I got to read an ARC of Lady MacBeth thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey which like was super super exciting!

Yet again, Ava Reid delivers. The writing is beautiful and the characters are so real. This is such a stunning and powerful story of empowerment and growth and I was so invested in it. I love the character or Roscille so much. The amount of growth and confidence that she gains is amazing despite the amount of heart break and prejudice and horribleness she has to go through.

If you are a fan of feminine rage like I would 10/10 recommend this book. The way Roscille fires back at society and life in both loud and quiet ways is super empowering and was super fun to read.

I will forever be a fan of Ava Reid and will instantly read anything that she writes. Literally anything.

Even now, hours after finishing this book, I feel like I’m still trying to catch my breath. The history and language of medieval Scotland alone is like a spell cast over me. I was transported to the windy destitute castle of Glammis, and I did not come up for air until the story was finished.

The book is called Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid.

9% in. I was on the floor. This book makes my stomach twist. There’s tension, desire, pain, and vengeance. Oh my freaking gosh. I’ve never read an Ava Reid book before. But I am a believer now. Like, I’m going to get down on my hands and knees and prayyyy to Ava Reid. I am going to build a shrine in my home to this book.


Roscille is beautiful beyond measure. Some in her father’s court call her death-touched. Poison-eyes. Witch-kissed.

Her father thought it a good idea to have a story of his own to explain the reasoning of her beauty. He said “perhaps you were cursed by a witch” and in time, that became truth. Better to be witch-cursed than witch.

It is because of her dangerous beauty, she is veiled at all times to protect the world’s men from her maddening eyes.

Roscille is sent to Glammis to become the bride of Macbeth. It is an alliance formed between Breizh, a territory in Britain, and Glammis, a territory in Scotland.

This story is a reinvention of the classic tale of Macbeth. Ava has by force of will, taken, and molded this tale into something fierce, powerful, and moving beyond measure.

Macbeth’s goal it to take over as king of Scotland. He will stop at nothing to accomplish this. The most fitting saying to describe who Macbeth is, is the saying “delusions of grandeur”. Honestly, if you google this saying, I wish Macbeth’s face was the image that comes up.

As much as this story is about Macbeth, it’s really not about him at all. From the day Roscille has been born, she has been molded into what her father believes her to be. He said often, “you are the creature I made you”

This story is about Roscille finding her own path and her own power. But she doesn’t have the luxury to stumble upon it. She has to scrape at the walls of her perseverance until her fingers bleed to find her place. She has to carve out her place among men fighting for power and honor. Her father purposefully, and then not so purposefully, I think, turned Roscille into a weapon of observation and blending in. She uses everything she has ever learned to her advantage to survive.

I think it’s well established that I love a good story set in Scotland. And it was just served to me on a silver platter. One word, kilts. There’s a lot of kilts. And I just think any story that has kilts is an automatic yes in my book. Also the universe wants me to keep reading books set in Scotland. And I’m just sitting back like universe… take the lead. Here we go.


There are legends, myths, spookiness, and these three witches. They haunted me. And I think I will always be haunted by them. And I also love them. Deeply.

This story is moving, it’s haunting, intelligent, cunning, and layered. I won’t lie, I don’t know every word out there. And google was a good friend for me during this journey. But I actually loved that. You’re telling me I get to read one of the most beautiful stirring stories I’ve ever read and I get a vocabulary lesson as well? I’m in. I feel smarter coming out the other side of this book. Ava is a literary genius.

Roscille is a product of her father’s making. She is a product of the world around her. She is a product of the world men have created around her. She’s had to become hard and cunning to survive. She makes mistakes and learns lessons throughout the entire story. Sometimes those lessons are hard to witness. You do take a step back several times and remember how young she is. Everyone around her is ruthless, and you watch her become ruthless as well.

There’s politics and scheming. Macbeth uses Roscille as his dagger to enact his bidding and plans. There’s so much betrayal it’s brutal. This book is brutal in the best way. It makes your stomach hurt. Some of the descriptions hurt. The sharp and matter of fact way of life and the way some things go down in this book are just nausea inducing. But this is the only way of life they know.

Curses. Witches. Dragons. DRAGONS.

This book is darkly romantic. Spice is not an eloquent enough word to describe that intimate passion that is this tortured romance.

I would say that this book is incredibly mature. Mature theming for sure and not for the faint of heart.

This story is lonely. There’s so much loneliness that when those moments of affection come fleetingly by, whether it be a handmaiden offering comfort or a forbidden kiss in the dark, it feels that much more tender and important because it’s so fickle a feeling to feel safety or care in such a cold world.

The paranoia that grows in this story as it progresses is so unsettling but you could not look away. The twists in this tale left me in dismay. I was utterly astounded by what I did not see coming.

Lisander is my new obsession. There’s a quote he says while he and Roscille are hiding in the dark… “If your lord husband puts his hands on you, whisper to me the ugly deeds he does in the dark, and I will stop him”.

I love how half of this story you wonder, is magic real, is that what she has, or is it force of will. Is it belief that you are something, that is stronger than magic, that makes you become what you believe.

This story is dark. You are not going for a pleasant jaunt in the Scottish Highlands. This is power, control, manipulation, pain, torture, grotesque imagery. There is no sugar coating this tale. It’s raw.

Men rule with an iron fist and cutthroat desire for power in a world of vengeance, mystery, and magic. Do you succumb to the will and want of men. Or, do you find out what you’re made of instead. Do you not only persevere, not only survive. Do you carve out your place. And thrive.

I am in awe of this story. this is the story I’ve been waiting for. In a sea of books out there. This is a jewel. And I will treasure it with my whole heart. Always.

As someone who has enjoyed most of Ava Reid's books, and has always loved Macbeth, "Lady Macbeth" is the kind of story that was a little bit of a let down. While the writing was excellent, as it always is with Reid, the story itself fell flat. Maybe it's my own ideas of Lady Macbeth holding me back from truly loving this iteration, or maybe it is a lack of characterization, but this didn't live up to my expectations.

One thing about me, if Ava Reid writes it, I’m going to read it.

In the last year I have fell in love with Ava Reid’s writing and Lady Macbeth is no exception. Reid knows how to grab you from that very first line of a book and keep you hooked until the very end.

Lady Macbeth is chocked full of unlikable characters and believe me, there were quite a few that I absolutely loathed with every fiber of my being. Our MC, Lady Macbeth is not one of them however. Her strength was unmatched. The amount of horrendous things she goes through doesn’t weaken her like it would some, it makes her stronger and I admire that about her.

This book is dark so be sure to check TW before reading!

So full disclosure, I came into this book more interested in the Macbeth aspect than the Ava Reid aspect. I think Reid is an extremely talented writer, but I've found that I have some difficulty getting into her style at times. I was hoping that the fact that this is an out-and-out retelling/reinterpretation might have helped with that, but unfortunately, it didn't do as much as I would have liked.

Lady Macbeth is a fantastically written book. It's lush, it's horrific, it has phenomenal characters, and it has a lot of great things to say about both the original play and the world of semi-medieval Scotland. Roscille is a fantastic viewpoint character, and seeing her struggle and transformation as the story progresses is an excellent arc. But despite all that, I came away from this book not quite loving it, and I don't 100% know why. Maybe the darkness felt a little too dark at times, the fantastical elements not quite present enough?

But despite my not loving the book, I absolutely recommend it to any fans of Ava Reid's writing, Shakespearean reinterpretations, dark fantasies, and novels in general. It's a fantastically written and deeply evocative story, and the fact that it didn't quite click for me has more to do with my tastes than with the book's obvious quality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ava Reid has done it again. Lady Macbeth is gorgeously written yet easily accessible, complex yet fast paced, beautiful and terrible - just like the original story. Roscille is an imperfect teenage girl attempting to find her way in a terrible world full of violence and scheming men. I love that Reid doesn’t shy away from the horror inherent to these stories. Definitely kind of bloody if that freaks you out, much like Juniper and Thorn and the Wolf and the Woodsman. It made me feel sick in only the way an Ava Reid book can - but I loved every minute of it.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

I was approved for this arc and read it within 24hrs of approval. I was THAT excited for this. Ava Reid is one of my favorite authors. A Study in Drowning staunching being in my top favorite books. I was worried I would not love this one as much as ASID but I was HAPPILY mistaken. I ate it up and left no crumbs. I will not be taking ANY negative commentary on this book. Yes I can see some flaws but I will not be acknowledging them at all.

This story feels very much like an Ava Reid story but at the same time it is such a different vibe. I felt more of the female rage...both quiet and loud.

This rewrite centering on Roscille (Lady Macbeth) forces you to really look at her. She is given a voice and a view. The gaze is unflinching. She is a complex creature that is deserving of her moment in the light.

I loved the prose. I loved the magical elements. I loved just how much you truly come to hate Macbeth (& others let's be honest). I loved how we come to love a monster over a man. (snippet of a great quote "...the man who acknowledges his monster is always wiser....")

If you are a fan of the "I am no man" moment. This is for you.

It has been many years (high school) since I read Macbeth, and even then, the only thing I remember enjoying about it was the line, "Double, double toil and trouble: Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes." So, I would not normally reach for a retelling of the story but I was mesmerized by a stunning cover. I did like the idea of a feminist perspective, or at least, the female character's point of view. Back when the Bard wrote the original play, women were so marginalized that even the female roles were played by men so I was a bit intrigued by a turn around. The story definitely has dark gothic vibes to set a dramatic mood and it is easy to read and follow. The characters range from morally grey to outright dark but that is to be expected for anyone familiar withe the original play and there are scenes of abuse that might not be suitable for everyone but they seemed appropriate in the context of the story. The titular character is definitely not a saint but I was invested enough in her plight that I wanted her to emerge triumphant by the end. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a darker read and enjoys a retelling from a marginalized (but certainly not minor--I see you Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) character's perspective.
I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

I am not religious but I will worship Ava Reid. This was phenomenal: a lush, gritty, transcendent reading experience. Her prose was stunning, she manages to toe the line so so so well of poetic prose without getting too purple. I felt our main character was one of the strongest Ava Reid has ever written, it seemed like I could feel what she was going through deep in my bones. This felt darker and slower paced than her previous works, but it worked well for the story. It gave it a much more haunting atmosphere. It doesn’t feel as “fantasy” as her other works but honestly I do not mind at all, this felt riskier and more ambitious, and I think will appeal to those whose interests are more into literary fiction, in addition to her current reader base.

ARC provided by NetGalley.