DNF @35%

I'm SO SAD!!

I love Ava Reid but this just really isn't for me, which is such a shame because I love her writing style and how she's not afraid to take on more serious subject matters and display of characters but wow I'm SO bored.

I can't bring myself to pick this up any longer and trust me, that's something I'd NEVER thought I'd say about Ava Reid.

I hope others love this a lot more than I do!

-Sarah

*Thank you to Random House UK + Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

4.5 stars

LADY MACBETH is a gothic tale of survival.

This is very much a gothic tale, blending horror with elements of romance. It has the gloomy atmosphere that presses in, very much suffocating at times. It's a bleak tale of survival in the face of violence, particularly violence against women in all its forms.

The writing very much builds this atmosphere of unease. It's quite a sparse prose at times, focusing on certain details and letting you fill in the rest. The use of third present (which I personally really like in general) here creates a slight separation as if you are seeing it all through Roscille's veil.

This is a retelling that deviates a lot from the source material. In the same way that Shakespeare took a few minor elements from history (mostly names!) and wrote his own story, Ava Reid has written her own tale. It does at least stick closer to Shakespeare than Shakespeare did to history.

I don't think stories should have to stick to their source material and this is a book that makes it clear very early on that it's not. The source material is a spring board for a new tale that takes certain elements and explores the theme of villainy - what makes someone a villain and what makes them a hero within a society's expectations.

There is also some influence from the Lais of Marie de France - one of the epigraphs is from the lais as well as a section taking its name from one of them. It is a less obvious influence, more the thematic side of how those poems approach the subject of different types of love (and "love") and their consequences.

It is set in a fantasy version of early medieval Scotland, between 927-939 based on references to Æthelstan as king of England. For reference, the real Macbeth reigned from 1040-1057. There are bits and pieces of real history in the story - for example, Roscille's father is Alan II of Brittany - but there are plenty of anachronisms in service of the story. For example, they're living in a stone castle two centuries before the first stone castle was built in Scotland. This is definitely a book where the setting is vibes more than accuracy, leaning into tropes that fit the gothic intents of the story.

This is not a Macbeth retelling from Lady Macbeth's perspective as I initially thought, and I was left slightly disappointed. This is a haunting reinvention of the story of Macbeth from the POV of the FMC, Lady Macbeth, a 17-year-old beautiful girl who is married off to a Lord in a foreign land.
Ava delves into the struggles of women in medieval times, exploring mature themes through some dark and grotesque scenes.I enjoyed Ava's writing style and gothic world-building which, as usual, is captivating; immersing readers in a vivid atmosphere. Ava is especially gifted at evoking a range of emotions like hope, despair, disgust, and fear as the plot unfolds.
I loved the role the three witches played in the story and thought they were the most accurate to the source material. However, the depiction of the FMC in this story falls short of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth’s ruthless, conniving, intelligent, and ambitious nature. Roscilla’s actions seem to lack agency and her schemes are predominantly influenced by Macbeth or driven by her survival instincts, with her 'redemption' emerging too late in the plot. I wanted more from the final act and felt Roscilla's actions could have been more substantial.
The romantic subplots did not really work for me; there was no depth to either beyond lust and possession. The second romance plot, which was of the FMC's choosing, felt forced and uncomfortable.
Had this book not been tied to a character named Lady Macbeth, I might have appreciated it more for its own merits. However, Lady Macbeth as a character comes with its own connotations and the weight of expectations heavily influenced my perception of the story.

The style of this book is lyrical and beautifully written, I was just the wrong audience for it. I was intrigued by this book as Macbeth was one of the few Shakespeare plays I didn't hate when studying English at school, but sadly the historical setting just wasn't for me. Regardless I still think this will be a fantastic read for those who do like this genre

This just wasn’t for me unfortunately. Every Scottish character was a horrible brute, and “Lady Macbeth” was absolutely clueless. Really disappointed as this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

DNF.

I really wanted to enjoy this as I loved A Study in Drowning but I just couldn't get into it. The book bored me and the relationship was just toxic. I'm hoping her next book will be better!

I loved Ava Reid's book A Study in Drowning so was so excited to receive an e-arc of Lady Macbeth.

This was a fantastically tense and beautifully written Macbeth retelling. The way that Reid seamlessly melds fantasy with historic fiction makes it easy to fall deeply into the worlds she creates, while still feeling the magic imbued throughout. I did find this book hard to get into, with a slow start and a lot of language and plot to quickly get a handle on, however after a couple of chapters I was fully engrossed. I loved the different take on the classic story.

I'm always a fan of morally grey FMC's so loved Roscille's perspective. Her rise into her own power and coming to know herself, while facing down her fears and trauma was wonderful to read. I just wish that at the end we could have seen more of what happened after the final battle.

A great retelling of Lady Macbeth woven with Reid’s unique blend of fantasy. Absolutely loved the characterisation and pulling together of lore. A great twist on one of literatures most interesting villains.

I enjoyed reading Macbeth at school and was excited to see someone take Lady Macbeth to the forefront. Unfortunately, I struggled to get into this, perhaps because of the mixture of language throughout the book? The story was interesting and not like the Lady Macbeth I was expecting (I was expecting the vision of Shakespeares Queen appearing out at me).

Sadly I didn't love this as much as A Study in Drowning, but that's not to say it wasn't great! As always the writing and prose was beautiful, but I just didn't feel that connected to the story.

DNF

I’m very gutted to be DNFing this book as it was a story I have been highly anticipating due to being allured by the marketing and what it alluded to be. Unfortunately I didn’t find this to be the case, and after scrolling through some recent reviews I can see that I’m not alone in this sentiment.

Considering this to be a Lady Macbeth retelling feels inaccurate due to the main character being nothing like what history proclaims this iconic figure to be. In this book, she is a meek and docile woman who seems unable to stand up for herself. This is by no means a bad characterisation when that is what is intended… but that’s not who Lady Macbeth is alleged to be? I was expecting a vicious, power-hungry and manipulative woman who is unafraid to go after what she wants… which is not the portrayal that I received. I don’t enjoy providing star ratings on a DNF as I cannot review the book as a whole, however I’m adding an additional star due to Reid’s writing as a whole. The writing itself is beautiful and alluring, however I also had issues with the overall pacing so ultimately I knew that this book wasn’t for me. I may decide to revisit at a later date but for now it’s not likely.

However what I will say is that this is my first read by the author and I’ve seen many people attest that this book is vastly different to the their other works. So I look forward to reading A Study in Drowning which has received ample praise, and I hope that will be the title that pulls me in.

Thank you to the author for the ARC opportunity.

I love Ava Reid with my whole soul. The atmosphere she creates with her prose is beautiful and so textured, her writing really shines brightly in this novel, however it is the only thing I liked and the only thing that propelled through this novel. This is not Lady Macbeth. She is not ambitious or clever or manipulative, she is not one of Shakespeare's greatest villains; though this is a retelling, this protagonist doesn't resemble Lady Macbeth at all, she has no teeth and is just so meek and fearful throughout the whole novel. I wanted a dark villain but I got a bland girl with only like 2 glimpses of her desire and strength. If this had been it's own novel and not a retelling maybe i would've liked it more. The depiction of all Scots as horrible brutes sat oddly with me, especially when the only good man was half English. I wanted more magic, more bite, more more more. And i didn't get it. I'm devastated, but I'm holding out hope for future Ava Reid novels

I am a fan of Ava reid's prose and think it is lyrical and beautiful, so I knew I'd enjoy this. SHe has a way of capturing her surrounding that make it seem like another character, and this is no exception. Macbeth is originally set in the Scottish highlands, and its described so wonderfully here its vivid and makes you feel like you are lost in this wilderness too. It reflects the madness we know is taking over Lady Macbeth. This is set before the story we know from the original Macbeth, and shows how lady Macbeth got to where she was and how she became the character we know. Its a good reflection on what women at the time went through and if they wanted any kind of power or influence what they had to go through and the lengths it takes.
I think its an excellent story and reid just has a magical way with words.

Ava Reid is one of my favourite authors. After reading and loving A Study in Drowning, I fell in love with Reid's writing.

Unfortunately, I think it was me and not the book that made me not love this. Lady Macbeth follows our main character who must navigate life as the wife of Macbeth, while dealing with the sexist ideals of the society. There is darkness, madness, mystery and prophecies that made me want to pick this up, but I was wary as I never do well with retellings.

This book was DARK. I found Lady Macbeth's character to be quite eerie at times- her thoughts toward those around her consisted of the best way for her to gain power. I would've enjoyed it more if we had explored her history and her childhood a little more. I found her relationship with Lisander to be quite swift, but the chemistry was definitely there in their relationship which made me want them to get together.

The position of women in this world was scary. Treated as servants, wives or objects, we are constantly shown how women are overpowered by men. Lady Macbeth- Roscille- is first controlled by her father, then her husband, and much later by her husband's men as they blackmail her adultery. As a result it made me want to root for her even more, and I found myself wanting her to get revenge, which she eventually does.

The hidden plot twist did surprise me towards the end, as I'm somewhat familiar with the original tale, but not by much. I found the writing to be beautiful and whimsical. The imagery was quite strong when it came to the gory scenes and it made me want to keep reading. By the end I was a little disappointed at the lack of tension and pacing, but overall this was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc! Pick this up if you enjoy vivid imagery, strong female characters, revenge stories and gorgeous writing!

This is my first Ava Reid book (I actually have The Wolf and the Woodsman on my TBR), so I was keen to see where she’d take me. This one takes you to some dark places, so readers beware!

This is very atmospheric - I enjoyed how Lady Macbeth, Roscille, has her own story. Reid sets her as a young (only 17!) bride to Lord Macbeth with her own baggage as the power to turn men insane by simply staring into their eyes. She’s feared by many to be a witch (very ironic given Macbeth’s alignment with a witchy trio) and spends most of her time hidden behind veils.

I will say that the pacing for this one was a bit slow in parts. But the machinations of the scheming and plotting to overthrow (and assassinate kind Duncane) really pulled me along. And just when you think you know where it’s going (if you’ve read the Macbeth play - you’ll only know a fraction of this story) it did a 360 and took me in a different direction. Particularly at the 2/3 part into the story. I was not expecting that!!

The first thing you need to know about this book is that it is not Shakespeare's Macbeth and it doesn't pretend to be. If you're expecting a retelling of that exact story from a different point of view, I'm here to tell you that that's not what you're getting - and really, why would you want that?

This tale is inspired by Macbeth but has very key differences so you don't know exactly how it's going to end, which makes it all the more enthralling.

Ava Reid crafts a story of witchcraft, superstition, deceit and hidden bravery all from the point of view of a young Lady Macbeth, thrust into a world she doesn't understand.

I've seen reviews saying that this version of Lady Macbeth is weak but in reality, I think she has a different type of strength, as well as a multi-dimensional character. Her strength and will grow throughout the book as she is tested in more brutal ways.

I also love that the end is more deserving for a strong woman.

As ever, Reid's writing is beautiful and evocative, creating beautiful physical descriptions but also a strong emotional sense of what her characters are going through. It's this that really stays with you, makes you so invested and means you can't put the book down.

It is a beautiful interpretation of a well-loved story that refuses to tread all of the same ground.

A beautifully written reimagining of The Scottish Play from the perspective of Lady Macbeth herself. I enjoyed this a lot, the writing was just so good and having watched several Macbeth adaptations as well as studying it in school, this brings new life to the play and focused on themes of vengeance, cycles of trauma and women's roles in a very patriarchal time. The ways that Lady Macbeth differed from the traditional Shakespeare were really interesting, a 17 year old Lady Macbeth and the introduction of monster romance actually worked really well I think and lent it a surreal, Angela Carter, fairytale feel. This isn't a five star read for me, as I think some of the execution of the themes were a bit heavy handed which contrasted with how beautiful and well crafted the writing is. I also found a lot of the characters (apart from Lady Macbeth) were a bit lacklustre. However there is still a lot to recommend this and it's a great read!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for this: like most people, Lady Macbeth was one of the first properly complex female characters I studied in high school English, so a retelling of her story is one that I have always been eager to read. Reid’s writing style is sharp and atmospheric, and certainly fits the dark and moody narration that one would expect from a reimagination of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Admittedly, this is quite a different retelling of Lady Macbeth’s story than I expected: Reid has turned the original archetype of Lady Macbeth on its head - opting to forgo Shakespeare’s characterisation of her as a master manipulator and evil temptress who drives herself and her husband into madness, and instead presenting her as a young, innocent and deeply exploited 17-year-old woman trapped within a rigid patriarchal order, and forced to carry out the violent motivations of men around her (rather than the other way around!). However, this perhaps makes it an even more interesting and worthy read, especially if you’re interested in looking at Shakespeare’s Macbeth through a feminist lens! I’ll definitely be looking into Reid’s other/future books too now…

DNF
I loved Macbeth but this is not at all what I had hoped for from a Lady Macbeth retelling. The foreword explaining that Reid would intentionally be interchanging names and places throughout should have been warning enough that this wouldn't be my cup of tea. The pace was non existent and the vitriol towards Scotsmen alarming.

This just didn't work for me. The iteration of Lady Macbeth that Ava Reid has given us is a boiler-plate heroine, who has far less to say about the subversion of gender norms than the original character crafted 500 years ago. Even when not compared to Shakespeare’s masterpiece this book falls flat, there's very little originality here and little to remember.