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A review by bookphenomena_micky
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 stars
Headlines:
Gothic
Atmospheric
Grim reading
Lady Macbeth lived up to her name from what I remember of the original play but this was darker in some ways and the witchery was full focus. What started as a young French bride (17 years old) sent off to the remote highlands to marry Macbeth, became a tale of female power influenced by a dark magic.
At first, I thought it was all smoke and mirrors about Roscille's power but I was rather quickly corrected on that assumption. She seemed mousey in character but the reality was that she was a cunning killer. Don't let that colour your thoughts as to that being all there was about her, Roscille was a slave to men's will...her father's, her husband's and other men in the castle. Her manipulations and intent seemed to set the scale more in balance, but maybe a bit too much the other way.
This was a gory read and if you've read Reid's work before, this will be no surprise. The whole vibe of the piece was grim and permeating darkness. There was little to like about any of the characters but they still make for compelling reading.
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. One of the reasons for bringing this rating down a bit was the persistant narrative about the brutality of Scots as a whole nation. They were described as braying, strange, brutish and barbaric. It seemed descriptive overkill to sully a whole nation even in these times.
Thank you to DelRey UK for the review copy.
Headlines:
Gothic
Atmospheric
Grim reading
Lady Macbeth lived up to her name from what I remember of the original play but this was darker in some ways and the witchery was full focus. What started as a young French bride (17 years old) sent off to the remote highlands to marry Macbeth, became a tale of female power influenced by a dark magic.
At first, I thought it was all smoke and mirrors about Roscille's power but I was rather quickly corrected on that assumption. She seemed mousey in character but the reality was that she was a cunning killer. Don't let that colour your thoughts as to that being all there was about her, Roscille was a slave to men's will...her father's, her husband's and other men in the castle. Her manipulations and intent seemed to set the scale more in balance, but maybe a bit too much the other way.
This was a gory read and if you've read Reid's work before, this will be no surprise. The whole vibe of the piece was grim and permeating darkness. There was little to like about any of the characters but they still make for compelling reading.
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. One of the reasons for bringing this rating down a bit was the persistant narrative about the brutality of Scots as a whole nation. They were described as braying, strange, brutish and barbaric. It seemed descriptive overkill to sully a whole nation even in these times.
Thank you to DelRey UK for the review copy.