Thank you Del Rey for my free ARC of Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid — available Aug 6!

» READ IF YOU «
🎭 can’t get enough of mythology/literary retellings
🩸 love to watch a woman come into her power!
🖤 absolutely live for gothic, atmospheric books

» SYNOPSIS «
Our Lady has lived her life behind a veil, as her naked gaze turns men instantly mad. Her father has sold her in marriage to a British Scotsman, and now she must make the best of this dangerous labyrinth she now calls home.

» REVIEW «
This is a retelling (emphasis on retelling — it’s not just a tweak to the original Scottish Play) of the story of one of my favorite literary villains. Lady Macbeth often gets blamed as the wicked influence on an otherwise upstanding man, which is a narrative I’ll just never get behind. She gets her redemption in this book, for sure! It’s unique, dark, heavy, and glorious.

If you’re into witches, the occult, magical realism, gothic literature, strong female characters, and men getting what they deserve, then this book is for you, babe. I absolutely loved this twist on the classic Shakespearean tale!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I honestly love what Ava Reid puts out - retellings with gothic and even monstrous elements centered always on the experience of the woman in the story. It took me a couple of days to let this simmer, but I think the more I think on it, the more I like it.

In this, instead of being an evil mastermind, the new Lady Macbeth is a girl just trying to survive. Haunted by rumors (possibly truths?) that she’s a witch, she is forced to leave her home in France for Scotland, where she marries Macbeth and is surrounded by no women. What sets the stage for the events of Macbeth’s attempts at power consolidation and bloodlust is Lady Macbeth’s attempts to keep Macbeth from forcing her to consummate their marriage. But as Scotland gets more violent and Macbeth more extreme, life for her gets more dangerous. The magical realism twist comes as she fights for her life and freedom.

This definitely pulls from the source material, and at first I didn’t like that this Lady Macbeth seemed more passive than Shakespeare’s. But the more I’ve marinated on it, the more I appreciate how this seems so realistic - that a 17 year old thrown into a political marriage who is loved only for her beauty has to fight for freedom. I also loved how she learns to use her power to fend for herself. There is also a bit of a romantic sub plot between Lady Macbeth and one of Macbeth’s enemies that I thought added depth and again was a good showing of how she was struggling with her limited choices. Overall, I could not put this down and even though Lady Macbeth is flawed - in different ways than her original character - I was super rooting for her. And I *loved* the touches of magic throughout. I honestly want a whole Macbeth retelling of just the witches. This is a great beginning of spooky season read and another hit retelling from Ava Reid!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I think why I really loved this book is because I went into this with limited knowledge and zero pretenses of Shakespeare's original Macbeth. I read it just like everyone else in high school, but it was well over 10 years ago, and has since left my mind clear out so I got to work with a blank slate. I LOVE Ava Reid's writing style, and in this, it just clicked perfectly with the story even though it's nothing like she's really written previously. I feel like reviews might be polarized with people expecting a retelling of the original, but those with an open mind, or no previous ties to Macbeth I think will really enjoy it.

Arguably beautifully described gothic atmosphere and talented writing, but struggled to keep me engaged. I lost the plot in many of the verbose political dealings and struggled to reconcile the Lady Macbeth who was strong and manipulative with the one who folded immediately when threatened. I don’t know whether I was hoping for something spookier? I think I’m just not well-suited for this historical type fiction.

The following review has been posted on Instagram as of August 6th, 2024. It has also been posted on Goodreads, BookBub, Storygraph, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, & Books-a-million. It will be posted to Amazon as soon as the book publishes.


Most of you must know by now that I’m a huge fan of Ava Reid! I was so stoked I got approved for Lady Macbeth on Netgalley & even more excited to read it of course!

Needless to say, this book did not disappoint! I read Macbeth in college, & while I didn’t recall the nuances, I didn’t think I needed to. I did remember that Lady Macbeth’s character is often considered a villain, though, & that was definitely an important aspect to remember while reading Lady Macbeth. This book gives Lady Macbeth more context to her actions. She is considered “hagseed” by most, & a witch by the rest, simply because of the accident of her birth & her genetic predisposition to ethereal beauty. She is then married off (read traded for an alliance) to a foreign clan chief in a country quite dissimilar to her own (she is from Brittany, a Celtic region of North-Western France), & therefore she is as foreign to, & thus alienated from, them. She is further alienated by the sexist (even more so than the usual of that time!) tradition of separating women servants from castle life—immediately upon arrival Roscille’s handmaiden is removed.

Focusing on Lady Macbeth’s name is also quite an important nuance. In the original text, the character lacks a first name & is only referred to by her relationship with a man––thusly she is defined only by the men around her. Reid gives Lady Macbeth the name Roscille, which is changed upon her arrival to Scotland to the more Scottish Roscilla (another act of alienation & attempt of definition by the men around her). Throughout Roscille’s mistreatments by the men in her life (historical context: women were property & childbearers at that time), she learned from a young age that while her body may be owned by men, her mind could be free. So she sharpened her wit & attempted at every turn to use her wiles to keep herself as safe as possible from the men in her life. Unfortunately, that did not go very well for her, & she was often reduced to using her cunning in service to her husband, et al, to save her own life, the last thing she had besides her mind. Each time she was forced to choose between autonomy & breathing another day, she hated herself & resented even more the men around her. She recognized that the women of her time had very little to barter with, & even being a noble woman seemed to afford her less freedom, for she was expected only to produce male children, or else.

In the end, there is so much more I can say, like the pan-Celtic symbolism of the animals of Scotland, Brittany, England, & even Wales Reid uses throughout the text, or further examples of the sexism of the time, the plight of the prisoner witches in the dungeon, or the small ways Roscille fights for feminism. But a good summation is a quote from the text: “Let them call you witch, as they do any woman who professes strength.” Five stars. Period.

3.5
This was solid; very much "women are powerful" but I found it a bit heavy-handed at times. I also felt at times that it was perhaps too internal? Like sometimes there was more telling than showing. This was my first book by Ava Reid, and I found it very easy to read (stellar considering my book slump), though I was never quite on the edge of my seat.

What a stunning novel! Drawing inspiration from Shakespere’s *Macbeth,* Ava Reid weaves a fascinating fantasy story centered on one of his most one of the most interesting Shakespearean characters, Lady Macbeth. This story does not “tell Lady Macbeth’s side of the story” in the traditional play, but instead uses the characters and setting from the original to create a unique and compelling story full of magic, mystery, and drama.

>> ❤️ What I loved: Reid’s writing here is stellar, and creates a really compelling story that kept me guessing—a huge feat, considering this was inspired by a pre-existing story! The romance plot is also surprising, and I found myself really drawn in by the character. Woven throughout this story are some great ruminations on societal expectations of women and the many varieties of female strength.
>> 💔 What I didn’t love: On its own, I actually think this book is incredibly strong. However, I am deeply conflicted about this story as it relates to the pre-existing character of Lady Macbeth. The version of Lady Macbeth provided by Reid feels *so different* from anything I might have imagined for Shakespere’s character, which raises a lot of questions for me about what she chose to align the book as a “retelling.” My thoughts on this are incomplete, but this has created a certain ambivalence about the book that makes it more of a “4” than a “5” for me.

I would highly recommend this book to fantasy readers, especially those who enjoy a historical fantasy. This was my first Ava Reid book, and after reading this I look forward to diving into her other work!

**Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4.0-4.55)**

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Ava Reid, and Random House Publishing/Ballentine/Del Rey, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

This book was beautiful. it was beautifully written and i loved the style of writing and the structure of the book/storyline. i really felt like the author truly took us back to this time and gave tribute to this story. otherwise though, i just didn't find myself liking it! it was super easy to read and the reader experience was wonderful, but actually being invested in the story and having it just grip me by the shirt and pulling me in... just never happened. i don't know why this book didn't click for me, but at the same time i really do appreciate it and think it was well done. i hope that makes sense? it was a weird feeling.

Lady Macbeth is a reimagining of a shakespearean classic that gives a voice to one of Shakespeare’s most iconic villains. This story is a reimagining not a retelling. Reid takes the broad plot points of a will known story and uses them to craft a unique narrative full of historical details and feminine rage.

This book is gothic, atmospheric, and completely enthralling. Reid gives Lady Macbeth’s character a voice that has been denied her for too long.

This book is dark, and adventurous, and emotional, and I need people to read it so we can discuss it!

Ava Reid never fails to hit the ball out of the park. This Lady Macbeth reimagining was dark and creepy. I really loved it!

I found it hard to connect with Lady Macbeth as a character and kept wondering when she would start to reveal more of herself and her motivations, but it hasn't happened yet which caused me to soft-DNF this unfortunately. I love Ava Reid's writing though and can tell that maybe this is one of those stories when you don't *need* to connect to a character so iconic but unfortunately this didn't work for my tastes

Shakespeare’s iconic villainess finally gets her side of the story. This isn’t just a retelling of Macbeth, but more like behind-the-scenes of Macbeth. What happens at the castle while the king is off on his conquests?

I loved the story and adored Lady Macbeth as a character. She is quiet but powerful. She is female rage. This book gave background, reason, and a voice to a previously not understood or misunderstood character. Ava Reid brings new life to the story and adds depth and girl power to a bloody classic.

Ok, so here’s the thing… I went into this book not fully knowing what to expect and more than anything I’ve come out of it confused. Let’s get into what I liked and didn’t like:

Liked:
- How poetic the writing was
- The strong FMC
- The historical references

Didn’t Like:
- I don’t feel like I understood…most of the book. Again, this could be due to my own incompetence but there were entire chapters that went over my head. Not in the “I wasn’t paying attention way”, but I just didn’t understand what was trying to be conveyed. It was in part due to the way the story was written (trying to be historically relevant) and in part due to the plot.
- Toxic masculinity, and before you jump on me and say that this is what this story is grounded on, as a re-telling I still wish we could have toned it down just a teensy little bit. It took away from my overall enjoyment of the story.

Was it a bad book? No. I can definitely see how some people are going to LOVE this one. It just wasn’t for me and that’s ok!

Thank you to Del Rey and Net Galley for a gifted copy of this one.

This novel was one of my most anticipated reads for the year and I would like to thank the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an eARC to read and share my thoughts on it. As a fan of Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth and hearing so many stellar reviews of Ave Reid’s writing I was so eager to see how she molded a story for our complex queen.

The story begins by introducing us to Roscille the teenage daughter of a French lord who has sent her off to be married to Macbeth, a Scottish chief, who is around twice her age. She wears a veil over her face because it has been told that her stare prevails madness in men. Her arrival in Scotland is bleak she is afraid but cunning by beginning her manipulation of Macbeth by bringing up a custom where she can request three items from her husband before he consummates the marriage. It does not take long before Macbeth entrust her with his secret and prophecy of being king. To keep Macbeth satisfied and away from her bed she helps in his plans to fulfill that prophecy which then leads to her assassinating the Scottish King.

What I enjoyed the most about this retelling is its gothic setting and how Reid flushed out more of the supernatural aspects from the original play. However, the character development throughout slid by the wayside for me. And maybe that’s because I am such of fan of the original source material. Lady Macbeth in the play had so much ambition for power. She’s more a villain in that play but has a stronghold of what she wants until she descends to a madness plagued by guilt for the wrongs she’s committed. Her character has always been complex and intriguing. Roscille’s ambition and wants to me seems unclear until the final moments of the book. Her journey didn’t really show my too much development.

Another issue I had with this story was Roscille’s view of the Scottish people. I sympathized with Roscille and her situation. She’s forced alone in this new place, married to a man older than her. But I feel less sympathetic with her constant negative view of Scottish people. Her views that the Scottish people are brutes feels a tad xenophobic. And I guess it’s hard not too when all the Scottish men in the story are unlikable and redeemable save for one.

I really wanted to love this. As I mentioned I loved the gothic and fantastical elements of this book but ultimately a book title Lady Macbeth should have a Lady Macbeth you want to root for weather she be in her villain or hero era.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Ava Reid for the opportunity to read this prior to release. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Reimagining of Lady Macbeth. Roscille, rumored to be witch-touched, is married off at 17 to Macbeth. She wears a veil to keep men from the magic of her stare, so she must use her wits and cunning to stay safe in this new land full of brutish men. But she doesn't know her husband is keeping witch secrets of his own.

Review: I think my saving grace reading this is that I don't know *too* much about the original Lady Macbeth. However, I do know enough to know that this reimagining is so far different than the original that it is hardly even related. I think it would have been better off saying this is inspired by Lady Macbeth and leaving the names out of the story as to not invite comparison.

Semi-spoilers??
I found Roscille to be weak and kind of whimpy. She complains about how brutal and abusive her husband is throughout the book, but I must have missed something while reading, because he never actually touches her...? Roscille is single-handedly the cause of all the problems in the book because she wants to find a way to avoid her "marital duty". Every death is on her hands. It wasn't until about 75% into the book that she actually steps up and starts to be cunning.

I understand this is a fantasy reimagining but it was like the author just threw in all of the fantasy themes that she could think of. Witches, fairies, dragons, prophecies? It's supposed to be a feminist take on the original but there are only three females in the entire book that speak (not counting the laundry witches) and none of them seemed very impactful. Also, I don't know if the country as a whole pissed her off or just some individual men, but Ava Reid does NOT paint Scottish men in a very good light. Although, I did keep imagining Macbeth as Stoic from How to Train Your Dragon, so that was fun.

I have previously enjoyed Ava Reid's style of writing but the way she wrote this book seemed different from her other books. I found the story to jump all over the place and leave things out to the point where I frequently had to go back in the book to see if I missed something. Overall, I will continue to read Ava Reid's work but this book was just not for me. Nor would I recommend it to anyone that has a vague understanding of the original story.

When I saw that Ava Reid was writing a Macbeth retelling, I knew I had to read it. Advertised as a feminist retelling, I wish our leading lady wasn’t so unlikeable. I have read books where the protagonist is unlikeable, but you still root for them anyway, but it was hard for me to root Lady Macbeth on as the story went.

Also, if you are a Shakespeare purist, this work will hit some buttons. It’s been ages since I read The Tragedy of Macbeth, but I feel like there were some differences.

LADY MACBETH is an interesting book in a variety of ways. I thought this book would be a strict retelling from the POV of the famous villainess, the one who famously wishes she could be a ridiculously bloodthirsty entity rather than a woman and who called her husband weak because he wasn't down with murder. But that wasn't what was given here. This is not a bad thing, but if you wanted the lady boss that is known as Lady Macbeth from the play or are a die hard Shakespearean purist, I would skip this book because you won't like it.

This book is a retelling of sorts, one that is not faithful to the original storyline of Macbeth, but it doesn't make itself any less interesting. Retellings do not have to be 100% verbatim of the original source material, and this one takes it in stride. Instead, we get a gothic magical realism element throughout and beautiful prose that makes this book a powerful story in its own right about a woman who is forced to become who we know as Lady Macbeth. I would think of it as inspired by Shakespeare rather than a retelling. The details are rich, the story interesting, the magic and gothic elements well written.

The big thing though is the actual character of Lady Macbeth herself, Roscille in this story. I was expecting her to be this powerful, strong, absolutely take no prisoners character. I was expecting her to be manipulative and power hungry. And in a sense, we got that, but on a scale that is much smaller. Roscille is more PLAYING at being this way. It is as if her agency is stripped away. I know that the author was making a point about gender roles, and she makes it, ensuring that Roscille must play the game assigned to her and make her own identity in spite of that, but as a character, it made her a bit boring, especially when she is naturally compared to the powerhouse that is the OG Lady Macbeth. I wanted a villainess, not a caricature of one.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel and its story. Once I treated it like its own work, rather than a retelling, that is when I began to enjoy it more. If you want a faithful retelling, this won't be for you. But if you love character growth, gothic atmospheres, magical realism, and gender power dynamics, this one will be for you.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Hi, hello, hi, huge fan of Ava Reid over here. Juniper & Thorn and A Study in Drowning are some top tier gothic fantasies and solidified me as a forever fan. I mean, this girl can write her ass off. Hands down some of the most beautiful one liners I’ve ever read. Absolute poetry. Lady Macbeth is no different. Admittedly, this is probably my least favorite read of hers. But it’s still a good one!

I read a lot of Shakespeare growing up as a drama geek and lover of English courses. With that said, it has been a very, very long time since I’ve touched thw source material of Macbeth. I have a vague recollection of what happens but it’s been about 15 years now so I’m more fuzzy than not. I’m actually happy about that and certain I enjoyed this book even more because of it. Had Macbeth been fresh in my mind, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed this for what it was.

If a dark reimagining of a literary character is something that sounds up your alley, definitely pick this one up! It’s an immediately engrossing read and I love Reid’s FMCs. I did a mix of reading and listening to the audio and Imani Jade Powers did an incredible job.

Sigh.

What a complete an utter disappointment this is.

I’m actually astounded — and a little impressed, actually — at how poorly Reid’s interpretation of the Lady Macbeth is. Lady Macbeth is one of the most fascinating characters in English literature. There are a multitude of readings and debates surrounding her character. Yet, Reid somehow manages to strip Lady Macbeth of almost all of her complexity. Many of her fascinating character traits are given to the men around her and even then it’s pathetic.

Additionally, Reid attempts to add complexity to the story and the Lady Macbeth mythology by shoddily attempting to do a thing where it’s like “we as women are an amalgamation…we are all in some ways Lady Macbeth.” (Especially with the First Wife).

I think this book would have worked better if it had stepped away from calling itself a retelling and instead had been a novel in its own right, with Reid citing influences from the Shakespeare classic. I still don’t think the book would’ve been great, but it would’ve been better.

This is more of a 1.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

I will say there were some decent moments of good writing, particularly with the commentary of the treatment of women. However, this could have been done so much better. Additionally, I can’t really say I cared for much of any of the characters or felt any of them had any distinct personality, it entirely lent on the play to do the heavy lifting.

Just really disappointing.

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid is a complicated book for me to review. Macbeth is a play I deeply love, and I loved the idea of a retelling that focused on Lady Macbeth, a fantastic character. I will start this review by focusing on Lady Macbeth as a book; I'll talk about it as a retelling (or a reimagining, as it is by no means a retelling).
Ava Reid is a beautiful, intelligent writer. I have read and enjoyed all of her books, and this is no exception. She plays with language and creates a compelling and engaging story. However, I wish one of two things—either that she had simply written this as historical fiction and not connected it with Macbeth or that she had created it as a prequel to Macbeth and not as a reimagining. So, on to what I thought of it in connection to Macbeth. This book is not for you if you loved Lady Macbeth as a strong, ambitious woman. Lady Roscille (Lady Macbeth) is a scared, seventeen-year-old girl who tries to be clever and keeps messing things up. She is not ambitious and is simply trying to survive. At the very, very end of the book, she finds her power, but most of the book does not represent Lady Macbeth as Shakespeare portrays her. As I said above, if this had been a prequel and taken place before the events of Macbeth and showed how Lady M had become ambitious and powerful, it would have been exciting. Alas, that is not the case. The book takes place at the same time as the play. However, the plot of the play seems to be disregarded. There were so many changes from the play for apparently no reason. From odd minor changes (why were the names of Duncan's sons changed?) to major plot points being changed. Many of Lady Macbeth's great scenes from the play were given to Lord Macbeth instead, again with no objective justification. Macduff, an essential character in the play, is almost nonexistent in the book. So, as a Macbeth reimagining, it failed for me, which is a shame because I think Reid could have done a fantastic job if she had either made it a prequel or stayed more aligned with the source material. If you are not attached to the play Macbeth, I think you will love this book; however, if you do love Macbeth, read with caution.