Reviews with content warning for Torture - Lady Macbeth

Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

18 reviews

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

folkofthebook's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

A witch does not need a reason, only an opportunity...
Most men do not need a reason, either. Only an opportunity.

ava reid's macbeth retelling is dark, gothic, haunting, and even more brutal than its source material. while the scottish play examines lady macbeth in tandem with her husband, taking on (what was then seen as) masculine traits so they may succeed, this lady macbeth leans in to her strategy, her careful tactician in hopes of staying ahead of her husband.

"And now you are the dagger in my hand."

this marriage does not resemble shakespeare's couple who are typically revered as the most loving couple of all his work. lady roscille is sent to a wed a violent warrior as a peace offering for allegiance.

To cause lustful madness is one thing - any beautiful woman has that power, if she wishes to exercise it, even if she doesn't, even if such a thing can be called power. To mold a man to her will is another.

Madness, of all things, is the most unforgivable in a woman.

ava reid examines a woman's role in these harsh times; their duties, their roles as pawns, their powerlessness, their sufferings. this was an excellent addition to the evolution of witches in storytelling from cautionary tales & embodiments of sexism to icons of feminism and women's reclamation of strength.

Vengeance is not a wooden cup that empties. It is a jeweled chalice which endlessly spills over.

i appreciated her choice in the juggling of languages; she chose to be more true to the time period, where language was more fluid and constantly changing in domination. her vivid imagery and details truly set me right there in that damp, cold castle with piercing, briny winds. She calls in the symbolism of the iconic bloody hands as well as her own new ones: the unicorn, the eels, the necklace, the snake.

"I prefer a monster that shows itself openly."

Content Warnings

isaroy's review against another edition

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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

a1ana_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad 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

4.5

I am neither an e-book person nor a historical fiction person, and yet Ava Reid has enthralled me once again.

Seeing all of the characters slowly being broken down over the course of this book was captivating, and I cannot express how happy I was to see the Lady Macbeth get her well-deserved revenge. She really grew as a character, both internally, with what we saw, and externally, with what she allowed other characters to see of herself.

You can really tell how well-researched this whole thing was, and I was honestly fully transported back to this time for the two endless days that I couldn’t put this down for.

I have not read Macbeth, but out of my new-found love towards this book, I will.

Content Warnings

pagesandtales's review

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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

_serena_'s review

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Ava Reid consistently knocks it out of the park with her beautifully written prose in this gothic fantasy retelling of Lady Macbeth.
The methodical and clever maneuvers.
The feminine rage.
The twists of magic.

Content Warnings

cbookaddiction's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

One thing about me, if Ava Reid writes it, I’m going to read it.

In the last year I have fell in love with Ava Reid’s writing and Lady Macbeth is no exception. Reid knows how to grab you from that very first line of a book and keep you hooked until the very end.

Lady Macbeth is chocked full of unlikable characters and believe me, there were quite a few that I absolutely loathed with every fiber of my being. Our MC, Lady Macbeth is not one of them however. Her strength was unmatched. The amount of horrendous things she goes through doesn’t weaken her like it would some, it makes her stronger and I admire that about her.

This book is dark so be sure to check TW before reading!

Content Warnings

mk_loisirs's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

I was approved for this arc and read it within 24hrs of approval. I was THAT excited for this. Ava Reid is one of my favorite authors. A Study in Drowning firmly being entrenched in my top favorite books. I was worried I would not love this one as much as ASID but I was HAPPILY mistaken. I ate it up and left no crumbs. I will not be taking ANY negative commentary on this book. Yes I can see some flaws but I will not be acknowledging them at all.

This story feels very much like an Ava Reid story but at the same time it is such a different vibe. I felt more of the female rage...both quiet and loud.

This rewrite centering on Roscille (Lady Macbeth) forces you to really look at her. She is given a voice and a view. The gaze is unflinching. She is a complex creature that is deserving of her moment in the light.

I loved the prose. I loved the magical elements. I loved just how much you truly come to hate Macbeth (& others let's be honest). I loved how we come to love a monster over a man. (snippet of a great quote "...the man who acknowledges his monster is always wiser....")

If you are a fan of the "I am no man" moment. This is for you.

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