4 stars rounded up from 3.75
The elevator pitch of this book is so intriguing. Follow four sapphic vampires through centuries, learning and navigating what it means to be planted “in the midnight soil”. I was SO excited to devour this book, but sadly, it fell a little flat for me. V. E. Schwab is a beautiful linguist, sentences flowing into one another like braided grass. The plot, on the other hand, simply moved too slowly for me. I came to dread picking up the book, afraid of running into another long retelling of an uncaring character mercilessly killing and being annoyed when they are taken advantage of.
Morally grey (or morally cruel) characters abound as we learn the 400+ years of events leading up to a more modern-day timeline where a young girl in college is turned while passed out. Unaware of what she is or what the rules of her “death” are, exactly, all she wants to do is find the mysterious woman she brought home the night before and learn what the hell she is supposed to do now.
The only likable characters are the modern day girl, who we get to hear very little from, and one who is introduced more than 50% of the way through the book.
The ending was satisfying in a way but happened too quickly and with very little conflict imo. I would have loved for the scenes to be more suspensful.

I received an advance reader copy of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab from NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For those who romanticize the haunted and the undead, and love so bathed in blood that nobody can let go, this one's for you. If you're into a gothic fever dream drowning in grief, yearning, and toxic situationships that stretch across centuries, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab might be for you.

This poetically haunting novel follows three women across three timelines, weaving a lyrical tale of love, loss, and the toll eternal existence takes on the soul.

I've heard many great things about V.E. Schwab, namely The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and I was itching to read her work. As a lifelong vampire lore obsessive, I’m so glad Bury Our Bones was my entry point. Read on for my full ARC review.

Overall Impressions 😊

I'm not much of a horror reader, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. To my surprise, I didn’t feel afraid in the traditional sense. There were no jump scares. I'm not sure if literary horror is even supposed to include those, but for me, this story explored what I’d call emotional horror. It’s the kind of fear rooted in loneliness, and how the dread of being alone can drive someone to do extreme things.

It was an unexpected read for me. This is a character-driven novel, far more than a plot-heavy one. It felt like reading a slice of life that spans five centuries on a dry summer night, with bonfires cackling in the distance. It was poetic and ethereal, like you were moving fluidly alongside the characters as they passed through time.

I felt unsettled at times and cozy at others, and every time I felt cozy, I felt the unease lurking in the back, waiting for the next shoe to drop. I assume that was the intent.

Perfect For Fans Of 🌟

This book reminded me so much of the quiet unease Leigh Bardugo layers into some of her more mature works, where slice-of-life storytelling in historical or contemporary settings gets interrupted by magic and suspense. If you enjoyed Ninth House or other adult dark academia reads, this might be your cup of tea, even though this isn’t technically dark academia, it hits some of the same emotional and atmospheric beats.

Characters 👥

This book has three main characters, and all of them shine in their own right. Maria, from 1500s Spain, is by far my favorite character ever. Her hunger and greed practically drip through the pages. Her relentless need for more, and the extreme lengths she’s willing to go to get what she wants, made her a compelling and unsettling point of view to read.

Charlotte is practically the girl next door, straight out of 1800s London — which, by the way, gives major Bridgerton vibes for a short while. That is, if there were vampires involved. I adored her love for life in the beginning. However, as the plot progressed, I started to sour on her, and I’m so curious if others will feel the same. To me, Charlotte was almost the most toxic of them all.

And then there’s Alice, who is buried in her grief but trying to work through it. I didn’t really connect with Alice, but she definitely played her part, and I liked where she landed and why. However, some of the side characters from her timeline felt overly detailed and repetitive at times, so I struggled to stay fully invested in her arc. I was mostly following Alice’s chapters to see how the original timelines would echo into the later ones.

More on the side characters — there are a lot of them. The story stretches across five centuries, so naturally, many names and faces are dropped over time. Some of them play major roles in the plot, but others end up confusing the story a bit, even though they add beautiful, floral detail. I actually liked it. I love when authors almost get sidetracked by cursory details because it feels like they’re pausing to share pieces of their world with us. But it definitely takes us on a roundabout path away from the main plot at times.

Plot 🗺️

As I mentioned earlier, this is more about character development across centuries than it is about plot. But that doesn’t mean we’re not getting any events, they’re just more like glimpses of slice-of-life moments, showing who each character is and how they’ve changed over time, rather than action being the central theme.

We jump between timelines like changing TV channels, getting a peek into different eras and emotional states. I really enjoyed that structure. It keeps things fresh, fragmented, and deeply human.

The toxicity between characters is front and center. Yes, there’s love, but it’s rotten. Yes, there’s hunger, but… also rotten. The side characters? Toxic. It’s all so messy, but you can’t look away. The biggest seed of rot, though, is fear. Fear of being alone. Fear of being left behind. And the way that fear manifests in each character is different enough that it almost feels like a social experiment dressed up in a toxic vampire love story.

Even though there isn’t a traditional plot with big turning points, the characters keep you engaged. If you enjoy watching people unravel, rebuild, and shift over time, this book is a treat. There’s tension, but it simmers more than it snaps.

Writing Style and Narration ✍️

This was the first book I’ve read written in present continuous tense, which made the experience feel much more urgent. It was an odd combination at times, because the book isn’t plot-driven, yet I still felt like I was moving with the characters, just inside their heads. Every thought they had seemed to echo in mine as I was reading. It was unsettling, and I assume that was a deliberate narration choice.

There are a lot of half-finished sentences, often stacked together. Many end in punctuation that mimics interruption, like a thought breaking off. That structure emphasizes presence and immediacy. I found it to be a really fresh and interesting choice compared to my usual reads. At the same time, it was a bit disorienting, like watching something move while not moving myself, if that makes sense.

The overall writing felt ethereal and poetic, like sticky summer heat. I just couldn’t shake it, not while I was reading and not after I’d finished.

Closing Thoughts 🧃

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is enchanting and haunting, while also delivering one of the most toxic and messy love stories I’ve read in a while. I’m pretty sure I rooted for the person I wasn’t supposed to and disliked the one I was meant to like, so it’s definitely open to interpretation who you’ll connect with.

If you want to dive into a fever dream of hunger, love, and rage, and enjoy feeling uneasy while turning the pages like it’s an itch you have to scratch, this is a must-read I highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my rating. [3.75⭐️]

This was an emotional roller coaster of a read. And the Lesbians are MESSYYYYYYYYYYYY ❤️‍🔥

Before we get into the delicious parts, lets talk about trigger warnings; which were for me unexpected in some ways {SA, marital 🍇, stalking, panic attacks} this is a horror and there are other things that are expected but these are the things that stuck out to me the most.

Alice is a new college student who finds herself having a one-night stand with a girl she spotted at a party. However, when she wakes up, she is left with a note from the girl and the only thing she knows is her name. After that night, her life spirals into chaos.

From there we get alternating POVs spanning over hundreds of years. The careful way that we move through time was absolutely delicious. The weight of every situation is rife with tension; wanting what is best for each character as she seeks freedom in ever-changing social expectations. Years of lost love in between life times is sad. love-lost-love-lost-love. What else do we expect from a life made immortal?

What will make this book a hit is its self-awareness of the horror genre. This definitely deserves a good reads choice award! It sticks to some tropes within the vampire horror genre but plays with them in other ways, setting a hard fantasy structure. I liked that it broke some of those rules intentionally, as it created a more dynamic vampiric monster.

Schwab's writing was wonderful. The prose were lovely and atmospheric. Careful attention to expression and tone set every scene beautifully. I am enamored with her writing style and totally see why this author is as loved as they are 💖 I could feel the dust settling in time and space. Magnificent.

The time spent before the events of the 2000s were my favorite. I was wrapped in each of these women's stories. The one in the present was my least favorite. Though I see why it was necessary to have another character outside of the events through history, I think their ultimate involvement could have been better utilized. The ending was a bit too abrupt for me in that sense.

This could have also benefited from some editing down. Flashbacks were interspersed throughout the story that while adding tension for Alice, I could have done without. It felt like it was too many layers for me and I was already sated between Maria, Sabine and Charlotte. I would have taken these our entirely because at a certain point the story becomes too convoluted and gaps between hard hitting moments where my attention wavered.

I will say, however, that the moments that took me by surprise were pleasant. I audibly gasped a few times. I love a fun character death. I would have rated this much higher if it was just edited down.

Actually a 4.5, big thanks to Tor Publishing and author for the ARC!

I think that I first heard this book mentioned as gay, historical, vampire fiction, and I was in! (Also, literally anything by Schwab and I'm sold). It did not disappoint! I loved the characters (as characters, not as actual people, because oh my god vampires are toxic), and the historical settings were really interesting, believable, and written in such a way that I just clicked with. I also adored the side characters! (Ezra, my boy, I'd take a book about Ezra)

It also made the vampires really simple? (I mean that in the best way possible). There wasn't any large, "Actually the lore is wrong," stuff. Stakes through heart, blood, the easy stuff. The couple rule additions/changes that Schwab did use made sense for the plot, and gave it an interesting dimension.

The only reason this is only 4.5 instead of 5 is because the ending felt a little rushed, especially compared to the rest of the book, but still highly, highly enjoyable!

Solid vampire romp, through myriad generations.. Suspenseful and dark with an especially satisfying ending.

This was absolutely enchanting. V.E. Schwab is one of my favorites. This book was deliciously dark and the whole atmosphere was delectable. I was sucked in from the very first chapter all the way to the end. I'm not a huge gothic reader, but I will never ever skip one of these.

As always, V.E. Schwab has written a beautiful, atmospheric, thought provoking novel. My only complaint is that I didn't really connect with any of the characters until I was 3/4 through the book which was a disappointment. The most interesting character didn't get fully introduced until then and I wish that she had more of a focus throughout the whole book.

I'll still be recommending this to library patrons.

Thank you to the publisher for the eArc.

I loved pretty much everything about this book. The writing is slower paced (very similar to Addie Larue) and lyrical without feeling overdone. The characters and the way the three arcs intertwine at the end was so interesting to read.

I immediately requested this after seeing it was sapphic vampires and it didn’t disappoint in the slightest.

I will be recommending this to anyone who loved Addie Larue and/or is looking for their next favourite book.

V.E. Schwab delivers a haunting tale that intertwines gothic atmosphere with emotional depth. Schwab masterfully navigates multiple timelines, crafting a narrative that is both intricate and compelling. The character development is profound, offering a deep exploration of identity and transformation. This standalone novel stands as a testament to Schwab's prowess in blending fantasy with poignant human experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley & Tor Publishing for the eARC!

4.5 ⭐

Wow, wow, wow! My first book by V.E. Schwab, and I loved it! Beautiful, metaphorical writing, nuanced, flawed characters, and incredibly immersive storytelling. It's a slower-paced novel, and I did want a little more from the ending, but Schwab's prose is so intoxicating that I didn't mind it too much. Schwab really knows how to get you emotionally invested in each of her characters! Now I need to read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue asap.

I really wanted to love this one since I’m a big fan of Scwabs other works but this story didn’t draw me in. As always Scwabs writing is top notch, her prose are luscious and almost like poetry in parts. Unfortunately I found the story boring, I didn’t really care about either if the 3 main characters. All this build up to the ending and it was anticlimactic. I’m sure many will love this story it just wasn’t my favourite of Scwabs.

Thanks to NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very fun and thrilling tale that takes us hundreds of years into the past and to present day. These are definitely toxic vampires and I like how Schwab handled the vampire mythology and rules--it worked very well and kept things fresh.

I really couldn't stand Alice though and all of her whining. I loathed having to go back to her chapters--she's just a very unlikable protagonist, which is saying a lot considering the other two vampire protagonists are EVIL. I wish we got more of the time periods the vampires were lurking in--but Schwab was focusing primarily on vibes, not details, which is fine but y'know...eh. The ending was rather anticlimactic in my opinion.

This is a petty grievance, but I really don't like the cover. I don't feel like it suits it at all and feels very generic. I hope they re-release this book with a better cover that screams vampires.

Overall, very entertaining story!

Ah, vampires, good old blood-sucking, undead, nocturnal creatures who have had the media in their chokehold since, well, the dawn of time. And when one of my favorite authors announced that they are coming out with a book about the lives of three lesbian vampires from different points of history, I immediately said, “sign me up!”

So, as you have expected this one was one of my most anticipated books of this year… and with a heavy heart I must honestly say that it was underwhelming. But don’t ring the alarms just yet, I didn’t hate it by any means, I just… didn’t like it.

But let’s start with the positives: V.E Schwab's writing is, as always, immaculate. I think it was the only thing that kept me invested in the story. Her beautiful prose and effortless command of the language were enough for me to stay hooked. Her characters are always vivid and full of colors as they come to life from the pages, and I believe that Schwab is a master at writing multiple-nonlinear-povs (i.e. Vicious being one of my favorite books of all time). However, the story itself fell flat for me, it was too…lackluster. All three of our heroines, Maria/Sabine, Lottie, and Alice, were strong and shining on their own, in their respective timelines, but when they came together (no spoilers) it was anticlimactic, to say the least. I think that their stories would’ve felt better as separate standalone stories. But well I guess, this is just my preference.

Another factor contributed to my unfortunate dislike of this book, is that some have compared it to the Interview with the Vampire, and I (hot take) am not a huge fan of this story (Put away your pitchforks, let me explain!) I simply realized that, in the end, vampires are just not for me. I made peace with it because for as long as I remember I never truly enjoyed vampires in any media. (Maybe a variation of vampires like in the manga Demon Slayer or Tokyo Ghoul but not strictly traditional blood-sucking-Twilight-Dracula-esc ones). Though I'm not very sure where this disdain comes from, in retrospect, I don’t think I genuinely enjoyed something with vampires...ever. For some reason, their stories feel stale for me, repetitive even. Perhaps because they are always mostly white, or their stories are always mostly set in Europe, or perhaps none of that at all, and I’m just not enlightened enough to vibe with the vampires.

And so, with that being said, I would not not recommend this book because it was simply just not for me (and I’m just one oddball who didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to). Again, this wasn't a bad story, just a story that I didn't personally enjoy, it definitely has its rightful audience.

Overall rating: 2,88 ⭐

Bury Your Bones in the Midnight Soil is dark, tender, and beautifully unsettling in the way only Schwab can manage. The prose is lyrical without ever losing its edge, and the story moves like a whisper through a haunted forest, soft and eerie, but with teeth. This is a tale of grief, legacy, and the quiet violence of memory. I was totally absorbed from the very first line. Schwab's ability to craft atmosphere is on full display here: you can feel the damp earth, smell the old roots, hear the silence between the trees. And the characters? They ache. Every single one of them feels real and raw, like they’ve been living just out of sight this whole time. I also loved the audio book portion with the different voices and accents. Best audiobook version I've listened to by far. I loved how it blends folklore and familial pain, how the supernatural serves as both metaphor and literal threat. It's gothic in the best way,moody and immersive without being weighed down by it. Highly, highly recommend this to anyone who wants to be haunted in the most poetic way possible.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is the vampire book we’ve always needed. We’ve had every kind of vampire book but toxic lesbian vampires adds a great fresh and needed element to the world of vampire fiction.

I love the viciousness of Maria. I love that Schwab shows what the long term of not being human can do to a vampire. When their humanity is completely gone. The long game she plays with Lottie after she betrays her, is diabolical. How swiftly she can kill without even thinking twice about it. It reminds me a lot of Marcella is Vengeful, that rage they both share.

Alice’s story stuck with me the most. I knew what would be the ending of her story, but I still cried so much when it’s revealed. It had my heart in pieces for her and how devastating it was that the sister was so close by.

I also loved Lottie’s story as well. I do want justice for Penny because while her time in the book is very short, it actually really stuck with me. She was just about to say how excited she was that she would be able to read so many books! This stuck with me because that’s the only reason eternity sounds like a great idea. I wanted a happy ending for Lottie too…

But, THAT ENDING WAS SO CRAZY. Omg, I jumped up from my chair when she drank it. When I first read it, I thought that it was a little too fast/easy for Sabine, but that’s death, it can happen quickly. That her version of vampires while immortal, are also very mortal creatures. I think Schwab was trying to portray that it can be easy and fast and completely surprise you.

Overall, this book is amazing. I loved each part of everyone’s story. Each had their own emotional and devastating experiences. I don’t think Schwab could ever disappoint me, their writing is just too beautiful.

The audiobook is also VERY well done!! I loved being able to hear their accents with the audiobook. 5/5 on narration, 5/5 on reader experience!!

Wow. I deeply loved this book.

The multiple storylines kept me hooked the whole time, and the writing itself was absolutely beautiful. This may be a new favorite of all time for me! I went into this completely blind, not even knowing it was about vampires, and ended up falling in love with all of the characters (even Sabine) and their journeys throughout the story. This is one I won't stop thinking about for a long time.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this early! And thank you to V. E. Schwab for writing such an impactful story with such memorable and relatable characters. I loved it.

I mean, truly, what more could you want from a story than vampires who are super toxic and hot lesbians and writing so beautiful it literally makes your chest ache? Honestly, there’s nothing better than that. This is most definitely my all-time-favorite VES book to date. Wow wow wow. I cannot express how great this was!
4.5 stars.
P.s. WE NEED MORE STAND ALONE STORIES! THANK YOU VES! I have become so sick of drawn out series

When is a book by V.E. Schwab ever not five stars? Never, is your answer.

When The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue released, I was a mess, sobbing the ugliest tears and wailing about the beautiful tale to anyone in my immediate vicinity; it didn’t matter that no one around me cared, only that this this thing, this story, existed and it both broke and awakened something inside of me. It was never a question of whether V.E. Schwab would be able to create that same magic again, it was only a matter of when.

And now, that time has finally arrived with Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil.

As an avid enjoyer of all things vampire (the good and the very very bad representations), I haven’t actually read much vampire literature, except for Dracula, which I picked up earlier this year and immediately knew that I needed to explore more. Since then, books like Carmilla and Lucy Undying have made their way onto my tbr list, and so, it only seemed fitting that V.E. Schwab’s newest book fell right into my new category of obsession.

This story gave me everything and more than I could possibly want or imagine. It has all the gothic horror vibes and lush imagery as you follow these three women through their lives and their deaths. And each one of them had such different stories to tell and unique ways of telling them that I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated.

As much as I would have loved to have more more more of this story, I don’t think there’s anything I would want changed about the final product; it is quite literally a masterpiece as it is, and I think extending it would only diminish the overall effect of the experience. V.E. Schwab said all that needed to be said and created a stunning record of the world through the eyes of these young women with a fresh and new take on vampire lore.

And while I didn’t break down into tears like I did at the end of Addie LaRue (this isn’t that kind of story), I felt so deeply for these characters. I empathized with them, I pitied them, I worried for them, because they all deserved better in their own right, and yet the world and time is cruel and it can and will crumble you if you are here too long.

Bury Our Bones is an exploration of queerness through time, grief and guilt, and what it truly means to live even after you are no longer human. I am so deeply grateful to NetGalley and Tor for gifting me this e-ARC, it means the world.

toxic lesbians vampires!!! it’s a story about 3 women in different time periods and how their stories all interconnect. i feel like i was hooked from the first chapter and just wanted to find out more. i like the fact that we go back and forth between the characters in their timelines until we see how they’re all connected. i was shocked at the ending and didn’t really see it coming. i love v.e. and will auto buy everything she does!! thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!!

As someone who doesn’t like vampires but loves VE Schwab, I liked it more than I thought I would and can appreciate this for the feat it is, but it’s not a new favorite. Unlike what seems to be common, I actually loved the beginning and was hooked immediately. It just lost me with some of the pacing. Schwab’s writing is incredible, as always, though.