Lady Macbeth

I wanted so badly to LOVE this and there were many aspects about this novel that I adored, such as the strong and impactful writing of Ava Reid, however it is glaringly difficult to look past the SIGNIFICANT creative liberties that were taken to tell this story. Lady Macbeth is an unrecognizable character that shares almost zero attributes with her Shakespearean counterpart in this version. I'm ALL for feminist retellings, they're some of my favorite books to read, but it's okay for characters to not be victims all the time. Let women be villains! One of the most interesting aspects of Lady Macbeth as a character and why she has stood the test of time as one of the most iconic characters ever written is because of how cunning and strong willed she was and how she was essentially the mastermind behind all of the schemes portrayed in Macbeth. To see all of that completely missing from this interpretation was definitely disappointing. I would have much rather read about what made Lady Macbeth into the cunning mastermind she was rather than read a story that completely changes her entire personality and background to make her more sympathetic. I will say though, I really loved the writing of this book and would 100% read another novel by Ava Reid just for the quality of the internal monologues. It was also a super engaging read and easy to finish quickly.

“She empties a bucket into the hearth, where the flames sizzle and die. Bits of gray fabric are caught amid the charred wood. But the room only smells of Ash now. There is no rust tinged treachery in the air. In that moment, Roscille slips out of herself and, like a specter, Lady Macbeth slips in.”