3.75 rounded up
I love Ava Reid’s writing and beautiful imagery. Her talent in providing such a vivid word, does show throughout this book. I found myself having trouble getting started. The first 50% of this book drags a bit, the second half is much faster paced. I am not overly familiar with the original story of Macbeth, though I thought it was an interesting switch to make Lady Macbeth the protagonist. From what I remember Lady Macbeth is not innocent from Macbeth’s crimes, she is a driving force for them, so the juxtaposition found here is truly an interesting choice, here Lady Macbeth is a victim of her circumstance, trying to have power in a world where women have none. The take on the witches was a really poignant touch, and cemented the feminism and sisterhood of women theme throughout the story. Thank you netgalley for an e arc of this book.

I truly contemplated on how I should rate this novel. Upon serious consideration, I'm giving this a 3.5. This is not a long story, but swallowing its contents felt like chewing on a very fatty steak. This book was very ambitious for what it was trying to achieve.

Obviously, Lady Macbeth is a reimagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a refocus on the titular character. In the play, her identity is solely Lady Macbeth and Reid gives her more substance in her version. Yet, this attempt at a female-centric take on one of the greatest plays in history, struggled under its own weight. Some aspects held well, but others crumbled.

The writing. This is truly Reid's shining moment here. Reid goes to great lengths to transform the nature of Shakespeare's verse and translate it into prose that resonates with the past while still comprehensible for the reader. And Reid excels at this truly. Her skill in writing well is prominent through this novel.

As for the plot and characterization, this is where it started to get rough. It tries to divert and honor the source material, but ends up ripping the script in half. Reid's Lady Macbeth has far less autonomy than Shakespeare's even though the narrative pushes for her freedom. The love interest can barely be called that as they share all of 5 scenes together. It didn't feel real, more like a tryst if anything.

The magic was fascinating in concept but it felt too clean--to convenient for the alternate plot. Lady Macbeth was not a character I was necessarily rooting for, but to be fair, all of the characters were villains in their own right--which was satisfying when vengeance was obtained.

Macbeth served as a tragedy and this was startling not so. I still question what this version offers in comparison. Nonetheless, I felt like this was a solid concept that just fell a little flat to my expectations.

I would like to preface this by saying, I have not read Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth so in this way I'm unsure how it holds up. From my understanding though, this is a very loose retelling with magic. So I don't think a side-by-side comparison would even be right in this case.

But I more than enjoyed this book! It was very slow paced at the beginning but picked up in the last 40%. For this it redeemed itself entirely. Ava Reid writes very passively maybe part of that was me getting used to this style once again.

First what I didn't enjoy so much:

Roscille has a very narrow and unfounded view on the Scottish men in her purview. She hates them with a passion and thinks very little of them although, they actually treat her well in the beginning. Other than a new environment and a culture she is unfamiliar with, there was nothing that was layed out as to why Roscille hated them as she did. So I could not hate them as she did. I only moved past this as, she is young at 17 and her only knowledge of men has been in a controlling and abusive sort of way. So I took it as her just hating her situation and therefore the men in her life.

What I loved:

I loved that everything in this book, every action, was unintentionally or intentionally brought down by Roscille. She was scheming and plotting away. She wanted her husband to die, and accidently set him on a course to become king. She wanted an ally, and accidently made an enemy. She finally met a man she liked and it ended up almost being her downfall. Every action she had taken to better her life in someway ended up being a thorn in her side or helpful.

I actually liked Lord Macbeth, and could not understand why she hated him so. He was nice and included her if a bit rought around the edges and power hungry/mad. I lowkey wished she ended up loving him.

I also enjoyed the magic aspect. I loved the analogy of her powers to what is going on. How she isn't supposed to be powerful or want power because she is a woman and yet, concealed behind her veil is just that. The power to bring men to their deaths if she pleases.

But mostly, I enjoyed that she just wanted better for herself than the man-ruled life she was in. A life where she was just supposed to produce a son, where she had no say, and was only an extension of her husband whom could do whatever he liked. She tried her best to not only survive but ensure herself a better future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Okay, I am going to keep this short because I'm still in disbelief over just how bad this book and Ava Reid's writing are. For reference, "Lady Macbeth" is supposed to be a "feminist reimagining" of the character Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Now, I have not and am now definitely not a fan of Ava Reid's brand of feminism and writing. I've always found her writing to be pretty weak and incredibly reliant on buzzwords and this "reimagining" is no exception to that. I am so annoyed because all of the marketing for this says that this version of Lady Macbeth is supposed to give her agency and power in a way that the men in the play and the man who wrote her never did...ironically Reid's portrayal is incredibly xenophobic and misogynistic. Instead of a strong, intelligent, and bold (because that's what I associate with the canon Shakespeare character), we get a very delicate, weak-willed, racist, and honestly, dumb teenage girl. Right from the start, Lady Macbeth isn't even Scottish. She's French who sees the Scottish as animalistic and hulking idiots. Oh and for that extra Reid punch, she can't help but look down on the few women we see in this book as ugly and rough. I mean this is all just the basic issues with the book, I'm not even getting into the basic narrative issues that I always find with Reid's books either (don't ask me why I keep reading her books just to be disappointed...she has cool ideas...just poor execution...every single time). This reimagining feels like peak Reid to me because of its use of buzzword marketing, the shallow and lazy writing, the poor characterization, and the poor and lazy reinterpretation of an iconic Shakespeare character. Don't even get me started on Reid's interpretations of the men in this. UGH.

I'm keeping this review short because if I get TOO into it, I just get annoyed. Overall, this book was a MASSIVE disappointment. I would not recommend it if you are in any way a Shakespeare lover. Definitely not if you're like me and have studied Shakespeare constantly.

very very sad to say I am DNFing this. as an unapologetic shakespeare geek and villainous woman lover, I was absolutely ecstatic about this - I also really love Ava Reid and her writing style. but I got 39% in and just couldn't do it anymore. lady macbeth gives 'very woe is me' tiny girly energy and immediately writes off macbeth as a scottish brute, leaning into some gross stereotypes. character issues aside, I ran into a similar problem as when I read Juniper & Thorn. Reid's writing is incredibly unique but at the same time... repetitive? take a shot every time 'lamprey' or 'ermine' is mentioned. also i'm sorry but this whole chain of events being set off because she doesn't want to consummate the marriage, and her consistently harping on that... many things adding up to the novel just not working for me. and it breaks my heart to admit it.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Ava Reid truly can do no wrong in my eyes and Lady Macbeth was no exception. This was just stellar. I can’t get enough of the way Ava pulls you into the world so quickly and you’re reluctant to leave long after you’ve finished. Absolutely incredible. Highly recommend!

Going into this blind (only familiar with Macbeth through the Zach & Cody episode where they perform it at school) felt like such a uniquely fun experience.

As a retelling, I can't measure it due to that unfamiliarity. However, from the perspective of someone with no knowledge of the tale, this was bloody brilliant.

I read this in 3 sittings over the course of 24 hours because I simply couldn't get enough. The balance of magic versus feminine wiles was fascinating, and I just loved the gloomy and suspenseful setting. Incredibly well-done.

Ava Reid can do no wrong. This is an incredible reimagining of the story of Macbeth that feels simultaneously fresh and different while staying true to the story. Absolutely phenomenal.

There’s a lot to love here, but there’s also quite a bit to find frustrating. I will say, if you are looking for a straight up Macbeth retelling, this is not it. This takes familiar characters and creates a new story with some recognizable milestones.

As always with any Ava Reid story, this is gorgeously written. There are some lines that can make you gasp with how beautifully and hauntingly they are rendered.

As far as Roscille/Lady Macbeth herself…I wanted more. I wanted a powerful woman, using her power, wielding her influence. We got some small flashes here and there. But overall, she finds herself miscalculating, not as clever as she thinks, or just plain cowed by the men around her. I didn’t want to see her shrink in upon herself.

I won’t spoil it, but I actually really enjoyed the romance subplot and how the book ended.

Not my favorite of Reid’s, but still one I would recommend, especially if you can go in with an open mind.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

If there is one thing I love, it is either re-imaginings or re-interpretations of classic stories. Ava's Lady Macbeth gives us a deeper look into Lady Macbeth as she brings light to the cunning and resiliency of the character in a dark story landscape. The story does a good job balancing the original tale while adding new life to the story to keep readers captivated. The atmosphere of the dark and dreary Scottish landscape lends itself to the story, making it all the more captivating.

5 stars | There is so much to say about this book, and let me tell you, I have just as much anxiety about saying something I'm not supposed to. This is my first arc, and when I tell you I'm genuinely worried that Netgalley is gonna get the FBI to show up at my door if I let anything slip-

But it would be so hard not to! This is a fantastic book, so let's get into it.

The Characters:
Our main character, Lady Macbeth, is sent to Scotland by her father to marry Lord Macbeth, who's something like 39 to her 17 years. Known for her madness-inciting stare, the Lady is a keen observer who uses her unique perspective to give herself power.

I cannot articulate how Reid's writing, especially regarding the creation of our protagonist, makes me feel. First off, I am an avid believer in Ava Reid supremacy, and if you read this book, you will too! Roscilla (Lady Macbeth) is such an interesting character. if you've read any of Reid's other books, you know that her female protagonists are absolutely unhinged, and you know what? They have a right to be. I think we've fallen into a really unfortunate trend where authors give their characters a tragic backstory/history of abuse simply so that they can appeal to a certain demographic while marketing their books. On the other hand, Reid's depiction of abuse and perseverance is genuine in just about everything, and I feel like that needs to be appreciated more.

The Writing

Everyone needs to read an Ava Reid book in their lifetime. I saw a one star review of this (which is wild, to say the least) where one of the main points of their criticism is that Reid can't write. I try not to judge other people's opinions and tastes because I realize that not everyone likes the same thing. But to say Ava Reid is a bad writer is the equivalent of saying the earth is flat; it's false, there's literally so much evidence against it, and to go on believing this is a sign of ignorance. Their voice is one of the most distinct, and beautiful, in the industry right now. If we ever reach a point where all authors write like Ava Reid, it'll be a sign that we have entered a utopian society.

The Message

I cannot say this enough: we need more writers like Ava Reid. Everyone gets to read their own stuff, cause that's no one's business but their own, but the publishing industry needs to stop pushing toxic relationships in their media. In this book, Macbeth is nearly fourty. Roscilla is 17. He is controlling and possessive, and views his wife as a tool and his property. Not ONCE is this romanticized. The fear that Roscilla experiences, especially around having to consummate their marriage and the uneven power dynamic, is real and it is palpable. Marriages where teenage girls are sold off in order to gain an alliance are not romantic. Please let that sink in. Huge props to Reid for acknowledging that and not falling into the trap of looking at a predatory relationship and calling it romance. Some authors really need to realize the harm that they do when they ignore this. Age gaps where one person is a teenager and the other is middle aged ARE NOT SEXY

Overall thoughts

I'm pretty sure the majority of this review is me talking about how much I love Ava Reid, and I'm ok with that. Once this gets published, I'll be sure to put up some highlights and quotes, but until then, get ready! I loved this book so much and I can't wait to see everyone else talk about it 💖 In the mean time, go preorder and add it! It's important that we continue to support authors. Have a great next read

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Lady Macbeth” is pleasingly moody and atmospheric. I will admit it could be slow at moments and sometimes a bit repetitive, but ultimately I enjoyed reading it and would recommend to others. For fans of retellings, specifically if you also liked books like “Morgan Is My Name” or “A Dowry of Blood.”

Oh no this was one of my most anticipated reads, but it fell kind of flat for me 😩

I thought we would be getting a bad ass female villain in her element running circles around all the brutal men in her life. Unapologetically intelligent, assertive and full of rage (and rightfully so). Instead we get one woman barely surviving, every win gets away from her or lands her somewhere worse, leading her to lose confidence in her own schemes. The MC was a bit too cowed for my liking. I was expecting an MC like Carmilla from the show Castlevania, and this was more of an unsure young girl coming into her own. Also, there's no women in this story, I'm not sure if that's taken from the original Macbeth, but the only female companion this girl has goes missing in the first chapters, and is replaced later on with an older women. There's not really any female friendship development. I think the author was trying to make the MC isolated, but I think the story was already bleak enough. I did enjoy the romantic elements, but wasn't really expecting that kind of storyline in this book, so it was just a bonus. I would recommend this author's other book Juniper & Thorn instead.

—————-

Thoughts before reading:

I will read everything this queen writes, she got a chokehold on me.
Plus, this cover is giving 2006 Marie Antoinette movie poster vibes 🤌

Book Stats:
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️(2.5/5)
Tropes: Modern Take Retelling
Publisher: Random House Publishing
Review:
*Thank you to random house publishing for giving me a copy of this book for free in exchange for a honest review-It really means a lot to me that you trust little old me!*
What do you get when you when probably one of the greatest dark academia writers of our generation to write a retelling of one of the most controversial plays in history, you get a whirl wind of magic, love and fighting for what you truly believe in. When Roschella is sold off to Macbeth as a political gain, she isn't thinking much. She is the cursed bride-any man who looks into her eyes will go insane. But over time, she realizes how much power she truly has and starts to play her own game.

The diction in this book is amazing. Ava Reid with her words builds a world of renaissance chaos. I don't think I have ever had read a book with such good world-building. Seriously, It had me hooked on page one. I wasn't struggling trying to understand what was going on or anything. The whole think just had me wrapped in its claws. Also, THE MAGIC SYSTEM???? I generally wonder how some one comes up with the idea for something like that. It also didn't break my allusion at all. Typically with retellings I feel as though the magic system fits outside of the original time period(typically with Greek retellings), but the way the author set it up here was just perfect, and fit perfectly well with the medieval Scotland and the way the characters would think about such a thing.

`The Shakespeare references in this? Made both my theatre kid and my literate side of my heart very very happy.

There was such good character growth in this book. The MC you could see really had to change in order to make her situation change. She had to realize that she was powerful enough to do so(if that doesn't have you hooked to pick up this book, I don't know what will).

Yes, there is a romance sub-plot. It was written just perfect. Enough so I think the book stands perfectly by itself alone without it, but it certainty was a very nice touch that had me screaming and kicking my feet like the teenage girl that I am.

Honestly, If you just like powerful stories, this is one I highly recommend. Macbeth is such a interesting play and I think Ava Reid did a wonderful job with this retelling. This book really brought me back to that love of reading and literature that I haven't felt in a very, long time. This book made me want to get back into english class and discuss the true meaning of power. It's everything you could want in a book: drama, lots of magic, and a girl trying to find her own destiny-without it being assigned to her. Even if you hate Shakespeare(Like I know most teenagers do-thank you for that school!) I highly, highly recommend picking this one up! Read it like a fantasy novel!

‘Lady Macbeth’ is Ava Reid’s reimagining of Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, claiming to give her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her. This was one of my most anticipated reads for the year because, although I’ve had a very polarising experience with Ava Reid’s works so far, I did really enjoy ‘A Study in Drowning’, which is the one I finished most recently so it may have clouded my perception of my previous reads.

I think the major downfall of ‘Lady Macbeth’ is that there is an almost non-existent reference to the source material. It’s set in Scotland. There are three witches. There are characters that share names and little else with Shakespeare’s characters. In my opinion, other than a very loose structure that mimics the play, those are the extent of the similarities. I was expecting a more accurate retelling rather than an ‘inspired’ reimagining as this was marketed specifically as a retelling, so this is a root of a majority of the issues I have with this book.

This book joins the trend of feminist retellings of classic characters, but takes away all of Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth’s defining qualities to do so. I’ve seen another Goodreads reviewer define it as ‘character assassination’, and I agree with that description fully. Reid’s reimagining turns our beloved ambitious middle-aged Scottish woman who gaslight gatekeep girlbosses her way to the top into a teenage French girl with no ambition who spends most of her time describing the Scottish men as violent and brutish in comparison to all other men, which I found to be a very jarring addition which was never challenged or developed in any way. Reid’s Lady Macbeth is watered down and turned into a ghost of her Shakespearean self. Where is the woman who bullied her husband for not wanting to commit murder? Where is the woman who is torn apart by the guilt of committing said murder herself? There’s not even a reference to the iconic “out damned spot” moment, which was a defining moment in me studying the play for my GCSE’s. There’s not a reference to many of the iconic moments from the play, which made me wonder what the purpose of this story was at many points. The book and the play follow the same beats, but the book has significantly less enthusiasm. I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if all references were removed and it stood as an original work.

Reid’s Lady is defined only by the men in her life. There is one man in this book who the Lady sees in a positive light-even though he treats her as a prize to be taken every moment he is on the page-and he happens to be the only man who isn’t fully Scottish. He’s a love interest who she has no chemistry with, and I felt like removing their relationship from the plot would have a limited impact on the book as a whole. He can also turn into a dragon, something that only seems relevant when he needs to (not metaphorically) swoop in and save the day. I never thought I’d be a men defender, but we’re told by the Lady continuously that woman good man bad with very little on page to support this, mostly due to the sheer absence of female characters in this supposedly feminist retelling. Macbeth is described as someone who always objectifies women and doesn’t treat them like people, even though the Lady is constantly surprised by how much he listens to her and values her opinions on how he fights his battles. ‘Man bad’ is the Lady’s universal truth, but a majority of them are fine when she interacts with them, or they’re cartoonishly evil. Reid seems to be toeing the line between man hating and Scottish hating in this book, but that is a whole other point for me to delve into.

I am aware that the sexism and misogyny may be an accurate depiction of what was going on historically, but it’s not something in Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth’s story that suggests that these things represent her. Rather than being a feminist retelling or having the same amount of agency as the original Lady, this book seems to construct a significantly more sexist and patriarchal world for the sake of the Lady having the opportunity to break free. The lack of women in this book feels more and more noticeable with each description of a hulking Scottish man who laps up the blood of his enemies. There is a woman-the Lady’s handmaiden-who arrives to the castle with her in the first chapter and disappears a few paragraphs later, and there is a woman later on who the Lady ‘saves’ from being sent to a nunnery who becomes the new handmaiden and appears in a handful of scenes (which were potentially the most interesting ones, too). However, in comparison to our tiny delicate Lady, these women are constantly described by how ugly the Lady finds them and how wide their shoulders are (mentioned multiple times) rather than their personalities or any notable details about their lives. Other significant women include the witches who do little more than say “Hail Macbeth” and vague prophecies (which was to be expected, I guess), and the Lady’s father’s wife who is only really described as ‘mad’.

While I really enjoyed Reid’s writing in ‘A Study in Drowning’, it felt bland for me here, more passive than I’ve experienced in her previous works. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters, largely due to the lack of relatable emotions or believable intentions. The story was told, but there was no action: a majority of the intrigue takes place off page while the Lady sits in the castle, which is believable for the sake of the plot, but simply uninteresting to read for so many pages. The Lady is also self-described as good with faces and names and little details about people, yet doesn’t remember any names or faces or details by the end of the book, and it’s these little inconsistencies scattered throughout that really disrupted my reading experience. There’s a lot of moments where the Lady tells herself that she’s asking smart and subtle questions to learn more about Macbeth, then she immediately follows them up with incredibly un-smart and un-subtle questions that made me reevaluate everything I had been told about her. It’s hard to become invested in the protagonist when they don’t even seem to understand what they’re doing and why.

Overall, ‘retelling’ is not the word I would use to describe this book, and this is unfortunately not one of the ways I wish to reimagine such a powerful, iconic woman who made me care about Shakespeare’s works.

I think this book will appeal to those who enjoy seeing a classic tale re-imagined from a female perspective. I have never read Macbeth, so I cannot say how well it relates back to the source material or if it will appeal to lovers of Shakespeare, but I can say that the author gave Lady Macbeth a complete and satisfying story arc.

With that being said, this book was not for me. I wanted to love it because Ava Reid wrote it, and while the writing is as beautifully done as ever, I felt ambivalent about the story. The author did a wonderful job giving life and depth to the characters, but I could not make myself care about or invest in them. The book felt dark from beginning to end, and even the slivers of love and romance that peeked through were not enough to make it enjoyable to me.

If anyone else had written this book, I would not have read it, because I know the story wouldn't appeal to me. I tend to prefer books that have more light, hope, and romance woven into them, so I can confidently say that my disappointment is driven by my taste as a reader and not the quality of the book.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of this book for me to review.

Huge Shakespeare lover, so I was very excited about this. Especially since Macbeth is my favorite Shakespeare play! Lady Macbeth is such an interesting character, and it was fun to see her take on the story. Loved the way it was written. All about female driven stories.

Before I begin I want to say a huge thank you to Netgalley for letting me read and review this book early!
17 year old Roscille may seem to be nothing more than a foreign bride for the Scottish warrior, Macbeth, but she is so much more than that. In this feminine rage retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth Reid takes readers on a journey we didn’t know we needed. The world in which Roscille operates is one filled with magic, witches, curses and most importantly, prophecies. While Reid takes some creative liberties retelling this iconic story, the changes were necessary. With nods to other Shakespearian work, Reid clearly knew what she was doing while writing this novel. Roscille’s journey from Lady Roscille to the titular Lady Macbeth is a blood-soaked horror that I could not look away from. However, I felt like the beginning was a bit slow, and the end was a bit rushed. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy Shakespeare, retellings of classic stories, and fans of both fantasy and horror. Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid is compelling, terrifying, and truly fascinating.
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid comes out August 13th 2024!

Darkly compelling retelling of Shakespeare's story of Macbeth. A young girl who's eyes are said to bewitch men is sent to Scotland to marry the brutish Lord Macbeth who resides in a remote castle with dark secrets of his own. When she tasks Lord Macbeth with requirements before she will share the marriage bed she sets into motion a series of events that will forever change her fate.
I truly enjoyed this story though I had not read Shakespeare's Macbeth I was familiar with the story and I found that this version told from her point of view was compelling and definitely had me not wanting to put the book down. I think that the setting and characters were well developed and the writing style was accurate for the time frame in which the story takes place.
If you are a fan of historical fiction with some fantasy thrown in you will definitely enjoy this book.

Let’s look at mcbeth from lady Macbeth side of the story. This is written in an old world way which may be hard for you to stay engaged