Lady Macbeth: A Novel

『So you are no mortal man. I have seen what mortal men can do. I prefer a monster that shows itself openly. 』4/5What a wonderful journey.‘Lady Macbeth’ is a tale from old times, it’s a story about young lady who is to become a wife of a lord from Scotland. And both of them are hiding secrets, and while hers is just a power of her gaze, his are secrets of cruelty and ambitions.When Roscille arrives to his castle, she continues wearing the veil which hides world from her gaze, but not hides world from exploration and gathering secrets. Our lady is afraid and before first night occurred, she asked her husband for three things. Which starts series of unfortunate events and changes the lives of people in several kingdoms.Macbeth is a lord, who has witches chained in the basement and those poor souls are making him prophecies, which are changing the course of events.One question is troubling Roscille, why he agreed to wed her? Is it because she is valuable as a daughter of a nice family? Or because her appearance and rumors about power of her gaze?Great story with dark atmosphere. Where each corner hides new secret, new danger and sudden change. It’s hard to explain but i’ve got the vibes of dark alluring tale in Scotland pf the past, where beasts are not simple stories but a reality, where magic exists and where our girl must find a way to overcome all obstacles to escape her captor and find the way to be happy.

Exactly what you want from an Ava Reid book!

DNF at 40% - slow, boring, and confusing.

I’m not sure how I felt about this book. I liked. Getting lady Macbeth’s POV and how she was always used by men, never having her own choice. How she just wants to be free, but in that time women were so easily tossed aside, made to do what they were told.The instant love, I don’t know about that. But Macbeth….what jerk He got what was coming for him

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid was atmospheric and hazy, fraught with tension. There was a dread that spread through my body as events unfolded. I thought it was beautifully written and I devoured it in two days.Roscille resonated with me, not just because our names are close (hah hah), but because she was in her head so much, reflecting on her regrets, crafting way to keep herself safe, angry with the way women are treated. All she needs is a shower to stand in while she crafts arguments and what she should have said in situations that have already happened. She thinks she’s clever as she tries to move pieces across the chessboard that is her life.I’ve heard that there’s some controversy over the book not being a faithful retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. And that’s true, it’s not. In fact, you could take the name Macbeth out of it and the story could stand on its own, especially with the ending. It’s a story that just happens to have a man named Macbeth with a wife and three witches show up.And can we talk about how gorgeous this hardcover edition is? I love the inside illustration. And the cover art is creepy-lovely. Definite trophy book for anyone’s collection.

Last year's Queen Hereafter / Lady Macbethad was one of my absolute favorite reads. As someone who has always found Shakespeare intriguing but inaccessible, historical fiction retellings have helped me enjoy and appreciate the classic characters. I also really love that the women in these stories are getting a highlight and sometimes a larger role in these pivotal moments in history. Also I've loved all of Ava Reid's stories so I was excited to see how she would transform and elevate the characters of Macbeth.Roscille is a woman of unbelievable beauty, so much so that looking into her eyes will stir a man to madness. When sent to marry the Scottish brute Macbeth, she is veiled and decides she will manipulate and gaslight him into doing her bidding. But she is young and naive... perhaps overestimating her clever womanly wiles. We all know where it's headed and yet can't look away.

To start this off, you do not need to go into this book having read Macbeth or do a reread of Macbeth to understand what is going on. It had been quite a few years since I read Macbeth but I adore Ava Reid’s style and knew I would love this as well.Ava’s words always crafts such a gorgeous immersive world. Rosecille, is the beautiful bastard daughter whose gaze enchants men. She is forced to see the world through a veil to protect men’s minds and is sent off as all daughters are to marry at her father’s behest.“You are whatever creature I have made you.”Rosecille is bold in her exploration of the world, she does her best to protect herself and mark out a place in a world ruled by men. I was left with a sense of peace and fresh air after the last page of this novel. I am so used to being crushed by Ava Reid that this feeling of relief is unexpected!“There is no freedom for me when I am absent of you.”And the love found within this novel is so touching, and builds so beautiful. Proof that a monster is not always what you expect it to be. And that sometimes the true monsters are found in unexpected places.Overall, the writing is lyrical and the world build was well paced. The characters had such depth and their history was fleshed out so well. I loved this book and find it to be a book of healing more than anything.