Toxic lesbian vampires didn’t disappoint. This is very much an Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Schwab that we’re seeing on these pages. The story is the background to her obsession with immortality and the rot of a long life and how desperately the characters and the author seem to want to convey that they can make a mark on the world. Well written as always and a satisfying ending.

Sapphic vampires was definitely something I needed in my life.

Schwab's writing is mesmerizing as always but my interest between the POVs wasn't evenly distributed.
The strong ending didn't fully redeemed the book for its slower part.
I do still think it's a must read for anyone would enjoyed Addie Larue.

Bury Your Bones in the Midnight Soil is an saga of women's wrongs. sapphic love, and vampire lore that will captivate many readers.

The story is about three women in three cities over three different periods in history (1500 Spain, 1800 England, and modern day Boston) and Schwab weaves them together delicately. The story is dark and toxic in many ways, capturing the yearning of eternal life, wanting more than what you have, and how far one will go to get it. It is also atmospheric - I was fully immersed in the story and felt all my senses were attuned to the descriptions. There are constant conversations and themes around desire, grief, anger, womanhood, obsession, control, and survival. I think what Schwab does so beautifully is captures the slow descent into madness and how the vampiric hunger corrupts the minds of the characters. Watching Sabine become more monster than (wo)man was both intriguing and hard to read.

The pacing was not my preference and most of the action happens after the 60% mark. I found the middle to be a bit long winded surrounding Sabine and the ending felt rushed to me. Spoiler, but I wanted Sabine, this epically old and strong vampire, to be much harder to thwart and kill. I wanted more from the resolution, but in a way the ending fits the characters and captures the grittiness of life, but I would still recommend this if you like flawed character driven stories.

Vibes:
Vampires
Historical time periods
Queer/sapphic romance
Family relationships
Yearning
Women's wrong
Coming of age

CW: gore, death, suicide, manipulation, emotional abuse

5 million stars. this book knocked my socks clean off. I knew it was going to be good and it didn't disappoint. VE Schwab is one of my favorite authors to exist ever. This was the definition of yearning. This is a book everyone needs to read.

V.E. Schwab is so talented. This story was dark, toxic and absolutely a page turner. It’s told in multiple POVs and in different time periods. Schwab did a wonderful job blending the three stories together. I do think the ending was rushed but still enjoyed it. Can’t wait to reread this with the audiobook.

Death is a kind of freedom, after all
I've said it before and I'll say it again: VE SCHWAB IS ESCAPISM AT ITS BEST!! Whether it is something you're into or not, there is no denying the pull this book has. Schwab is so good at completely enveloping her audience into her world. It is rich enough to touch, and I loved living in it these past couple days.
Some have issues with the pacing and strength of the plot. It's true that after the first 60%, the plot sky rockets. Most of action happens in the latter half. But you are rewarded with TONS of character development and world building. And I eat that up every time.
Using vampirism as a way for these women to explore their desires was beautiful. I've seen Sabine be described as the "hunger" of the book, Charlotte the "heart" and Alice the "head". Each have their own way of dealing with grief, anger, and time. Sabine was by far my favorite to read. Her slow demise as she sheds the qualities that made her human, only to be left with a bottomless pit of wanting, was fascinating to me.
If you liked Addie LaRue, this would be its darker, hungrier cousin. Thanks to Netgalley for my early copy:)

I enjoy V.E. Schwab's writing, and while I can purchase her YA books for our HS library, this adult book Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil was also highly enjoyable. To begin, this is a vampire story, and I'm not usually into vampire stories, but this one works. It follows three women in three cities over three periods of time, women whose stories overlap for several reasons, including their being vampires--without giving away too many spoilers. The settings of each time period and place are very real and definitely part of the story, and Schwab shifts between the timelines with ease. There are queer romances, women's rights, and, of course, lots of vampire violence. Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for this ARC.

For a story about immortality, this was a great way to examine the human condition. First we follow Maria, then Sabine, as she decides that she will live her life and love on her own terms. Then we meet Charlotte and watch Sabine's descent into obsession and control. As love and freedom becomes something else, their paths finally cross with Alice. Through it all we experience love, freedom, death, survival, hunger, betrayal and revenge. This was deeply gripping and introspective, and I loved every page!

Another gem from this amazing author! Dark sweet toxicity. All the vampire lore to drown in. Not sure it will be for everyone but I thoroughly enjoyed it

I loved Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil! It's a sapphic, tragic, vampire story told from multiple POVs and takes place over a significant stretch of time. Obviously, with that much going on, there are plenty of ways this could have gone wrong--but it didn't!

The characterization was great. I cared about the characters, felt what they were feeling, commiserated with them, was joyful with them, and by the end, felt like they all had appropriate endings for themselves.

I also thought the pacing was excellent. With vampires and long stretches of time, it can be easy for the reader to get lost in time, but Schwab kept me engaged and present the entire story. I didn't feel like any parts were too slow or too rush--it was handled perfectly. Maybe the ending could be little anti-climactic to some readers, but it felt right to me.

Overall, this is 5/5. I will recommend it to several different kinds of readers and am already mentally compiling a list of people I would like to read Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will say you will have to go into this with a clear and open mind. Do not try to compare this to other V.E. Schwab series! The sapphic love story between the three vampire chicas had me tossing and turner each chapter. As you dive into the story you will jump from different POV's as each character is battling their inner vampire lust and learning the new ways of life. There is a slow burn a quarter of the way in.... but after that it's all chaos infused and you will hit the ground running trying to finish the book in one sitting trying to get to the end!

Each character battles themes of love / rage / revenge and overall internal corruption of human nature. A TRUE LOVE STORY <3 Love me some lesbian / queer vampires! Can't wait for everyone to get their teeth on this one!

The lives of three women connect in 2019, even though one was born in the fourteenth century, one in the seventeenth, and one at the turn of the millennium. Maria, headstrong and fierce, is never one to hold back when she wants something. When marriage to a minor nobleman takes her from her humble roots, she exchanges one kind of prison for another. An offer from a mysterious widow affords an escape, but leaves a trail of blood. Hundreds of years later, Maria--now Sabine--craves companionship, eyeing the debutantes during the London season. Charlotte is expected to make a match with a young gentleman, but Sabine has other plans. After decades with Sabine, Lottie is forced to recognize what Sabine's darkness holds. In an attempt to escape Sabine's possessively aggressive and vindictive nature, Lottie makes her way to Boston, where she is eventually able to stop looking over her shoulder and find love again. There she sees Alice, vulnerable, awkward and shy. But Sabine has always relished the hunt. Look out, girls.

I have read most of V.E. Schwab's books. She's adept at creating atmosphere, and her characters often have hidden natures or hidden facets to surprise and delight. As with any vampire novel that spreads itself over centuries, the reader sees the power of time over the mind of the immortal. In this book, modern Alice stands out. Her struggles and trauma make her a badass. She has already had to be brave. She's already breaking out of her prisons when she encounters the undead. Thank you, Ms. Schwab, for finishing this book the way you did. It's the only way this story could've ended.

Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I am not recompensed for my reviews.

V. E. Schwab has done it again. This might just be my favorite book of hers. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil delivers vampires the way I like them best: dark, toxic, and addictive. 10/10 recommend!

This followers several young women and the expectations that are put on them from others as well uncover the path they want to take for themselves. I appreciated how despite these pov's being across time they all are going through the same thing, in their own ways. This unpacks the lengths one will go to for the things they want and deserve. Where autonomy begins and selfishness ends and the blurred or thin line between the two. This story also unpacks grief, and mental illness and how they can affect your relationships. This book reminded me of everything that I love about VE Schwabs work, and reminded me The Invisible Life of Addie Laure, just much darker, with vampires and sapphic, so its safe to assume I loved this book too.

V. E. Schwab is one of my favorite writers and I'm having a great time reading her newest book. I'm not done yet but I couldn't wait tomleabe a review. Beauty prose and well developed characters.

FEEDBACK IN SPANISH.
Gracias Macmillan y Tor por el ARC en NetGalley ✨.

Sin duda, el nuevo libro de Victoria es una obra maestra. Y como buena obra maestra se debe de tomar su tiempo para apreciar. Es un libro lento, pero tiene su razón de serlo.

La historia está contada a tres voces en distintos tiempos. Tenemos a María (posteriormente Sabine), Alice y Charlotte (Lottie), que cuentan su historia ANTES y DESPUÉS de su fecha de muerte.
Personalmente, aunque la historia esté a tres voces, considero a Sabine como la protagonista, pues toda la historia gira entorno a su mera existencia.

En 2023 pude conocer a V.E. Schwab y hacer una entrevista con ella gracias al equipo de Ediciones Urano México y yo traía un pin de Taylor Swift en mi gafete de prensa. Me habían comentado que Victoria no es exactamente una fan de Taylor Swift, pero cuando vio mi pin me dijo “mi próximo libro tiene vibras de Reputation, de Look What You Made Me Do” cuando le pregunté de qué trataba me dijo únicamente tres palabras: vampiras, lesbianas y tóxicas.

No hay mejores tres palabras para describir el libro.
La historia empieza con María ANTES de ser Sabine, cuando apenas era una niña en una pequeña ciudad española en los 1600s y, cuyo mayor miedo, era que su vida cambiase. Un día, en medio de un tumulto de gente, se encontró con una mujer que nunca había visto antes. Una viuda. Una mujer que, en medio de la noche, le habló sobre la forma en que ellas como mujeres podían hacer con sus cuerpos mucho más que solo tener hijos. Algo que María nunca olvidó.
Poco tiempo después, María se ve a sí misma comprometida con un Vizconde. El problema es que, por más que lo intenta, no logra enamorarse de él. Entonces recuerda lo que la viuda de dijo hacía unos años, y María hace todo lo posible para evitar quedar embarazada.
Es ahí cuando se da cuenta de que sus sentimientos a su esposo no son reales, pues ella siente atracción por las mujeres. Pero, sobre todo, anhela una vida libre.

Después está Alice, cuya historia comienza en el presente (en 2019) y, lo único que quiere, es empezar una nueva vida. Lejos de los fantasmas de su pasado en Escocia y, sobre todo, del gran peso que representa en ella su hermana. Alice, que vivió toda la vida a la sombra y que todo lo que hacía era para complacer y estar a la par que su hermana, encuentra su vida hecha un desastre una noche que decide salir de fiesta y se encuentra con una misteriosa mujer y con la que decide pasar una noche en la cama para demostrarse a ella misma que puede hacerlo, sin importar qué digan los demás.

Y finalmente está Lottie. Su historia es narrada en 2019, pero inicia desde los 1800. El problema con Lottie, es que siempre amó demasiado. Y, entre ese amor, lo único que quería era que su vida fuera únicamente para ella y nadie más. Una vida libre, de la mano de una mujer a la que pudiera amar sin prejuicios.

Las tres protagonistas de la historia son mujeres que anhelan una misma cosa: la libertad. Y en la búsqueda de esa libertad es que descubren que “la muerte es una forma de libertad”, por lo que es mucho más que el vampirismo lo que termina uniéndolas. Es este deseo de ser libre y poder amar sin preocupaciones. Claro, cayendo en algunos problemas en el camino al no saber cómo usar la libertad otorgada por la muerte.

Es un libro lento, sí, pero así es como debe ser contada esta historia. No se puede tener empatía por tres mujeres que han cometido errores e incluso crímenes durante toda su vida si no se conoce su historia. Así que a lo largo del libro estamos leyendo por qué son de la forma en que son y, lo más importante, qué las llevó a ansiar tanto la libertad que serían capaces de morir por ella.

Un libro con mucha representación queer y con un toque gótico maravilloso. Valió por completo toda la espera.
V.E. Schwab jamás decepciona.

This has been one of my most anticipated books of the year, and after binging it this week, I can confidently say that it exceeded my expectations! BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL is the toxic lesbian vampire story of my dreams!

This book has the same air of magic and mystery as Addie LaRue, but with an extra splash of darkness. It was told in multiple POVs and timelines, but it seemed so seamless as we moved through the varied characters and storylines. The first 25%ish of this story felt like a slow-burn as the tension built, but once the sharp teeth came out this story hit the ground RUNNING and I could not stop reading!! The pacing got faster and faster as the story went on, and at the end I was whipping through because I needed to know what would happen!

At its core this is a story about obsession, about hunger, and about the innate power of women. It’s about love and rage and grief and revenge. I wish I could erase it from my brain and read it all over again.

This was a great story! Very character driven. I enjoyed the characters and eleven of they were often unlikeable I enjoyed spending time with them and seeing what makes them tick. I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and felt silly that super old vampires die so easily but I did enjoy the story very much!

What I liked:
Your classic Schwab world building. I became so entranced with the characters. Even the "villain" of the story is written in a way that you kind of even care about her.
I loved the way she intertwined traditional and new vampire lore. My favorite bit is that while vampires are immortal they do begin to rot from the inside out.
Lots of queer romance that is explored in so many ways because of the changing time periods in the story.

What I Disliked:
That ending was abrupt. In fact, that is the main reason I knocked the review down to 4 stars. We get so much build up and then everything in the last twenty percent or so of the story happens so quickly.

Totally unhinged lesbian vampires. What is there not to love? I adore everything V. E. Schwab writes, but I think this is my new favorite of hers.