I bought Ava Reid’s Lady Macbeth purely because the cover was gorgeous and I wanted it for a trophy on my shelf, but it turns out what was in the pages themselves was just as compelling as the cover.
Since Lady Roscille was a child, rumors chased her, calling her death touched, poison eyed, and witch kissed. It is said in her father’s court that she was cursed by a witch, and any man who looks into her eyes will be compelled to madness. She’s forced to wear a veil at all times to protect the men from her gaze.
When she is sent to Scotland to wed Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, Roscille is forced to rely on her cunning to survive the brutal court and her ambitious husband. The three witches that her husband keeps chained below his castle give him a prophecy that he will one day be King of Scotland, and things get messy.
There’s murder, there’s romance, and there’s a dragon. This retelling takes Shakespeare’s Macbeth and turns it all around, with new characters, new ideas, and a new way of looking at the woman at the center of this centuries-old tale.
“Madness, of all things, is the most unforgivable in a woman.”
Roscille is nothing like the Lady Macbeth of Shakespeare’s story, which is the whole point. She’s cunning, but not cruel. She does what she thinks she must to survive in a man’s world. She’s human, and she makes mistakes, but ultimately she’s just working with the circumstances she’s given, although with a fair bit of destruction left in her wake.
The only thing I wish is that this book was longer because I would love more time with Roscille. She fascinated me. I was known in my literature program in college for my love of dysfunctional female characters and she is exactly that.
Ava Reid also gives readers a completely new take on Duncan’s sons that leads to a delightful twist. Lady Macbeth is really more a reimagining than a retelling, and it works beautifully.
“I have seen what mortal men can do. I prefer a monster that shows itself openly.”
Lady Macbeth is a dark and violent gothic fantasy, mired in psychological drama and danger. While the plot and characters depart significantly, the book stays true to the tone of the original play, but with a delightful new lens that makes for a truly wonderful story.
Writing: 4.5
Spice: 1
Leave a Reply