I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Macbeth before and was thrilled to see that Capin (whose debut novel I really enjoyed) was tackling a retelling of the story for a YA audience. As the description suggests, it does read as a violent, Kill-Bill-esque version of the story with a more diverse cast of characters (and I'm all for more diversity, especially in YA). Capin also does a nice job conveying the trauma that sexual assault leaves on its victims. (Watch for a surprisingly tender moment between Jade and her parents regarding this.) I appreciated the TWs at the beginning; however, both the violence and the plot required a lot of suspension of disbelief.

As one reviewer pointed out, Macbeth involves a woman psychologically and emotionally influencing her husband to murder his peers, but it happens over a sustained period of time. In this retelling, Jade manages to accomplish the same thing over one or two weeks, all with little-to-no interference from adults or parents. Additionally, while Capin's writing is poetic and devastating, I could have used more character development and enrichment.

In short: this is pure, unadulterated revenge fantasy, if that's what you're looking for. It might resonate more with teens (though hopefully they won't emulate the main characters).