Lady Macbeth

A Novel

Author Ava Reid
Ebook (EPUB)
On sale Aug 13, 2024 | 320 Pages | 978-0-593-72257-2
| Grades 9-12 + AP/IB
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid comes a reimagining 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.
“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
© Diane McClamroch
Ava Reid is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the gothic fantasies A Study in Drowning, Juniper & Thorn, and Lady Macbeth. She lives in California. View titles by Ava Reid

About

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid comes a reimagining 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

“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

Author

© Diane McClamroch
Ava Reid is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the gothic fantasies A Study in Drowning, Juniper & Thorn, and Lady Macbeth. She lives in California. View titles by Ava Reid