Lady Macbeth
Ava Reid, author of the acclaimed A Study in Drowning, offers a fresh perspective on Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth. This reimagining grants the infamous villainess her own voice, exploring her past and the hidden power she wields. As she navigates a hostile court and a marriage to a brutal warrior, she discovers her own magic is far greater and more dangerous than she ever imagined, threatening the very fabric of the world.
The illegitimate daughter of a Breton lord, married off to Macbeth as a political pawn; her rumored witchcraft and compelling gaze mask a real, dangerous magic she must learn to wield to survive a hostile Scottish court.
Roscille's husband, a Scottish warrior who keeps three chained witches beneath his castle and grows increasingly violent and tyrannical as he chases the witches' prophecy of the throne.
Macbeth's loyal right-hand man and a rigid patriarchal figure who distrusts Roscille and takes part in her punishment.
Banquho's son, who forms a staged alliance with Roscille for mutual political advantage, a bond that sours as his ambitions align with Macbeth's.
One of King Duncane's sons, cursed to transform into a dragon whenever he falls asleep; he becomes Roscille's protector and lover.
It's a loose reimagining rather than a scene-for-scene retelling. Ava Reid keeps the broad arc of Shakespeare's Macbeth but gives Lady Macbeth an invented backstory and name (Roscille), an illegitimate daughter of a Breton lord, and adds real magic, prophecy, and witchcraft to the world of the Scottish court.
No. It's a standalone novel published by Del Rey in August 2024.
