"The only thing rolling off this man is confidence. He is so sure which of them is predator, and which is prey."

This book is everything and ya'll are not ready. I never anticipated this book would hit as hard as it did, even while sitting at the peak of my highly anticipated titles list. I expected to be entertained. I expected to love the characters and the world they live in. But what I actually got was a masterpiece. And one of the best standalones I've ever read.

What I actually got was a read as beautiful and poetic as it is biting and tragic. A passionate story dripping with feminine rage and the innate and desperate desire to live a life unchained and vibrantly alive. A celebration of autonomy and a reclamation of power. A book that left me with a beautifully fragile feeling of hopefulness, which feels unfortunately timely given today's world. It's unapologetically sapphic and painfully beautiful. It's messy and toxic and euphoric, sometimes in turn, sometimes all at once.

The worldbuilding is atmospheric and incredibly immersive. The storytelling is intricate and twisty with some of the most balanced multi-POV characters I've ever experienced. Every character is equally fascinating and fully fleshed out. I wanted to spend my time with all of them rather than wishing to rush anyone's story to get back to someone else's. While that's an obvious credit to good writing, it also helps that each character is integral to the growth of the others. Every timeline intertwines so carefully that you can't truly understand any one main character without also understanding the others.

And while the storytelling is breathtaking, the characters really are what makes this book shine as brightly as it does. We watch these characters experience such a unique perception of time and witness how it changes them. How a split second of time or a seemingly insignificant decision can alter reality forever. We see how simple pleasures can become mundane. How loving relationships can devolve into obsession. How trauma shapes us all and the many ways, both quiet and loud, that those same traumas can manifest and shape who we become. How all the emotions that make someone human can ebb away until only the most vile parts remain. How someone can be impossibly powerful, yet still vulnerable and insecure in the face of a changing world and an uncertain future.

I wasn't ready for this book. I wasn't ready for all the things it made me think and feel. But I know I'll be thinking about it for a long, long time to come. A true triumph for V. E. Schwab and I can't wait for you all to experience it. Please come scream off the rooftops with me.

Forever grateful to Tor for sending an ARC as part of a library marketing campaign. ily til the end of time, Tor.

**Quote taken from an uncorrected bound manuscript. Text may vary from final published copy.

Schwab's entry into the vampire genre is clumsy at best, boring at worst. While the prose wants to be sweeping and elegant it's completely overwritten and about 200 pages too long. I couldn't quite understand the character's motivations at times, especially Sabine toward the end of the novel. It felt very one-note to have her become a comic book villain after spending an entire century with Charlotte. It's difficult to write a truly toxic romance, and this book fails on all fronts. Ultimately, Schwab seeks to answer boring questions without posing anything new or of value.

Amazing!! Wasnt a fan of the invisible life of addie larue but this made me fall in love with ve schwabs writing style. The plot eas executed to perfection and i loved the different plotlines. Looking forward to getting a physical copy once it get published!!

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil truly is V.E. Schwab's literary follow up to the phenomenon that is The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue. Sabine, Charlotte, and Alice will have you frothing at the mouth for more well after their story has ended. This book is truly dripping in bloody soil, growing a dark flower with teeth.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab is a haunting, atmospheric tale that lingers long after the last page. Schwab’s prose is as poetic as ever, weaving together grief, longing, and the weight of history with a dreamlike quality that feels both intimate and otherworldly. The characters are raw and aching, their stories unfolding like whispered secrets in the dark. It’s a book that doesn’t just ask to be read—it demands to be felt. Beautiful, eerie, and utterly unforgettable.

Three tales of toxic lesbian vampires, interwoven across different times and circumstances but all subtly connected. I've heard a lot about Schwab from coworkers but this is my first time reading something by them. I enjoyed most of this book and will still be recommending it to patrons. However, this didn't really hit the way I was expecting it to. I think most of this was due to the ending (I wanted something punchier, after all those pages) and the character switch after the first half of the book (after spending so much time with Maria, it was jarring to switch over to Charlotte and fully leave Maria's perspective).

All this being said--still a damn good book. Will be recommending it for patrons on the lookout for darker queer tales with lyrical prose and complicated characters.

V.E. Schwab you have my little heart forever and ever. Reading this book was more than just an experience, it transcended that. If you loved The Invisible Life of Addie Larue you're going to enjoy this one as well! Thank you Netgalley for the early access.

I really enjoy VE Schwab’s writing and this was no exception.
I had such a fun time getting to know our 3 main characters and I loved the darkish setting of the book!

I’ve read a lot of books in my day and have yet to find any that have truly necessitated being over 500 pages long, this one being the perfect example. It easily could’ve been 300 pages and would’ve been better for it. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was phenomenal but I can agree with those who criticized it for being slow and very long winded and this one reads a LOT like Addie LaRue.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the read. It read kind of like Bridgerton but with lesbian vampires (what’s not to like about that?) but the ending felt sooo…inconsequential? If I’m with the same characters for 560 pages, I want an ending that’s gonna knock my socks off. Unfortunately, my socks are still very much intact.

Overall, it was a middle of the road read for me. Didn’t hate it but it could’ve been a lot better. A better ending would’ve made a world of difference!

A dark tale of three women connected by a curse and blood through time. Sometimes as lovers, sometimes as killers but all feral roses of the midnight soil. A young woman seeks a way out of an arranged marriage only to find the strange widow with the solution. The price is high and that is what continues on. A captivating love story, historical connection of trapped women seeking independence and finding love in another's kiss of death. V. E. Schwab is a first rate storyteller able to turn vicious vampires into tragic wanderers doomed to live forever without really living a life. This will appeal to readers of THE HISTORIAN and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles in addition to Schwab's many fans. Didn't want it to end! My thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy.

I adored this book so much. I could not stop reading it. The characters were perfectly crafted and flawed. I got frustrated when one particular character took up so many of the chapters but I did not need to. It all came together

V.E. Schwab used to be my go to author or autobuy author, but ever since Addie Larue, that no longer stands. This book feels plagued by their approach to writing Addie Larue. It's as if Schwab feels the need to write literary to be respected, but doesn't quite know how to turn a sentence. I found myself sitting there begging the narrative to get on with it because I want to read about the vampires. What should've been a short read, plagued me and it's a little disappointing to see.

I feel like I'm going to be the odd one out on this one, but I could not get into this book. There is so much I love about it: the characters, the writing style, the lore, the alternating perspective, the mystery; but unfortunately it drags on. I have been trying to read this book for close to six months now, and I cannot get attached to it. I'm sure a lot of this is important for whatever happens later in the book, but after 33% in, I felt like I had already read four novels. This is one of those cases where this one simply isn't for me, but it deserves a good rating for all that it does beautifully.

I really enjoyed this. It was a different vibe from Villains / Darker Shade of Magic, and I liked it a LOT better than Addie. The writing was beautiful.

DNF -

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil spans centuries between the three lesbian vampires. If flawed women, toxic relationships, and multigenerational stories are your thing than this is the book for you. I really enjoyed Maria/Sabine's pov the most, the historical, dark and grim setting and the intrigue of the vampires came to me as a surprise because I went into this book completely blind. I can tell already this book is going to be beloved as most of V. E. Schwab's are but for me it was a bit hard to get myself into it. I wished the chapters of the the characters povs for were more back and forth. Sometimes we'd be in Maria's pov for so long that when it did finally switch to Alice I wished it hadn't or felt pulled out of the story. Honestly I'm beating myself up for not liking it more but this was my first time reading a story with those kinds of time difference between the characters and I think I quickly learned it wasn't for me. I will not fault V. E. Schwab for that because I can tell the story is masterfully crafted and I did enjoy the dialogue, and if the story was fully about Maria/Sabine I'd probably devour it (pun intended). I'd definitely think people who like God in the Woods would love this book.

I'd love this book in every lifetime.

When I was introduced to "toxic lesbian vampires" by one of my favourite authors, it was a no brainer for me that I would love this book. I just couldn't imagine how much I would love this book.

Following 3 main characters through different time periods, learning about each of their lives, loves, and losses. I fell in love with all of them, despite the fact that I should reflect on that in therapy.

There is not a single moment, character, or word I would change. My only request is to make it longer so it didn't have to end.

I will need to process this book for a while and try to sort out all my emotions for it. But for now, I can't imagine a book that will overtake this one in 2025 and I am grateful I have been able to read it in advance.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tor publishing, and of course VE Schwab for giving me the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy of Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil.

I was so lucky to receive an arc copy of this book from Netgalley!!! I love Schwab writing! This book is so slow burn. The characters are rich, timeless, captivating and it hooks you from the beginning. This is a book I took my time with because I could not imagine it being over. Pre order this book and add it to your list! Schwab knows how to write a toxic female vampire story like no other! Her brilliance is shown here in her new novel she did not disappoint!!! 5 stars!!!! This novel was my most anticipated novel of the year!

Best book that I've read in the last year? I think so. I adore a well-written book that spans for generations, but keeps you hooked and entertained.

I found all 3 of the MCs to be completely fascinating and alluring in their own ways. They were all flawed and oftentimes more unlikeable than they were likable, yet, you couldn't help rooting for them in one way or another. I truly felt like I was immersed in whatever time period our characters were living through, and I was entranced by the writing style.

While I loved ADDIE LARUE, this one definitely takes the cake for me. I rarely take my time with books, but I savored this one over the span of several weeks simply because I didn't want it to end. This felt like a dark mashup of The Vampire Diaries and Bridgerton, but more toxic and heavier.

Overall, I think this is a book to be revered, and I will be recommending it to everyone!

CW: the book does contain themes of domestic abuse, mainly in the form of emotional abuse/manipulation

"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."

VICTORIA HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!!! 6 STARS!!! This is absolutely my new favorite book of hers, it consumed me and still has a grip on my mind. This is toxic lesbian vampires at its core but also so much more. It is a story of power dynamics, love, loneliness, female rage. It is the perfect gothic fantasy with the most morally grey characters and poetic, lyrical, beautiful prose. It is the combination of all the things I love about Schwab's writing and stories to the next level.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Story follows three different women, all from different time periods, who are brought together. Sabine is a ruthless, vicious, hurting, abusive vampire, turned at a young age, who dreams of being the powerful one in the relationship, able to control others and be free where she used to be a bird in a cage. Lottie is a young girl, forced to reckon with her new life, unable to love who she wants, born in the wrong time, unsure about the path she has been given. Alice is our modern teenage girl, struggling with the overwhelming grief of losing a loved one, a wallflower, someone who wants desperately to connect and become a new, happy, confident version of herself, suddenly ripped out of her life and forced to deal with the trauma of having her choices and freedom stolen from her. All three vampires have so many similarities, and you can see with each new character, the growth and changes in the choices they make, while also seeing the common patterns in behavior.

This book was FUN!! It was gruesome at times. It reflected so many emotions I think most women battle with throughout our lives, told from the perspective of a traditionally violent and lonely being - the vampire. It was female rage personified, but also the softer, delicate petals of femininity, sexuality, and the wonderful parts of being a women. I can tell that Schwab poured herself and parts of her soul into these characters and it really brought each woman to life, in a way that made me really connect with parts of each of them.

I truly think that this is Schwab's best book yet and I'm already ITCHING for a reread. I know for a fact this will be favorite book of 2025 for me and one I will be recommending to many many people. There are so many layers and complexities to think book that I only scratched the surface of and I cannot wait to unpack more each time I read.

Thank you endlessly to Tor Books for the free book, I am forever in your debt for allowing me to read this treasure early!! <3

3 stars. After being blown away by "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue," I hate to admit being more than a little disappointed by "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil." It's a decent enough book, and once the book comes out in four months (June), my opinions will almost certainly be very much in the minority, but... this book was a solid enough read but could have been much more than that. I think my main complaint is that book dragged too much in its middle third.

Another problem had to do with one of the three main characters, Harvard freshman Alice, who is turned, violently, in 2019. (I don't think we ever hear the word "vampire" until almost the end of the book.) While the other two main characters, Sabine and Charlotte, move forward through time and the centuries, we hear more than I felt necessary about Alice's past, especially, annoyingly, about her older sister Catty. Without giving anything away, I think I understand part of why the author needed us to see the contrasts between Alice and Catty ahead of the eventual climax of the story, but... I don't think it worked.

I still recommend this story, as it will have many fans, both old and new, even if I wasn't satisfied myself.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.