Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

18 reviews

decodethebooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death and Gore

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Vomit, and Pregnancy

spellbindingtomes's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

𝘐𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺, 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝙑𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.

Reviews for this book seem to be decidedly split, with readers either loving or strongly disliking Ava's approach - and I'm firmly in the 'love it' camp. Ava's enthralling writing pulled me out of my recent audiobook slump, transforming Shakespeare's classic Macbeth with a dark, witchy feminist lens that completely reimagines one of its central character. 

As someone who's always been a fan of Shakespeare, I was captivated by how Ava added magical elements and depth to Lady Macbeth, creating a narrative that diverges dramatically from the original play. 

The atmospheric prose and witchcraft elements make this an ideal fall read. It's a fresh perspective that turns a familiar story into something entirely new and unexpected. If you enjoy retellings that challenge your understanding of classic characters, this book delivers a provocative and immersive experience that lingers long after the final page. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and War

stardustandrockets's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infidelity, Rape, and Pregnancy

clovetra's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

now my expectations were already astronomically high because i adore macbeth. it’s probably my favourite shakespeare work because i studied it so intensely in high school to the point my teacher literally made me read lady macbeth. i was on crack when we read macbeth, having the time of my life. 

i think i went in with my expectations so insanely high this book was never going to be able to live up to what i was expecting. i do think this book did have some wins.

for one, hello roscille!!!! she’s such an interesting character. i loved how cunning she was, even for something as small as wishing for the coat to the end. i will say her motivations didn’t feel authentic to me reading this, so at times where i should’ve been rooting for her, i was instead trying to work out why she was doing something.

i don’t really like what was done to macbeth in this either. idk i liked how in the original they were very clearly madly in love until the story begins, whereas this story paints him to be like every other man. yes yes i know this is a “feminist” retelling so therefore macbeth kind of needs to be a bit more brutish, but i wasn’t a fan. lady macbeth going along with macbeth’s plot in the original felt realistic, as they were a power couple and went beyond the classic representation of shakesperian relationships. roscille and macbeth here just felt like a cliche, and it was honestly a bit boring and predictable at times.

the overall plot was decent… until fantasy elements enter which are so immersion breaking it actually annoyed me a bit. the witches’ were adapted well to this story and i like the depth that was added to them, but their ending felt stupid and rushed. and don’t get me started on lisander. this book did not need that addition to his character and completely changed the tone of the story.

the ending was also incredibly lacklustre. we have built up to this big battle for so long and it just….. fizzles out. like seriously when we spend most of the book with roscille pissfarting around and then the ending happens in the span of like 5 pages. what are we doing here.

as with any retelling, there were changes to this adaptation. some of them were great! i loved the element of roscille and her veil, although i don’t really think it added much to the plot, but hey it seemed cool. some deaths were changed, and some new characters were added, like senga. senga has my heart baby grill u can ride with me. but the changes to the story felt a bit surface level for me, and honestly ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. i will say however that my little autistic brain did a little dance whenever trepanation was mentioned. my ass loves old timey medicine!!!!!!!!

finally, ava reid the woman you are. god her prose was so addicting. the style she writes in is so unique yet so fascinating. i loved it. 

i really think feminist retellings are overdone. the market is incredibly oversaturated, and at times it feels cliched and boring. the new plot elements added to this book certainly help set it apart from the rest, but i really don’t think this lives up to its original inspiration. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and War

Minor: Rape and Pregnancy

elya_moss93's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.0

Like you’re gonna give her cool powers and then make her the weakest on page character who constantly needs rescuing? Be so for real

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape and Pregnancy

weirdemosrus's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, and War

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion

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

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

luckyonesoph's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

1.5

this was.....something! idk what though!

what liked:

• ava reid excels at writing gothic settings. always dark and rainy and damp, and i admire her consistency.  
• i highlighted at least 2-3 quotes every act - quotes that were poignant and somewhat original and that would probably stick with me had i liked the rest of the book better
• even though i didn't really like this, i do think its a good thing that authors are being less faithful and more creative with their retellings. 

what didn't work:

• roscille is just...not compelling. i get that she is young, and that this is not meant to be a faithful retelling of the original play, but she just seems so inconsistent in her motives. she is defined completely by the men who use and abuse her. 
• the
  lisander romance
  plotline came out of nowhere and cheapened roscille's character development completely. ruined the book for me tbh. 
• too many subplots that felt underdeveloped or unfinished.
• the fantastical elements (magical realism? idk) also cheapened roscille as a character for me. again, why is this character that is supposed to be strong and smart and feminist defined by the way men react to her "witch-kissed" eyes? boring! bland! unoriginal! 
• i honestly think i'm just not intuitively smart enough and not patient enough to really get all the symbolism weaved through this. there is a lot that goes unsaid, i think. a lot of meaning cloaked in metaphor, and i think this book could be really great with 1-2 more closer reads, but I just don't care enough to want to try. 
• the depiction of all the scottish men as brutal and unfeeling was.....a choice ava reid made. and not a good one! maybe there's a message there if you go a bit meta and remind yourself that roscille is the one speaking, but idk. i can't figure out what the message would be so its entirely possible im being too generous. 
• please god take feminist buzzwords away from publishers and marketing teams until they can handle the responsibility. im so tired. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Pregnancy and War

Minor: Child abuse and Child death

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