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Sign up todayLady Macbeth
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Learn moreBookseller recommendation
“For those who love the world of Shakespeare, with a twist. A perfect read to start your fall to-be-read list with: dark, gothic, and filled with folklore!”
— Madisyn • Wyrd Bookstore
Bookseller recommendation
“Lady Macbeth is a hauntingly beautiful gothic fantasy retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth from the perspective of the complex woman at his side. Ava Reid’s writing transports you to the medieval Scottish coastline where death is always walking a few steps behind you and warmth is a distant memory. The reader follows Roscille, a high-born seventeen-year-old who has been sent away from her lush green homeland to the harsh wind-swept Scotland to wed the barbaric Macbeth. I loved how Reid uses the complicated title of 'witch' to represent the many facets of female empowerment and how our interpretation of self changes with our interpretation of this label. The historical element is also quite well done and I truly appreciated the amount of research put into this book. If you enjoy dark stories that feel like an ancient fairy tale, then you will enjoy this read as much as I did!”
— Isabella • Off the Beaten Path
Bookseller recommendation
“A fresh take on Lady Macbeth! Despite being a Shakespeare buff and someone who thought she was a Lady Macbeth purist, I loved this different perspective on one of literature’s most infamous women. ”
— Lauren • Friendly City Books
Bookseller recommendation
“This visceral, grim, and vicious reimagining of a long-held classic is just the thing for a powerful midnight hag to sink her teeth into. Hairy, violent Scottish men, a dark-haired prince with a scaly secret, and a cunning woman with a siren-like gaze who refuses to stay in her place make this novel a must-read. The three witches in Macbeth’s dungeon have already prophesied you picking this book up and reading it. And what the witches foresee must come true. All hail Roscille, Queen hereafter. ”
— Lambie • Underground Books
Summary
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid comes a “masterful reimagining” (Publishers Weekly) 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.
“Lady Macbeth doesn’t retell Shakespeare so much as slice cleanly through it, revealing what was hidden beneath. I couldn't look away.”—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House
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.
Reviews
“Reid masterfully balances the original narrative with fresh twists, making the familiar story feel new and exciting. . . . Whether you’re a Shakespeare enthusiast or simply a lover of well-crafted fantasy, this novel is sure to captivate and will leave readers yearning for more.”—Booklist“This stunning, gorgeously rendered work of gothic fantasy goes beyond William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy to closely examine the Bard’s most iconic villainess. . . . If there is someone who reads as though they were born to write gothic fantasy and suspense, it’s Ava Reid.”—Bookreporter
“Deftly told and richly imagined, Lady Macbeth is a gothic fever dream with sharpened teeth.”—Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of The Foxglove King
“Lady Macbeth is a knife of a book: bloodstained, sharply beautiful, and necessary. I couldn't look away.”—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House
“Gorgeously written, haunting, and dark, Lady Macbeth is an unforgettable retelling that will set your imagination alight.”—Sue Lynn Tan, USA Today bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess
“Ava Reid takes one of Shakespeare’s most interesting antiheroes and endows her with vulnerability, power, and depth in this darkly gorgeous feast of a book. I was spellbound from the very first page.”—Freya Marske, internationally bestselling author of the Last Binding trilogy
“A dark, elegant, heart-stirring novel that carves its own life from the Scottish play in a unique and powerful way—I loved every page.”—Louisa Morgan, author of The Ghosts of Beatrice Bird
“Hail, Queen! Scotland’s cold will seep into your bones as you watch the scheming, vulnerable Lady Roscille fight for her autonomy in a world that would define her in relation to men alone.”—Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi
“A reinvention and a reclamation of a literary figure we think we already know . . . a surprising and highly satisfying read.”—Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series
“A tender, wholly original portrait of one of Shakespeare’s most infamous characters . . . There’s one thing about Ava Reid: She doesn’t miss.”—Sasha Peyton Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven
“A novel etched with a scalpel, flawlessly delivering the darkest depths of human relationships as well as the emotional brilliance of catharsis—a triumph of a retelling.”—Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun
“Ava Reid’s lyrical prose bleeds in every scene, haunting, sorrowful, and deeply romantic. Thrilling and poignant, this is a story is not to miss.”—Isabel Ibañez, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What the River Knows
“Precise, unflinching, and soaringly ambitious, Lady Macbeth reimagines the story of Macbeth to perfection.”—Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief
“Reid’s prose, as shimmeringly poetic as always, carries a story that will curl around your heart and linger in your bones.”—Victoria Lee, nationally bestselling author of A Lesson in Vengeance
“A beautifully written, unexpected, and utterly original take on the character of Lady Macbeth.”—Sarah Underwood, New York Times and international bestselling author of Lies We Sing to the Sea Expand reviews