I wish I didn't have to give a star rating because I got about 20% of the way through this one and realized it just wasn't for me. Macbeth is my very favorite work of Shakespeare and I think that's why I was a bit disappointed. You want an extension of the story you love and if it doesn't meet your expectations, that's hard! I hope others enjoy it, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Ava Reid’s, Lady Macbeth, is the perfect combination of political intrigue, magic, girl power, and devious agendas. From the eerily dark tone and lyrical prose to the suspense waiting at the end of every page, Reid has authored a mesmerizing gothic retelling (WITH DRAGONS) that I am LIVING for. *starts slow clap*

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid - ebook ARC

Lady Macbeth is a Shakespeare villain, but Ava Reid retells this story and gives us more. This book felt like a prequel to Macbeth, but in this version we see her real story, not the one that men wrote of her. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 as Ava is an auto buy author for me. That being said, she did deliver on many things, but overall, this book feel so flat for me.

I adore her prose and her melancholy vibe she effortlessly weaves into her stories is elite. That was about all I liked about this book. I was so tempted to DNF this book, but because it’s Ava, I kept going. It felt so clunky and the descriptive were so repetitive. I wanted more from the FMC, I wanted her to have some moments of wit ands strength and maybe even some reprieve from the morose.

I can recognize that this is a great work of art, it’s just not my kind of art. Ave IS my kind of writer, this story just wasn’t for me.

The last college play I ever performed in was “Macbeth,” and the story has always held a special place in my heart because of that. This book was breathtakingly beautiful and hauntingly horrific. It paid homage to the original tale while wholeheartedly maintaining its own identity. Reid gave Lady Macbeth new depth and dimension. I’m endlessly awed and inspired by Ava’s masterful storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Ava Reid for an ARC of this book.

This book has a way of sucking you in from page one. The introduction to Lady Roscille was beautifully written, and as a woman I could really sympathize with her worries and the predicament she found herself in. Ava Reid is the type of author who can take something and truly make it her own, and that is what she's done with Lady Macbeth. The female rage this book captivated had me both cheering and crying. I found myself barely holding it together when I got to the end. I will be recommending this beautiful story to my friends and anyone who will listen.

Ava Reid can do no wrong. I wasn't familiar with the story of Lady Macbeth, so I went into this book cold. I love how Reid writes female protagonists in general, so I knew this book would be no different.

I loved the settings, visceral imagery and overall aesthetic vibe of Reid's writing. I'll definitely be purchasing this book in hardcover when it officially publishes. Also looking forward to hearing it in Audiobook form.

Ava Reid did it again! I whole heartedly adored this book!

I loved Roscilla's characterization. She was young and lost. Although at times her hopelessness could be exhausting and her powers confusing. But I felt that came with being married of at 17.

The dark and twisted setting was very well thought out. It felt as though I was there. I loved the idea of hearing the ocean vs. not hearing the ocean as she accepts her fate.

And my favorite part was undoubtedly THE WITCHES!!! They were so unexpected. This new take on Macbeth's manipulation of their power was very unique. And that twist! I just loved it!

Overall, an incredible read! Thank you NetGalley!!!

I love this Shakespeare play so I couldn’t help but love this book!!

Ava Reid in this brand new novel offers us a reinterpretation of one of the most famous and brutal Shakespeare’s character, Lady Macbeth, and of the even more famous tragedy!

Set among the isolated and misty Scottish lands unfolds the novel, the journey of Lady Macbeth before she took on her brutal role, a story of resilience, which tells the lives of the women of the time, the ambitions, the power, the secrets and all this wrapped in a rich and vivid prose that lets the reader dive into the Scottish countryside, in the fog, between the battles and in the castles of the eleventh century!
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I really loved Ava Reid’s prose, always impeccable and the character of Lady Macbeth! This story has very well managed to be original without straying too far from Shakespeare’s tragedy and remaining true to the vibes and style of the tragedy.
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Thanks to Netgalley, Del Rey Books and Ava Reid for providing me with this ARC! Lady Macbeth comes out everywhere on August 6th! Don’t miss it!!

Going into this book, I knew nothing about the story of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, so keep that in mind for my review.

Overall, I enjoyed this. The complex names were confusing to the story initially but I was able to overcome that. I would have rated this slightly higher if a couple of the plot points weren't glossed over in the way they were - it felt like when Macbeth left and came back each time, that Lady Macbeth made her plans and executed them hastily without thinking it through. I also would have preferred that she had more internal development, which would have added some length to the story.

Ava Reid mixes her signature lush writing style with a dash of feminine rage to create one of my favorite gothic novels. Lady Macbeth was wonderfully written and endlessly quotable. I think it was about time we got a new imagining of this ruthless but misunderstood character from classic literature. Watching Roscille navigate the tenuous political marriage she was forced into and the political machinations of her new husband was captivating. Knowing the original story of Macbeth, I was surprised that this book gripped me as it did, but hearing the story from a new perspective really kept the pages turning. The romance and fantasy elements added for the book made this tale more original while still fitting the vibe of the overall original story. If you love historical fiction, retellings, and feminine rage this book is for you!

This book was one of my most highly anticipated reads for the year and while I enjoyed the atmospheric vibes the author conveyed, I think I perhaps wasn't the right reader for it. While I understood the need to show the crushing patriarchy in the story, the about face of MacBeth in going from respecting and listening to his young bride to forcing himself on her and treating her as a prisoner seemed too abrupt.

I did enjoy Lisander's surprise reveal and the way the book ended, but in the end it wasn't one of my favorite of Reid's.

Thank you for the advance copy and I think the right audience will thoroughly enjoy this one!

Thank you to Del Rey and Net Galley for ARC.

As a fanfic writer, I want you to take this in the best possible way: This book is like a prominent Ao3 writer was hired by A24 to write a Lady Macbeth retelling. It’s dark and haunting and clever and romantic and has incredible pacing. In an age where I find most books to be 200 pages too long, Lady Macbeth wastes no time and pulls no punches.

A warning, the first chapter is very long stuffed to bursting with heavy info dumping. YOU NEED TO PUSH THROUGH IT! It is worth it.

Next, in my opinion, metaphors are overused a lot to supplement a Shakespearean vibe. This gets shaken off at about the 35% mark and the writing really finds itself.

Overall would recommend and look forward to securing a physical copy!!!

i have heard so much about ava reid and her books, and having just gotten hooked on nicola griffith’s hild and already down to clown with the bard, i thought this might be right up my alley. i wanted to find a complexity in lady “out damn spot!” macbeth. unfortunately, this took some turns that i did not expect, and more unfortunately, was at the expense of lady macbeth’s characterization. somehow, we spend the majority of our time with her and her depth barely submerges past the kiddie pool and is replaced by fantasy elements that don’t give any more insight into her personality or reasoning behind her choices. there were some consistently telling-not-showing platitudes to remind the reader that women do in fact suffer from the societies built to venerate patriarchy that felt like commentary that was perfectly obvious through the plot points already. the creative liberties taken here didn’t do it for me, sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.

My first five star read of the year!! Ava Reid writes a brutal retelling of Macbeth, punctuated by the brutal realities of war, love, and womanhood. Interwoven with these ideas, Reid flawlessly creates a story where the fourth witch is our Lady, who uses that as her mechanism towards power in her unforgiving, violent reality. At times, this book was horrifying simply because Reid did not shy away from Macbeth and his cruelty. I absolutely adored this book and will be screaming about it for months to come.

Took me a bit longer to get through than expected, especially since it’s my second ava reid book, so don’t think this will be like her first book if you’re going in for something similar. Very harrowing and dark retelling (loosely) of Macbeth. I love the story of Macbeth so this was an interesting surprise for me. I may have to reread it again to get a better understanding, because I feel like I might have missed some things, but Lady Macbeth herself was truly an incredible character to recreate from Ava’s writing style.

This book is a beautiful take on Lady Macbeth’s story that sucks you in immediately. The world building and storytelling puts you right into her shoes, and the pacing is fast and engaging.

I couldn’t put this one down and finished it in one day. If you liked Circe by Madeline Miller you’ll love Lady Macbeth.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey publishing for this lovely ARC. I was excited to receive the ARC for Lady Macbeth.. I enjoy Shakespeare and loved how cunning, ruthless, and ambitious she was. I loved how she defined her actions and she called the shots. so I looked forward to Ava Reid’s interpretation of lady Macbeth as an even Stronger young adult coming into her power. I adore Ava Reid and found the cover gorgeous. I also loved how She finally had a name, Roscille. This is where I have to end the positives unfortunately. I really couldn’t reconcile Roscille as lady Macbeth. I found her annoying, irritating, grating, and , even more bothersome, xenophobic . I adore Ava Reid and will continue to read her other books. I just think taking a character as iconic as Lady Macbeth needed a craftier more ruthless pen.

A falter for Ava Reid in her bibliography which I otherwise love. Please don't write the next feminist-billed reimagining of a classical heroine that in actuality just disenfranchises her in a different painful way than the original narrative.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars!

Lady Macbeth has always been one of my favorite literary characters and Ava Reid with this book is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.
This retelling of Macbeth is through the eyes of young Roscille, who is newly married off from her home as a Lady in France to the harsh lands of Glammis in Scotland. We see through her eyes the metamorphosis from her being this naive girl Roscille who is trying to survive using the only thing she has, her mind, to becoming Lady Macbeth, the dagger in Macbeths hand.
This has all of the feminine rage and beautiful prose that we have come to expect from Ava Reid. She did a great job at taking one of Shakespeares biggest villains and making her human, while also showing that, again, humans are usually the biggest monsters of us all.
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC!

I have mixed feelings about "Lady Macbeth" by Ava Reid. On the one hand, I appreciate the attempt at reimagining Shakespeare's classic, but on the other hand…why is she a teenager? Several aspects fell short for me. 


The writing style fluctuated between bland and overly embellished, making it difficult to immerse myself in the story entirely. The characters lacked likability, and the predictable twists made it challenging to stay engaged.

Despite its flaws, "Lady Macbeth" offers an intriguing reinterpretation of a classic story but fails to deliver a truly captivating experience.