review: lady macbeth by ava reid
gifted by penguin.
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
Genre: historical fantasy
Release Date: 6/8/24
About the book:
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.
Review
Ava Reid’s writing is as usual beautiful and absolutely heart-wrenching. I really enjoyed the way Reid went about this retelling, dancing around the original story while simultaneously creating her own tale from a unique perspective.
I would actually label this book as less of a retelling and more of a story inspired by Macbeth. Reid crafts compelling characters and an interesting and engaging plot. I think that Shakespeare lovers will really enjoy the way she utilises the original play to spin a parallel story from a brand new perspective.
The only issue I had with this book was a little bit of a lack of background to the story. It almost seemed like the main characters just appeared with little explanation to their psychological motivations and pasts. Although, I am being a little nitpicky here and I understand that including this would have significantly lengthened the book.
The thing that struck me most about this book is how many beautiful and original quotes I was able to pull - I had to close the book in awe multiple times after reading a particularly amazing line.
Shakespeare fans, as well as historical and fantasy readers will love this one. Make sure to check TWs before reading.
Rating: 4.5/5
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rach xx