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.

*4.5 rounded down*

Reading Bones felt like revisiting the world of Addie. I don't think everyone will agree with me on this- in fact, I don't think many who found Schwab through Addie will love this one. Addie was easy to sympathise. The women in Bones are deeply flawed, at times egregious; what made them "human" now intensified. And while the stories are very different, the writing feels very alike, with glimmers of that same magic reading Addie held throughout.

I don't know that this is the best entry point for readers discovering Schwab. This one's very much character study, and takes some patience to get into at the beginning. If you're looking for plot, go read Vicious, this one's for the girlies who are just here for the pining and the vibes.

This book was absolutely amazing! I fell in love with the story, the characters, and the lush atmosphere. I'm a huge fan of Addie LaRue and this book felt pretty similar, except the writing somehow felt even more compelling. I couldn't put this down and highly recommend it. I listened to it primarily via audiobook and the narrators did a fantastic job!

Another winner from V.E. Schwab. Dark, thrilling, emotional and I loved reading this book. I couldn't put it down and highly recommend!

Lush, seductive, and captivating. I loved being transported to different time periods and experiencing vampirism through Schwab’s characters. Toxic Lesbian Vampires for the win.

Thank you so much to Tor Books for an ARC of this title!

4/5 Stars

Overall this was a wonderful story that scratched my itch for a queer vampire story that takes place in modern times. Switching back and forth from multiple POVS sometimes burdened the pacing of it for me. However, a queer novel as uncompromising and defiant as this one needs to be shouted from the rooftops. A story about agency, bodily autonomy, queer rights, and colorism is always worth reading. Really loved how it was all packaged together. I really loved lots of things about Alice but her chapters faltered the most for me. Listen, sapphic vampires can be just as toxic, mean, and riveting as the iconic Lestat and Louis from Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire.

Enjoyed my time with this title lots!

You can see my review of it here: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8h294KV/

Social Content featuring Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil:

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https://www.instagram.com/p/DLvb200Pkkp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://www.tiktok.com/@cidnyaa/video/7523010905530010911?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7524081098645571085

https://www.tiktok.com/@cidnyaa/video/7517485760400854302?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7524081098645571085

https://www.tiktok.com/@cidnyaa/video/7501530850278804766?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7524081098645571085

A masterpiece. I LOVED Addie, and was afraid to read any other Schwab books because what if they weren't as good? But this one definitely was.

Overall, I enjoyed this one more than I expected. It’s very character-driven, and it was fun to follow our characters across the (many!) years from 1500s Spain to Carnival in Venice to Regency England and finally modern-day Boston. I loved two of the main characters and seeing their storylines blend into each other, although the third (our most modern character and storyline) felt gratuitous to me; I never felt invested in her or her backstory compared to the rest of the book. There is more horror the crops up than I expected, in a fantastic way; but also many, many garden metaphors and imagery that became tired very quickly (also overuse of the word “feral”). Pick this one up if you enjoy Schwab’s other books especially Addie Laurie (I think these two are in interesting conversation together with concepts of living forever and character-driven stories across many centuries thanks to deals with dark beings).

DNF ~25%

I couldn’t get into this one. The first 150 pages felt slow, with shifting timelines and three different perspectives that made it hard to invest in any single story.

The writing also struck me as quite juvenile—like YA with added sex and swearing. The characters felt flat, especially Maria, who’s a stereotypical headstrong heroine but comes off emotionally immature. Her husband and in-laws read as sexist caricatures without nuance, which made them hard to take seriously.

I’ve enjoyed Schwab’s books in the past, but it’s been years since one truly wowed me. Maybe I’ve just outgrown her work.

Wow. This book is such a vibe. Three women, three timelines, vampires, feminine rage, sapphic romance….. YES PLEASE.

I forgot how absolutely immersive and beautiful VE Schwab’s writing is. This book is well written and makes you think. This is unlike any other books I’ve read with vampires. These women are complicated. They feel trapped in their patriarchal societies. They crave freedom from themselves and their expectations. They are full of rage, revenge, and want.

This book feels so emotionally raw and vulnerable and this is what makes this book so compelling. She touches on themes such as grief, humanity, hunger and longing.

The writing juuuuuust on the border of excessively flowery. And I really thought there would be more of a fight at the end. The ending felt slightly rushed since we learned so much about Alice just in those last couple chapters.

If you loved The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue then you would probably love this book just as much. Addie La Rue is one of my all time favorites and so it’s no surprise to me that I loved this book.

I never wanted this book to end and has given me motivation to continue with the rest of her books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor publishing for the eARC. And also thank you to Macmillan Audio for the partial ALC.

This is a review of the audiobook.

I absolutely loved this. Schwab's description of it as "toxic lesbian vampires" was 1000% correct and I loved the interweaving of the three characters' stories.

This book follows two vampires lives through 100 years of history and a modern day run-in that will change the course of their immortal lives.

I'm giving this 3 stars because it's Schwab and her writing is always beautiful. I do understand why people like this book (okay I don't really understand the 5 stars but okay) and I can see a circumstance where I'd recommend it (someone who loves historic fiction and has patience).

The writing is beautiful but I was bored throughout the majority of this book. I didn't expect it to read so heavily as historic fiction. It reminded of a recent read, The Marriage Portrait, both painted beautiful imagery and had characters I was curious about but I felt like so little happened that I was constantly wondering what was the point.

The end of the book (the last 15%) was much closer to what I anticipated throughout and significantly more interesting than the first 85%. I'm curious about the pacing decisions because so much happened at the end that it felt rushed and maybe abrupt. At so many details about one of the character's life, I felt robbed of the details for another. (It was also my least favorite character who's story felt cut short, and still I wanted to know a more about her future.)

I expected this story to be more of a love triangle, but it wasn't.

I enjoyed reading Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, it's similar to the author's other book - The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue so readers who enjoyed that will love the author's new book. It has similar features, dark lore, multiple POVs which I love because it adds more depth to the story. There were some good twists in the story too and even though the book started of slow it still captured my attention especially as you wonder how all these characters are connected and who will be the one bring down the villain. The ending was a little open ended but it still gave clarity to the ending of one of the characters. Overall it was a good read with an interesting take on vampire lore.

A grimmer and dark version of twilight without the sparkles. Also perfect for those who love "The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue"

Dark, well-written, engaging, little gory, slow start

I began this book before release date and only read about 80 pages. I have never read any V. E. Schwab titles and wanted to try it out. The premise sounded fantastic. It turns out the writing style for this title is not for me. I do plan to give the audio-book a chance later on in hopes that I enjoy it!

Reading VE Schwab is always a delightful experience. I truly enjoyed this new foray. It was lyrical, visceral, and beautiful, and I genuinely enjoyed its uniqueness. Beautifully reminiscent of Addie LaRue, one of my favorites from Schwab. Highly recommend.

Thank you Tor for the gifted ARCs!

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
V.E. Schwab
Publishing Date: June 10, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Narrator: Julia Whelan, Katie Leung, Marisa Calin 🎧

🩸 “𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡 𝔬𝔣 𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔭𝔰 𝔟𝔢𝔞𝔱 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔞 𝔡𝔯𝔲𝔪 𝔦𝔫𝔰𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔰𝔱, 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔰𝔥𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔢. 𝔄𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔢. 𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔰𝔥𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔥𝔲𝔫𝔤𝔯𝔶.”

When V.E. Schwab used the line “toxic lesbian vampires” to sum up this book I was instantly sold. Feminine rage? Sign me up. Every time.

Schwab’s prose is just stunning. This is a character driven story, which I personally love, but this does mean it’s slower in pace which isn’t for everyone. But with the beauty of Schwab’s writing, she can take all the time she needs and I’ll eat up every word.

We get three different POV’s and timelines and initially it is unclear how these three women connect. But once that moment happens, this book just gets better and better. Pure magic.

🩸“𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 — 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐠𝐞.”

A hauntingly beautiful and atmospheric story about strong women. Writing that will keep you enthralled from page one. An ending that packs a punch and leaves you wishing you could have more. I loved every bit of it.

🩸“𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦,… 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵? 𝘖𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭?”

🎧 I was able to sample the audio thanks to a sneak peek provided by Macmillan Audio and holy moly what an amazing trio these women are! I did wind up using some Spotify hours to continue enjoying the audio post-publication date. For me tandem reading was the way to go to fully absorb every last word!

There will never be a book that comes out that I will not read by VE Schwab. This book is different enough from her previous works as it contained sapphic vampires but honestly, it was probably my most favorite book of hers. I loved it. I loved it. I loved it.

I am a huge fan of this author's other works, and loved the concept of this one. While she created an interesting and vivid world, this story dragged on, and on, and on. What could have been a compelling story ended up being entirely bogged down by too many detours and subplots. By the end, I literally found myself going "I don't care" as certain plots were revealed, especially as they pertained to Alice's story. Sabine and Charlotte were much more vivid characters, but the pacing was completely off.

I just finished Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and, wow, my heart’s still pounding. V.E. Schwab is a master writer and they proves it again as they weaves together three timelines (16th‑century Spain, Victorian England, and modern‑day Boston) in this dark, sapphic vampire tale. The prose is hauntingly lyrical and I usually run at the first sign of "lyrical" but it really worked this time.

It’s really about power, hunger (literal and emotional) and queer agency. The moments where characters flip between wanting freedom and being consumed by it felt so real. And yeah, it’s slow paced at times, but honestly that slow burn makes the atmosphere so immersive and kept me hooked.