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esme_bonner's review
dark
emotional
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
Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey UK, and Ava Reid for a galley of this book.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I really wanted to enjoy it, and I did for the most part, but there are just some things I struggle to get on board with. Let's start at the top, if you are looking for a Macbeth retelling, that is relatively true to the play, this is not for you. If you are looking for a Macbeth reimagining with some changes, and don't mind a few historical inaccuracies, then this might be right up your alley.
As a book that isn't a Macbeth retelling, this has some strong moments. I enjoyed the way Reid employed varying names and spellings to reflect the flexibility of language in Medieval Britain. Don't be put off by the list at the front, the changes are relatively few, and largely understandable. I liked this attention to detail, although there are some historical inaccuracies I'm going to come back to. I also thought this idea tied in the play nicely, and gave us a sense of who we could expect to see.
I enjoyed the way Roscille's magic came to be, and for the most part I found her an interesting and sympathetic character. She was younger than I expected, and not Scottish, but she seemed smart and slippery. I was surprised so few of her schemes seemed to come off in the end, but overall I think she was an interesting woman, with a unique outlook on the world. I think she also has the potential to be an excellent leader, and I think Reid showed rather than told the reader that. For the most part I liked being in Roscille's head, and I enjoyed witnessing the relationships she built with potential friends, allies, and love interests.
I thought some of the symbolism and motifs Reid used were really strong, and as a piece of Gothic fantasy fiction it had some excellent beats. I think another intertext for this was the Bluebeard myth, which is also a related intertext for books like Gone Girl, so you can imagine the themes that are struck on here. In terms of Gothic fiction conventions, Reid ticks all the boxes. Spooky castle? Check. Creepy magical goings on? Check. A hot / cold, never-know-where-you-stand, much older husband? Check. Really strong when you look at it through that lens, and enjoyable to read.
I struggled, however, with it's ties to Macbeth. I think beyond the setting and the character names, they didn't bear that much similarity. If this had been Gothic fiction with Macbeth as a clear intertext, I think it would be stronger. But instead, attention is drawn to the fact that this is a 'retelling', and in my opinion it just is not similar enough for that to hold true. If you ignore the play, then I think this is really great. If you want something that is the play, then this might disappoint you.
With regard to the historical inaccuracies… It's hard. The thing is, I studied medieval literature at MA level, and I can tell you there were women. Everywhere. I can tell you that women had better lives than you probably think. I'm not saying it wasn't hard to be a women in Medieval Britain, but it was hard to be anyone in Medieval Britain. The larger issue is that Æthelstan was ruling in the 10th century, and Macbeth is traditionally set in the 11th. So these are things that just are not happening at the same time, and the languages they spoke would have been very far apart. Æthelstan would have spoken Old English, which is much closer to Norse than it is Middle English. Scots did not exist until the 13th century, so Macbeth should be speaking Gaelic, Middle English, or a Norse based language like Brythonic. I just think when such a point has been made of the language thing at the beginning, then that should be reflected in the narrative. If this is set when Æthelstan is King, then no one is speaking Scots.
This actually brings us to the only thing I had a real genuine problem with.
Here is probably a good place for me to stop and say that 1) this is a well written book, and I think that if you want to read it you will get a lot out of it. It was an exciting, twisty, dark narrative, and it had a lot of things to say about the role of women, and the way that society puts us down. 2) Ava Reid, and I would suspect a lot of the people who were involved in the editing process, is / are American, and probably did not speak to many, if any, Scottish people during the editorial process.
Personally I think that was a bit of an oversight, because the way Scottish people are presented in this book actually borders on the offensive. There are no women in the castle, so it is all men, all of whom are a mix of brutish, stupid, easily manipulated, cruel, ugly, and predatory. The only Scottish women we meet are ugly, monstrous, or victimised, if sometimes kind and well-meaning. These things would maybe be less of an issue is Roscille was Scottish, but she isn't, this Lady Macbeth is a 17 year old girl from Brittany. Similarly, if any of the good men we interact with where Scottish, then it would be less of an issue. But they're not. The only 'good' men we meet are half-English, and even then one of them inherits monstrous traits from his Scottish side. What that leaves us with is very strange, borderline xenophobic, representation of all Scottish people (in this book) as brutes who are less civilised, and much crueler, than the rest of the world.
Now, to be clear, I do not have an issue with Roscille the character having negative experiences with people who happen to be Scottish. That isn't what's happening in this book. This is not presented as a personal xenophobia, or even as a cultural xenophobia relating to her own upbringing. We do see that in her early responses and thoughts about 'Northmen'. Instead Reid simply represents all the Scottish characters as these things, it becomes objective rather than subjective in the narrative. All the Scots are, objectively, bad people. Their customs and behaviours are, objectively, antiquated, violent, and unpleasant. That is the problem I have. I don't think any culture would want to be represented that way, and I think bringing in things like Scots (which did not even exist in this time period) makes it harder to draw a line and say 'no, this is history, this is fictional history.'
Overall… I don't really know what to say about this book. I didn't not like it. It was enjoyable. it's well written. Reid is a master of Gothic fantasy. But I struggled with it. I worry it could be incredibly polarising. 3 stars, to me, I think presents that struggle. For some, for those that don't care about how Scottish people are presented, and don't mind a historical inaccuracy, this could be an easy 5 stars.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I really wanted to enjoy it, and I did for the most part, but there are just some things I struggle to get on board with. Let's start at the top, if you are looking for a Macbeth retelling, that is relatively true to the play, this is not for you. If you are looking for a Macbeth reimagining with some changes, and don't mind a few historical inaccuracies, then this might be right up your alley.
As a book that isn't a Macbeth retelling, this has some strong moments. I enjoyed the way Reid employed varying names and spellings to reflect the flexibility of language in Medieval Britain. Don't be put off by the list at the front, the changes are relatively few, and largely understandable. I liked this attention to detail, although there are some historical inaccuracies I'm going to come back to. I also thought this idea tied in the play nicely, and gave us a sense of who we could expect to see.
I enjoyed the way Roscille's magic came to be, and for the most part I found her an interesting and sympathetic character. She was younger than I expected, and not Scottish, but she seemed smart and slippery. I was surprised so few of her schemes seemed to come off in the end, but overall I think she was an interesting woman, with a unique outlook on the world. I think she also has the potential to be an excellent leader, and I think Reid showed rather than told the reader that. For the most part I liked being in Roscille's head, and I enjoyed witnessing the relationships she built with potential friends, allies, and love interests.
I thought some of the symbolism and motifs Reid used were really strong, and as a piece of Gothic fantasy fiction it had some excellent beats. I think another intertext for this was the Bluebeard myth, which is also a related intertext for books like Gone Girl, so you can imagine the themes that are struck on here. In terms of Gothic fiction conventions, Reid ticks all the boxes. Spooky castle? Check. Creepy magical goings on? Check. A hot / cold, never-know-where-you-stand, much older husband? Check. Really strong when you look at it through that lens, and enjoyable to read.
I struggled, however, with it's ties to Macbeth. I think beyond the setting and the character names, they didn't bear that much similarity. If this had been Gothic fiction with Macbeth as a clear intertext, I think it would be stronger. But instead, attention is drawn to the fact that this is a 'retelling', and in my opinion it just is not similar enough for that to hold true. If you ignore the play, then I think this is really great. If you want something that is the play, then this might disappoint you.
With regard to the historical inaccuracies… It's hard. The thing is, I studied medieval literature at MA level, and I can tell you there were women. Everywhere. I can tell you that women had better lives than you probably think. I'm not saying it wasn't hard to be a women in Medieval Britain, but it was hard to be anyone in Medieval Britain. The larger issue is that Æthelstan was ruling in the 10th century, and Macbeth is traditionally set in the 11th. So these are things that just are not happening at the same time, and the languages they spoke would have been very far apart. Æthelstan would have spoken Old English, which is much closer to Norse than it is Middle English. Scots did not exist until the 13th century, so Macbeth should be speaking Gaelic, Middle English, or a Norse based language like Brythonic. I just think when such a point has been made of the language thing at the beginning, then that should be reflected in the narrative. If this is set when Æthelstan is King, then no one is speaking Scots.
This actually brings us to the only thing I had a real genuine problem with.
Here is probably a good place for me to stop and say that 1) this is a well written book, and I think that if you want to read it you will get a lot out of it. It was an exciting, twisty, dark narrative, and it had a lot of things to say about the role of women, and the way that society puts us down. 2) Ava Reid, and I would suspect a lot of the people who were involved in the editing process, is / are American, and probably did not speak to many, if any, Scottish people during the editorial process.
Personally I think that was a bit of an oversight, because the way Scottish people are presented in this book actually borders on the offensive. There are no women in the castle, so it is all men, all of whom are a mix of brutish, stupid, easily manipulated, cruel, ugly, and predatory. The only Scottish women we meet are ugly, monstrous, or victimised, if sometimes kind and well-meaning. These things would maybe be less of an issue is Roscille was Scottish, but she isn't, this Lady Macbeth is a 17 year old girl from Brittany. Similarly, if any of the good men we interact with where Scottish, then it would be less of an issue. But they're not. The only 'good' men we meet are half-English, and even then one of them inherits monstrous traits from his Scottish side. What that leaves us with is very strange, borderline xenophobic, representation of all Scottish people (in this book) as brutes who are less civilised, and much crueler, than the rest of the world.
Now, to be clear, I do not have an issue with Roscille the character having negative experiences with people who happen to be Scottish. That isn't what's happening in this book. This is not presented as a personal xenophobia, or even as a cultural xenophobia relating to her own upbringing. We do see that in her early responses and thoughts about 'Northmen'. Instead Reid simply represents all the Scottish characters as these things, it becomes objective rather than subjective in the narrative. All the Scots are, objectively, bad people. Their customs and behaviours are, objectively, antiquated, violent, and unpleasant. That is the problem I have. I don't think any culture would want to be represented that way, and I think bringing in things like Scots (which did not even exist in this time period) makes it harder to draw a line and say 'no, this is history, this is fictional history.'
Overall… I don't really know what to say about this book. I didn't not like it. It was enjoyable. it's well written. Reid is a master of Gothic fantasy. But I struggled with it. I worry it could be incredibly polarising. 3 stars, to me, I think presents that struggle. For some, for those that don't care about how Scottish people are presented, and don't mind a historical inaccuracy, this could be an easy 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual violence, and Confinement
Moderate: Rape, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
This is a historical fantasy novel set against a backdrop of machination, and violence. This also features a woman in an arranged marriage eventually forced to consummate that marriage.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
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