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A review by catreadsitall
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“A witch does not need a reason, only an opportunity.”
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️/5
What To Expect:
✔️ Shakespeare reimagined
✔️ Witches & dragons
✔️ Not my Lady Macbeth
What It's About: Told from the perspective of the titular Lady Macbeth, but this time she’s a 17 year old French girl named Roscille. She arrives in Scotland to marry the Thane of Glamis, but finds herself stranded without allies. Branded a witch, she must wear a veil to protect the men who might otherwise look her in the eye. Alone and adrift in an alien world, she must find her power and wield it to survive.
General Thoughts: Ava Reid’s writing is beautiful. The prose is lyrical and this entire book feels like a fairytale. Unfortunately, unlike a fairy tale, there doesn’t appear to be a plot.
What I Enjoyed: the writing style is gorgeous and I truly enjoyed it a great deal.
What I Struggled With: Both the plot and the insipid reimagining of Lady Macbeth. Listen, okay, listen. The OG is cunning and manipulative and possibly one of the best characters in any of Shakespeare’s plays. This reimagining is not. I could see where we were trying to go, but we just never really got there. Instead, Roscille’s every decision seemed determined by the men around her. I’m not sure if this is feminist commentary that I don’t understand?
Fave quote: “For what else do men value if not the things other men wish to take from them?”
I read this book in 3 hours and honestly I still couldn’t tell you if it was because I was enjoying it or if I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️/5
What To Expect:
✔️ Shakespeare reimagined
✔️ Witches & dragons
✔️ Not my Lady Macbeth
What It's About: Told from the perspective of the titular Lady Macbeth, but this time she’s a 17 year old French girl named Roscille. She arrives in Scotland to marry the Thane of Glamis, but finds herself stranded without allies. Branded a witch, she must wear a veil to protect the men who might otherwise look her in the eye. Alone and adrift in an alien world, she must find her power and wield it to survive.
General Thoughts: Ava Reid’s writing is beautiful. The prose is lyrical and this entire book feels like a fairytale. Unfortunately, unlike a fairy tale, there doesn’t appear to be a plot.
What I Enjoyed: the writing style is gorgeous and I truly enjoyed it a great deal.
What I Struggled With: Both the plot and the insipid reimagining of Lady Macbeth. Listen, okay, listen. The OG is cunning and manipulative and possibly one of the best characters in any of Shakespeare’s plays. This reimagining is not. I could see where we were trying to go, but we just never really got there. Instead, Roscille’s every decision seemed determined by the men around her. I’m not sure if this is feminist commentary that I don’t understand?
Fave quote: “For what else do men value if not the things other men wish to take from them?”
I read this book in 3 hours and honestly I still couldn’t tell you if it was because I was enjoying it or if I couldn’t wait for it to be over.