V.E. Schwab has done it again! While I was not a big fan of Addie LaRue personally, my love for her Villains series has me coming back again and again. This one felt closer to the atmosphere I love in Vicious and Vengeful, with some sapphic vampire love to tie it all together with a bow! I love the way that Schwab writes women. They feel like real people that could breathe and leap off the page. Personally, I am not a big fan of historical fantasy, especially historical romantasy, as a history student because I always feel distracted by the lack of research done by the author. This was not the case for Schwab as it is clear she did her research on both Spanish and English history in a meaningful way. Did I mention lesbian vampires yet? This book has me hopeful for variety in romantasy in the future!

V.E. Schwab really wasn't lying about the toxic lesbian vampires, was she? This was SUCH a fabulous read and really easy to get sucked into, especially once the three storylines began to intersect and overlap. It's about vampires, obviously, and the patriarchy, but it's also about who will be willing to break a harmful cycle and live without constantly looking over their shoulder in fear. I'd never read any of Schwab's books before (I know, I know), and her writing style just really did it for me, so I do plan to check out her other stuff, but this was a great first choice and one I'm glad I picked up in hardcover so I could immerse myself away from screens.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was not my favorite installment in Schwab's world. I liked the ideas going in but felt the story was slow and more vibe driven.

I tried starting this one a few times and just couldn't get into it. I loved the premise and the fact that it had multiple POVs, but I think the whole "toxic" part of "toxic lesbian vampires" turned me off of this one. I know a lot of people will devour this title, though.

This book surprised me.
And at this point in my reading life, there is not a lot of books that can do that.
One minute, i was starting to read this, the next minute i was at the end.
This story was complex, eerie, compelling, chilling....just like a vampire.

On the one hand i wanted it to be just a little longer, so we could get every last drop of story, but V.E. Schwab knew what she was doing.

I highly recommend.

Ok ve schwab wtf this is INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

as you can see I started this back in January, read about 40%, and put it down for something else at the time - then, I picked it back up 2 days ago, and DEMOLISHED IT. The second half of this book is UNBELIEVABLY gripping. Like the type of gripping where I was reading it on a train and I missed my stop because I was so locked in and so IMMERSED.

The beginning is SLOW and I think might put some people off - however once you make it through, you will be rewarded with an incredibly intricate, complex, story about morals and ethics and rights and wrongs and female anger and oh my god I just loved it

Ve Schwab’s take on vampires is EXQUISITE. HER WRITING IS JUST SO DAMN GOOD IT DESERVES TO BE SAID IN CAPITALS. NO author immerses me this much. Top top tier.

I see why she is calling this her most personal book yet - it’s so incredibly intimate as we read about three women over three different time periods and how they LIVE. And WHY. And the monsters they BECOME. It is not forgiving, it does not hide anything, she puts so many common fears I have and questions the validity of them - and if I was faced with the option of being ‘free’, would I take it? Are you better off? What does being a free woman mean?
Explores what it means to be LONELY and ALONE and GRIEF and LOVE and tackles these WELL!!! who knew vampires would represent these so suitably

Sabine is CHILLING. The beginning of this book is UTTERLY crucial in understanding her character, and the final arc wouldn’t hit as well without that context. Seeing her traits in the beginning, her thirst for more, her HUNGER, exemplified over years and in her interactions with others - this dichotomy of her freedom and her being born from the midnight soil I need to unpack a lot more it needs to sit with me more but I’m just completely wowed. She’s horrific but alluring - a CLASSIC vampire. You can tell ve schwab LOVES this lore and her spin on it is MAGNIFICANT. Truly haunting stuff with especially poignant reflections on what it means to be human. A thread you can see in her other works.

I really really loved this and I think the more I sit with it that will only grow. Please if you pick this up, and find yourself wondering why it’s so slow moving - that is what being human is!!!! And by the time you’re wanting more, by the time your hunger has grown and you can’t look away, are you any different to them???

Ve schwab is a genius and I will stand by that this is storytelling at its finest thankyou for sharing this with us

Thanks tor and panmac for the proof I’m so so grateful - one of my most anticipated releases of 2025 and it DELIVERED

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is the kind of story that lingers. It’s small but powerful—quiet and eerie in the way only V.E. Schwab can pull off, like a whispered secret that settles deep in your bones.

This isn't horror in the jump-scare sense. It's the haunting kind—the slow, aching grief of a girl whose love and sorrow have nowhere to go. The world here feels like it's unraveling, but the writing is so steady and poetic that you let it. Schwab weaves a lot into this compact space: love, memory, rot, devotion, decay, and the stubborn refusal to let go.

There’s something deeply romantic about it, too, in a gothic, aching kind of way. It reminded me of old ghost stories told by candlelight, with dirt under your nails and something unspoken watching from the trees.

If you’re looking for something lush, lyrical, and unsettling in the most beautiful way, this is it. I read it in one sitting and immediately wanted to go back and read it again—slower this time, to feel every word.

I loved this vampire story so much. There was enough in it that was familiar in terms of vampire lore, but enough new stuff to make these particular vampires exciting and new. Basically, three lesbian vampires all made in three different time periods come together for a few super toxic nights. I did find the characters of Sabine and Lottie to have the most compelling backstories, and wish that there was a little more meat to Alice's story, but overall it didn't effect how much I loved the book. It's one of those books that gave me a book hangover...I've had a hard time getting into the next thing since I'm still thinking about this one.

As an avid vampire-media lover, I found this book to become one of my favorites. I enjoyed the switches between perspectives and time period. I was hoping for a happy ending between Alice and Lottie, but I understood why they couldn't have one as the story progressed. I wish we got a little longer with Alice after everything was said and done, but I liked the story overall.

when they say this is genre bending book- they are not lying. 🫡I have anxiety after finishing this... but this was such a good story!!!!

First it was a period piece,
Then it was a love story,
Then IMMEDIATELY it was a thriller/horror. Then it was a Romance,
Then it was a thriller again
Then it was a Modern day New Adult story.
Then it was a thriller again
and for a second it was a love story.
then it was a thriller.
THEN IT WAS OVER.

I was surprised at how fast I flew through this book! I loved the characters and how in-depth each of their stories were, though I'll admit being thrown into Alice's flashbacks was always a bit jarring, and I couldn't help but feel like there was a better way to provide backstory. My favorite was Lotte, but I get why Alice killed her in the end.

She's done it again folks. V. E. Schwab is like a chameleon blending seamlessly into types of stories and worlds I love it. Selfishly I wish she would stick with toxic lesbian vampires because this is my favorite book of her's yet. The prose is fluid and we really get to sit with these characters. She takes her time developing the story which might turn some way but in this instance made be feel like I am luxuriating in the tale.

I love VE Schwab and she did it again! I loved Addie LaRue and could not wait for this one! She had me at vampires.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
3⭐️
World-4🌎 Plot-2.5 📖 Writing- 4🖋️
Characters- 3👭 Vibes- 2.5 ❤️
Audiobook Performance- 5 🎧
One of my most anticipated reads of the year… and a tough one to review.
Schwab’s writing is, as always, gorgeous. I really liked how the story moved through different countries and eras. It felt rich and immersive, with some big, interesting themes at play. You’ll find echoes of Addie La Rue here, especially in its exploration of what it means to lose your humanity or soul, and the haunting idea that there might be a kind of freedom in death.
But despite those strengths, this one just didn’t land for me. The first half felt meandering, with the plot taking far too long to gain momentum. And when it does pick up, the story veers into deeply unsettling territory with manipulation and emotional abuse cloaked in a gothic, vampiric lens. Think Interview with the Vampire… but centered on a dark, complicated relationship between three women.
I’m sure this will resonate with some readers, especially those drawn to morally grey characters and gothic horror with emotional weight. But for me, the combination of slow pacing and disturbing relational dynamics made it a miss.
📚 Not a bad book, but not the book for me.

🧛🏻‍♀️Book Review🧛🏻‍♀️
*
My thoughts- god I loved this book! It’s been a minute since I read VE Schwab but god I’ve missed her writing so much. This one is masterfully told and will give you all the Interview with a Vampire vibes. I really can’t get over how beautifully written this one was. I loved how each timeline and story interconnected in the most unexpected ways. Beautifully told story and beautifully written characters, I really can’t recommend this one enough. It has easily made my top 10 reads this year! Written like a historical fiction but with all the fantasy elements and truly some of her strongest writing yet!
*
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
Summary- This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage. 
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

This is a story about life—
how it ends, and how it starts.
*
QOTD- have you read anything lately that blew you away ? For me it was this book and what kind of paradise !

I was blessed with an early copy of this, and readers will be blessed June 10th when it releases. I've been a fan of VE Schwab and they can truly do no wrong - this was so well paced and held my attention all the way through. So good, 5 stars, no notes!!!!

Thank you @torbooks @librofm & @macmillan.audio for the complimentary book and bookseller’s audiobook.

3.5 stars

“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳… 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦… 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦.”

V.E. Schwab’s writing is gorgeous. She writes atmosphere and characters like nobody’s business. This one started off a bit slow for me, but honestly, I was so into the characters that I didn’t mind. They felt real, messy, and layered. I do wish we got to see more of Alice, though. I felt like her story could’ve been fleshed out just a little bit more.

I listened to the audiobook, it was definitely the way to go for me. I originally picked it up because Julia Whelan was one of the narrators, but Katie Leung and Marisa Calin were just as good.

As for the plot… it’s not super structured or fast-paced. The story kind of meanders, which I mostly really liked… the way each woman had her own story and then they all began to converge, though I do think it was a little too long. The ending let me down, It felt really abrupt, a little out of the blue, and incomplete.

Still, I enjoyed the overall read. It’s one of those books that you remember more for its characters and mood than anything else.

This book is full of stunning prose that will stop you in your tracks, very well written full of characters that are wholly unsympathetic. I loved the experience of reading the book for the first time, but likely will never read it again.

I great look an hunger, female rage and a never ending loop of toxic relationships. I have and will continue to recommend to those who love vampires and similar stories that span generations

V.E. Schwab is one of my favorite authors and I will read everything she writes. I finished BONES a couple of months ago, and I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about it. I know it's not an immediate favorite, like ADDIE or SHADES OF MAGIC, but this bitter sapphic tale has stuck with me in a way her other books haven't. The ending of the book still makes me smile when I think about it.