I’ve read j&t, ASID, and this (in order) and i liked each book less then the previous one because I started to realize that Ava Reid is only interested in writing one kind of female protagonist (young, white, pretty, smart, abused) with one love interest (young, white, handsome, skinny, understands what the protagonist has been through and hates the men who hurt her, helps her cope with her trauma by having sex with her that she enjoys) and all of the other men are horrible and the other women aren’t really characters. I liked j&t the most partly because I read it first and also because it does have a more nuanced portrayal of abuse and how other women can participate in that abuse. I think that reason why LM is the one of her books that’s getting the most hate is because people already know and love LM and the changes to her that Reid makes literally only makes sense if you understand how Reid likes to write “feminist novels” and it shows how limited Reid’s view of feminism is.
There is a one star review on Goodreads that suggests some alternatives to this version of Lady Macbeth. I think the title is Queen Hereafter. I read that review to see if I would like it or not. And that reviewer had several issues with the way that feminism is portrayed, the way the Scots are portrayed, and other reasonable things. It’s good to know that the issues that made me avoid it are issues other people saw.
@@ToCoziesAndBeyond I agree that would have been a way better name. I had even more issues that I didnt go into for sake of time. I didn't expect to hate it this much tbh
Every Ava Reid book ive read so far has the same 3 flat characters (extremely beautiful/ sexually traumatised woman, some guy and a mustache twirling misogynistic villain). The prose is pretty sometimes but not nearly enough the cover how lazy alot of it feels. World building is a couple of lines of things that quite definitely should affect the plot but mysteriously never come up again. The retelling/reimagining aspects consist of keeping a name or two but nothing else. A.S.I.D was so oddly bad, like an AI hand type of bad. *editing to recommend Sarah Perrys Melmoth and Laird Hunts In The House In The Dark Of The Woods for anyone looking for gothic/atmospheric writing and complex female characters.
@@TiffReadsBooks The Hunt one reads like if David Lynch wrote Over The Garden Wall, delightfully odd. A word of caution for Melmoth though ; I picked it up as it was described as a gothic ghost story, and it is in its own way, but it's more haunted by horrors we inflict on each other and how we carry shame/guilt/trauma. It put me in a weird head space abit. Perry writes these horribly human characters that are at once repulsive and endearing. It made for a particularly heavy read.
I need to start with, that I don't mind when something is redone for younger audiences. I think that Lion King as Hamlet for kids is a brilliant move. All Shakespeare did was re imagine older stories or history. But. I think this one... misses the point of Lady Macbeth. It's like having a story about Hamlet, but he's very confident and is also in a story that's unrelated to anything to do with his family, you know, anybody but Hamlet. Lady Macbeth is a retelling of Bluebeard imho, and I have some idea why is it called Lady Macbeth, but her literary character is all about guilt. She's the one who says "Out damned spot'', change that and it isn't her. I think there's a lot you can do with her character, but I don't think it's YA friendly. It really seems to me like it's two different pitches cobbled together. It is like it's a Bluebeard, mostly, with a coat of Macbeth, because market research shows that that's a more valuable IP. And I don't really care to be offended, because if the author has nothing to say about Lady Macbeth, that's ok, it's not everyone's cup of tea. But I think it's a bit tragic, bacause it's objectively a cool title, it's perfect for a fantasy, yet so recognisable, but somebody who has something to actually say about the subject isn't going to be given a chance, probably because an extended story about a kinda Cercei Lanistereque character isn't going to draw in people who expect a happy ending.
@@natasakon8962 I might have given it a little more grace if it was marketed as YA, but Penguin Random House/Del Rey has it as "Historical Fiction/Fantasy" and no YA tag. That being said, I've seen the bluebeard comparisons a lot and I do think it does feel like she wedged in some Macbeth names and locations over the top of a Bluebeard retelling. Just a swing and a miss overall IMO.
I’ve read j&t, ASID, and this (in order) and i liked each book less then the previous one because I started to realize that Ava Reid is only interested in writing one kind of female protagonist (young, white, pretty, smart, abused) with one love interest (young, white, handsome, skinny, understands what the protagonist has been through and hates the men who hurt her, helps her cope with her trauma by having sex with her that she enjoys) and all of the other men are horrible and the other women aren’t really characters. I liked j&t the most partly because I read it first and also because it does have a more nuanced portrayal of abuse and how other women can participate in that abuse. I think that reason why LM is the one of her books that’s getting the most hate is because people already know and love LM and the changes to her that Reid makes literally only makes sense if you understand how Reid likes to write “feminist novels” and it shows how limited Reid’s view of feminism is.
There is a one star review on Goodreads that suggests some alternatives to this version of Lady Macbeth. I think the title is Queen Hereafter.
I read that review to see if I would like it or not. And that reviewer had several issues with the way that feminism is portrayed, the way the Scots are portrayed, and other reasonable things. It’s good to know that the issues that made me avoid it are issues other people saw.
@@ToCoziesAndBeyond I agree that would have been a way better name. I had even more issues that I didnt go into for sake of time. I didn't expect to hate it this much tbh
Every Ava Reid book ive read so far has the same 3 flat characters (extremely beautiful/ sexually traumatised woman, some guy and a mustache twirling misogynistic villain). The prose is pretty sometimes but not nearly enough the cover how lazy alot of it feels. World building is a couple of lines of things that quite definitely should affect the plot but mysteriously never come up again. The retelling/reimagining aspects consist of keeping a name or two but nothing else. A.S.I.D was so oddly bad, like an AI hand type of bad. *editing to recommend Sarah Perrys Melmoth and Laird Hunts In The House In The Dark Of The Woods for anyone looking for gothic/atmospheric writing and complex female characters.
@@bmoforever5562 oooh thank you for the recs! I'm going to check them out.
I agree that ASID was... something. The xenophobia in that was ... yikes.
@@TiffReadsBooks The Hunt one reads like if David Lynch wrote Over The Garden Wall, delightfully odd. A word of caution for Melmoth though ; I picked it up as it was described as a gothic ghost story, and it is in its own way, but it's more haunted by horrors we inflict on each other and how we carry shame/guilt/trauma. It put me in a weird head space abit. Perry writes these horribly human characters that are at once repulsive and endearing. It made for a particularly heavy read.
I need to start with, that I don't mind when something is redone for younger audiences. I think that Lion King as Hamlet for kids is a brilliant move. All Shakespeare did was re imagine older stories or history. But. I think this one... misses the point of Lady Macbeth. It's like having a story about Hamlet, but he's very confident and is also in a story that's unrelated to anything to do with his family, you know, anybody but Hamlet.
Lady Macbeth is a retelling of Bluebeard imho, and I have some idea why is it called Lady Macbeth, but her literary character is all about guilt. She's the one who says "Out damned spot'', change that and it isn't her. I think there's a lot you can do with her character, but I don't think it's YA friendly.
It really seems to me like it's two different pitches cobbled together. It is like it's a Bluebeard, mostly, with a coat of Macbeth, because market research shows that that's a more valuable IP. And I don't really care to be offended, because if the author has nothing to say about Lady Macbeth, that's ok, it's not everyone's cup of tea. But I think it's a bit tragic, bacause it's objectively a cool title, it's perfect for a fantasy, yet so recognisable, but somebody who has something to actually say about the subject isn't going to be given a chance, probably because an extended story about a kinda Cercei Lanistereque character isn't going to draw in people who expect a happy ending.
@@natasakon8962 I might have given it a little more grace if it was marketed as YA, but Penguin Random House/Del Rey has it as "Historical Fiction/Fantasy" and no YA tag. That being said, I've seen the bluebeard comparisons a lot and I do think it does feel like she wedged in some Macbeth names and locations over the top of a Bluebeard retelling. Just a swing and a miss overall IMO.
@@TiffReadsBooks Honestly I want Crime and Punishment but with Macbeths, anything less is a bit disappointing