Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

6 reviews

hann_cant_read's review against another edition

3.25

I think it's important to note that this isn't a retelling, it's much more of a story inspired by some of the lines / events / plot points in MacBeth.

Ava Reid is such an atmospheric writer and some potentially universe-jarring things I personally can overlook because of her writing style.

This book is marketed as a feminist retelling. It certainly is a book with a woman. I enjoyed it, and maybe if her coming into her own as a woman

and a witch

had been paced more evenly than I would be more inclined to agree with it. 

One thing that I initially liked, but quickly became frustrated with was the way Roscille rolled over at every turn. It started out very realistic - she was a scared 17 year old in a foreign land without a single friend. I liked that her ideas backfired a little in the beginning. But she never really owned up to that or grew from it, or had any semblance of agency in the outcomes until almost the very end. Her "plans" never consisted of more than one step, and when that one step didn't drastically improve her life she would have another panic - which is even more frustrating because we're told right from the begining that Roscille is really smart and observant. None of these things actually come through in any meaningful way in the text.

I don't really understand the reasons why MacBeth elevated her status over his right hand. She didn't do anything particularly earth-shattering, in fact she failed to

kill Lysander

after which MacBeth immediately put her in charge of

the whole fort AND getting information from Lysander?

It just didn't make sense.

Speaking of

Lysander. I detest insta-love, and that's what this was. The characters felt so flat and the connection between them was barely developed. We learn eventually that he's can't be compelled by her, which would have been an interesting dynamic to explore further as Roscille learns what it is to trust a man she can't control, but we never get that far.

The story in general was paced very awkwardly. I didn't feel any real growth in Lady MacBeth until

suddenly at the end she has a sudden drastic personality change and embraces her power to defeat MacBeth. It comes out of nowhere.

I did enjoy a lot of this story though! As always the vibes are immaculate. And I really love this version's interpretation of "no man of woman born shall kill MacBeth"

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, and War

kaerene's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

2.0

Ok so I bought this book for the dust jacket, the bright pink hardcover and the fact that Lady Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare characters. I like her ambition and her cleverness and her willingness to do what needs to be done to see that her husband’s prophecy comes true and to see him on his throne.  But Ava Reid’s book was not it. I’m disappointed in this particular interpretation. This was hella depressing and not what I was expecting at all.  I think I was expecting to read a story of how the lady and Macbeth to  fell in love and then the next part of the story was the events of the play happen (cuz you know, Macbeth truly loves his wife in the play). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

dwhiting's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and War

Minor: Body horror

edamamebean's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

4.75

Whoa! My third Ava Reid novel and I was really blown away by this. If there’s one thing Reid is gonna do, they’re gonna create an atmosphere that grips you and doesn’t let go until the very end. She succeeded in making Lady Macbeth into a deeply complicated character trying to use what little power she has to survive in a foreign place. The political intrigue was delicious, but Roscille’s revenge was even more so. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

princegene95's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Amazing adaptation of Macbeth from the pov of the Lady. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

mynameisrebecca's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Thank you to Netgalley & Del Ray Books for the eARC.

Lady Macbeth is positioned as a "modern retelling" of Macbeth from his wife's point of view. I'd say that apart from the characters and loose direction of the plot, it's a fully independent piece of work. So if you're looking for more Macbeth like quotes and events, you might be disappointed. I was surprised that the writing itself was very Shakespearean, and had hoped for a little more modernity in it. As promised on the book jacket, there's elements of fantasy, though I think it took too long for the story to get there. The first bit of the book is quite slow, and then it gains steam. I enjoyed it overall and really liked the characterization, but it was a lot more challenging of a read than I expected. There's also a lot of historically accurate violence against women, and I wish that was toned down a bit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Confinement