A review by luckyonesoph
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

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. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings