i really loved this. the narration was so lyrical and magical. i definitely recommend this one! i read macbeth in high school, so i was looking forward to this one. such an amazing retelling.

“A witch needs no invitation, only a way of slipping through the lock.”

I wish I could give this hauntingly beautiful story by Ava Reid six stars. Note: this is a re-imagining of Macbeth, not a re-telling. Come in with an open mind of where this story will take you – if you do, you will thrilled, enraptured, haunted, disturbed, and on the edge of your seat.

Reid is the most intentional author I have ever read. She writes nothing, no scene, no detail, no word, without a reason. Every single word is chosen to convey a message. Many people call her prose lush and beautiful, but I would rather call it deep, meaningful, and haunting. Lush makes it sound like purple prose, which is attempting to be poetic just for poetic sake. Reid’s work is not flowery, it is raw, gut-wrenching, and emotion-provoking. I once saw her share that she does not try to make her prose lush, she more just tries to accurately describe emotion and experience to the best of her ability, and this is shown through her writing.

This is not just a story of a woman embodying the violence of men, it is a story of a woman learning how to learn a new language of what power truly is when taken back by women. It reverses the historical story of women being burned at the stake and makes a tale of women embracing the collective power in womanhood when we stop participating in patriarchy’s evil games.

“Perhaps her greatest mistake was trying to ape the power of mortal men.”

This book is absolutely RICH with stunning and haunting (that is truly the word I would use to describe this book) motifs. Just like in her previous book, Juniper and Thorn, she uses the theme of trauma turning us into monsters who want vengeance. However, in this story, she explores how being a monster can be something beautiful, saying things such as: “a chrysalis holds the monster lovingly within it,” and “[the curse] did not change me, [it] only revealed me.”

Another theme this book explores is the becoming of animal-like creatures, saying “she must become an animal in order to survive it,” “there is nothing more dangerous than a creature who pretends to be one thing and is in truth another,” and many other comparisons to eels, dogs, wolves, bears, serpents, and more.

“All these free, wild creatures, stamped with the virtues of men.”

I have seen other reviewers say that it is not a feminist re-imagining, because of the main female character, Roscille’s, young age and the violence she endures from her husband and other men compared to the original. However, while the original Lady Macbeth does have initial strength and courageousness, she ends up going mad in the end, whereas in this one, the violence women experience from men is not only a more accurate portrayal, which makes it feminist, she finds her strength along the story. She does not go mad, but rather drives the men who have oppressed women mad. I found the divergence of the “bad bitch” strong FMC trope we have seen in fantasy recently so refreshing. I don’t want a “strong” female main character who is the best assassin or hunter in all her land despite it not quite making sense for her background. Roscille is a real woman given an unfortunate hand in her life who does her best to survive – a struggle that most women can understand, to some degree.

“What is power, Lady? It is a word that grows more distant from its meaning each time it is spoken.”

In the original Macbeth, I wouldn’t argue that Lady Macbeth is the strongest character, I would argue it was a man’s imagining of a strong woman, but in reality one who is blamed for her husband’s actions and decisions, then dies to benefit his story and growth. In this re-imagining, Lady Macbeth is truly strong, as shown through her resiliency despite what she has experienced.

This book explores questions like, what is true power, what is love, what is desire, what is the purpose of pain, who are we versus who are we perceived as, and community.

“Her life cleaved into two simple halves: the time when there is pain, and the time when there is not.”

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid is a decent read. Written well just a little too disjointed for me. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book and I do think others will enjoy it.

First and foremost this is a Lady Macbeth INSPIRED story and most definitely not a retelling. Though there is some overlap, the characters are pretty different than in our original version.

This book was so atmospheric! The plot and the character development is pretty surface level. This is a book about VIBES.

Lady Macbeth follows, you guessed it, Lady Macbeth as she travels to a new land to marry a complete stranger. Upon her arrival, she immediately realizes that this place is nothing like her homeland. More importantly, she senses something strange and otherworldly going on.

Lady Macbeth is not the same, strong female lead that we see in the original story. She’s a much quieter and seemingly docile character. Most of the dialogue in this book is her internal monologue.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I don’t think it will be everyone’s cup of tea but the VIBES were just immaculate for me.

Lady Macbeth is my first book by Ava Reid and it was definitely an intriguing read. The book isn't a complete retelling of Macbeth which I know will lead to some criticism. I had some issues with the book but I found this to be incredibly well written. Ava Reid creates such a tense atmosphere. It did take me some time to get into and adjust to the authors writing style but once I did, I was hooked. The side stories were also equally compelling to me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the e-arc!

This is one of the best books I've read this year. Can't imagine the amount of research that had to be done for it, every little detail of myths and history has a meaning. Everything is there for a reason. Roscille is quite a character, very complex. I'll recommend this book to everyone, promise.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey Books, and Ava Reid for giving me the opportunity to read the eArc version of Lady Macbeth!
I have been really excited about this book ever since it was first announced. I right away reread Macbeth when I was approved for the eArc, but that was definitely my first mistake, lol. Lady Macbeth is very loosely inspired by the actual Shakespearean play. It also draws from the historical account of the real Macbeth, but Ava Reid puts a magical and feminist spin on these sources of inspiration making the novel pretty unique on its own.

Lady Macbeth follows Roscilla, the witch-marked new bride from Breizh, as she arrives in Alba on her wedding day. Stories precede her about how looking into her eyes can make a man go crazy, so she always wears a veil. Living in a highly patriarchal society, Roscilla uses the legends about her to pry some influence in Macbeth’s castle.

The only things that I can say truly stayed the same between the play and Lady Macbeth were the prophecies, some names, and the sudden ending. That being said, I personally really enjoyed Ava Reid’s portrayal of the three witches. The way they were described was spooky, and I really liked their role in the story. Ava’s unique twist on the witches was clever, and I think a great statement about the role of women in a patriarchal society for a novel that is focusing on being a feminist retelling. I also love the solidarity between the women in this play which shows the strength of women supporting women.

Other aspects and changes were a bit odd, and didn’t have too much influence on the actual story. Lisander’s secret for example. What influence did it truly have on the story? Besides clumsily explaining his escape, and awkwardly “fulfilling” one of the prophecies, the only other thing it did was highlight the Xenophobia… <spoiler> Instant love with a man who’s half British? Interesting… especially when Roscilla spends half the book describing the Scottish as if they are savages. Roscilla, it sounds like your daddy’s court wasn’t any better. I did not like Macbeth, but at the start of the novel, he does seem to treat Roscilla with respect, giving her a place at his war council, and supporting her ideas and cleverness, but Roscilla does not warm up to him. But when Lisander says her name in Brezhoneg (her mother tongue), and she is basically head over heels for this man… </spoiler>

The ending is also so sudden, which like I said before is true to the original play (@ Shakespeare). <spoiler> I’m confused why Macbeth doubted she actually had powers?? Like she made two men kill the king, and then kill each other. You thought she faked that? Or it was just people getting into their own heads? That’s a big stretch… and on that note besides the scene where King Duncane and Macbeth were killed Lady Macbeth is overpowered EVERY SINGLE TIME, she tries to remove her veil… her power is absolutely useless for 95% of the novel. It feels as though it’s to make it believable that she doubts herself in the final scenes, but this is a feminist novel! It is odd and disappointing to give the FMC an ability that should give her equal footing with the physical strength of the men, and then make it easily overcome in every scene except two. </spoiler>

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for ARC. I received my copy in exchange of an honest review.

Lady Macbeth is a reimagination stand-alone fantasy novel that focuses on Lady Roscille, a 17 years old lady who was sent to Scotland to marry 40 years old Lord Macbeth!
There was so much darkness and ambitious in this book, so many grayish characters and of course conspiring. I really enjoyed reading this dark atmosphered story.
But there was something that I couldn't agree with. And that was how the Author changed original Lady Macbeth personality in this reimagination. We know Lady Macbeth as an original villain woman in English literature with her ambitious and desires for power. A wife who whispered under her husband's ear like a thirsty demon to get more and more power, but in this book the Lady Macbeth is not like that. (Spoiler) However, maybe the original Lady Macbeth was the Macbeth's first wife who we met in the book. If that's the case, there's no problem with Roscille and her personality because she is just a second wife who the author created as a new character, but if Roscille is the reimagination of the original Lady Macbeth, It didn't match with her!
I liked the romance part between Lisander & Roscille, but I think it was too much accelerated without enough description about that. By the way, they were a good couple so I don't pay much attention about the other things! 😂
This was the first book written by Ava Reid that I read and I have to say that I enjoyed her writing style. It's dark and mysterious with Gothic vibes, like walking under the moonlight in an abandoned magical castle! That's the vibe that I got from the Author's writing style and I know that I want more books written by her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is the third book by Ava Reid that I’ve read and it turned out to be my least favorite. I did rate it 3 stars, so while I liked it, it was lacking a little in terms of plot and caring for the characters. I thought some of the pacing was a bit off and it wasn’t until about the last half of the book that I started to get into the story.

I did read Macbeth by Shakespeare in preparation for this book, so it was easy to see the delineations that Ava Reid took in telling Lady Macbeth’s story. In regards to Roscille’s character, I didn’t feel like she matched with how I envisioned her being in the original play. However, I did enjoy Ava Reid’s take on the witches and the gothic fantasy vibes.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was over the moon getting accepted for an ARC by Ava Reid, to the point where I read Macbeth for the first time! Lady Macbeth stays true to Reid’s atmospheric writing and thematic interests of menacing folklore and feminine resistance, while offering an alternate portrayal of Lady Macbeth’s character. Because of that, reception will be divisive, as I had to put aside my own character opinions while reading. You’ll experience it better, knowing it will not be loyal to the play, so much so I wonder if it would’ve been better to release this as its own tale?

The story follows a young Lady Macbeth from her marriage to Macbeth to the play’s deadly conclusion. I love retellings and the depth they add to ambiguities of their source material. Case in point: the witches as Lavandières, expanding Fleance, Lady Macbeth’s own peculiar powers. Her writing really works for me on how she stylistically calls on medieval works and crafts vivid imagery, though at times straying into overwritten territory. Easter eggs were also fun, including nods to prominent soliloquies (“sound and fury”) and a minor callback to A Study in Drowning.

In terms of character interpretation, Lady Macbeth is portrayed subservient to Macbeth, which contrasts her demanding prompts for him to murder and prove his virility in the original text; in Shakespeare, she urges Macbeth’s murderous path as a conduit to power she cannot directly access as a woman, becoming “unsexed”. In Reid’s work, she’s played under Macbeth’s patriarchal control, more a tool trying to shirk his dominion than a hand compelling him towards prophesied greatness. This choice let me down a bit, as I think her ambition is one of the most mystifying aspects of her character; but I understand Reid’s angle is to challenge Macbeth's madness as the fault of a woman/the wicked enchantress trope. There’s interesting stuff here, but this and its canon deviation makes it tricky to recommend.

I’ll continue to check out works from Reid’s backlog and recommend those interested in gothic themes, “pathetic” heroines, decadent description, and moral rotting (complementary) do so as well.

First off, I highly recommend reading the Content Warning at the end of this review before deciding whether or not to read this book. This book is a gothic spiral into madness, as you would expect from a book based on Macbeth, but contains so many su*cidal ideations. I would not recommend this book to those currently struggling with such ideations or those dealing with schizophrenia or an overly excitable imagination (like really, be careful and asses your mental state please).

That said, this book was a fantastic gothic retelling of Macbeth, and I loved seeing the story from her perspective!!

This girl has the swirling thoughts that dive close and closer towards insanity, and it's just sheer perfection. Absolutely beautiful descent. Homegirl weaves these stories into her thoughts like the ADHD squirrel follower that so many of us have inside (this story reminds me of this story reminds me of this story. Oh wait, what's going on again? Plans within plans. Got it).

She is clever; she is fierce; she is opportunistic in the best ways. She is feared for her eyes, and certain in her cleverness (or is she? or is that simply another thing the world and circumstances take from her?). She is the blade in another's hand. She is the fire of someone else's torch. Or is she?

When the feminine rage finally catches, it roars in the most beautiful way.

She does have that one scene where she's over there imagining up some dragon sm*t, but she isn't exactly in her right mind. Those hands be bleeding, and her mind is flailing.

Now let's talk about those witches. Those fantastic and disturbing and enchanting witches. They are so perfectly written. Like just a beautiful retelling of their stories and their powers. Just 10/10 standing ovation. I loved them.

The love interest is perfectly suited for her. They got that whole cheating thing going though. But he doesn't hide his inner monster. He tries to become something more, something better by his own merits and not by bloodshed. He is the only man in the book who treats women with respect and honors their freedoms to choose.

Four stars only because, though I definitely loved it, the side stories sometimes felt distracting. They did help further showcase the why behind the madness and the slow warping of her fragile mind though.

If gothic deep dives into madness and Shakespeare retellings are your jam, you will love this book.

TROPES/THEMES:
Macbeth retelling, but her PoV
Veiled FMC
Feminine rage
Arranged forced marriage
THE WITCHES!!
Clever FMC
Slow turn into madness
Magical curses and prophecies
She comes into her own power

Content Warning: arranged marriage at seventeen to older man (which fits the historical setting), chained witch-slaves, several vivid su*cidal ideations, attempted su*cide (thwarted), cheating ideations then action (s*x and oral not with her husband), description of family member's madness including their su*cide attempts and cutting/self mutilating themselves, brutal whipping of woman's thighs, description of r*pe of woman by man who killed her, marital r*pe/forced s*x, animal hides after hunting trips, medieval brain blood letting, murder, magic, death of unicorn (off page), "I should have r*ped you," discussion of infant killing if she has a girl, description of husbands forcing abortions

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

"Lady Macbeth" by Ava Reid presents a new angle on the character, but some readers might feel it doesn't quite capture the essence of the original Lady Macbeth. While it's an inventive take, it might leave fans wishing for a closer tie to Shakespeare's classic version.

I tore through this book in all of two days. You can show me the page count all you want, I locked in and got it done and what a ride.
This is going to be on everyone's Fall Vibes TBR lists this fall, I can tell.

The story picks up right at the beginning (for our purposes anyway) where The Lady is being sent to Scotland to marry Macbeth. She orchestrates the rest of the events out of sheer need to survive in a harsh and unyielding world where being a woman can offer power and pain in equal measure and she isn't JUST a woman...

Pros:
-Strong and likeable female lead.
The Lady isn't just intelligent and capable, she's likable. She's naïve in a way that you expect a well-bred woman who only expects to marry well to be and you root for happy ending even if you've read the play before. In this, she comes across as less ambitious and more self-protective though she does begin to see outsider herself by the end
-Atmospheric Writing
Reid is gonna put you in the place her book are whether it be the cold forests in The Wolf and The Woodsman, the salty and crumbling ruins of A Study in Drowning, and now the isolating and dark castle in Lady Macbeth. She can spin her words fantastically to get you in the mindset of her characters and it is a wonderful thing to experience
-Romance???!!?
I did not realize from the marketing this was in this book and I was very pleased to discover that

Cons
-Pacing
You do get a bit lost due to speed. It was hard to know if one day had passed or many and given the sloooooow beginning exposition set up the middle was a bit lacking which is sad because that was where the romance was developed
-Names
I know there is a chart of who is what and why each person is called that but on an ebook that isn't easy to flip back to. My etymology heart loves the exploration of subtle changes, my reader brain can't handle the differences.

There isn't much else that I'd complain about. I wish one of the characters was there longer to allow for the relationship to build but that goes back to the idea of expanding the middle so.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book!

Ava Reid is my embodiment of “if she writes it, I’m going to read it.” I love her prose, and her weird, spooky, academic vibes. I love that the relationships are gothic and dark with a lot of trials and suffering. It’s never sunshine and rainbows for our love interests. I love the strangeness that is every single story she tells, because it’s so different from what most writers are doing right now.

I am still so thankful to receive an arc of Lady Macbeth. I had a good time with this, like I have all of Reid’s books. I think it’s important to note that I have absolutely no real exposure to MacBeth, so I had no issues with the loose reimagining that it seems diehard fans of Shakespear’s Lady MacBeth lovers do. So, because I support all women’s rights and especially their wrongs, I was cool with the villainous Roscille. She made some CHOICES, and I was kind of living for her revenge plot.

This is probably my least favorite story of Reid’s, but simply because I’m not the world’s biggest historical fiction reader. But overall still a 4 star read.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for this book. I was hesitant in the first chapter because the writing style is a little strange. But after that first chapter, I was transported to ancient Scotland among Roscilla and Hawise meeting Macbeth and his men. I became completely enthralled by Ava Reid's retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

This book is rich gloomy and slightly magical atmosphere. It's told in third person from the POV of seventeen-year-old Roscilla, who marries Macbeth, becoming Lady Macbeth. Although our main character is still technically a "teenager", this is no young adult title, and includes depictions of rape and serious physical abuse. Reid's decision to tell this story from Lady Macbeth's perspective, with a little bit of magic thrown in, brought up powerful themes of misogyny, toxic masculinity, power and madness. Although some reviewers call the novel a "feminist" retelling, Lady Macbeth is not an entirely honorable character. Throughout the book, she learns to wield misogyny to work in her favor, and she manipulates and gaslights her way to power. This aspect of her character was what was most interesting to me. Fleance also has an interesting arc.

This book makes me want to go back to English class and analyze this for its own themes, and in conjunction with Shakespeare's Macbeth. Reid's use of metaphor and allegory is absolutely wonderful.

Beautifully told reimagining of Lady Macbeth. Claustrophobic and haunting, while at the same time very accessible. I will read anything Ava Reid writes!

Everything Ava Reid writes is so beautiful and prose-like that I am drawn in. I loved this story. Roscille is a witch-cursed, bastard born daughter of a French lord. She is sent to marry Macbeth in Glammis. She finds herself alone and in a land of unfamiliar customs. She is expected to assume her role as the Lady Macbeth, a silent role with no rule over her own life. Instead, Roscille is able to manipulate the people around her to her advantage. I found Roscille’s character so interesting and clever. She could have easily just laid down and accepted her life as she was told it should be. Instead, she pursued her own interests and ultimately came out on top. The imagery in Ava Reid’s books is always top-tier but the eels, unicorns, and Lady Macbeth’s veil really stuck with me. This book felt like a mind game, where each character thought they were successfully manipulating the other characters. Despite some setbacks, I think Roscille is the only one able to successfully manipulate herself into a better situation of her own choosing. I love her for challenging the “status quo” of the time and demanding something different/better for herself.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House/ Del Rey publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!

It's official after reading this book: I will read anything that Ava Reid writes!

Her writing truly transports me. I felt like I was surrounded by the dark and gloomy land of Glammis, the damp and crumbling caste, the moody and treacherous story of Macbeth.

I'm always here for a feminist retelling, and this book was stuffed to the brim with beautiful prose, hard hitting quotes and magical imagery. I find her writing incredibly atmospheric.

Original rating a 4.5 but i shall round up to a 5 because i can. Also Thank you to netgalley for an E-Arc!

Where do i even start???

Per usual ava reid kept me captivated from start to finish with her writing. The setting put me on edge and I could see and feel everything so clearly. As someone who has refused to read Shakespeare out of spite I didnt feel left behind by not knowing the original story of Macbeth, after a few sentences i mostly understood and after chapters I got what was going on. Since i didnt have that prior knowledge of macbeth when he first appeared I was concerned but intrigued then loathed him. Ava reid can write magnificent spirals into madness, you wont fully realize until you pause and go “oh no”. While the cast of characters is small the setting didnt feel small. Each character had something to them and even side characters had depth to them.

Something I will always appreciate about ava reid is theres no implied or “you can guess what they were doing” when it comes to the subject of misyogny and how women have been abused in the past (and sadly ‘modern’ times) Its a very serious topic that too many retellings of shakespearian tales and other historical stories like to gloss over and ignore. The arc of Fleance was rough to read as i’ve seen that progression of a decent guy get influenced by the men around him and become a pos. It feels validating to know that someone else knows this and sees it happen and it gets written.

Also the fact the only good guy was technically not even a full guy was so real. My friend who read this with me said that it feels like an allegory for not falling into the cycle or trying not to fall into the cycle and stereotypes of men and toxic masculinity, but maybe thats just us!

Overall i loved it! I cant wait to get a physical copy eventually to go with my other Ava Reid books!

This may well be the best book I’ll read all year. It was rich in visual imagery, the language was stunning and watching the evolution of Roscille to becoming Lady Macbeth and then reclaiming herself was deeply satisfying. Like Ava Reid’s other books, this gets dark quickly, and I’d highly recommend checking trigger warnings, but then I’m not sure there’s a light way to look at this character’s life. Please also know going into this that there are fantastical elements to this story, and it’s not attempting to be straight historical fiction.

I think for me one of the best pieces about the way Reid handled those fantastical elements is that in the original play, the witches held the only mentioned magic, while the approach Reid has taken with the story minimized any power they have in light of the other things going on around them, focusing on their imprisonment despite their power and even going so far as to reduce them to laundry women .

Truly this book has my heart in so many ways. It could have been written just for me. The narrative gives agency and strength back to someone experiencing disenfranchisement in a way that had me wanting to cheer “good for her,” through the climax.

Although it’s been years since I read the source material, I do think it’s useful to go into this book having that background. The other thing I’ll say about this book that Reid also comments on in the introduction, is that because the characters themselves switch between three languages, you’ll often have the same person/place referred to by three different names, and so it takes a chapter or two to really immerse yourself into the world. When, however, our protagonist feels that her name converges to one, Lady Macbeth, it makes for an excellent plot device.

A huge thanks to Netgalley for this advance copy. It’s one I’ll be buying for myself for sure and revisiting often.