A review by lovelymisanthrope
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I heard about this book and thought it sounded really interesting, so I picked it up. 
"Lady Macbeth" is a reimagining of Shakespeare's infamous play. In this novel, the Lady knows everyone's dirty secrets, and she is hellbent on exacting her revenge. She thinks she will have the upper hand, but she does not know that her new husband has his own supernatural gifts, and that he will not go out without a fight. 
I really enjoyed that this novel was a retelling/ reimagining of one of Shakespeare's most beloved plays. I felt like this novel did the play justice, and stayed authentic to the original storyline and characters. However, this novel does take a new-ish approach, and it follows a different character, which was fun.
Lady Macbeth was a powerful character and point of view to read from. I could not help but root for her, even when I knew she was doing things that were not great. I do think there were moments that she was so blinded with her mission to bring down these people that she did not see clues that were right in front of her that could have helped her avoid some of the challenges that she did ultimately face. It was frustrating to read, but I do think it made her character feel more authentic. As much as I enjoy a strong, female character, I do think Ava Reid was a little too fixated on how to make this a feminist retelling. Because of this, I do think the story and the character development of Lady Macbeth suffered slightly.
Because this is a reimagining of a very famous play, I did know where this story was going. I do not know if that is why I struggled through some parts of the plot, but regardless, there were moments of the story that did drag for me. It took me a little longer than I would have liked to finish this story. I do wish the author would have taken more creative liberty and elected to do something more creative, but that is more of a personal preference, and not a reflection of the author's work.
Overall, I think this was a fine novel that has an audience. This was my second novel from Ava Reid, and I am left feeling very much how I did after reading the first: this is fine, but did not blow me away. 
I would still be willing to read Ava Reid in the future if she writes something that really captures my attention, but I am not dying to pick up anything new from her either. 
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