I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid Published by Del Rey on August 13, 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Retelling
Pages: 320
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.
The Lady knows the stories: how her eyes induce madness in men.
The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.
The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of strategy, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive.
But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armor. She does not know that her magic is greater and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.
She does not know this yet. But she will.
I love Macbeth by Shakespeare. This was one of my most anticipated novels because the only thing better than the original is a retelling from a different character’s perspective. And Lady Macbeth is a damn interesting character!
But then I got to reading – and my experience was rather disappointing. In this novel, Lady Macbeth is no longer a powerful and ambitious woman. Instead, she is 17 years old and convinced all Scots are brutes. This idea is shoved down readers’ throats constantly. In fact, all men suck in this book. Apart from the love interest, every man is made up of negative qualities only. This makes for a very “flat” rendering that isn’t enjoyable to read.
Lady Macbeth, or Roscille, also lacks that wily and intelligent nature I was looking for. She runs about doing weird things and I genuinely can’t understand her rationale. Also, she blames everyone for everything. It is incredibly frustrating to try and understand her or justify her behaviour/thoughts. And her powers? Barely explored. Seriously, it was such a wasted opportunity and just added to my disappointment.
The story also deviates from the original. A LOT. Sometimes, I wondered why this was even called a retelling. Even the interesting new elements were barely explored.
I don’t want to keep ranting but suffice to say, this book was not it for me. It has nothing to do with Macbeth. But even if this book had been marketed as something else, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it.
There are other reviews on Goodreads that are far better tin expressing my disappointment so if you’re interested, check them out. But for me, this is a 1-star read.
