Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

29 reviews

imcourtneymarie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

Ava Reid, ya did it again. 

I can’t remember reading Macbeth in school, but I’m glad I got to experience it through Roscilla, Lady Macbeth, Queen Hereafter. 

Her pain and fear and bravery and cleverness rolls off the page with such vividness and grit that it’s hard not to get tangled up in her plight. 

The Coda at the end was a lightbulb realization as well. Don’t skip it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Blood

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Infidelity and War

dreareads_'s review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Okay....

I will link my video review because I do not have the time to type out all of my thoughts at the moment, BUT I do want to warn everyone that this book is <b> full of anti Scottish xenophobia </b> that is  not confronted nor unpacked in the story.

Forget the boring depiction of Lady Macbeth, or the horrific

rape scene that is immediately followed by a sex scene with a love interest that is simply considered good because he didn't rape her even though he wanted to

, or the dragon shapeshifter. The real downfall of this book is the constant description of Scottish people as uncivilized, blood thirsty, patriarchal, brutes while the English were given enough grace to seem sexist but civilized. 

I cannot in good conscience recommend this book, and if I am honest I do not think I will be reading another Ava Reid book any time soon. 

Video Review: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DA6KAZCAbl1/?igsh=aXFuNXppbmN6NHJy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

ronan_lesh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

perth_is's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

eveningjaye's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

This can barely be called a retelling. All it has in common with the play is prophetic witches, people being murdered, the name Macbeth, and the fact that there are Thanes of Glamis and Cawdor. 

It left me with so many questions. For example:

• Where are the compelling themes and motifs and psychological explorations of how murder affects the characters? 
• Where is Lady Macbeth's agency? 
• Why is she a 17 year old French girl who has things happen to her instead of literally being the force behind the plot? 
• What does Ava Reid have against Scottish people?
• How do you "give her a voice, a past, and a power" when she ALREADY HAD ALL THOSE THINGS IN THE ORIGINAL PLAY? Did Reid even read Macbeth or just an AI summary? This is, if anything, less "feminist" than the original,
  consider that she 1. has no agency, and 2. gets saved by a man.

Why is Macbeth so brutish towards his wife when there is literally nothing in the original play that would make you think that? Macbeth loves his wife in the play. He literally committed murder because she told him to. Ava Reid saw this and went "oh yeah this grubby barbaric (yes she uses this word multiple times to describe him and Scotland itself) definitely abuses women." Like??? What even.

This could have been an okay standalone or even an okay Bluebeard retelling. Literally all you would need to do is change the names of the characters and the location. It would have been that easy. 

Also, Athelstan was NOT King of England when the real Macbeth was alive, and why are the Scotsmen "barbarians"? Why is the only half-decent man in this book half-English? I think we as a society have done enough of that already.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Blood

justkrissy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"Most men do not need a reason, either. Only an opportunity."

A dark and gritty, atmospheric tale that hits deep. 
If you're a woman who has fallen victim to the mistreatment from men, I think there will be a lot of understanding of this story. Let it be a reminder though, that we are much stronger than we're made to think. I wish we all could have compulsion powers to save ourselves... 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion

ms_morri's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Torture, and War

Minor: Rape

chloeburton's review against another edition

dark

2.5

This was a big let down for me. I wish it was just separated from Macbeth entirely or just…a different story. It just doesn’t have any true semblance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. There’s a lot of issues I have with this but I don’t want to write an essay. There’s a lot here I really like though, too. I really love Ava Reid’s prose. The way she writes about the impact of trauma on the mind is truly remarkable. I really enjoy her writing style. I plan on trying one of the other books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Body horror, Confinement, Miscarriage, and Xenophobia

agw622's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is intense. I love how it does make Lady Macbeth much more sympathetic than the play makes her. However, she is bound to her fate, and it does get dark. Personally, I do not think it's as strong of a feminist reclaiming of her charecter as some suggest. While I think she is more her own person, she is very much limited in what she does. Also make sure to check trigger warnings

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

lochnessvhs's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail