new husband’s trust without drawing his ire. As she continues to prove her worth, Roscille learns of his occult secrets while discovering her own power. Will Roscille survive Macbeth’s nefarious ambitions or will they both slowly descend to madness?

With lush imagery and lyrical prose, Lady Macbeth is a gripping story depicting dark and mystical elements, simmering feminine rage, and a dash of romance.

So grateful to the author, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the ARC opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review.

Dear Author,

I highly enjoyed your gothic retelling of Macbeth, but from Lady Macbeth’s point of view, and with the right amount of magic. This Lady is also cunning, but for her husband’s barbarism in every way, she plays with the men forced into her life, protecting herself. This Lady drives men mad with one look.

Artfully written, I was rapt with the tension in your words, the disgust of the men described around her, and thankful I stumbled upon your novel.

Yours truly,
J. D. McCoughtry

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the chance to listen to this e-arc.


Review will be posted on Goodreads beginning 07..29.24

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6591303658

💥💥Book Review💥💥

Lady Macbeth
By. Ava Reid

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

The novel is based on Shakespeare’s manuscript but take it with a grain of salt. This book has a pinch of lyrical darkness, bloody tyrannical rule, and diabolically fiendish intrigue.
If I were you, I would go blind into this book. That way you won’t compare between the real manuscript and this novel. This book deals the trials and tribulations of a woman in Scotland during the Shakespearian time. Everyone in this book I didn’t like and even if I did, it would change later, because nobody is honorable.
Then she throws cryptic witchery and a freakish liaison into the twists. I really enjoyed the book from the beginning and will be reading more from Ava Reid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I so wanted to like this but I am just not a historical romance, historical anything kind of girlie. I love Ava Reid so I wanted to read her other works too.
Reid’s writing is amazing though. Please do not get me wrong. This premise is just not what o was hoping for going into it.

Now if you’re a historical romance girlie - dive in.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the eARC though. I truly do appreciate it.

This book wasn't quite as...unhinged as I wanted it to be. I think fans of Ava Reid will love the book, because it's definitely an Ava Reid book in all the best ways. However, I don't know if fans of Lady Macbeth will like it. It was full of misogyny, which isn't shocking based on the setting, but Lady Macbeth is notorious known for driving the plot by pulling Macbeth's strings, and this version of Lady Macbeth didn't quite get there. She desperately wanted to, and she tried, but she always seemed to be...not outsmarted, but more smothered by physically dominant men. I didn't really feel that the characters were that deep, and it made it difficult to connect with them. And the ending was not as satisfying as I hoped, to make up for all the times that Lady Macbeth's plans were spoiled. I wanted to see her lean into her power a lot more as well. Also, there was a random dragon, which I didn't fully understand. I will recommend that the store purchase this book, and I will likely write a shelf talker for it, because again, I think it's really written for fans of Ava Reid.