Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil feels like a haunting lullaby. It is equal parts beautiful and unsettling. V.E. Schwab’s signature lyrical prose is on full display, wrapping grief, longing, and transformation in velvet darkness. The atmosphere is rich and immersive. You can practically taste the damp soil and feel the weight of forgotten things pressing up from beneath the surface.

The novella format works both for and against it. It’s a compact punch to the gut, but at times I wished for more space to explore the characters and world. Still, the emotional core hits hard, especially if you’ve ever loved something (or someone) that didn’t love you back in the way you hoped.

It’s not a story for everyone. It leans heavily on mood, metaphor, and melancholy. But if you enjoy quiet horror and poetic storytelling, this one will stay with you long after the final page.

Ok, I ate this one up (pun intended?). This is my second Schwab book and I’m fully convinced I need to read them all now. This was such a lush and deep and captivating read, with characters that were flawed and dangerous but so extremely interesting. It felt like a fever dream and I just really loved how beautiful the writing was. I had some issues with the plot, and it feeling kinda stagnant in places. But I think it was more than made up for by the end. Definitely recommend!

Thank you so much to @torbooks for my review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought I would like this a lot more than I did.

While I did like some of the characters, I think we sent too much time with others. starting one of the main character's story over halfway through the book took me out of the story and made me feel like I was starting a new book. While I get why the author may have done it, I did not like it.

I did not like the main villain much, and for most of the book there seemed to be no overarching conflict. The ending was satisfying, but it did not feel earned.

Something petty, but something that I don't like in books is math errors. One example of bad math in this book, is Sabine knows Alessandro and Matteo for nearly 60 years (mentioned in the book). When they meet, Alessandro must be an adult so maybe 18 at least, yet when he dies it is said that he dies at 59.

This novel is a haunting exploration of identity, desire, and the complexities of love across time. Spanning centuries and told through the perspectives of María, Charlotte, and Alice, Schwab weaves a tapestry of interconnected lives marked by transformation and longing.

The prose is lush and atmospheric, drawing readers into each era with vivid detail. The intertwining narratives are compelling, though the pacing is deliberate, allowing for deep character development and introspection. Themes of grief, power, and the human condition are explored with nuance and sensitivity.

While the novel's slow burn may not appeal to those seeking fast-paced action, it offers a rich, meditative experience for readers who appreciate character-driven stories with emotional depth.

What is there to say about a VE Schwab book except that it will break your soul and completely rewrite your being. This is more akin to Addie LaRue in that it is a very character driven novel. I got to see Victoria on her tour and the way she described writing the book made my head spin, but also felt like the most cohesive way to create it. Because we are following three women at different times and reacting to vampirism, and the transition to death so differently, I think their distinctive voices were incredibly well done. Safe to say I will never stop reading her books.

A beautiful tale of toxic sapphics and how one woman affects the lives of others. I love the different faces that destruction can wear in this book; it can be in your face and loud or lurking behind sweet intentions and words. It's luscious, tragic, heartbreaking, and wonderful storytelling that weaves poison through the ages.

Morally gray sapphic vampires? Sign me the fuck up!! This book has all the bite of female rage that I wanted from The Sirens. Multi timeline/multi pov books can sometimes take some time to get moving but I was hooked immediately with this story. This story had some darker themes so I'd definitely check trigger warnings. I found it all deeply relatable and I was entranced by the story. The prose is beautiful, the character work is masterful and the plot doesn't let up despite the shifts in perspective. This 100% lives up to all the hype! It is one of my favorite books I've read all year.

I have to say that the twist in this was * chef’s kiss * but the novel itself could have been shorter - the last 100 pages or so kind of dragged on.

I loved the character of Alice and how she grew throughout the book. As for all the other characters, particularly those in the past, they were pretty awful (as they were supposed to be, but still).

This is a massive novel, spanning centuries and continents, and told from three different points of view. And the vampiric world building is spot on, something I expect from Schwab. All in all, a solid novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this title!

Absolutely beautifully written and incredibly toxic in such an enlightening way. Showing how a toxic relationship in which you wouldn’t necessarily think was obvious is in fact not okay in a setting where there are a lot of emotions and fantasy and vampires. A deadly book by an amazing author..

This was brilliantly plotted with the most beautiful writing. I was hooked from the first page. Even though this book was 500+ pages, I breezed right through it. I loved the character deep dive and the multiple POVs. Fantastic read.

I loved this book! It's dark and addictive and an absolute masterpiece. This story had me hooked from the first line and I never looked back. The story is beautifully haunting- with a perfect mix of obsession and ruin.

What people have been saying about Bury Our Bones is true: this book is incredibly special and stunning work from V.E. Schwab.

The story is told in alternating and converging timelines and follows three women: Sabine (Maria), Charlotte, and Alice. Each of them has their own voice and story, but they share one thing in common: a hunger for freedom. A desire to regain control of their own lives.

It’s a story about how the world dulls their sense of adventure and curiosity, and how each of them responds to that loss after they’re turned into vampires - how they go from losing autonomy and suddenly gain an unquenchable power...the domino effect begins when Maria becomes Sabine, Sabine meets Charlotte, and years later their tempestuous love story ends up impacting Alice in unexpected ways.

V.E. Schwab is truly astonishing. No two books of hers ever feel the same. She brings something fresh to each story, and Bury Our Bones is no exception. Here, she unpacks the stories of three toxic lesbian vampires (the most popular way to describe this book from other reviewers), weaving their lives and parallels together in a way that feels seamless, intentional, and very thought-out. Every choice feels purposeful.

This is the perfect atmospheric, gothic vampire read for fall. It’s moody and immersive and there’s a beautiful simplicity to the storytelling that still has plenty of depth and nuance.

I will say this!! I did struggle a little at first with the mentions of blood and the drinking of the blood. I can get squeamish with vampire stories and the actual act of drinking blood. But that’s a personal hang up, and not a flaw of the book itself. Everyone knows this book is about vampires, so drinking of blood is to be expected.

All in all, Bury Our Bones is a gorgeous and haunting tale about power, identity, and the desperate need to feel free. I can see why it gets all the love it gets!!

Kudos to the blurb for not giving the whole plot away. This is the kind of book you only want to skim the surface of before reading because the discovery is one of the best parts.

If you need characters you can root for, this is not the book for you. Their morality is a withered black, dip-dyed in red blood. That said, I disagree with labeling this book as “female rage.” It’s more like when the underdog becomes the vicious big dog. At first they bite out of vengeance, but then they bite just because they can. And any previous moral compass disintegrates into dust.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF this one for now as it was honestly too big of a read and I was just not feeling the vibes overall. I also don’t know how I did not know it was about witches but that really isn’t my cup of tea so I will come back to this one another time. Thanks very much to the publisher for the review copy

VE Schwab never disappoints and has firmly cemented herself as the queen of gothic fiction with “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil”.

Following the lives of three women separated by time, their stories converge in spellbindingly gruesome twists that had me enthralled with each page. “Bury Our Bones” reads like a gothic historical fiction with elements of horror, romance, and tragedy. It explores women’s’ societal confines throughout the ages in a way that remains poignant to present day, and asks readers “how far would you go to truly be free?”.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be widely recommending it!

Poetic justice at its finest. This is one of the most captivating sapphic fantasy books I’ve read in a long time. The narrative is rich and layered, yet remarkably clear, even with the shifts between timelines and characters, the story flows effortlessly. The flashbacks are masterfully paced, enhancing the emotional depth without ever overwhelming the reader.

V.E. Schwab continues to prove why she’s one of my favorite authors, blending haunting atmosphere with sharp prose and unforgettable characters. If you’re drawn to dark, moody stories with vampires, revenge, and a sapphic love story that burns beautifully and painfully, this book is exactly what you’re looking for.

Where do I even start with this? Can I just say I loved it all? Sabine, Charlotte, Alice - all so tragic and so perfect at the same time. I loved the book "Interview with a Vampire" by Anne Rice and Sabine was very toxic and all consuming like Lestat. I loved out each vampire was in different stages of their journeys and loved how different they each were. Only thing for me is I want more of Alice's story.

V.E. Schwab and vampires? I RAN to request this and I do believe this is her best book to date. It reads like an old classic, gorgeous prose, a storyline that hooks you immediately, and intertwined characters that keep you turning the pages to see how everything falls into place. This is a longer book that absolutely flew! Within 24 hours I had read 500 pages and wanted more. Don’t miss this one!

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read!

Wait. V.E. Schwab, one of my all-time favorite living writers, has written a vampire book? A lesbian vampire book?!

I’m in.

What does it mean to hunger? What would you do if you were never satisfied? Would you find more people like yourself to share in that desire? What if you could make more people like yourself?

Maria lived in Spain in the 1530s, and was that perpetually wanting child. When she was eventually married off to a wealthy nobleman, she thought that she would want for nothing else. She didn’t anticipate that her husband only wanted her to be a vessel for a child. What the viscount didn’t know was the Maria had befriended an old widow, Sabine, who concealed a dark secret.

Now you may have guessed from my intro here that Sabine was, in fact, a vampire. She had also developed feelings for Maria and so, in an attempt to set her free of the bonds that would tie her to her husband, she turned Maria. In Maria’s desperate, wanting frenzy, she didn’t stop when Sabine offered her own blood in return, draining away everything that the old widow was. Soon, Maria finds herself alone, with no one to guide her in the strange world of night that she’s plunged into.

In 2019, a young girl named Alice meets another girl at a college party. After what seems like it will be a one-night-stand, Alice realizes that there was more to Lottie than met the eye. Knowing what she has become, but finding it almost impossible to believe, Alice sets out to find Lottie again. There are answers to be found, and most of them seem to trace back to Maria, who is now going by the name of the woman who turned her all those centuries ago.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is beautiful. It hit stores on Tuesday, June 10th. My utmost thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for a fair review.

This review originally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients.com/2025/07/08/bury-our-bones-in-the-midnight-soil-a-review/

This book was everything that I wanted it to be, dark, atmospheric, and sapphic. V.E Schwab continues her streak of hooking you with a premise and delivering on the material, what you ask for is what you get with her which is why she will continue to be a must buy author for me.