I absolutely adore Ava Reid’s writing and A Study in Drowning was one of my top reads of 2023. I was super excited to read their take on Lady Macbeth, as they have a history of giving their female characters incredible depth. With that said, this story just didn’t do it for me.

Although it has been years since I read Shakespeare’s play, the Lady Macbeth I remember was worldly and respected by her husband. She already had power and agency and directed her husband’s actions. Reid’s version is a sad facsimile of that cunning and clever lady.

If the portrayal was already far off the mark, my other issue was with the writing and pacing of the story. Honestly, I was bored. Usually Reid’s work captivates me from the very first page, but it was work to finish this novel.

While this book was not for me, I do think it will find its readers, and will by no means prevent me from reading Reid’s future works. I am eagerly anticipating both their upcoming 2025 releases and especially cannot wait to read A Theory of Dreaming!

Thank you to Netgalley, Del Rey Books, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a DNF at 25% for me. I struggled to connect the character with how she was shown by Shakespeare. The writing also seemed a bit overdone in sections for how simplistic the character's reasoning seemed to be. I am sure that Ava Reid's fanbase will enjoy this book quite a bit.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC. I was very excited to read this as I loved A Study in Drowning. I'm not the biggest fan of Shakespeare, but I did enjoy Macbeth, However, this was a rather slow and dry read. I didn't really care about the characters. I wish there was more scheming.

Thank you so much for the ARC! I think overall I'm just not clicking with Ava Reid's writing, but I think this is a great addition to Reid's list and their growing fanbase!

While I think this was an interesting book, to say this is a retelling from Lady Macbeth's point of view is sad. This book destroys the image of Lady Macbeth to me and other Shakespeare readers and makes her into a character that does basically nothing for herself for most of the book. I am a huge fan of Ava Reid as an author but I do not think this was one of her good titles.

I have mixed feelings.
This doesn't follow the play very closely. I kept forgetting I was reading a Macbeth retelling and being surprised when the next plot point from the play showed up.

I still like Reid's prose, and Roscille's story was compelling enough to make me root for her, but unfortunately the book did not live up to my expectations.

At the beginning of the book we are told that Roscille is very good at remembering people's faces and small details about them, and then using those details to scheme against them. But she doesn't actually do any of that in the book - she doesn't even remember the names of most of Macbeth's men, referring to them by what they wear instead.

In addition, I don't expect a retelling to stick religiously to the story of the original, but Lady Macbeth is known mostly for being evil and incredibly ambitious. In this book Roscille has to be convinced by her husband to kill the king, instead of the other way around. When I think of the potential of the character of Lady Macbeth - a ruthless schemer who exploits her husband in her plans to get more power - compared to what we actually get - a terrified teenage girl who is just trying to survive - I can't help but feel a little disappointed.

I felt like the pacing of the book was just fine. The character arc of the main character is where the problem lies, there was no really substance to her arc and had no real motivation for it.

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2024, so nobody is more disappointed than I am that I’m only giving it 3 stars. I typically love Ava Reid’s writing, and it was good in this book, but the themes and plot were not as on point as her other books. I really enjoyed the first 20 or 30% of the book but after that point I stopped enjoying it as much.

As a Macbeth retelling, I did not like this reimagining of the character Lady Macbeth. Even when I decided to separate it from the original Macbeth, I did not like the way the story went and found it boring and repetitive at times. Some of the characters were interesting but I felt they weren’t fleshed out enough, and some of the plot beats didn’t really make sense to me.

Even so, I will read anything Ava Reid writes because I’ve really enjoyed all of her other works and I think she’s an incredible writer. This one just didn’t hit for me.

Wow, Ava Reid's prose shines in this unique retelling of Macbeth from his wife's perspective. She has created a polarizing main character in young Roscille, who I found difficult to like but found myself rooting for all the same. Roscille is young, naive and immature. She vacillates between trusting her instincts and overestimating the men she encounters. She very much reflects the mindset and maturity of a 17 year old girl, which is appreciated by this reader. This book is atmospheric in the best way, though I wish readers got more description of the setting, Scotland, the castle, etc. Those who pick up this book expecting a dedication or loyalty to Shakespeare's original characterization should be wary, however. Reid take creative liberties (which she totally is entitled to do!) to create a unique experience for the reader. Fans of Madeline Miller's "Circe" will enjoy this book for sure, as well as those looking for something with a spooky, unearthly, eerie vibe. Definitely would recommend to read in the autumn! Thank you for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC.

This dark and atmospheric story was full of lore, fantasy, and romance. While I loved the premise of the story told from the perspective of Lady Macbeth, I couldn't help but feel that the pacing of the story itself was a little bit off.

It felt more like a character essay than your usual dark fantasy. It touched on heavy subjects that women in the medieval ages were facing.
The writing was impeccable, as always. Ava Reid truly knows how to immerse you into the story and paint vivid pictures with her words.

If you like darker stories that focus more on character studies than overall plot, this book is perfect for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

Ava Reid has done it again. The prose is lush, the characters are compelling, and the plot is wrapped up in such a satisfying way that I couldn’t help but smile.

I LOVED this book. Lady Macbeth is such a fascinating and well known Shakespearean character, but I love how Reid makes this story something completely unique. I didn't know which way the plot was going to lean, but I wasn't disappointed by any of the events. I found the witches and their story very interesting. Go into this expecting there to be massive changes from the play and have fun with it!

★ 3.5 / 5

Ava Reid is still a masterful writer, and I cannot wait to continue reading their poignant stories. While I had some complicated feelings for certain elements within Lady Macbeth, I still adored Ava's beautiful writing and insightful changes. If you're looking for a Lady Macbeth retelling where Lady Macbeth is a power hungry, ruthless woman, this is not the retelling for you. Roscille is definitely a young woman trying to please her husband and survive him instead of one actively plotting with him to get the crown. It was a hard pill for me to swallow at first because I've always pictured the character in that way (loveeeee angry, villainous women leads), but once I got past that reality, the story becomes infinitely more enjoyable.

My favorite change is by far the witches in the dungeon/basement. It feels very Bluebeard-esque for Macbeth to lock these previous wives and witches in a dungeon to hoard their visions and knowledge for himself. It's a smart way to unify the witches plot-line from the original play and Macbeth household together, unlike the original Shakespearean version. Roscille feels a kinship to these women due to their witch abilities, so when she is locked inside the basement with them after Macbeth realizes her treachery, it was a full circle moment for her. It was the only end for her character because she is a tool for Macbeth to use, nothing more, and she's finally forced to confront that reality in her purest fear. Obviously, she gets out and seeks revenge on her husband, but those scenes where she accepted her witch abilities and heritage were phenomenal. Roscille is finally forced to confront her reality and change her destiny.

Honestly, besides the witches in the dungeon and dragon plots, Lady Macbeth was a pretty faithful retelling. The scenes leading up to Duncan's death were very similar to the original play, and I didn't mind Roscille's mind control over Duncan's guards, ultimately leading them to kill Duncan through Roscille's coercion. It strengthened Roscille's abilities in the world building of this retelling and also her guilt for the latter parts of the story because she is against killing him. Yes, she helped add to Macbeth's ambitions to be king as she hyped him up, but in this retelling that is more accidental than in the source material. I actually want to go back and reread the Macbeth play so that I can compare the two more closely. Of course, the end of this retelling is very different, but I was amazed at the attention to detail within the context of the original play.

One of my biggest questions for Ava is why they chose to not go the historical route for this book. Lady Macbeth (not Shakespeare's version but the Macbeths from Scottish history) was a real woman named Gruoch ingen Boite. With all of the research Ava does for their books, I'm curious why they chose to ignore the history of this woman and create Roscille, who is from a French provenance, from scratch. One of the biggest points of the Macbeth couple is their inherent Scottish heritage, so it confused me to see Ava strip that history from this famous literary, Shakespearean woman. For reasons like this I'm hesitant to call this a true retelling because this does not feel like the Lady Macbeth from the original play. It didn't help that a lot of grotesque and barbaric words are used to describe the bloodthirsty Scottish men. I'm Scottish myself, and it got under my skin to see them described only in this manner. Because I've followed Ava for years, I know they would not use this descriptor lightly, but it did upset me to see the English and French receive deep complexity and not the Scottish men.

One last critique is that I wish there was no romance in this book. Ava tends to write great romances into all of their books, but this one time I don't think it was necessary. With Macbeth being evil and Roscille trying to stop him, I would've liked to fully focus on that journey instead of being distracted by another man. He's also a dragon, which I'm not opposed to one being in the story, but I would've rather the dragon been Roscille actually. Maybe the witches could've used their abilities together to turn Roscille into a dragon. I love the idea of her escaping from the dungeons/basement and burning Macbeth to a crisp or ripping him to shreds for what he did to her and other women. This plot-line with the love interest just felt flimsy to the overall narrative, and a girl-boss moment for Roscille would've been my preference.

Anyway, while this is not my favorite Ava Reid book (cheers to A Study in Drowning!), it was still an interesting read that I'll recommend for anyone who wants to read Shakespeare-like stories but not the real thing. It was an easily digestible retelling, so it'll be great for readers that don't have experience with the plays.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I did not finish this book. I don’t know there was something about it that I just couldn’t get into this book. I think it had something to do with the historical aspect and I just wasn’t in the mood for it. I’m very much a mood reader and will probably try and pick it up again when my life calms down.

This Shakespeare retelling refreshed the story of Macbeth. Hearing this story from her point of view was gripping, as we just know her from her actions in the play. The book is gripping, and really makes you empathize with Lady Macbeth, which I didn't think I would be able to do.

What an absolutely unique read!! This is not something I would have expected from Ava Reid, but holy smokes do i need more like it. fast paced and i couldn't put it down.

I find myself torn about this book so this review may veer in two different directions. First of all, its a beautifully written story. Reid has taken the time to craft the world of... 11th? century scotland and make it feel accessible. Though, the choice to use time-accurate names for people and places can be a bit off putting at times because they are so unlike the names and places we're used to. I will say the choice definitely centers the reader in a time that is nothing like our own, which for this story is important.

Reid makes some interesting choices in the characterization of Lady Macbeth. Anyone familiar with the scottish play will feel the difference from the start and I can't really say whether that's good or bad. In some ways, I feel it changes the essential character, but in others, it makes Reid's Lady Macbeth wholly her own. This Lady Macbeth is, in many ways, an innocent. She is thrust into the unknown world of the Scots and forced to use her mind (a dangerous thing at this time especially) to not only survive, but to keep her brute of a husband at bay. Much of Reid's Lady Macbeth seems preoccupied with protecting her purity, not for the sake of remaining virginal, but because being a wife reduces a woman to being seen as a breeder and not much more. A few early wins on the board of strategy seems to make this lady macbeth feel like she is a player in the game, a feeling which quickly unravels.

Another pointed difference of Reid's Lady macbeth is the heavy reliance on so-called magic, or the story that looking her in the eye will destroy a man. I found this piece to be intriguing, but also a bit limiting. Never are we certain that she actually has any power. Certainly, the inciting event in her youth could be interpreted many ways. She seems to show true power when doing Macbeth's bidding, and in the end, but I never quite felt like there was a decision about her true power, one way or another.

As a story meant to highlight the abuses of women, their lowly status, how they were meant to serve, this was a good telling.

As a story meant to shed light on Lady macbeth, I found it lacking PURELY because I truly love the unhinged nature of Shakespeare's Lady. I prefer the characterization of Lady and Macbeth working together, of her maybe spurring him on. I feel the "original" has more agency. However, this is not meant to be a true origin story and so I would caution readers to go into this with a clear mind. It is different from the source material, which makes it all the more interesting. Its not a retread.

I love this beautiful retelling of this story. Ava Reid executes it so well. I just wish it was little longer. Thank you for the ARC.

"He crushed her in his fist, squeezing out all of the witchcraft that was valuable to him, and then left her, a husk."

There is something about Ava Reid's books that I find myself drawn to. I have especially always loved the authors atmospheric writing style and the horror elements laced throughout. In comparison to past novels, Lady Macbeth was the most similar to Juniper and Thorn. These books can be an acquired taste in my opinion and people will either love them or hate them. I would recommend if you've enjoyed ARs previous novels or love books that blend history and fantasy together, are thought provoking, and have a delicious dark gothic atmosphere.

I loved this retelling of Lady Macbeth. I've always loved Ava's writing, and retelling Shakespeare is where it really shines. I do wish that the story was a little longer. The ending felt rushed.