I think I might need therapy after this one. I freaking love being inside Victoria's head: everything she does is magical and always ends up making you question every single thing and end up with an existential crisis. This was simply brilliant.

I really wanted to love Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. V. E. Schwab is one of my favorite authors, and the premise—a dark, haunting tale about legacy and redemption—seemed like it had all the makings of a new favorite. But sadly, it just didn’t click for me.

The world-building was beautiful (as expected from Schwab), with eerie, vivid descriptions that made the midnight soil feel alive in the creepiest way possible. But beyond that? The story felt… hollow. The characters didn’t grab me the way I hoped they would, and some of the emotional beats that should’ve hit hard just didn’t land.

It’s not that the book is bad—it’s more that it didn’t reach its full potential. There were so many interesting ideas and themes about mortality and memory, but they weren’t fleshed out enough to really stick. And the pacing didn’t help either; it felt like the story dragged in some places and rushed in others, which left me feeling disconnected.

I think die-hard Schwab fans might still find things to enjoy here, but for me, this one just wasn’t it.

There are books that feel like a taking a peek into someone’s soul, and there are books that make you feel like the words were written especially for you- and this book is so deliciously, intimately, both. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is an unsurprisingly impressive standalone by VE Schwab with central themes of desire, obsession, humanity, and above all, freedom (and also the lesbians and queerness and vampires, as if I could pass up a chance to talk about lesbians AND vampires in the same breath).

BOBITMS captures the lives of three women who are inextricably bound throughout history: it follows their stories, their exploration of themselves, their passions and tragedies and hopes and losses. Without giving too much away, I can confidently say that VE Schwab has curated an equally vulnerable and unapologetic masterpiece over multiple timelines. This is one I beg you not to miss.

Although I adored this book, I do think this one will be more divisive than her others. I was desperate for the ending to be just a little bit more drawn out, but maybe that’s just because I wasn’t sure I really wanted this book to end. With that being said- if you’re a fan of vampires, the way reading Addie LaRue made you feel, or the kind of prose Erin Morgenstern is beloved for, this book is for YOU. June 10th, 2025. I cannot wait to see this book out in the world.

VE Schwab could write anything and I'd read it, but Buy Our Bones really exceeded my expectations. Pulls you in from the get go, and her prose is as stunning as ever. I was cautiously optimistic about toxic lesbian vampires, and Schwab truly delivers.

I have not felt this enthralled by a book since I read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which is my favorite book of all time. The way V.E. Schwab writes such complex, relatable, and flawed characters is an art. This book is perfect for fans of Addie, A Dowery of Blood and Bridgerton.

This story follows three different women throughout time, and man she was not kidding when she described them as toxic lesbian vampires.

First we have Maria, whose story starts in the 1500's. She's an unconventional woman, who would rather run wild than be tamed by society's expectations. She uses her wit to snag a husband who is much wealthier than her family so that even though she doesn't have full control over her life, she'll at least be able to enjoy the finer things in life. She reminds me of Katherine Pierce from The Vampire Diaries (TV show). Her theme song should be Whose Afraid of Little Old Me by Taylor Swift.

Second, we have Alice, whose story takes place solely in 2019 (present day). She's a college student who has come to the states for the first time and is struggling to fit in, to be brave. Until one night she feels seen by a girl with lilac hair at a party and it alters the course of her life forever.

Finally, we have Lottie, who is introduced in 2019, but her story starts in a Bridgerton-esque England. She's sent to her aunt's house after her brother catches her in a compromising position with a friend to learn how to be a lady and get married off. But she meets someone that changes that plan.

I savored every chapter of this book and didn't want it to end. I loved learning how the characters reacted to different situations. I could read about them forever. I think this is my new favorite vampire book. It's now my second favorite V.E. Schwab book (I highly doubt anything will ever top Addie LaRue but you never know). I highlighted so many quotes about life and death and what it means to be alive.

This book was so good! I really enjoyed it. I just didn’t enjoy it as much as some of Schwab’s other works but wow was this captivating. I loved that you get to see the characters from each others perspectives and how every one of them is not a reliable narrator even of their own stories. Even with the toxic relationship and the manipulative behavior, Sabine in particular was fascinating to read about whether from her perspective or others. And that ending was not what I was expecting and yet it fit the story even if it wasn’t as solid of an ending as some of Schwab’s other works.

I've read Schwab writing about this book, stating that this is the most vulnerable since Addie LaRue -- and it shows, in the most beautiful of ways. Schwab manages to use vampire lore to explore so much of the truth of humanity, living, loving, losing. It's a story of both disempowerment and empowerment, of fighting back against the forces of oppression, of what power can do to you... It's about fear, and the depths we'll go to find our own way. This book grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go until the last pages, deftly alternating between perspectives and time. I immediately pre-ordered it on both audiobook and Kindle upon finishing this ARC.

Honestly, I will read anything Schwab writes.

But this book. My GOD THIS BOOK. I haven’t been so captivated and fully immersed in something since Addie, and it makes perfect sense that they were written by the same gorgeously talented woman.

Three lesbian vampires living three separate lives. A story that years and years and the world itself. The pacing was perfection, demanding I keep turning the page to see what happened, especially as the invisible string between these three started weaving itself tighter and tighter, becoming more tangible by the word.

Utter perfection from start to finish.

my first 5 star rating of 2025?!

i received an arc of this via netgalley (and will now anxiously be waiting for this to be released so i can buy it)

i can’t even put in to words how good this book was. i thought i would never pick up another book of Schwab since addie larue didn’t hold up to standards but i believe things have been righted.

this book is a delicious revival of vampire lore. dramatic, timeless, sexy, painful, sad, gorgeous, dripping with prose.

if i’m reading vampires i want them to be spiteful, sapphic, and sexy. and Schwab did all of that.

A wild triumph in every way. Schwab never fails to keep me guessing and on the edge of my seat. This beautiful multi point story gets tied up and stretched thin over and over again. I was enthralled the entire read, and I never wanted it to end. Hauntingly beautiful and unexpected.

The character development was too cyclical, at some point you are reading the same story with a different name. An interesting twist on the vampire fable. The ending was a little lack lustre,

Ugh. I completely and utterly DEVOURED (full pun intended) this book in less than 24 hours. Bury Our Bones In the Midnight Soil had me on the edge of my seat from the opening pages, to the final chapter. If you were a big fan of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, BOBITMS has a lot of similar beats when it comes to pacing and balancing a non-linear narrative, two things V.E. does masterfully. Of the three main characters, Alice, Lottie, and Maria/Sabine, I do think some earlier integration of Lottie's story could have come a bit earlier in the story, just to give the reader a bit more time to explore her character, since we don't do much of that until the third act and all instances in which she's mentioned prior are through the lens of Alice looking for her. All three MCs were delightfully human, and delightfully wicked (especially Maria/Sabine, my god what a character) though I was admittedly left wanting a little more from the ending (which is something I will likely get, since V.E. revealed in an interview that the ending we got in this copy is not the same as the one we'll be receiving in the official release come June, so fingers crossed for mischief, mayhem, and murder).

This book has stuck with me WEEKS after reading it. There's so many different layers in this one. There's a story of freedom and independence, one of feminism, one of personal identity. The one that sticks with me the most - the power dynamics between people and how that shapes a subordinate and changes them - for better or worse. This is not a happy novel, but it is extremely satisfying.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What a wild ride. This is a sweeping tale of love and rage over centuries. Fantastic and definitely for those who loved Addie Larue. The way Schwab perfectly captures female rage is something to be studied. Highly recommend.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This book was everything I didn’t know I needed and more. It took me some time to settle in, but once I did I was absolutely glued to this book. I was expecting an evocative and vindictive story and Schwab absolutely delivered! I loved exploring all three women but Maria really stole the show for me. I already cannot wait to read this again and will be shoving a copy into the hands of everyone I know.

I have no idea how I was not a die hard VE Schwab fan before Addie LaRue, but I'm making up for lost time now. I'm reading all of her prior works, and devouring everything new as soon as it comes on Netgalley. Like, how does she manage to write a queer vampire novel without making it overtly queer OR vampiric?? It's a story without agenda, and it's fantastic and I truly believe that every reader can pick it up and enjoy it regardless of how they feel about same sex pairings. Or vampires. She is JUST THAT GOOD.

I loved this one. I instantly preordered it for my husband. I loved the two/three timelines and the actual epic journey that spanned the novel. Vampires, yes, but it was really a book about longing, women defining their own freedom, and what constitutes living.

My dreams were haunted by this book. I wanted to read this because I love the author. I am not really into vampires. And I don't usually read Lesbian love stories. But V.E. Schwabs' character development is enchanting to me. The justifications of the vampires to feast is a bit unnerving. Like I said I am not really into vampire stories. But I loved Matteo and Assalandos relationship and the whole philosophy of whether it is better to be immortal or live a natural life. And there is why I enjoy her books. The questions, probing at morals, at whose morals, mine, yours. As Alice lays bare the logic of Lottie's motives, I began to move away from my love of Lottie. However, I can't say I ever much liked Maria/Sabine. At the end, well I want more and I hope we hear more how Alice fares.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this earc

Reason I wanted to read this book
- it’s V. E. Schwab
- I love Addie LaRue
- I love vampires
- I love good writing

Reason this book just didn’t work for me
I’m a true believer that a story, any story, should make you feel something. We hope to love every story we read but I’ll take hate. I’ll take any emotion
This book made me feel NOTHING. I couldn’t care less about any of the characters. Their stories didn’t make me laugh or cry or care.
I think part of the reason why I didn’t like it is the pacing. The way chapters/time jumps were written just didn’t work. We got soooo much time with Sabine, less with Alice and almost none with Lottie. But at the same time, the story ends with Alice as if she was the main plot line.

If someone asking me to sum this book up it would go something like “a girl with a messed up past got turned into a vampire and killed lots of people”

Out all the things I wanted, I got one. The writing was still good. It’s just the story that did nothing for me.

At the end of it all, all I kept asking myself “what was the point?” And I still can’t think of one.

An excellent story, weaving female love, rage, and hunger into a dark fantasy. I will be purchasing this for my library and recommending to patrons and friends.