The Queen Is Dead: The haunting historical fantasy retelling of Shakespeare's story of love, betrayal, and revenge

by C.H. Folan, Christine Folan

Love made her a traitor.
Hate made her a queen.

Peace in the territory of Moray is tenuous at best, and its women know that bored men are often the most dangerous of beasts. Born into a loving and idyllic home in the northern reaches of what would one day become Scotland, Gruoch is sheltered from the reality and dangers of living in such remote lands. Yet as the shadow of treachery and war sweep away the remnants of the innocent girl, what is left of the woman shall step out of the embers and engulf her world in flame.

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The Queen Is Dead is a speculative retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth , told from the perspective of literature's most fiendish queen. Inspired by the historical figures behind the infamous characters, this unflinching re-examining seeks a more satisfying origin story for the serpent beneath the flower.

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 3, 2023

About the author

Canadian writer and author of The Queen is Dead. Pen name for author Christine Folan.

Reviews

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread April 2026:
Finally got around to listening to the audio book version and wowza.
Lauren Kayler really brought Gruoch to life and her accents were on point!
I was not surprised to learn the narrator has Scottish blood.
What a delightful experience; the story was pulled forward even more for me.
Highly enjoyed revisiting this one through the audio!

Original Review May 2022:
A MacBeth retelling from the woman's perspective?
Yes please!
I am lucky enough to be friends with the author and she let me have some early access to the story.

Lady Folan has brought an underused character to life in a vivacious story.
Historical fiction is a fine line between fact and fiction and Folan rides the rails with gusto.
Bringing enough of the original tale into her own plot that you recognize everything happening, but are on the edge of your seat to find out why and how it will come to fruition is addictive.
I adore Folan's writing style and that she dares to give this "afterthought" of a character, from the original play, a full and rich origin story is beyond satisfying.
Feeling the locations so deeply from her descriptive writing doesn't hurt either.
This is Folan's second full length novel and I am all in for anything else she decides to write.

[Gabby Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you an ARC reader? Do you get nervous when you’re sent an ARC and think, I hope I like it?

Oh my Gruoch. (Our main lady’s name). This retelling of Macbeth is AMAZING!

The details completely transport the reader into the story. Filled with tragedy 🎭 we learn the story of Lady MacBeth. Did you know she, Gruoch MacBeth, was a real person? That MacBeth was not her first husband?

In this retelling, there was always a spark between Gruoch and MacBeth from their first meeting, but she was betrothed to another. It is only after her first husband’s traitorous death that she becomes Lady MacBeth, and soon after the Queen. 👑

Watch how Gruoch goes from an innocent young beauty, to the cunning wicked queen by MacBeth’s side.

This reads as a historical fiction tragedy and is so well done. Thank you for sending me your amazing book! 💥

[R.M. Muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh I loved this book! Gritty, fierce and completely captivating, I flew through this story, my heart in my mouth for Gruoch. The writing was just so well rounded with the atmosphere and world built into every page, and every line of dialogue!! Throughout the book I felt every emotion of the gauge, love, loathing, excitement, fear, helplessness to name a few. Such an amazing story, I highly recommend this book!! A must read IMO ❤️‍🔥💔🤩

[Alex L Criddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bewitching retelling of Macbeth told from the perspective of Lady Macbeth. The realities of womanhood were candidly explored in a time when women were nothing more than vessels used for the pleasure of men and birthing heirs. Gruoch’s journey from blushing maiden to devious queen was thoughtfully detailed and written in a way that evoked understanding and sympathy. While I had no reason to believe this tragedy would end with anything other than death and despair, there were moments I was drawn into hoping the story would play out happily for our heroine. There were only one or two chapters that felt truly blissful, yet the writing and characters’ allure propelled me through the novel and held me captive. I loved the chapter titles and the foreshadowing they provided. Though this was a difficult read at times because of some of the content, it was worth it. Make sure to read the Afterword to find out more about C.H. Folan’s inspiration and approach to writing this historical fiction about a character who is widely known, yet still such a mystery.

If you love Shakespearean retellings and stories about women overcoming their circumstances and fighting against their traditional roles, you should definitely read this novel!!

Content warnings: childbirth, violence, murder, deaths of children

(I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.)

[Lara Reading Wild · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolutely blown away by this book! Having reread Macbeth earlier this year, the story was fresh in my mind, and having this reimagining to fill in the gaps was just the perfect experience. I was hanging on every word!

The author picked the perfect style for her prose, a hint of Shakespearean flare over top a sharp, modern structure. I especially appreciated how the author took inspiration from some of the original lines and made them her own. For example, “something wicked this way comes” became “Something wicked has come,”.

One of the most successful aspects was how visceral the character’s emotions felt to me as the reader. There were some scenes that were absolute gut punches. I felt like I was right there watching things happen.

It’s so easy for me to give this 6 stars. One of my top reads of the year!

[Ron Perron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christine's first novel placed us in an unknown setting and it led us through a relatively predictable story. In this second novel, she begins with a very well known story, the tale of Lady Macbeth, and expands on it in ways that helped it feel fresh and creative. In the style of Maggie O'Farrell's fantastic novel Hamnet, the author kept a solid base of historical research as the guiding line for her plot but fleshed it out. At no point does the storyline feel forced: the characters always seem to be very true to their origins in the Bard's original play yet you get so much more of their motivations. Folan's growth between these two novels is impressive.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like retellings? What about a FMC originally written by a man rewritten by a woman?

We all know the story of Macbeth and his crazy queen. But, was she really crazy?

The Queen is Dead is a Macbeth retelling showing the story from the perspective of Gruoch (Lady Macbeth). Is Gruoch simply a young, innocent and ignorant woman trying to do the best she can? Following the advice of those surrounding her whom she trusts? What a novel concept (pun intended).

I find it so refreshing to see stories about misunderstood women retold by other women! This one is no exception, pick it up soon!

[Katsmewsings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an utter gem. Easily the best Shakespearean retelling I’ve ever come across, I would sit and shake my head at how deftly the author paces in the much loved details of the original. Clearly a loving scholar of maligned women.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a real pleasure to read. I could picture everything so clearly in my mind. I have read a lot of Shakespeare and it was awesome to have a women’s perspective (Lady Macbeth) on this Macbeth retelling. It was a huge undertaking but the author pulled it off. What’s better than love and revenge? Lol. I was able to get a signed copy from the author and it now has a special place in my shelf. I’m also very excited to start The Bones of Our House.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Love has made villains of us both"

I received an ARC of The Queen is Dead in return for an honest review. Thank you so much to C.H. Folan, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

The Queen is Dead is a Macbeth re-telling and it has a little bit of everything. Romance, villains, royalty, murder, and fantasy. I was hooked right away with this story and I could picture the scenery and castles clearly. This book is amazing if you want to jump into another world. I loved following Gruoch's journey. 5 ⭐'s! Keep an eye out for this one!

[Gena Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I am not one to usually read historical fiction but this is written to really transport you into the world. I felt like I was watching everything unfold as if I was there for real. I found myself with my jaw dropped a couple of times. Such a good read.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this over 2 days & really enjoyed it

[Solange Archambeault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written retelling of Macbeth! Perfect for lovers of Shakespeare and still enjoyable for those who have never read the play before.

[S. Bacchante · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this. I devoured almost all of it in two days and then...
Is it just me or does the last 30% of the book kind of drag? The pace seemed to slow down, and I found myself skimming lines to get to the point.
The finale was kinda meh for me, would be better if it was faster. But otherwise it was a gripping story and I am truly grateful to the author for giving me and arc. And I'm so excited about whatever she decides to write next.

[Misha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: This is not intended to be historically or geographically accurate, in favour of crafting a narrative that is easy to follow and engaging. If that bugs you, you will not enjoy this book.

I loved this. Above all, I enjoy well-fleshed-out and fully-realised characterization and this has a lot of work to do fleshing out the woman known only as Lady Macbeth. We see Gruoch as a young girl in her father's home, as a young woman newly wed to her first husband, a young mother, then a young widow and then married to her second husband (and there the plot of the play kicks in).

I enjoyed the slowly building politics and relationships leading up to the events of Macbeth, but the one thing I didn't enjoy as much was the drastic change in speech patterns to become closer to the play's dialogue. It felt a bit abrupt since nobody uses such flowery language for the rest of the book. That aside, I even enjoyed the minor tweaks to even the lines from the play to fit in better with the established character, most notably the part where Lady Macbeth speaks to what she would do to an infant rather than abort the plan.

Overall, very enjoyable, engaging, and definitely not a historically accurate take, but an attempt to flesh out the characters we meet in the play.

[Beth Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Macbeth retelling drew me in deeply!

The story took me so carefully along Gruoch’s journey—from blushing, uncertain young girl getting married to the fierce, confident women persuading her husband to kill the king—that I empathized with her even as she made dangerous decisions and headed toward doom.

Banquo and Mac Bethad were likable from the start. The early flirtatious banter between Gruoch and Mac Bethad was so light and clever—a slow burn, less is more delight. Their deepening relationship was full of fire.

As the darkness crept in and tension mounted, I eagerly turned pages until the tragic end. Interesting twists on Shakepeare’s play.

ARC provided by author. Opinions are my own.

[DarkStar's Book Cavern · Rating 5 out of 5]

We begin the tale with our main character Gruoch – a naïve and dreamy girl in her father’s hall being prepared for her appearance at a feast that evening. And this feast is where both she and we meet Gille – a highly honoured guest of her fathers – a hero in every respect. He has a quiet and calm demeanour and is taken enough with Gruoch to ask for her hand which through her father she accepts. Now also at this feast is a man who is charismatic, good looking – has eyes you could drown in, and a bit of a mischievous rogue and there is an instant attraction tension between this man and Gruoch. This man’s name is Mac Bethad.

And at that name you may think that you already know this story so why bother reading further? Let me tell you why. You know Shakespeare’s interpretation of history, this is another one – more closer to the actual events than the Scottish Play. In the play ‘Macbeth’, Gruoch gets next to no voice – she doesn’t even get her own name. But in this not only does Folan give her her name and her voice back but she really brings the character to life, with all her flaws, sacrifices and victories. And I found myself rooting for her and being wary of what the fates had in store for her.

We follow Gruoch’s life and the emotional upheavals she has to face against a growing tumultuous political background and the many enemies which come into play. And one of the enemies – Mael - deserves a special mention for the fact that he was written so well that whenever he had finished speaking I felt that I needed to clean myself and get rid of his smarm.

The cover is lovely and I love the fact that the author has including a Pronunciation Guide at the back. I do think it could have been longer to get more of a dive into the political wranglings going on around the periphery of the story. At times I think the different viewpoints of certain characters would have added more weight to the events going on. I can’t go into too much detail for risk of spoilers but I would have preferred to have a viewpoint on some of the battles going on firsthand rather than via messenger to our main character.

In saying that, I'm glad I started this book in a morning as I quite simply could not put it down. I had to finish it and would have been up all night to get to the end. I loved the way that it sucked me in and refused to let go. I was genuinely interested in where the characters would go, what they would do, how they would feel. And the slow burn between Gruoch and Mac Bethad is just *chef's kiss* perfect in its' build up and the limited interactions that they have.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. More detailed review here: https://youtu.be/VCP9Fk4UC0g

[Tells Ever · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read, definitely recommend.
I was quickly pulled into Guroch’s world, as she learned how to live, love, grieve, and then, delightfully, to do revenge. This Mac Beth retelling offers a uniquely new perspective on the classic tale, while expertly weaving in betrayal, magic, sabotage, and loss. But, more importantly, this tale is the powerful story of a woman who takes back both her life and her future, one bitter step after another in a time before women were allowed to speak for themselves.

[Ginger Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book exceeded all of my expectations! This story is a retelling of Macbeth, but through the eyes of his queen Lady Macbeth. Historically, this character is painted as an evil, murderous tyrant, but every villain has an origin story, and this is hers.

This author did a fantastic job making our main character Gruoch (lady Macbeth) into a sympathetic character. Her actions at the end of her story are justified by events in her earlier life, and her story is heart breaking from the start.

Over the course of this story we see Gruoch transform from an innocent, naive girl who has no experience with the world, to a devastated mad-woman muttering to herself in the shadows, and finally a dark and jaded queen who has lost everyone she has ever loved. The content warnings for this book include: "violent death, blood, violence towards women, and child death" (copied from the book). All of these events shape Gruoch into what she ultimately becomes.

I will accept exactly zero criticism for this book. This is one that I wish had been hundreds of pages longer because I didn't want it to end. I loved every moment from start to finish, even when I was wiping my tears from the pages. I messed up the cover because I lived with this book attached to me until I finished it. Absolutely job well done to this author, I cannot recommend this book enough!

[Alexandra A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can she ever be “Lady MacBeth” again? I think not.

A gorgeous, unique, and powerful, speculative retelling of Shakespeare’s MacBeth, told from the perspective of literature’s most infamous queen, Lady MacBeth—known here by her true name, Gruoch. Of course, we learn she’s been misunderstood as women throughout history have been, and maybe that that feminine rage she first labors under and then harnesses and wields, is merited. Beautifully researched and written, it is a privilege to travel with Gruoch as she learns to tell her OWN story. What a character arc she undergoes, from sheltered and well-loved only daughter, eager to love in return, to crone in the woods who has outlived and outlasted them all. Motherhood, romance, betrayal, and loss…all of these things are rendered so beautifully and with such nuance and interiority by the author. It really was a pleasure to read.

I also think the underlying theme that we are all responsible for guarding and telling our own stories is an important one in the 21st century as leaders try to use story erasure to dehumanize, silence, and abuse targeted populations.

LOVED this book. Highly recommend, especially if you want to tap and release some of that feminine rage yourself. The times would seem ripe for it.

[Waseema · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the concept of this book when I heard about it, a revised version of Macbeth. This book did not disappoint at all. First, after the first chapter, I became so engrossed with the story, I stopped thinking about the similarities between The Queen is Dead and Macbeth. I would stop half way through to think was these character/s meant to be so and so, and then carried on reading.
This book made me think, laugh, and want revenge for Gruoch! I also started taking Hertha's advice on how to keep a poker face!
The book is so well written, which also made it a pleasure to read. It will appeal to so many age groups! I cannot wait to see more from this author.

[Minna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a message one day from C. H Folan where she asked if I would be interested in reading her retelling of Macbeth. I am so happy I did because her book is well written and brings you to the time of vikings and early days in Scotland. I grew fond of all the characters, Mac Bethad my favorite since his smile at Grouchs home. The storytelling makes you feel as you were there, as a spectator. I've read Shakespeares Macbeth many years ago and never before has a retelling caught my eyes. I highly recommend this book and author. Thank you for letting me be a little part in reading your beautiful book.

[Tory Forest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible retelling! This was a fantastical retelling of the classic Shakespearean story, Macbeth. But from the queens perspective! The writing was exceptional. This author has a true knack for storytelling. She makes you love the characters so much, and you find yourself rooting for them even though you’re fully aware of the impending tragedy to come. I truly loved the story and the characters. It was endearing and heartbreaking, and I found myself fully engaged with every page. There are some shocking twists and turns that I was not expecting. Just wait till the end! Absolutely recommend this read.

[V.J. Randle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been meaning to write a review for this for a long time... I'm sorry I've been so slow. Having lived in Moray (the area in which this novel is set), I was excited to get stuck in and I'm so glad I did! This is a wonderful, nuanced, magical retelling of Macbeth with a Lady Macbeth (here, Gruoch) who is drawn with grit and elicits real sympathy in her journey from a young girl to the infamous queen. I'm always a fan of retellings like this (I loved Medea and Clytemnestra), and this was one of the best I've read out there. You can tell the author is an expert in her field and I loved how the speculative elements worked their way into the story without feeling contrived. A wonderful read.

[Lauren Kayler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an EXTRAORDINARY story! I have read it twice already, I loved it all the way through. While this can be thought of as an origin story for Lady MacBeth, you definitely do not need to know anything about the Shakespeare MacBeth play to understand and enjoy this book. You just need a stiff appreciation for girl power and a fluffy pillow to scream in a couple times!

[Ulrike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book 💔!
A well-known story, Macbeth, told from a female viewpoint. And it shows that this is written by a woman to give another woman her place.
Folan gives Gruoch so much depth, emotions through the whole spectre of the characters development and makes her story heartfelt and relatable
Recommended!

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginative retelling of the life of an extraordinarily misunderstood female historical character! The lives of women are usually overstepped by history and this story took you on an intimate journey of this incredibly strong woman!

[Sarah crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. I enjoyed this very much. Keeps you on the edge of your seat.

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is GORGEOUSLY written. Oh, how my heart clenched while reading this book. It is pain and sorrow and death surrounded by so much longing. I loved every second of it.