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the_rainydayreader's review against another edition
dark
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, Rape, Murder, Violence, War, Misogyny, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Minor: Miscarriage and Abortion
creadsfantasy's review
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book! Ava Reid is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite authors. I absolutely love how her settings are a character in her books and it's woven so flawlessly into the story, the character development and the plot. She took a story that almost everyone knows something about, and turned it on its head. She added her signature gothic style and the atmosphere was dark, dangerous, and haunted. There were so many quotable moments, moments where I gasped or cried, and the story still surprised me in so many ways. I loved how she chose to include the many names all of the characters would have had depending on the regional dialect and all of the historical research that went into the setting of this story. This will probably be one of my favorite books of all time and it will be difficult not to pre-order multiple editions of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Murder, Rape, and War
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
designatedbanana's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“If she cannot have safety, if she cannot have love, at least she can have this. Vengeance.”
Lady Macbeth is a magical, devastating, and beautiful retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It walks a thin line between being inspired by the original text and retelling the story, as it exists within the same world but varies greatly from the original story. I believe this makes the book perfect for anyone, whether they are fans of the original play or not.
Lady Macbeth has always been one of Shakespeare’s most interesting characters, even from the male-centric story of Macbeth she shines through and captures the audience's attention. Hearing the story from her point of view is so interesting, it gives voice to her manipulations and schemes and helps us understand that she never wanted to be a monster but that is the role the men in her life forced her into. In this story she is even able to find comfort and love in the other outcasts of the world and find a way to forge a new path for them.
I have so many wonderful things to say about this book but if I continue I’m sure to spoil something so I’ll end with saying; this book is a must read for anyone interested in stories that give voices to women that have previously been drowned out by men. It also doesn’t hurt if you enjoy Shakespeare, but having knowledge of the play is not instrumental to the enjoyment of this book.
Thank you to Ava Reid, her publication team, and NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy an advanced copy of this magnificent book!
Lady Macbeth is a magical, devastating, and beautiful retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It walks a thin line between being inspired by the original text and retelling the story, as it exists within the same world but varies greatly from the original story. I believe this makes the book perfect for anyone, whether they are fans of the original play or not.
Lady Macbeth has always been one of Shakespeare’s most interesting characters, even from the male-centric story of Macbeth she shines through and captures the audience's attention. Hearing the story from her point of view is so interesting, it gives voice to her manipulations and schemes and helps us understand that she never wanted to be a monster but that is the role the men in her life forced her into. In this story she is even able to find comfort and love in the other outcasts of the world and find a way to forge a new path for them.
I have so many wonderful things to say about this book but if I continue I’m sure to spoil something so I’ll end with saying; this book is a must read for anyone interested in stories that give voices to women that have previously been drowned out by men. It also doesn’t hurt if you enjoy Shakespeare, but having knowledge of the play is not instrumental to the enjoyment of this book.
Thank you to Ava Reid, her publication team, and NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy an advanced copy of this magnificent book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicide
bolte_books's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Xenophobia
Minor: Death, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Rape
bells__reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
4.75
I absolutely LOVED this book. I wish I could give it to my 16 year old self, who used to rant about all the misogyny in high school English books.
Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a 17 year old noble-woman who is trying desperately to take back some of her agency in a world where only men are allowed to be powerful. I loved her journey and growth throughout the story.
The writing was beautiful and filled with so much unique figurative language. There were so many little details illustrating the frustration of being a woman in a patriarchal world that resonated me to the point that it made me want to shout.
Full disclosure: I have not read the original Macbeth, so I cannot speak to how Ava Reid has changed the story. I was a little nervous it wouldn’t be as impactful having not read Macbeth, but it was amazing.
Content warning - SA (off page), DV, violence, torture (off page)
Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
Minor: War and Torture
sydverse's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
Ava Reid’s prose is beautiful as always, it was so easy to get lost in the atmosphere that she’s created here. I’ve never read the original play so if you’re approaching this book looking for a faithful retelling I cannot be the person who tells you whether it is or isn’t, my lens of this story is how it exists on its own.
I think that there’s some great stuff here and the story held my attention through to the end. The end did feel quite rushed, and it made the slow pacing of the rest of the book feel off in comparison. I wish the last chapter could have been expanded in another chapter or two, with that time being taken from somewhere in the middle of the novel which felt the slowest in my opinion. So much happens so quickly in that last chapter that I was left with a bit of dissatisfaction when I finished just because of how quickly everything seems to just wrap up so neatly after an entire book of twists and turns.
I have seen some other reviews saying that Roscille completely lacked agency, and while I don’t completely agree I do wish that her power in the story could have been stronger. She goes through most of the book appearing to outsmart all of the men around her and setting everything up for herself, only for that to not be the case and it makes all that she did before feel wasted, though perhaps that was the point. Overall there's a general lack of nuance narrative-wide that as I begin reflecting on the book after finishing it left a lot of room for interesting conversations that unfortunately didn't happen. I think especially the attitude towards the Scots as a whole paints them all with a very broad brush in a negative way, which is something I think could've been handled somewhat differently.
My other complaint is the romance subplot. I think that had this subplot been removed, the story would have still worked the same and that it wasn’t necessary. I feel that it was so underutilized and explored that it was more of a detriment to the story, and it either needed to be focused on more and given more depth than what we got, or removed completely. It could go either way and I would be happy, I was just again dissatisfied with the pacing of the relationship development/the male love interest’s development as a whole and to an extent their motivations, but I won’t go more in detail to avoid spoilers.
Overall, this is not my favorite Ava Reid book but still a good read despite the qualms I may have with parts of the story. I wish I could give it five stars as this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, but the pacing problems in particular took it down to a four for me.
Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexism
theresahasread's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Rape
Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, War, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Sexual content
ktkeps's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, and Sexism
isaroy's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
This is an absolutely amazing retelling of Macbeth. It takes all of the madness and eeriness of the original story and makes it something even better. It shows masculinity at its worst. It is brutal and hard to read at times, but Lady Macbeth’s strength and Ava Reid’s beautiful prose pulls you through. This is beautifully written and you can see every scene in all its gory, dark detail. I had extraordinarily high expectations for this book (Macbeth has always been my favorite Shakespeare work and I enjoyed A Study in Drowning) and this somehow surpassed it. This is one that I’m going to come back to again and again. The way it balances the rage of womanhood with the fear of men is incredible. A must-read for sure!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Self harm, Mental illness, Infidelity, Gore, Blood, Abortion, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Murder, and Death
pagesandtales's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, and Torture
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny