⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 4.5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is one of my most anticipated releases of 2025! The toxic lesbian vampire book telling the story of the lives of three women and how they connect to each other.

“Bury my bones in the midnight soil, plant them shallow but water them deep, and in my place will grow a feral rose, soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth.”


I first learned about this book via Schwab’s newsletter, talking about the Bones project she was working on. I was sold from that first moment and can’t believe I finally got to dive into this story!
The story is very character heavy and mostly tells the life story of the three women. In that it reminded me very much of Addie LaRue, so if you loved that book, you’ll love this one as well!

I haven’t read a lot of character driven stories, but I really enjoyed the build-up of this one! The story starts with Maria in 1532, and I was immediately enamoured by her. Her hunger, her need to escape and for more in life where relatable and I really liked her drive. She is also the character that is most present throughout the whole book and my favourite haha.

Charlotte is introduced first, in the beginning of the book and later in 1827 in London during a debutante ball. I felt for her as her surroundings really put her in a box she wanted to escape from. I really liked how my impression of her changed throughout the book, learning more about her with each chapter.

The last character is Alice, who we first meet in 2019 in Boston during a college party. There is a sort of mystery that surrounds her, and I was intrigued by it, wanting to know the mystery, and having all the answers. Her rage was palpable throughout, and I liked it.

I love the symbolism and the similarities between all three women despite being born in such different times. It also took almost 60% of the book to finally understand how the lives of all three are tied together.

I have to be honest, I don’t really get the ending, this also being the reason I’m not giving it a 5-star rating. It might just be me, but I feel like it took a sudden turn that seemed a bit off to me, as if it was too rushed. Still, I loved the story and the build-up of it all.

Overall, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is an amazing character driven story with three very different woman whose lives are inexplicitly tied together. Definitely the toxic lesbian vampire story it was promised to be!

The elevator pitch I heard about this books was: toxic lesbian vampires. That’s exactly what it is! And it’s so good.
While quite a long book at over 500 pages; most of this book if fleshing out the three women that we focus on: Maria, Alice and Charlotte. We spend the first half focusing on Maria and Alice and how they became the women they are, their inner world and motivations.
What was really well written was the toxic relationship. How the relationship developed from one of rose tinted love to one where someone is genuinely scary to be in a relationship with. This is gradual toxicity.

Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil is the new fantasy novel by V. E. Schwab. I, like many fantasy fans, will read anything written by V. E. Schwab. She could publish her to do list, and I would probably still buy it. So, when I heard that she was writing a new novel about vampires I was beyond excited!

In this novel, we follow three girls from different countries and time periods. One from Spain in the 1500’s, one from London in the 1800’s (my favourite time period) and one from America in the modern era. They all have rich and complicated backstories that make them unique characters. Whilst this is a gothic story full of blood, it is also a wonderful character study. Schwab spends time building up their motivations and worlds separately. She explores these different time periods (which were written beautifully by the way) and the way in which they shaped women.

Schwab also discusses the difficulty of living with immortality and the corrupting influence of power. She has brought up these topics in other books like The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue and Vicious, but I appreciate that she always manages to find a new angle to explore. There are so many powerful, almost philosophical moments in this book which make it moving as well as enjoyable to read.
If you loved her previous work and thought that her show First Kill was wrongfully cancelled, you will devour this book!

'Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil' is a feminist tale of three womens lives, each of their interwined perspectives woven across multiple timelines. The themes were of love, self-discovery, and hunger. It was dark and moody and mysterious, and to my great surprise - having jumped into this completely blind - they were vampires. This book read as though it were a dream. The prose was melodic and lyrical, full of metaphors and enchanting imagery.

This was a complex story, which felt very character driven, so I find it odd that I felt so disconnected from the story and the characters. I just couldn't feel them. They felt distant and blurry, similar to the book as a whole, which felt hazy to me. It was so unique, and no doubt many readers will love this experience.

One thing I noticed is that this novel doesn’t contain a lot of dialogue. I don't think this is necessarily a negative, but it did contribute overall to the slower pacing - which definitely was a negative.

This story really dragged for me. It was very drawn out and overly detailed. I think the intricate writing created a very poetic atmosphere, but it was too much. I was intrigued at the start and felt very enveloped by the writing and the beautiful historical setting of Maria's POV, but ultimately, it fell flat for me.

The structure of this book wasn't great either. The amount of time we spend with each character really differs, and we don't get Charlotte's story until way past the halfway mark.

I didn't finish this book in the end. My attention just drifted away, and I felt so tired of how repetitive and un-engaging it was. I hadn't been invested in it for a long time.

If you enjoy this author's writing and are interested in books with a paranormal, thriller-esque vibe that is quite philosophical, I think this would be a great hit. It has very high ratings, after all, which I think is deserved due to the amazing writing, but there really wasn't much to the plot at all, with nothing driving it forward.

Thank you very much to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

*I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) for free in exchange for an honest review*

This was an epic fever dream, that's the only way I can describe it is as a literal fever dream. V.E Schwab's world building and descriptions are unmatched because I never fail to feel immersed and lose myself in their books.

At points it did feel really slow and was hard to keep track of the different timings and perspectives but the further in I got the more the plot felt like it all slotted together nicely. Speaking of plot, this book was a bit of a slow burner for me. I didn't feel super engaged immediately but I also couldn't put it down so it was a weird combination to have.

Overall though a really electric read if you keep going through the slower patches of plot.

𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚢. 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚍. 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙. 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 - 𝚅.𝙴. 𝚂𝚌𝚑𝚠𝚊𝚋

𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝖲𝖺𝖻𝗂𝗇𝖾, 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗋𝗅𝗈𝗍𝗍𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖠𝗅𝗂𝖼𝖾. 𝖠𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾-𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗂𝗍 𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗂𝗍 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗌. 𝖨𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝗆𝗂𝗑𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖨𝗇𝗏𝗂𝗌𝗂𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖠𝖽𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗅𝖺 𝗋𝗎𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗏𝗂𝖻𝖾𝗌 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗂𝖺𝗋 𝖻𝗒 𝖫𝖾𝗂𝗀𝗁 𝖡𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗎𝗀𝗈.

𝖥𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 15% 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄, 𝖨 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗀𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗏𝖺𝗆𝗉𝗂𝗋𝖾𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗂𝗍! 😂 𝖧𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋, 𝗈𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖨 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗌𝖾𝖽, 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝖼𝖺𝗉𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗈𝖾𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗅𝗒𝗋𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀. 𝖨 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝗒𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗅𝗒 𝗂𝗇𝗏𝖾𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖿𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗍𝖺𝗀𝗈𝗇𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗌. 𝖨 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗂𝖼𝗎𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗅𝗒 𝖾𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗊𝗎𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗁𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗂𝖽𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗌𝗈𝗂𝗅, 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝖼𝗁 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗏𝗂𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝖺 𝗋𝖾𝖿𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗒𝗉𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅 𝗏𝖺𝗆𝗉𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗋𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗌. 𝖲𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗎𝗇𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗂𝖿𝗎𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝗅𝗈𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗌 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝗅𝖾𝗌𝖻𝗂𝖺𝗇𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗌𝗍. 𝖬𝗒 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗈𝗋 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗀𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗍𝖺𝗀𝗈𝗇𝗂𝗌𝗍’𝗌 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄 (𝗐𝗁𝗂𝖼𝗁 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖺 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝖿𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖨 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝖿𝖾𝗋𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝖺 𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗂𝖼𝖾). 𝖠𝖽𝖽𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝖿 𝖽𝗋𝗈𝗐𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗄𝗂𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗌 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗎𝗇𝗇𝖾𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖺𝗋𝗒.

𝖨 𝖾𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗅𝗅, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗄𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝖾𝗑𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋-𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌, 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗉𝗅𝗈𝗍. 𝖨𝗍’𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖺 𝖿𝖺𝗌𝗍-𝗉𝖺𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗌𝗒, 𝗌𝗈 𝖽𝗈𝗇’𝗍 𝗀𝗈 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍!

𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖯𝖺𝗇 𝖬𝖺𝖼𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗇 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖠𝖱𝖢.

This book was interesting. I think it will be highly rated and beloved by a lot of people but it just didn’t quite hit for me. It’s very thematic and character driven, and until we got a third pov around 60% I wasn’t sure where we were going. This kept me from fully connecting and getting invested in the story. However around the 70% mark when I saw things come together I got really into it and could see the vision that was there all along. The writing was absolutely amazing, I have so many quotes highlighted. This was a gorgeous feminist vampire story that I would definitely recommend and I think I could love this more if I re read it in the future. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Gripping. Twisty. Masterful. Haunting. And yes, toxic.

“The world will try to make you small. It will tell you to be modest, and meek. But the world is wrong. You should get to feel and love and live as boldly as you want to.”

Wow, oh wow.
Honestly I’m still struggling to put my thoughts and this feeling in my chest into words.

Bury Our Bones has all Addie’s wanting, but more and deeper and without the eternal positivity.

Our three main characters have very different lives and story arcs, but ultimately they all share one thing: a desire to be wholly themselves, to be who they wish they could be without societal expectations, to live without fear. The way their stories weave together into a single narrative is beautiful, and I was entranced by their individual lives and the way they came together.

The exploration of V’s unique vampirism, which follows some lore but eschews other aspects, was fantastic, and the contemporary lens of Alice gave us a bit of humour and brought the comparisons we can’t help but make into the narrative.

I loved the idea of their humanity devolving over time, after all, could most of us live forever and still be ourselves? Could we value the lives of those who seemed to live and die in the blink of an eye? Would we empathise with what is now, ultimately, food? And the consideration of how much humanity you can lose before you become a monster.

Bury Our Bones broke my heart. Sabine, Lottie, and Alice have a shared experience of what being female means in this world - at different times and in different places, but always less, always fearful, always small. In a way, getting to see them break that mould was cathartic, even if they had to become monsters to do it.

I absolutely devoured this dark and brooding tale of toxic lesbian vampires from V. E.
Schwab. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil felt like a darker, more seductive sister to Addie LaRue.

The story drips with tension and drama as the toxic pull between three women boils over into violence and betrayal against a backdrop of glamour and bloodshed.

The structure of the book was fascinating, the narrative baton passed back and forth between the centuries as each character and their unique relationship to vampirism is explored.

Another stunning novel from one of fiction’s biggest hitters.

This is a story about hunger, love, humanity, toxic lesbian vampires and - perhaps most importantly - female rage. It is dark, moody and atmospheric, putting a new slant on traditional vampire lore, and I have no doubt that fellow fans of V.E. Schwab will eat this up just as much as I did.

It has echoes of stories such as Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire, particularly in the sense of its characters grappling with their morality and humanity (or lack of it) but it is told with Schwab’s signature lyrical prose. The interweaving of the triple narrative, historical timelines and three women’s lives worked so well (though it took a while to get to Lottie) and although it doesn’t quite knock Addie LaRue off my personal top spot, I still loved it. A massive thank you for the e-ARC.

I was so excited to receive an e-arc of V. E. Schwab’s latest release, being such a big fan of her previous works. And whilst there were aspects of this story I enjoyed, it fell flat for me.

I so wanted to love this, but there were glaring issues for me. Don’t get me wrong, Schwab’s prose is as lyrical and beautiful as you would expect and it’s always such a delight to read her stories, especially those filled with such feminine rage.

But there was a big pacing issue here. The middle was so bogged down and slow paced with little story progression, I struggled to get through it all. And then in the last 40 pages, everything was quickly wrapped up, which was very anti-climactic.

I also didn’t warm to any of the main characters, they were all pretty unlikeable and it was hard to root for any of them.

I don’t know whether reading this so soon after I read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue also made it difficult to get through. Schwab herself has said Bury Our Bones is a sister novel set in the same universe and I couldn’t get past the similarities. It kind of felt like I was reading the same story just in a different era.

Still worth a read if you’re a Schwab fan, and I will still be picking up any future books!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Slow pace, but keeps you engaged throughout. An enjoyable walk through history, well paced, and I liked the writing - drew me in to the time. I was so there for the concept of the story, I do like a nice, traditional vampire telling, and this fit the bill. Would definitely read more from Schwab.

4.5 stars

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a moody, lyrical novel that blends literary fiction with subtle horror elements. As always, Schwab's writing is beautiful and prose-driven. Much like Addie, Bury Our Bones is more of an atmospheric experience rather than a plot-driven one. While there aren't sharp twists or plot-driven shocks, the horror seeps in quietly, through the slow decay of characters facing immortality. There's an undercurrent of female rage that runs through every POV, though Charlotte is my favorite, as a master-class in self delusion (we support women's wrongs).

I'd probably read Schwab's grocery list at this point but if you enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Carmilla, or An Education in Malice, this book is worth picking up. Toxic lesbian vampires forever.

Rating : 4 ★

My Interview with the Vampire fan-self fell in love with vampires again !

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is such an interesting tale and will be perfect for you if you love :
🥀 gothic settings & eerie vibes
🦇 sapphic vampires
🍷slow burn story
🪦 female rage

Told from three different povs and different time lines, we follow Sabine, Charlotte and Alice as their lives intertwine. The three women are so different but at the same time so similar and the way V.E. Schwab brings them to life is mesmerizing.

As always, I adore Schwab's writing. It's poetic and sharp and Bury Our Bones reminds me a lot of Addie LaRue in that aspect. The story is slow and we take our time with characters development and settings and that's exactly what I love to read about.

Female rage and female power are at the core of the story and feed our characters' actions and choices. While the majority of the book focuses on Sabine's life, we learn more and more about Charlotte and Alice as the story progresses, the place they take and role they play in it.

Interview with the Vampire is one of my favorite classics of the genre and even though I'm getting tired of Vampires being over-used and mis-treated in modern literature, Schwab did a brilliant job with this book. I'm mentioning Interview with the Vampire because I'm seeing a resemblance between the two and can easily imagine inspiration being drawn from the former - and I'm not mad about that.

I wish Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil would have kept focus on Sabine as well towards and until the end as to have a proper insight of her changes and ultimate downfall. In the same way I would have loved for some moments to have been written more in depth (I can give as an example <spoiler>when María kills Sabine : I thought the scene was too easy and rushed).</spoiler>.

This is a slow read, yet hard to put down.
This is a Romance, yet not a love story ...
Or is it ?

Thank you to Pan Macmillan, Tor and Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Happy release day to this beautiful and harrowing book!!

“Bury my bones in the midnight soil, plant them shallow but water them deep, and in my place will grow a feral rose, soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth.”

I really enjoyed savoring this one, taking my time with it and dwelling on it.
I've been wishing for something like <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60521937-a-dowry-of-blood">A Dowry of Blood</a>, ever since reading it a few years back, and I found this book filled the gap that Dowry left.

Also also, read if you like female rage (which we do, yes yes 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️)

"Never walk alone at night, they tell you, if you’re a girl. And it isn’t fair. Because the night is when the world is quiet."

Schwab once again cements why she is one of my faves, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with in the future!

4.5⭐

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a much anticipated book this year and much anticipated from Schwab as I believe she has talked about this book in previous years. It has garnered a lot of attention for that. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed by this book and I actually felt bored throughout most of it.

We start far into the history of one of the characters where we learn how she became who she is by the time the story catches up to our (2019) timeline. While I understand why Sabine turned out the way she did, I didn't really care about her or her story. In places it is very drawn out. The whole story is, really. When Alice told one of the other characters to hurry up their 'story' as explanation to her, I felt that. I felt that throughout the entire book, honestly.

We clearly don't just follow Sabine. We also follow Alice, and nearing the end Charlotte. I found Alice's story the most compelling because she was someone we can all put ourselves in her shoes, suddenly becoming a vampire in our time. She was also an easy character to follow. Sometimes I found her recollections of her and her sister a little annoying but by the end it made sense as to why they were there. The ending, the choice Alice makes, was bold and I can really appreciate it. But it wasn't enough for me to enjoy the book in the end.

I was bored for most of the book. When the characters don't interest you and there isn't that much happening, a story can become boring very quickly. The story is drawn out and the writing did nothing to draw me in this story. This is Schwab, so I persisted to see if the ending was still worth it. Not really but as I said, I'm still pleased that Alice did that.

Having said that, this book is a mixture of her Addi la Rue and Vicious. Neither of those worked for me at the time. But if one or both of them are books you really liked, you might be more drawn to this than me.

Wow - for my first VE Schwab read this book did not disappoint! I kept hearing it described as 'toxic lesbian vampires' and you know what, they weren't wrong. VE Schwab's writing style is definitely something I vibe with and this book solidified that for me, which means it's time to pick up some of her other books.

The setting, the characterisation, the plot - I loved all of it. This book didn't take me long to read at all because I was so hooked.

Unfortunately, I'm DNFing this at 33% after trying to read it for two weeks. I wanted to enjoy this, I absolutely adored Addie LaRue and was hoping for more of the same but this just didn't work for me.

The pacing is very slow, it takes a long time for the vampire stuff to start - I've literally just got to it before I DNFd. The vampire side of things is ok but it just isn't enough to keep me engaged, the characters aren't very likeable either.

The plot is also non-existent! It feels like the story is just wandering around and nothing is going on, there should be an identifiable plot to a story - especially over a quarter of the way in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor for making my dream come true and providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler: I am screaming. This was the most addictive story.

This is how you write vampires. Vicious, sexy, dark and flawed. I love vampires, and V.E. Schwab did it absolutely perfectly. They are all so different from each other, but still share the hunger, the wilderness. Toxic lesbian vampires, dare I say more?

The tales of the three women span across centuries. They are tales of love and lust and chaos. Their stories sank their teeth into me and did not let me go. I am not sure they ever will. Their love devoured them, consumed them like fire; if you could even call it love. More like obsession, lust and passion. More like poison. They knew it was toxic, yet kept coming back for more.

Before I start talking about the characters and what made them so special, I need to mention the writing. Lyrical, but dark and engaging, it drew me in like a moth into a flame. The book didn't have a structured, linear plot, but it made up for it with feeling. I couldn't read the book, I felt it all the way into my soul. The story was not about what happened, even if that is a big part of it. I think it was mostly about how it felt- like a deep sadness, an ever consuming emptiness and starvation.
Schwab's prose just gets better and better with every book. When she called this one the opposite of Addie, she meant it.

Without spoiling it, the ending left me staring at the ceiling at 4am. Much like our characters, I was left craving more, questioning everything I knew about life. And sometimes you need an ending like that. One that stays with you, like a comforting heaviness onto your chest.

Onto the characters. Firstly there was Maria- the definition of female rage. A simple girl who always knew she wanted more from life than just being a wife. She was craving power, and freedom and to live how she pleased. And that's exactly what she did, even before the turning point when she bit destiny by the throat. She knew what she wanted and was not afraid to take it, from her husband's riches, to later his life and Sabine's whole identity. Damning the consequences, she was all about the thrill of the chase. She was the definition of the obsession you want to dedicate your days to. The one you want to dedicate your nights to.

Charlotte-Lottie. More tame, a naïve girl whose only mistake was to fall in love with the wrong person time and time again. She felt like a fever dream. She felt human. She was enjoying her life, while still being a bridge between the maturity of her real age and the youth of her heart. She was love, pure and open.

And Alice? Alice was revenge. She was angry, not just at what happened to her family, but at what happened to herself. She demanded justice, even if she had to make it herself. She started off as an unwilling participant, but the tangled story she became a part of changed her. Alice was just starting to live.

Pure artistry, the book showed women through history. It was a big love letter to female rage and loving women.

"Bury my bones in the midnight soil, plant them shallow but water them deep, and in my place will grow a feral rose, soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth."

4.5 ⭐

Toxic sapphic vampires. 💋🗡️🩸🥀

There is very little wiggle room when it comes to writing stories about vampires while trying to stay true to the base myths and lore, but I loved the creative liberty V.E Schwab took with certain elements in this novel.

'The last thing these men will ever feel is fear. And it will be her doing.'

This is what I imagine would be the aftermath if women were given a machete and free will to do anything with no consequences. When it comes to women committing violence against men, I am blind, your honor, I cannot testify.

This novel is the embodiment of violent obsession, unbridled rage and heavy grief.

(A vampire having a panic attack was not on my bingo card, but the struggle is real.)

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for an early proof in exchange for an honest review.