4.5 ⭐️

Yes, VE Schwab’s books are long, but man are they good!

Surface level synopsis: 3 toxic sapphic vampires

I loved these three characters and the ways in which their stories came together. I ended up reading via the audiobook, which was absolutely the way to go— it really brought them to life (insert vampire pun here).

I didn’t think I could love a V..E. Schwab book more than. I loved Addie LaRue, but Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is perfection. Maybe it seems like a strange thing to say about a book revolving around the lives of three female vampires, but it’s so complex and multilayered. There’s love and obsession, trust and betrayal, patience and rage, and I loved every single sentence of it. Even though it’s a chunky book, checking in at 544 pages, the sheer beauty of it makes it fly by. I was sad when it ended, but it was the perfect conclusion.

V.E. Schwab never disappoints! BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL is a triumph! Epic in scope, I loved following the three women throughout their lives/unlives(?). Their stories hit hard and hit well.

I love VE Schwab so so so much. Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil was expertly done. I loved our problematic lesbian vampires with everything in me. No one creates atmosphere and cultivates vibes quite like Schwab, I would read her to-do lists. Golly I wish I could read this book for the first time again. Is it too soon for a reread?

I accidentally double-ARC'd this one, oops! Thanks to Netgalley for providing the ebook ARC, to Libro.fm for the audiobook ALC, and to the publisher for so generously providing both.

If you’re looking for a dark sapphic novel brimming with feminine rage, I’ve got your next must-read. The writing in this book is absolutely gorgeous. In terms of prose style, it's closer to Addie LaRue than some of V.E. Schwab’s other previous novels. Just beautiful. I also liked the way it was structured. In the hands of a lesser writer it could have been easy for the three main characters to be too similar and for their sections run together in the reader’s mind, but I felt like each of their characters and their narratives were so very distinct. It helped that in the audiobook they all had different narrators, each of whom did a fantastic job. The pace was slow but my interest never waned, I was in it from start to finish. From what I have seen, the ending has gotten mixed reviews, but personally, I thought it was perfect. 4.5 stars, rounded up.

CW: sexual assault, child death, abusive relationship, stalking, gore

Representation: Lesbian main characters and other LGBTQ+ characters, POC characters

this was everything i wanted it to be and so much more! i loved every aspect of this novel. i've read a couple of reviews that commented the first 150+ pages are slow, but i didn't find that to be the case at all. i loved it. i actually probably enjoyed the earliest half of this book the most but it was all so. good.

i loved the concept of Addie LaRue a lot and it's still a novel i think about frequently, but i felt left wanting more... Bury Our Bones delivered that more for me. excuse me while i consider finding more vampire books to devour (bonus points for lesbian vampires).

This completely filled the void I had in my heart after finishing Addie LaRue back in 2020. Oh my word VE Schwab has outdone herself. This is full of queer and sapphic love and hungry females who want more in life. Plus the way vampires are so trendy, I love that this was still completely original. I will love this book forever.

V.E. Schwab is one of my favorite authors of all time, and this book was no exception. This book reminded me a little of Addie LaRue, and it doesn't have a massive plot that we are following. We follow three POVs, Maria, Alice & Charlotte as they come to terms with their new lives as vampires and what that means for them and their futures. We get to travel Europe with them and see all the relationships they build (and lose). It is not an action-packed book, but it does have some gut-wrenching moments.

I will read anything VE Schwab writes and will recommend her books to anyone/everyone. Her character work is unmatched - I was torn between loving and hating (mostly Maria) and some of the things she did to those around her.

I also loved how each of the three povs got their chance to shine as the story progressed and we moved along in time.

5/5⭐️

This book had me at toxic lesbian vampires and held onto me with V.E. Schwab’s poetically tragic storytelling.

This book centered around three beautifully flawed women and Schwab had me sympathizing, rooting for, and rooting against each of them at some point in the novel, all in different orders. Sabine’s ruthlessness, Charlotte’s heart, Alice’s mind - they were each of their strengths and weaknesses and that changed depending on what chapter you were on.

SO GOOD, we love complex characters and we love them more when they’re in a toxic sapphic lesbian throuple.

The vibe of the book swung wildly between romantic and horrific (which is right up my alley) and kept me reading for hours straight, eager to learn what the next chapter would bring.

Our gothic icon V.E. Schwab has done it again, I cannot recommend this book enough.

I didn't get a chance to finish this one before it came out, but I have no doubt that VE Schwab knocked it out of the park, as usual!

Santa Domingo de la Calzada, 1532: Maria thought she was hungry before her marriage when she dreamt of wealth, beauty, all of the things that can't be found in her village in Spain. That longing is nothing compared to the yearning she feels after her marriage and, later, after her death.

London, 1827: Charlotte has always feared she is too soft for this life. Until a mysterious widow offers to show her a different one. But as she grows sharper and harder, Charlotte begins to wonder if the price to walk a different path is far too high.

Boston, 2019: Eighteen and caught between, Alice knows she has been drifting. Moving a world away for college is supposed to be a fresh start. But being in a new city doesn't blunt the grief that clings to her like a second skin, it doesn't make her bold. One night, one party, making different choices is supposed to help Alice become brave. Instead it helps her become something else--something worse.

Searching for answers and a truth she's too afraid to confront brings Alice into a world where darkness and hunger walk hand in hand, where every choice has a dangerous consequence, and where endings can look very much like beginnings in Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (2025) by VE Schwab.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is Schwab's latest standalone fantasy, set in the same world as The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. With each shift in perspective and each new insight--be it a flashback or during Alice's search for answers-- these three protagonists comes into sharper focus as their desperation gains definition and weight.

Colloquially referred to by Schwab as a novel about "toxic lesbian vampires," Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil delves into what it means to always feel out of step with the world around you and the lengths some will go to choose their own path. As one of the characters notes, forever is a long time--something that proves to have devastating results as time moves inexorably forward for these heroines.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a story about the fragility of new beginnings. And vampires. Schwab artfully unearths the unique facets of the plot like a gem slowly brought into the light. Each of the three protagonists explore what happens when the connective tissue of a life—the relationships, the hopes, the dreams—is slowly stripped away leaving only hunger and want. Highly recommended.

Possible Pairings: The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong, Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi, Carmilla by Amy Chu, A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Projections by SE Porter, Lucy Undying by Kiersten White, The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn, Don't Sleep With the Dead by Nghi Vo, To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. @veschwab OUT NOW

I’ve just spent the last day & 1/2 mesmerized by this book. VE Schwab’s writing is like no other and their latest masterpiece follows the story of three lesbian vampires whose fates are tied to the midnight soil. Definitely one of my most anticipated reads, and one you are likely seeing a lot on booksta this week.

If you like sapphic vampires, toxic love stories, slow moving character development and deep yearning, you will likely love this book as much as I did. This is not a plot heavy book, but rather a story to savor in the reading, in the prose, in the moments. A story that will get you thinking, long after it’s over, and one I will likely return to more than once.

For me, I thought the book comes to an appropriate (if not somewhat predictable) ending, but I should note that some readers have disagreed on this. For me, it’s the experience over the conclusion, and the lives lived over their ending.

Schwab signed all of the first printing copies ( a huge undertaking in itself) so I would not hesitate to grab a copy asap.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to @torbooks for eARC access through @netgalley.

🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️


#buryourbonesinthemidnightsoil #veschwab #sapphicvampires #vampires #pride #fivestarbooks #highlyanticipatedbooks

There is nothing I look forward to more than a new V.E. Schwab book and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil absolutely lived up to those oversized expectations.

Told in multiple timelines and POVs, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil leads the reader blindly, in the best way possible, into a fantastical story of vampires, love, rage, and feminism. While Schwab herself has billed this as her "toxic vampire lesbian" book, I think this story is best gone into blind. It is dark, it is atmospheric, and it is powerful. I am blown away.

This book is everything I hoped for, strong women,, intertwined stories, and a story that truly has some bite to it. It’s hauntingly atmospheric with a mix of gothic,, romantic, and historical vibes. It was impossible to put down and I must admit that I purchased a hard copy as soon as I finished it.

“The point is we find ways to hold on to who we were in hopes it will keep us from becoming someone else.”

Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil follows 3 women from very different backgrounds. They each have their own stories but they are connected through hunger, love and rage.

This book is full of delectable writing, female rage and incredible storytelling. I was a bit nervous about the multiple point of views all in different times and places but Schwab pulled it off seamlessly.

I went into this book only knowing the synopsis (which doesn’t specify much) so I was pleasantly surprised by the vampire aspect of the book.

The writing style is gorgeous and it was very easy to be swept away by the stories. I was equally attached to all of the POVs which made this a quick and easy read.

I feel like the story got a bit slow towards the middle/end and turned out a bit anticlimactic/unbelievable. I also wished it brought something more to the vampire genre. I know how creative this author is and wanted more of a twist. However, I did appreciate the author doing something different and entering a new space.

Perfect for fans of The Vampire Diaries and other works by V.E. Schwab.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4 Stars

This book had its ups and downs. It’s beautifully written, but it just feels dragged out to me…especially the end.

I don’t know how to explain the feeling of reading this book—only that it consumed me in the most haunting, beautiful way.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil follows three women across different centuries—María (1530s Spain), Charlotte (1830s London), and Alice (2019 Boston)—all of whom are desperate to escape the cages the world built for them.

This isn’t your typical vampire book—it’s dark, queer, and emotional. V.E. Schwab writes about how immortality breaks you. The relationships in this book are messy, manipulative, obsessive… and completely gripping.

And the writing? Absolutely stunning. Every sentence feels poetic and raw. I found myself highlighting constantly—there are so many lines that quietly gut you and make you think deeper about the world.

If you’re a fan of morally gray characters, slow-burn emotional horror, or just stories that don’t flinch when love turns dangerous—this one’s going to stay with you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I will be thinking about this book for a very, very long time.

Before starting this, I assumed it would be a straightforward vampire novel. And it does feature vampires. But it’s also a story about grief. And a bit of a love story, too.

Young Maria is chafing on her family’s estate, with nothing to look forward to but perhaps a marriage that might bring her riches. When she spots a widow traveling freely on her own, Maria doesn’t realize at the time what a major impact it will have on her future.

I really enjoyed all the characters in this book, even the ones with ulterior motives that weren’t very nice. I don’t think a sequel is in the works, but it would be interesting to read a follow up!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“After all, what grows in the midnight soil is not a different flower, only a bolder bloom.” 🌹🌹🌹

Werewolves, ghosts, haunted houses, and vampires—2025 is nailing it when it comes to the paranormal. 🧛‍♀️

While it took me a lil bit to really get into a groove, by midway I was absolutely devouring this book.

Spanning centuries and continents, Bury our Bones is epic in scale (just like Addie). And like Addie, it really makes you makes you think about love, loneliness, relationships, and our humanity.

I went into this blind and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Sapphic , lesbian, vampires. Literally couldn’t ask for anything better