V.E. Schwab’s hauntingly beautiful style has become a personal obsession. I haven’t read all of her work yet, but ever since Vicious and Vengeful I’ve been steadily building a shrine to her books.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil feels both like a departure from her usual stories and yet entirely familiar. Schwab’s signature prose—yearning, lyrical, and just the right amount of bittersweet—remains front and center. The pace is undeniably slow, but definitely not in a way that drags.

One of the things I’ve always admired about Schwab’s writing is her nonlinear storytelling—her ability to move fluidly through time across chapters, as she does so well in Vicious and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. That strength is on full display here, too.

I also couldn’t help but enjoy the Drusilla-Darla-Angelus / Louis–Lestat–Claudia dynamic between Sabine, Renata, and Hector. Their relationship is one of the book’s most compelling elements—morally tangled, emotionally fraught, and absolutely fascinating to watch unfold.

That said, I did struggle with Alice’s character. When Maria is introduced, I immediately got a strong sense of who she is—her personality, her motivations, her weight on the page. In contrast, Alice felt more elusive, and not in a deliberately mysterious way. Charlotte’s enigma is clearly intentional, but the lack of balance between Alice and Maria’s arcs made Alice’s sections feel thinner by comparison.

For me, the overall feel and tempo of the book reminded me a lot of Addie LaRue’s story. However, I can’t say I enjoyed it more. The mood is similarly melancholic, and while that usually works for me, this time I wasn’t quite as emotionally tethered to the narrative.

At first, I actually disliked the final chapters. I felt disconnected from the flow and unsure about how the story was wrapped up. But after letting it sit with me for a few days, I came to the conclusion that I’m not even sure what kind of ending would have satisfied me. Schwab gave us closure—her version of it—and whether or not it met my expectations doesn’t really matter. I’ve made peace with it, and maybe that’s the whole point.

Overall, while this might not top my Schwab-o-meter, it’s still a bold and uniquely atmospheric piece. The themes and ambiance—ones I usually find a bit tired in recent fiction—were handled with care and grace here. I genuinely enjoyed the experience and was only rarely pulled out of the story.

And yes, I am laughing at all the people yelling “Toxic lesbian vampires!”—because honestly? It pretty much sums it up.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, for the ARC!

When people compile lists of books published in the last 20 years or so that they believe will eventually, with time, become classic literature, they will compare Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil to Carmilla. They carry similar themes: sapphic vampires in a historical setting, which is what links these two novels; but it's also because what Schwab has crafted here is, essentially, an epic.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil follows three protagonists in different periods throughout about 500 years. We're introduced to Maria first, our protagonist who hungers for more, in Spain, 1500s. We're also introduced to Alice, 2019, who has just moved from Scotland to Boston for university. We follow Maria through her life, and Alice as she starts hers and I kept asking myself "I've read 300 pages, how are these characters connected?"

And then we're introduced to Charlotte.

It's 1800s England and Charlotte, after being caught having affairs with her childhood best friend, is being shipped off to London to debut on the ton. There she meets a familiar woman.

This has cemented Schwab as one of my top authors. Having only read her Vicious prior, I do have A Darker Shade of Magic and The Fragile Threads of Power sitting on my shelf. One of the best books I've read this year, by far.

This was another amazing book from Schwab. I was swept away on another amazing adventure. Schwab always writes such captivating characters - and this book has 3 main leading women who were amazing. Everything is so poetic and it was just exactly what I hoped it would be. The flow through time felt perfect - it didn't feel rushed and I enjoyed all the different eras. The vampire element felt so elegant and it was a main focus, but also not at the same time. So don't let that put you off. I struggled to put this down and am excited to reread when I have more time.

I was so excited for this book that at the end of the day, it was kind of a let down for me. I guess I have read too many vampire novels prior to this one and therefore, I felt like I've read this story before. I really loved the writing and Maria/Sabine's perspective. But whenever I had to read from another perspective, I was really bored and did not care for them. I wish it would have been darker and a little more unique, that's all.

I have seen this book all over social media, decided to give it a go and I am glad I did.

I have never read a book by V. E. Schwab so I did not know what to expect. V. E. Schwab writing is so good. The way the characters angst and yearning was written kept me wanting more.

It was really interesting how V. W. Schwab wrote three women's timelines and perspectives. There is one that I prefer but I loved being able to follow the three POV's.

The only thing I didn't enjoy is how the book ended. It seemed very anti-climatic to me.

V.E. Schwab, the master that you are. V.E. Schwab never fails to captivate my attention and Bury our Bones was no exception. Everything was just so perfect. V.E., I BEG of you, give us more sapphic vampires!!!

The author sums up this novel best in just three words – Toxic Lesbian Vampires.
This time-straddling sensation features three fierce females who are very different in personality but very similar in their taste for blood. We meet Maria/Sabine from 1500s Spain, Charlotte/Lottie from 1800s London and Alice from 2000s Ireland and learn the background of each. How they lived, how they met their natural end and what happened next.
Exquisite and poetic writing which never felt forced or overdone. A beautiful tale of three feral roses from the resplendent garden of Schwab.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil feels like Addie LaRue’s twisted, vampiric cousin—haunting, poetic, and soaked in centuries of longing, hunger, and feminist rage. V.E. Schwab weaves the stories of three very different women, each with unique origins and paths, yet all drawn toward the same inevitable, blood-soaked end. It's a tale that pulses with quiet fury and aching beauty, a gothic exploration of what it means to be forgotten, to endure, and to reclaim power in the most brutal of ways.

If V.E Schwab writes it, I will absolutely read it! I loved this one so much, from the writing style, the difference time lines, what a ride!

I really enjoyed the fact this leaned into historical fiction, wirh a hint of mystery and fantasy (vampires yesss). Highly reccomend if you need a devastating, beautiful read eoth lyrical prose.

VE Schwab did it again. What a book!
Took me a little while to get invested but once I was, this was such an excellent read.

To me it feels much darker and more mature than VE Schwab’s other work. I enjoyed the atmosphere she created that felt both sinister and allowed me to get attached to the characters. The three different perspectives felt extremely distinct, and each one is morally grey. The Alice perspective was my least favourite but I do understand why it was included. Charlotte is my fav.

I’m normally not a fan of vampires but boy this book absolutely hooked me. And I really sunk my teeth into it (wow, so funny).

Reading this felt like watching a movie unfold. The writing was so vivid and atmospheric. It read really quick even though it’s a long book. The pages just flew by.

Really loved it.

V.E Scwab has done it again. I don't necessarily think this book will be for everyone but it was for me ans I think that's down to the incredible author that is this woman. I didn't know much going in just it was a sapphic vampire book well that ticks some of my boxes already. I didn't realise it was so multi generational which isn't something I love but this book made that work for me. Its slow but you want to know everything about these characters and I loved every second of it.

This gave me everything I needed.

Queer vampires, women’s wrongs not women’s rights and big IWTV vibes.

The writing was poetic and draws you right in.

The three timelines were brilliantly intertwined. I will say Alice’s was my least favourite, it lacked depth for me, so I didn’t love her as much as Sabine or even Lottie. I also felt the final climax could have had a bit more meat to it considering how much we had to read to get there.

However, absolutely stunning book and I need more like it please.

5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This was a new genre for me and I am glad I had the opportunity to read this story. The 3 main characters were really interesting seeing them in different centuries.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil spans the length of years, moving through centuries and characters who live within these timelines. I was impressed y the depth of the book, and it being my first Swab book with its portrayal of female vampires who share a thirst for blood and one another. Prose wise, BOBITMS consists of lyrical prose which makes you want to read on. The slow scenes may not be for all readers, but it presents itself in a way that makes sense toward the end of the novel.

The toxicity representation was interesting, and I can't wait to read more of Scwab's novels.

This exceeded every one of my expectations and I truly think this is VE Schwab's best work yet. This is just incredible. Full of obsession, revenge, female rage, gothic vibes - everything was balanced so perfectly and crafted masterfully. I feel haunted by this story, I haven't stopped thinking about it.

I loved the three timelines we had - one beginning in the 1500s, one beginning in 2019, and one that we only just get to understand as the story goes on, so I won't spoil it, but each of them was fascinating, as we watch them develop and grow as they understand the shadowy world hiding within our own. Maria was by far my favourite of the three - she was so intriguing and engaging, and I was reading with a weird mix of awe and horror during her scenes.

This is not just a tale of vampires, but of women. Of women angry, wanting, desperate, grieving, yearning, loving. Of searching for a way to feel safe in a world that is not built for that, that is in fact built against that. The way that VE Schwab writes is poetic and heartfelt, and I just adored this. All the stars.

Thank you forever to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book!

i cant even put into words right now how much this book ruined my life in the best way possible. vampires, V E Schwab?? my dream book with literally every thing i love in one!! i was absolutely in pieces at addie larue, and this was no exception. im gonna need a tattoo of this book to memorialise it with addie asap...

After loving Addie LaRue, I was sure I would absolutely adore this one.
Three women, born in three different time periods, and their journey of becoming vampires? Count me in.

I loved finding out about the connections and the dynamics between the different characters, loved to see them change over time, the brokenness of it all. Loved how angry it made me at times, these women fighting for their space in a men-dominated world. Loved the writing.

Unfortunately, it was very slow and maybe 100 pages too long in my opinion. I had hope for this great payoff, this big resolution of the story, and was very disappointed and underwhelmed by the ending. There were probably some deeper themes that other reviews point out, but to be honest, I didn't care enough throughout the book to pay attention to those details.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillian/Tor for the eARC.

V E Schwab can do no wrong in my eyes. I've loved every one of her offerings and this was such a beautifully written, haunting novel with major Lestat and Louis vibes. The storytelling was absolutely poetic and I couldn't put it down! I've seen nothing but rave reviews and it's thoroughly deserved.

Schwab writes of women who are not just full of fangs, they’re full of want, fury, contradictions and a yearning for freedom, selfhood, safety, rage and sometimes revenge. And the freedom to love who they love.

She writes of women who’ve been consumed their entire lives by patriarchy, by silence, by roles they didn’t choose and what happens when they begin to consume in return. Schwab explores predator and prey.

The vibes were immaculate! I had seen the book advertised as toxic lesbian vampires, which if I am honest made me request the book, and I was no disappointed at all!