4.5/5
Thank you @torbooks #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

I did my first ever re-read last month and it was Addie LaRue so when this one was approved I was still on a high from Ms. Schwab and jumped right in. I know this review is early…like way early, but I couldn’t help myself. Thankfully, this one delivered a tale of savage love, lust, complex relationships and deadly deals. Do you ever read an authors words and it feels almost like poetry that feeds your brain with food and energy you didn’t even know could exist? That is how I feel about the words on the pages of VE Schwab’s books! I loved each of these separate women and in their own tragically complex ways! This book is a slow burn, methodically written tale that that will completely immerse you in a deeply atmospheric world filled with emotion, love and sadness. This is not like Addie as it pertains to the actual story but is similar in the sense that it is a sweeping love story that spans over a long period of time. If you have loved her books in the past, I think you’re in for a treat!

I loved this book! I went in blind and I’m so glad I did. I loved how the 3 characters were connected. I enjoyed the plot and history so much.

I had to sit with this book for a bit after I finished it before I could write a review. I’m still not sure I’ve quite got my thoughts in order. Like all of VE Schwab’s books, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil features strong, complex characters and immersive settings. I thought it was an excellent examination of how a person could change and grow (or in some cases, deteriorate) when time and lifespan aren’t issues. Maria, Lottie, and Alice all come from very different backgrounds and approach their lives in different ways, but all three just want to be free to live their own lives, make their own choices, and be seen for who they are, which is something I think we can all relate to.

Most people who know my reading tastes know that VE Schwab is my favorite author, so when I got early access to this, I couldn’t wait. I actually couldn’t recall much of the premise besides “toxic, lesbian vampires” so I just dove in and tried to find the story myself.

This is 100% in the same vein as Addie LaRue, so if that book wasn’t to your taste, I don’t know how much you’d enjoy this one. Personally, I LOVE Addie, and Bones has so many similar vibes, from the flashbacks to the characters.

The writing is, as always, beautiful. Though I couldn’t seem to glom onto this one as much as Addie, or any of Schwab’s other books. The first half was definitely slower, and if it wasn’t for the second half picking up, I was leaning towards a 3-star review. I preferred Charlotte’s POVs to Maria’s, and felt that it was hard to grasp a thread of consistent plot. It’s not until Charlotte’s introduced that things really come together. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, it seemed to happen very fast and there wasn’t any closure with Sabine and Charlotte.

When I say this book is a triumph I mean that in no small way. I no longer stay awake late into the night reading books unless they are THIS GOOD. Schwab's characteristically atmospheric writing is on full display as we go on a voyage with these incredibly complex women navigating relationships across time. When I finished this book, I held my kindle to my chest and just sobbed at the beauty of it all. Yes, the draw of sapphic vampires will draw in a ton of readers, but I hope they stay for the masterclass on what it means to truly live. I'm so glad I preordered this so I can read it anew immediately!

P.S.. Schwab confirmed that this one takes place in the same world as Addie and there is a small easter egg to confirm that! I *think* I saw it, but to be honest when this comes out in June I will 100% be doing a re-read of Addie AND Bones just to be sure!

3.5 stars.
So first of all this is a sexy, dark, and compelling novel—I didn’t really like any of the characters (they were all flawed and kind of messed up), but they were very interesting to follow and I every time I picked it up I felt transported to this dark grim world (which is always my favorite part of Schwab’s writing). That being said, it was a little too sexy and dark for my liking—there’s a reason I avoid romances and horror. So for craft and writing this is a four star, for my own enjoyment of it I’m lowering it down to a 3 and rating it in the middle.

I’m so obsessed with everything V.E. Schwab does and i’m always convinced it cannot be outdone… and then it is! The characters… the setting… it’s magic.

this book was such a gift. i trusted going in that Schwab's magic on the page would carry us through, but the tale of these three women, the course and curses of their lives really took my breath away. this is what books are meant to do. this novel is an arching achievement of storytelling. i'll never not be thinking about it.

Honestly - where to begin.

VE Schwab has the unique capability of just continuously wrecking me, mercilessly, and this was no different. Set over hundreds of years, multiple countries, and multiple POVs, Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil is the story of three women who finds their (immortal) lives inexplicably linked by both blood and love. Needless to say, I absolutely devoured it. After the masterpiece that was Addie LaRue I was eager to see how Schwab’s style would continue to develop outside of the high fantasy Shades of Magic realm and was delighted to find such a gorgeous level of literal polish to the prose coupled with a slowly woven, subtly heartbreaking plot. Reminiscent of Maggie O’Farrell’s feminine rage in The Marriage Portrait with a touch of ST Gibson’s gender politics and vampires as a conduit for a larger conversation in A Dowry of Blood, I have no doubt that this will go down as one of the great masterpieces of 2025.

Forever and always in awe of VE Schwab.

Thank you a MILLION times to NetGalley, V.E. Schwab, and TOR Publishing for an advanced copy of Bury Me in the Midnight Soil!


I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Victoria a couple of weeks ago. She told me a little about the book, but said she didn't want to give too much away- as to not spoil it for the readers. So, I will not do that either! This is a piece that means so much to her, and I want to honor that for her.

Here is what she told me:
"I want you to go in knowing as little as possible... Wha tI will say is, it is about 3 women, 3 young queer women of the course of 50 years. It is about how theor lives and seaths and lives again intertwine. If Addie LaRue was a novel about immortaliy anf hope... This is a novela bout immortality and HUNGER. This is a darker book, it is an angrier book, a hungrier book and a less apologetic book... This is a book about taking back what you are due"

This is a book where Addie LaRue meets Vicious.

I can't wait for you to experience it for yourself!!!!

#BuryOurBonesintheMidnightSoil #NetGalley

This is the most lesbian thing I’ve ever read and it was AMAZING!!

I’ve always been in love with Schwab’s prose — she’s always been top of the line for authors in that regard for me — and this work is an extraordinary showcase of her writing skills. She is truly at the height of her craft and I cannot wait to keep receiving from her. The pacing was perfect, no part of it dragged and every chapter left me wanting to say “one more”. It’s been so long since I’ve been immersed in a novel as deeply as this one.

The characters had so much depth and personality to them. There were definitely some morally gray moments that had me both rooting for and sometimes against our characters, making me feel so many things for them all at once.

This novel is also a true testament to female rage — feral and vicious — and the boxes and roles women have been pigeonholed in since the dawn of time.

I’ve been thinking about this novel ever since I finished it, and I have a feeling it’ll sit with me for a long, long time. Once again Schwab has evoked so much emotion through her storytelling and has further given proof that she deserves to be on every book lover’s shelves.

Thanks to NetGalley for early ARC access!

This was a masterpiece that spans centuries and continents. V.E. Schwab is brilliant. She brings vampires to life (lol) in an unforgettable, stunning story. And sapphic vampires?!? Amazing! My only complaint (not really) is that I could not put this book down and may have lost a lot of sleep because I needed to finish it. This is one of this year's most memorable reads!

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an early review copy.

When VE Schwab teased that on Instagram that they were working on a book about "toxic lesbian vampires", I was immediately sold. "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil" lived up to that hype and is an absolute feat of the book. The writing will remind readers of Addie LaRue, with it's lyrical style and similar approach to time. This book is wholly it's own, in how it follows three different women, with three different time periods, that are masterfully merged into one storyline. This book is also incredibly clever in how it weaves the origins of vampires into the storyline, especially with it's nods to Le Fanu's "Carmilla".

This book starts of very slowly, especially in comparison to VES's other books, that boils down into the action-packed 15%. I'm already looking forward to picking this back up in June when the audiobook releases.

Another stunning work from V.E. Schwab. The lore was interesting, as were the multiple perspectives and hundreds of years long timeline. The connections between queerness and monstrosity were nuanced and messy. There was no romanticizing of love between people who are hundreds of years old and teenagers. One of the best vampire books I've read and I've already started talking it up.

I am always so pleasantly surprise by VE Schwab. Everytime I think I can’t possibly love their work more, I get to read pieces like this. It was refreshing to read a book focused around vampires while also mixing in historical aspects. The 3 main characters all had me equally frustrated and rooting for them all at the same time. And that ending! Amazing. I cannot wait for the rest of the book community to get their hands on this one!

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab is a beautifully atmospheric novel that skillfully blends elements of dark fantasy with poignant themes of identity and belonging. Schwab’s prose is evocative, capturing a sense of eerie enchantment that permeates the book’s world, making it a hauntingly immersive experience. However, while the story is rich in atmosphere, the plot can feel a bit meandering at times, with the narrative lacking the urgency or tension needed to keep the momentum high. Some characters, though intriguing, could benefit from further development, as their motivations occasionally feel underexplored or one-dimensional. Despite these minor setbacks, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a captivating read that will appeal to fans of atmospheric fantasy.

My Rating: 5 Stars!

The simple review: I was held in a chokehold by the Toxic Lesbian Vampires throughout history.

The real review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil may very well be the best book I’ve read this year, if for no other reason than that I can’t stop thinking about it. Every hour I’ll think of another thing I adored, and fixate on it all over again.
All three perspective women are all incredibly different characteristically and tonally, and yet they all have a very distinct tie. They are three young women who cannot stop running and who are forever changed by a longing for freedom, yet even those come in different ways. Sabine is running because she’s hungry, she always has been, yearning for everything and what’s next. Lottie is running away, from her feelings, from danger and fear, from shame and a history. And Alice is running, not for herself, but for her sister, always just a little ahead of her who she’s terrified of leaving her behind.

The way these three characters’ stories intertwine throughout many different time periods, different experiences, is a thrilling experience. And the idea that immortality is a lie, that while humans rot on the outside with age, vampires, or “those grown in the midnight soil” rot from within is something I’ve never seen in these kinds of stories. Typically with vampire or immortal fiction, the the character flaw is that they never change, where here it is an inevitability. Whether a regular human lifetime, or a millennia, eventually there will be nothing left of the person who started. We see the change through Sabine, who always callous and cruel became something entirely different, and through Lottie, who’s too large heart turned into a selfish belief of mercy, and the inevitability that one day Alice will change to, and that there is no way of knowing how or when.

I am beyond obsessed with this book, and will recommend it always. If I could give it every star in the sky, I would.

“Bury my bones in the midnight soil, plant them shallow and water them deep, and in my place will grow a feral rose, soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth.”

This marries the sexiness of vampires with tasteful vampire lore really nicely. I am not usually a fan of multiple timelines but again, executed stunningly. It was slow paced, but somehow gripped me at every word.

Schwab's books can be hit or miss for me, but this one knocked it out of the park. Sit down, Addie Larue, there's a new book in town that I have to recommend to every person I ever meet.

Thank you netgalley :)

Content Warnings: Misogyny (Time Period accurate); Anxiety, Panic Attacks

This book follows the stories of three women, but also how in those stories they are more than three women. Maria, who becomes Sabine; Charlotte who becomes Lottie; Alice, who is drawn into the complex, morally gray world between them. Each of these women has a full, rich history, each are allowed to be vulnerable, powerful, manipulative, flawed, victorious -- but in different ways that are true to their characters. Schwab's writing shifts along with her characters, poetic and tender at times, cutting as steel and glass at others.

The structure of the book may be challenging for some readers. Each character inhabits a different set of time; between the three of them, they cover the 1500s to 2019, numerous European countries and the United States. That's a lot to take in and to keep track of as a reader, even if each locale/time period is covered well. Similarly, each shift between characters is noted -- but the focus is not evenly shared between the three women at all times. For example, Lottie appears briefly in the beginning of the book, but from then on the focus are on Alice and Maria. Lottie doesn't appear again until much later, at which time Maria's narrative drops off entirely. That leaves the focus to just between Alice and Lottie. These decisions make perfect sense when looking at the narrative as a whole, however, and I don't think it's a flaw. Just something to note.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes vampire stories, stories of complex lesbians, and historical fiction with a focus on feminism. I have not read Schwab's other works, but I am eager to do so after reading this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is the latest novel by V.E. Schwab. If you haven’t read anything by this author, I HIGHLY recommend this book and any (all) of her other work. I devoured this one – it is truly a work of pure art! It was promoted as being about “Toxic Lesbian Vampires” and it definitely does not disappoint on any of those topics. I am so grateful to have been able to have read it early!

Bury Our Bones introduces us two primary female vampires: Maria (in the 1520s) and Alice (in 2019). We are taken through their lives – family, trials & tribulations, love, loss, death, finding themselves, and making their way through life. The stories are very power powerful, and the author pulls no punches on character development. She makes you feel every feeling possible for these two women. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions – love, hate, anger, anxiety, fear, screaming, crying, joy, sadness, shock.

The writing reminded me a bit of her previous novel, Addie LaRue, and it had similar undertones as well. I LOVED Addie (it’s one of my favorite books), and after reading it I didn’t think I would ever find another book that hit me like that one did. This book did. It may have even hit me even harder. It WAS SO GOOD, and I cannot find the words to say enough good things about it!

Pre-order it. Buy it. Borrow it from the library. Borrow it from a friend. Just read this book! You won't be disappointed! Fans of V.E Schwab, sapphic and/or vampire romance won't want to miss this masterpiece! *Chef's kiss* 5 STARS! I wish I could read it again for the first time, but I will settle for re-reading it when it comes out!